HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Nov. 15, 2004 Thought for the day--why are people so resistant to e-books? Why do they court the ever-present printed and bound god instead of the ebook--the newcomer, tree-friendly alternative? I know that I, myself, have tones and tones of paperback and hardcover books lining my shelves at home. There is only one e-book to my name (I don't even have an e-book copy of my own published book!). This e-book that I have isn't even for enjoyment purposes--it's a marketing book! Sad, sad. The e-book hasn't even made a real penetration into my technology-ladden household. Is this phobia because you can crawl into an armchair in whatever possible shape that you can contort your body in when you read a book and you can't with any notebook? Can you imagine doing the same thing with a 5lb portable folding computer? I think not. Even PDA's are not so couch friendly. Frankly, scrolling down with my little PDA pen to read the next page of whatever I am reading sometimes gets cumbersome. What if you fall asleep and lose your pen? If you couch is anywhere near what mine is like and has nice big spaces in between the couch pillows, good luck finding it. Be prepared to buy extra pens. I just can't see myself cuddling up with my PDA or notebook, drinking a hot chocolate, and enjoying reading a novel. Hello, can you say 'recharge?'. Yeah, that's the other culprit. If you want to be technologically inclined and read these e-books, you should have some battery juice wired up for a long read. Maybe if your attention span for reading is for no more than two hours, it wouldn't be too bad. But I can't see someone spending that long staring at a computer screen, reading something like 'Oliver Twist' and coming out relaxed, happy and satisfied. Let's face it, unless you are totally computer friendly and a total technology buff, you would agree with me, there is nothing better than the old paperback book. No wires or batteries attached. A paperback book gives the reader a comfort zone. We're brought up with that comfort zone--all of us. Since that first day in preschool when the teacher had you all huddle around them, and they took out that big, thin, hardcover book with all of those neat images on them, and started reading a fantastic story about green eggs and ham, you fell in love with 'the book'. Unfortunately, that is the image which plays through all of our minds--even if it the image of the preschool teacher is replaced with your parents reading to you, or your grandparents, or yourself discovering your first book that someone gave you--we are creatures of this habit, a habit which the e-book phenomenon is having a hard time breaking through. Stephen King is pushing this e-book revolution, and he is in a generation where paperbacks were King. What's wrong with the new generation? I think we're just hard nuts to crack. Cheers to Stephen King for trying. Maybe he'll succeed in the long run. I would definitely call this a long-term investment. So what can you do to save the earth even though paperback is your primary reading choice? Well, if you haven't been really reading this article, 'Read e-books'. Or you can pass your old books off to your friend or donate them to a local charity (Hospitals always are looking for reading material). There are always alternatives. This world is full of them, that's why there is never a consensus on anything. Needless to say, it would take a real life altering incident for people to change from their creature habit of paperback reading to e-book reading. E-book reading--sounds strange, huh? Sorry, e-book, I think you have a few more years to go--you were just too early in the making; or are you? ------------ About the author: Barbara has been writing short stories for the enjoyment of friends and family for years. In the Collection she has decided to share some of these stories and insights with others. Barbara lives in Calgary, Alberta and enjoys writing, reading and tending to her other field: accounting. Website: http://www.authorsden.com/barbaraannamarjanovic Email: blueswan28@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
