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<p>this semester i bought so many textbooks. and then halfway through the semester, i met a guy who had them all in pdf form on his laptop. he said he just googled and found them for free. wt-ef??? books are so expensive 
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<p>next sem i’m definitely just photocopying textbooks then returning them… ■■■…</p>
<p>Can anyone else provide input on using PDF versions of texts on a laptop or tablet pc?</p>
<p>I would put links up, but I don’t think that’s allowed. I would check on ebookee or warez-bb. You should find what you need there. I’m also considering it myself if only for home reference. I do prefer the feel of a book. I just don’t like carrying them around.</p>
<p>Glad that your scoliosis went away. Invest about one fifteenth of your LV bag savings into a Kindle.</p>
<p>Oh it’s still there, but thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>Yeah “messenger” bags are not the best idea if you have scoliosis.</p>
<p>caiacs: The manner in which you post is so condescending that, even if you have a valid point, you’re unlikely to be taken seriously because you tick people off. And you do have a good point about messenger bags being detrimental to someone who already suffers from back pains. Half the battle in convincing someone is to have a good idea–the other half lies in how you choose to express it. Just something to keep in mind…</p>
<p>Also:
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<p>Maybe because it’s a pain–literally–to carry around books that aren’t necessary for classs (even if they might be useful)? Seriously, I’m usually the person who overstuffs their backpack, but even I don’t bring my textbooks to lecture, because it’s not necessary. I’ll admit, I’m a humanities major, so textbooks would probably be more useful in math and science course lectures than in my lectures.</p>
<p>Agree with ssllamas1 here:
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<p>Yeah, my experience is that messenger bags are okay as long as the load is light. That was kind of my whole point. I mean, I don’t like backpacks, but stuffed up messenger bags are also bad for me. (So are over-stuffed backpacks). I was just trying to compromise by trying to keep the load light. I wanted to make sure that Math 53 didn’t require the book in discussion. I guess that is just something specific to the GSI. Anyways, thanks for the help guys. I think we’ve done the topic justice.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I don’t buy any of the back pain sob story since a) it wasn’t brought up in the OP and b) “my experience is that messenger bags are okay as long as the load is light” . . .well your doctor may want to have a word with you AND think about this . . . carrying a slightly heavier load . . . with a bag with TWO straps. Try taking that logical leap. </p>
<p>I usually allow leeway with two out of three of the following: have self respect, be pretentious, be ignorant. You can respect yourself and be pretentious, but you have to be ignorant. You can be ignorant and pretentious, but you have no self respect. You can have self respect and be ignorant, but you must be humble. The OP threw all three in my face, and I can’t let him do that =P</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if anyone comes onto this message board with a respectful, polite tone . . even IF he or she is ignorant, I am more than happy to spare him or her the condescension crap. </p>
<p>BUT if you come into here with an attention whore, I know what’s up kind of tone, you BETTER know what you’re talking about.</p>
<p>. . . And speaking of things which weren’t implied or explicitly mentioned in the OP:</p>
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<p>…are you playing the hipster card here, caiacs? tsk tsk tsk.
For someone married to objectivity this sure wasn’t very objective. ):</p>
<p>I’m playing the “I briefly scanned over all of his posts and felt ready to judge him morally, coming to an unfavourable conclusion” card.</p>
<p>Deal with it.</p>
<p>Really? Looks more like the a-hole card.</p>
<p>^ +1
10char</p>
<p>So you’re married to morality, too, caiacs? Wouldn’t wanna be there when objectivity finds out . . .</p>
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<p>Some are free (legally):</p>
<p>CS 61A: [Dive</a> Into Python 3](<a href=“ep.io - This website is for sale! - ep Resources and Information.”>http://diveintopython3.ep.io/)
CS 61A (old): [Welcome</a> to the SICP Web Site](<a href=“http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/]Welcome”>http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/)
EE 20N: [Lee</a> and Varaiya, Structure and Interpretation of Signals and Systems](<a href=“http://leevaraiya.org/]Lee”>http://leevaraiya.org/)</p>
<p>The a-hole card? Like the a-hole who’s so insecure that he goes on an internet forum to insult people in some threads and brag about his taste in bags, highlighting a nonexistent health problem, in another?</p>
<p>[Cabin</a> fever - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_fever]Cabin”>Cabin fever - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Hey I don’t think the original question was answered very well haha…</p>
<p>I took Chem 1A in Fall '09. At least when I took it there was a lab manual and a discussion manual that you had to bring to the lab. You didn’t actually have to do the discussion questions because they weren’t graded, and there was some complicated way of grading the labs anyway, which I’m not sure is still implemented or even if Spring semester is graded in the same way. In any case, both the manuals are extremely light and shouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>I also took ESPM 50AC. No you don’t have to bring the book. It is also very light though. I didn’t even purchase it because I took the class for P/NP. Even so, most of my peers in the class didn’t even bother to read the articles in the reader. Of course, I took it this last Fall, so I’m not sure it will be the same for you.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>