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I'm not much of a gadget nerd. Actually, that's an understatement. I'm totally in a deficit...not packing muggers' delights of any sort. I don't have a cell phone much less a Blackberry or any other hand-held, buttony communication tool. I know! Crazy right? Nor do I have satellite radio, a Mark of the Beast tracker on my car, a digital pen, an X-Box or a PS...whatever number they're on now...15?
I don't get the point of Twittering, especially via phone, and have failed miserably at it, making it so evident that micro-blogging is NOT for me. In like six months, I think I've posted twelve times or something like that. Wanna follow me? I'm totally thrilling, not boring at all.
I did finally catch up to this age and get an MP3 player for exercising and running, but that's a fairly new addition to my pocket of nothing but gum.
Now Amazon is tossing Kindle out there like it's the next best thing since sliced bread and cocaine-free soda. No not Kindle. Kindle2. Excuse me. We've upgraded. Something tells me, I'm not in the target market for this revolutionary book-not product.
I've read plenty of books on my computer screen, some phenomenal, but I just didn't get absorbed into that fictional world like I would've had I read the same thing on paper. There's a difference. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it matters. Yes, a Kindle2 is convenient. You can order a "book" on Amazon and *poof* it's just in there like magic. No wait. No postage. You're saving trees and ink. Benefits galore, but it's just not for me. Even if I were compelled to snatch up every new thing off the belt, I still wouldn't buy it. I like to curl up with a book and a mug of cocoa and just read.
I just hope the Kindle2 doesn't have people burning books to save landfill space or turning libraries into museums. What a sad day that will be.
PAPER or SCREEN? Choose wisely, my friends? There may be no turning back.
~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs?
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I usually only lurk as I read your blog, but today, you've hit a nerve for me, too. As much as I love my electronic gadgets, I don't want paper books, magazines, or newspapers to go away. I love the texture of paper. I love curling up outside somewhere with a book or magazine. I've read lots of fiction on my laptop...and do enjoy it...but the glare of the screen hurts my eyes.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand....just think of the room I'd have in my house if all my books fit into a little electronic box...What would I do with the empty bookcases?
Interesting post. It will be interesting to see where we are ten years from now.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. I know. I love the feel of paper too, turning the pages. Everything in the world is becoming less tangible and more gadgetized, so maybe books are a comfort thing for me. In maybe 20 years we'll be able to have books downloaded to our brains. This kind of technology has been buzzed a lot lately. Here's a clip about it. Creepy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arUMVF2kYIc
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Inspiration just struck. :)
first all the record stores closed, now it's the book shops. us old fashioned types are doomed.
ReplyDeletePaper. But if I was an avid traveller or a lit agent, the Kindle (or other eBook device) would be nice too.
ReplyDeleteI actually saw the Kindle2 in person for the first time yesterday after evening church service. It's so small and delicate looking that I'm afraid I'd break it or lose it(I'm notoriously clumsy and forgetful). I might decide to get one eventually, but after they drop down in price. And I have to make sure I'm able to get books from the library off it (through eBook service) because I rarely buy a book unless it's by an author I love, part of a series I love or a book I read before and decided I needed to add it to my library.
Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteYou can only buy books from Amazon for a Kindle. And I heard the books have an expiration date, but I'm not sure if that's still the case.
Can't imagine reading a whole book on a Kindle. I'd forget and try flipping pages anyway. :)
ReplyDelete