tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post3258191758895315252..comments2009-12-02T16:57:10.516ZBookridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05881971821359627382noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-34986119854046647942009-12-02T16:57:10.516Z2009-12-02T16:57:10.516ZSome random thoughts on ebooks:<br /><br />I never understood this idea that not using paper is somehow green - paper in this world comes from trees grown for the purpose, hence it is a RENEWABLE resource - and that much more land is then kept for growing trees. <br /><br />Paper is biodegradable. Plastic is not. The metal portions of an ebook are a non-renewable resource - and millions of these ebooks will end up in dumps as users constantly upgrade (joining the millions of computers and cell phones there now). They also contain toxic bits.<br /><br />You don&#39;t &quot;own&quot; the books on an ebook. In fact, you can&#39;t even read Kindle books on anything else. <br /><br />I think ebooks are a good idea for student textbooks, since these books are updated constantly and sold back at the end of semesters. Also for other things like journals and magazines that have no lasting value and are quickly tossed. In that respect, I agree there is a place for them, but they are in no way &quot;green&quot; devices.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the youngest generations will grow up thinking ebooks are far easier to use; they are likely to abandon the notion of &quot;ownership&quot; in the process. Still, I hope they enjoy having to re-buy a book every time they move to a new device. This will make the publishing companies and Amazon very happy.<br /><br />At one time, painting and drawing were used as a way to record people and events; then photography came in and painting retreated to its current status, as an &quot;art.&quot; The relationship between the book and the ebook might evolve similarly - with ebooks for the everyday and ephemeral and books reserved for what is special and lasting. This might not be a bad thing.<br /><br />Still, I would feel sorry for someone who hasn&#39;t known the joy tinged with melancholy of holding a book signed by a writer they deeply admire and long gone from this world.<br /><br />Lastly, this idea that having an ebook saves you having to &quot;move&quot; heavy books and for that reason alone is worthwhile is ridiculous. I moved a good-sized library last month -- many, many heavy boxes. I don&#39;t regret it in the least - my books are the most important thing I own, and the new place didnt feel like home until they were unpacked.REBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-47584571775426663182009-11-09T11:31:30.701Z2009-11-09T11:31:30.701ZI would imagine that the next generation of e-books will look and feel like a real book,nano techology would magicly re-arrange the ink on the pages,after selecting a smell option.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-30285605833474214992009-11-09T08:37:49.503Z2009-11-09T08:37:49.503ZHi Nigel,<br /><br />The crux of the matter isn&#39;t whether one should eread or not, it&#39;s whether one has absolutely any reason to keep hold of shelves full of tatty hardbacks that are of no value and have now been replaced. For example, I have most of Martin Amis&#39; books in electronic format, yet I still have a full set of tatty paperbacks that I refuse to dispose of. And I&#39;m not sure why.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477360332929448603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-3369953440440618242009-11-09T06:31:30.588Z2009-11-09T06:31:30.588ZGood point Selena regarding ebook replacing heavy text books and they are eco friendly, by using less paper in the first place if the book is published straight away as an e book, but personally, I love the touch and feel of books and get dizzy reading for long periods of time from a glaring screen. So for now I will be a dinosaur and will continue to purchase traditional books, take them home and pick up and put down at a whim instead of looking for the ebook that I know I left around somewhere!<br /><br />Thank you so much for this site I love it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-52578830620501704482009-11-06T22:58:19.308Z2009-11-06T22:58:19.308ZI see certain advantages of the ebook: a bookshelf full of books turns from an asset into a liability when you&#39;re moving, and I like the idea of having access to all of my books whenever and wherever I go.<br /><br />But having worked with computers for the past few decades I&#39;m very aware of the obsolescence of electronic devices. If I were to invest in buying electronic copies of books going forward, and possible replace my physical books with electronic copies, what will I do when the ebook device becomes obsolete and/or replaced with something else in a small number of years? Will my books transfer to the new device, or will I be required to buy them yet again, just as I have had to repurchase my music as the technology has moved from LP to 8-track, then cassette, then CD, etc?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-80979199426697472882009-11-06T13:19:59.837Z2009-11-06T13:19:59.837ZExcellent exchange - thanks Nigel and thanks SelenaEdwin Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317173893948248954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-84844473314828039342009-11-06T02:05:56.795Z2009-11-06T02:05:56.795ZThanks Selena. You may have scored some points of an old fogey there! I guess these things have their advantages and some enthusiastic supporters, so far I haven&#39;t seen many around--must get out more.<br /><br /> When we did a thing on backpacker classics one guy wrote in to say he carried over 300 books around the world with him on his Kindle - not unimpressive...Bookridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05881971821359627382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2045845679444796608.post-87964376238030300512009-11-05T16:37:10.962Z2009-11-05T16:37:10.962Z1. An ebook is FUN to handle... ;)<br /><br />2. An ebook is actually just as easy to carry around... and weighs less, esp for a student, than 10 huge textbooks!!<br /><br />3. Okay you can&#39;t wedge it under the edge of a table... but jeez, dude, buy better tables!<br /><br />4. Throwing books across a room isn&#39;t a good idea, either... you could break something. ;)<br /><br />5. But you could press flowers between TWO ebook readers...<br /><br />6. You could lend your whole ebook reader to a friend, sure, why not?<br /><br />7. You can&#39;t lend an ebook to a friend, no... but some limited &quot;borrowing&quot; may be available soon!<br /><br />8. JK Rowling is a tech snob... and Dan Brown is greedy. And smart.<br /><br />9. Well... they do smell like plastic... <br /><br />10. You can&#39;t shelve it, but you don&#39;t have to pack and move all those %*$*# books either!<br /><br />11. You can&#39;t &quot;collect&quot; ebooks in the same way, no...<br /><br />12. You can too donate ebooks to libraries!<br /><br />13. There are LOTS of graphic ebooks out there - they&#39;re fantastic!<br /><br />14. Yeah, but who really reads leather bound books anyway? They&#39;re just pretentious shelf-sitters! :P<br /><br />15. But you can take your entire bookshelf around with you!<br /><br />16. Well if it&#39;s a &quot;valuable&quot; leather-bound edition, thieves might be interested! ;)<br /><br />17. Yeah the &quot;green&quot; thing is bothersome... but the tradeoff in paper, man! Just think of the trees!<br /><br />18. Kindles &quot;flip&quot; pages... ;)<br /><br />19. Ebook readers dry out pretty well, actually... and don&#39;t stain...and books always still smell like coffee...<br /><br />20. I&#39;ll give you that one!Selena Kitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11417916936531329786noreply@blogger.com