Ebooks are hot, and libraries are noticing.
The public library conversation about ebooks is also heating up. Unfortunately, much of the conversation ignores a critical factor that makes ebook lending problemmatic. That factor is not luddism, but the simple fact that, for libraries, ebook economics doesn’t make sense…
I read this article in print yesterday and ended up ordering 2 books on Amazon (pretty cheap) to learn more about some of the aspects of the article content. One is called “Slow Reading” and the other is “Hamlet’s BlackBerry”. I found the article to be very interesting and highly recommend it. As far as myself and the question above, I’m not sure that the Internet makes me smarter: I certainly feel that I have access to any information I may need, and I feel skilled in knowing how to find information although I am not sure how much depth I retain for the long term in anything I read online. At the same time, I actually perceive information I view electronically on a short-term basis, meaning information I want to delve into deeper I find I want to read in print as it is a more enriching experience that seems to stay with me longer.
I definitely feel that multi-tasking with the gadgets of our day and the Internet make me feel more scattered and cause stress. It is harder to settle into a book or to just look at one thing at a time online as I tend to click all over the place as my mind jumps from idea to idea. When we spend so much of our time online it becomes very hard to stop those patterns when we break free into the analog world - it takes awhile to slow back down to the speed of the natural world when we finally do unplug.
It will be interesting to see how all of this will affect us as a civilization in the future. I do fear that way too many people, kids especially, are spending the majority of their lives online and that there are definite issues resulting from not spending enough time outside and away from all the mental noise. There is a disconnect when we read online about bad things that are happening in our natural world and we don’t have the experiences in the natural world to care in the deep ways that we should be caring. That just may be our downfall.
I was initially dead set against using or owning an electronic reader device. I ended up caving in and buying a Kindle as I was looking for a way to minimize and simplify my book collection. An e-reader makes logical sense for so many reasons when compared to physical books. The space issue alone makes it a better choice not to mention that most books are cheaper than their counterparts.
I however am not always ruled by logic and regardless of “reasoning” tend to follow my heart. It is for this reason that my Kindle tends to lay untouched on a shelf surrounded by piles of books waiting to be read. You see, logic says that e-readers are the best choice but my heart and hands still think otherwise.
So apparently something called the iPad launched this past weekend. I’m kidding - well sort of - I did know that it was coming but I certainly did not put the date on my calendar like I might do for a book. I read this article about it on CNN this morning and it became even more apparent to me how much trouble we really are in as a culture, society and civilization when people admit to buying the latest high tech gadget because it looks cool and have no idea what they will use it for. WOW. On the flip side I realized how very thankful I am for discovering the thinkers, writers, and questioners who challenge this mentality daily with something called minimalism and simplicity as I breathe a cleansing sigh of relief and know that I am not alone in pursuing a more meaningful life with less stuff.
Think for yourself and figure out what's true. Ask yourself what's true until you know.
The (Yellow Split Pea Daal) Thing. Daal for Soup-erhero week
Bus journeys are long!
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