dagblog - Comments for "E-Books: Technological Wonder or the End of Civilization? "

It took me some time, but I

Michael Maiello — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:41:16 +0000

In reply to E-Books: Technological Wonder or the End of Civilization?

It took me some time, but I do enjoy the e-reader. I like the Kindle app on my iPad better than the Kindle itself, but I find both comfortable. I've also been using The Daily's app pretty much every day. I still like physical books, though.

The one thing that hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it will, is that nobody has written the brilliant tablet book -- something that isn't just a novel in another form but is a novel for the new medium.

Actually, if you put your

Orlando — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:24:10 +0000

In reply to Put me down for B...for both

Actually, if you put your Kindle in a ziploc bag, reading in the bathtub isn't a problem. I suppose I could do the same thing on a ferry, but it seems like a bigger risk somehow.

Speaking of a WWII wreck, I went diving in Bali at the site of the USS Liberty wreck. Kinda cool.

Well, O, if you look at my

Peter Schwartz — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:53:08 +0000

In reply to Thanks for the comments,

Well, O, if you look at my suggestion below, you'll see that a sinking ferry won't be a problem.

Put me down for B...for both

Peter Schwartz — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:51:34 +0000

In reply to E-Books: Technological Wonder or the End of Civilization?

Put me down for B...for both and boring and never let your battery go dead. How about that for a boring answer.

When the electricity goes out, and assuming you haven't kept your battery charged as instructed, you read all the books on your shelves you've been meaning to get around to. This assumes the electricity goes out during the day or you can stand reading by flashlight in the dark (I can't do it).

Bigger problem--what happens when you're reading your Kindle in the bath and it slips through your wet, soapy hands into the drink?

Before I buy an e-Reader I'll wait until they come out with a waterproof model you can read in ambient, underwater light while snorkeling or scuba-ing and is good to 100 meters underwater, like all the good watches. Naturally, it will have to be a G5, so I can download new titles whilst I head down toward that WWII wreck.

Philosopher's Stone

Donal — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:12:21 +0000

In reply to Thanks for the comments,

<grumble> Philosopher's Stone </grumble>

Thanks for the comments,

Orlando — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:05:15 +0000

In reply to E-Books: Technological Wonder or the End of Civilization?

Thanks for the comments, everyone! What prompted the poll was my desire to read the Harry Potter series again before the final movie comes out. Before I moved overseas, I bought a Kindle, because when I lived overseas before, I couldn't get books in English and my mom had to ship them to me. Kindle seemed like a great solution then--and it has been. I love my Kindle so much that I refused to take it on vacations in Indonesia that involved ferry travel. The Java Sea is shallow and mostly the smaller offshore islands are close enough that you could swim to one if the ferry sank. But since they overpack them with people and supplies, I wasn't risking the loss of my most necessary possession!

But I digress...So, there I was, on Amazon, trying to buy Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. But it's not available for sale on Kindle. I've looked before, noticed it hasn't been available, and gotten something else instead. But this time, I really wanted it, so I tried to find out why it wasn't for sale. According to what I found (on the internet, so keep that in mind), J.K. Rowling doesn't "believe" in e-books. She thinks that stories should be read the old-fashioned way. I think that's kind of rich coming from someone who is greatly profiting from the release of audio books and feature films, but whatever.

As for me, I was nervous about the Kindle, wondering if I would like it. It took a total of ten minutes to get used to navigating through the pages and now I prefer it. As for running out of battery at inopportune times, I just went on a five-day holiday where I spent a good part of every day reading, and I didn't charge it til I got home. And mine is the second generation. I understand the newer ones go even longer. I'm not saying give up your books. I think that a person should be able to access a story in whatever medium works best for that person. For me, that's the Kindle. Because I don't have a permanent home, I can take my whole bookshelf with me when I move. Or, I can just carry it to the coffee shop in my purse. And I dig that!

Exactly Emma! That is why I

mageduley — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:47:15 +0000

In reply to What do you read when the

Exactly Emma! That is why I love a good old paperback. I do have an e-reader app on my Android phone and I love being able to download and read on the fly, but it has not replaced my paper. Especially since Amazon had that controversy a while back where they actually deleted books from customers kindles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html

Call me a little tinfoil hat-ish, but I figure they cannot come into my house and take a "real" book of the shelf.

C) Beats carrying massive

Michael Wolraich — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:23:57 +0000

In reply to You'll take what you get, and

C) Beats carrying massive tomes arounds, but all things being equal, I'd rather have a book in my hand

PS The instant gratification of e-book delivery is pretty swell too

PPS Thank you, ma'am

I am in love with my IPad

tmccarthy0 — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:12:31 +0000

In reply to E-Books: Technological Wonder or the End of Civilization?

I am in love with my IPad kindle ap. For a very long time I've been looking for in-print Irish Crochet patterns, I was unable to find any. To my surprise I was able to get it on the kindle, it is incredible. I've been studying the incredibly complex patterns. I can't wait build my crochet skill set with the Irish Crochet techniques. I actually inherited two ivory hooks from my great grandmother that are just for this purpose. Yeah, I love it. It certainly isn't the end of the world for me, but hopefully carrying on an art that is being lost.

What do you read when the

EmmaZahn — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:07:33 +0000

In reply to E-Books: Technological Wonder or the End of Civilization?

What do you read when the electricity is out and the e-readers batteries are drained?