The Colossus was in Rhodes (a Greek island), so it shouldn't be pluralized with a Latin suffix. See also, octopuses.

You probably don't have to build that book scanner. There's a company called BitLit (http://www.bitlit.ca) that's working on a system that would let you get the digital edition of a book you own in print for free or minimal cost (think $0.99-$2.99). Full disclosure: I'm the founder of BitLit... I'm at Book Expo America this week and I'm getting a hugely positive response from publishers. Most publishers understand that today's consumer feels that he/she buys content not an embodiment (cloth, paper, or bits)... Yes, some do want DRM on their ebooks, but many, including independents and "the big six" understand that DRM is as useful as a paper mÃché crash helmet. There is also growing understanding that ebook DRM allows device makers to wall in readers. And once the garden is walled, those ebook vendors can start to set unfavorable terms on publishers. Amazon and Apple's dominance in the device world is likely to doom ebook DRM in the long run.

In theory yes... you could borrow library books and use the eYourBooks app to get the free or discounted eBook. But we try pretty hard to look for the library dewey decimal tags during the book validation... and the physical book has to be uniquely and specifically marked... , so when you return the book to the library the marked book would be easy to trace back. If you really want an eBook collection as big (or bigger), there are easier ways to do it.

The idea of the conditions attached to ebooks over dead tree books is what lead to the idea for (full disclosure: this is my company) eYourBooks. The idea of bundling an ebook (for convenience) with a paper book (for countless other important reasons e.g. first sale doctrine), isn't new. But ebook bundling so far has only been at the point of sale. We're hoping to allow somebody to buy (or get for free) an ebook by proving they own the real book using their smart phone *after* the point of sale. So in theory, you could buy a real book from a used book store bargain bin, get the ebook for free (or well below "new" ebook price) and enjoy the best of both worlds.