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Thoughts on Kindles
May. 2nd, 2011 02:23 pmPrint is not dead.
That said, it's becoming a bit of an inconvenience. There's a lot of talk going on about e-readers - Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad Library, etc. - that tends to toss people into two very different camps: Print Is Dead, and Books Are Smelly1.
I understand both arguments, and I've often put myself in the Books Are Smelly camp - or at least, I've defended the position. My actual position, though? Lies in the middle. And no, it's not a Golden Mean2 here; it's an actual valid position.
While real, printed books will always be my preference, I've made plenty of trips where I had a whole backpack full of the things, for the travel, or for relaxing while I'm there. I read fast, and will finish a book quickly; that, or I'll want to switch off between a couple ones I've been meaning to read for a while. For situations such as these, I'm hoping to be able to purchase a Kindle for my birthday coming up.
That said, I definitely don't want to be sitting in my favorite chair on a lazy Saturday afternoon with the sunlight filtering in through the window just so, without an actual book in my hand. I'd feel wrong.
So there you have it. The two can definitely co-exist; you just have to keep an open mind.
That said, it's becoming a bit of an inconvenience. There's a lot of talk going on about e-readers - Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad Library, etc. - that tends to toss people into two very different camps: Print Is Dead, and Books Are Smelly1.
I understand both arguments, and I've often put myself in the Books Are Smelly camp - or at least, I've defended the position. My actual position, though? Lies in the middle. And no, it's not a Golden Mean2 here; it's an actual valid position.
While real, printed books will always be my preference, I've made plenty of trips where I had a whole backpack full of the things, for the travel, or for relaxing while I'm there. I read fast, and will finish a book quickly; that, or I'll want to switch off between a couple ones I've been meaning to read for a while. For situations such as these, I'm hoping to be able to purchase a Kindle for my birthday coming up.
That said, I definitely don't want to be sitting in my favorite chair on a lazy Saturday afternoon with the sunlight filtering in through the window just so, without an actual book in my hand. I'd feel wrong.
So there you have it. The two can definitely co-exist; you just have to keep an open mind.
- "Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer, it has no texture, no context. It's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then the getting of knowledge should be tangible, it should be, um, smelly."
- I usually call it the Grey Fallacy, in deference to the X-wing series where I first heard of it.
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