July 24, 2009 at 10:18 am
JJ B (7/24/2009)
Aaron: If you are making the point that you have the right to copy music, book etc. into different formats if you bought the media, I couldn't agree with you more.If you are reacting to my comment about "value" and saying that an electronic book has the same value as a paper one, I disagree. Here's some thoughts:
. When I buy a paper book, I'm paying not only for the content, but the paper and ink and glue and cost to transport, etc. (What does it cost Amazon to product another copy of one of their books? So, should they really be charging *more* for one of their books that has the same content as the paper version?) And what I get is not only content, paper, ink, etc, but a very tangible object that can be re-sold or given away many times. I can photo copy a page to include in a demonstration. I can tear out a page for various uses, including say using a coupon or order form that is in the book. There is no risk of the book disappearing based on a technical glitch or corporate whim. I could loose the book to fire or flood, but guess which I think is the bigger risk.... I can dog-ear pages in my paper book and make diagrams and arrows in the margins. And having beloved books fill up my bookcases is a big plus to me, not a negative. It is a comfy feeling.
I fully acknowledge that electronic books have value that is lacking in paper books. But when I add up all the pluses and minuses, I find that paper books still win. Maybe if they fix some of the bigger problems with electronic books, I'd change my mind for some electronic purchases.
Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that an electronic book has the same value as a paper book because you're correct in that the paper book has tangible costs and benefits associated with it. What I am saying is that I'm purchasing the content of the book. A paper book has a "built-in reader" with it that is independent of any other needs and therefore has great benefits.
You can really go both ways on the pros and cons of electronic vs. paper books. I really do like both for different reasons. I have a growing library which I love and like the fact that I can take a book from the shelf and read it without worrying about recharging my device or copy protection schemes. I like the convenience of electronic books because I can literally take a library's worth with me in one device.
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July 24, 2009 at 10:20 am
JJ B (7/24/2009)
For interest: My office recently started a group library. People leave books on the shelf for anyone to read for as long as they want. Those books are free and do not require a trip to the library. We couldn't do that with electronic books.
I also like the shared library approach. Unfortunately, some people don't take care of books as well as I do and I'm often reluctant to hand out my only copy of something for fear that it will come back torn, stained, or otherwise damaged -- that is if it comes back at all!
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July 24, 2009 at 10:26 am
Steve Jones - Editor (7/24/2009)
Make if convenient, and we tend to pay for it.We want to be able to move it between devices, make a backup, but I think that most people pay for their content.
I believe these to be the actual points. To reiterate, make it convenient and make it portable; then people will pay a fair market value for it without looking for other ways to get it. Most people don't want to steal money from an artist. Most are happy to allow their wallets to speak for them. Just make it easy to get and keep and they are done.
Why can't you plug your Kindle into a Redbox and get a book? Why can't I plug my iPod in and get a movie or a song or an album? I want it all and I want it now! If the production and distribution houses can't do it fast enough, the public will find someone who can or they'll do it themselves. I want to hear "Yes" more often. And I'll pay for that luxury.
July 24, 2009 at 10:39 am
Several years ago I entered an essay contest at our local library about what I envisioned the library of the future to be. Basically, I envisioned a device similar to the Kindle where I could go to the library (either in person or online) and "check out" a book. The book would exist on my device for a limited time. If I wanted more time, I would "renew" my book. When the time expired or when I wanted to "return" my book, it would be erased and therefore be made available again. This method would apply not only to books, but magazines, newspapers, audio and video materials.
I didn't win that contest nor received any feedback. That's unfortunate because it would have been interesting to know what the dissenting comments would have been. It's funny how at times any of us can become a seer of the future!
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July 24, 2009 at 11:05 am
Thanks for the tip. I'll have to check out that BN reader.
July 24, 2009 at 11:06 am
This varies from year to year, and size of book. If I am reading a long fiction book of 500+ pages it will naturally decrease the overall count for the year, comparable to 3 or 4 quick read books averaging 160 pages. I usually read one or two nonfiction technical or management books per year, between 4 and 8 biographies or histories (depending on length, again), and about a dozen or two dozen fiction books or humor books (such as Adams' "Stick to Writing Comics, Monkeybrain!").
July 24, 2009 at 11:10 am
Jason Miller (7/24/2009)
I read nonfiction and history books at the exclusion of others, technical, fiction, etc. almost to a fault. Someone previously mentioned the idea of tracking "undesirable" books such as Mein Kampf.
I ran across a copy of Mein Kampf when I was in High School and thought I would read it to find out what it was like. After a few dozen pages I stopped reading it because he was so compelling a writer that I started feeling drawn to the opinions expressed. I didn't like being so easily influenced.
Gack.
July 24, 2009 at 11:13 am
Unfortunately, some people don't take care of books as well as I do and I'm often reluctant to hand out my only copy of something for fear that it will come back torn, stained, or otherwise damaged -- that is if it comes back at all!
I hear you! I'm very careful about the books I lend out. I'm more of a consumer of our office library than a contributor. I have donated books just to do my part. I just donate books that I don't want to keep and don't care what happens to them.
To reply to something that Steve said: Certainly the variety in our office library isn't all that large. But what I like about our little collection is that it exposes me to books that I normally wouldn't take a second look at. I still may not read it, but I do take a second look. (grin!)
July 24, 2009 at 11:13 am
Jason Miller (7/24/2009)
But all that pales in comparison to what I think is a much larger problem. Let's suppose one day someone gets the idea that group X way back in history is being unfairly targeted/tarnished/exposed/whatever... I think it would be a much easier task to have someone go out and creatively edit a "file". In this case, the file is distributed across everyone's electronic version.For example. Let's suppose Da Man didn't like the exposure of certain elements of the Imperial Japanese Army and their conduct during the occupation of the Philippines. Wouldn't it be so much easier to simply edit a few paragraphs, delete a page or two, "lose" a picture, etc then to go in actually accept that some people did some horrible things? I'm sure there are a bunch of Germans wishing they had thought of that...
I think the potential for revisionist history is a very near, and very grave danger. For the SW Geeks in the crowd, wasn't there a certain little creep that erased a planet's history/placement in the archives? And it was that other green muppet that cleared up the issue for Obi Wan? There aren't any green muppets here, but there are plenty of creeps who might want to hide something.
But haven't we learned from recent legal history that it is almost impossible to completely get rid of emails and other supposedly ephemeral transmissions? Somewhere, there will be some server with a cache containing the original material.
July 24, 2009 at 11:18 am
Terri (7/24/2009)
Well, i have not been counting but maybe I read 30-40 books a year, mostly fiction. I will read 4-5 books on vacation or travel, but it will take a couple of weeks to read a book when I am working. I prefer books to electronic readers but I have a Kindle, Kindle for iPhone and mobipocket on my Blackberry - I endeavor never to be without a book to read. I had the IPhone Kindle app and Blackberry app before I got the Kindle.My husband gave me the Kindle for my birthday in May and since then I have read 14 books on my Kindle/iPhone plus 5 paper books. He got the Kindle for me in an effort to stem my purchase of physical books since we are out of bookshelf space. 🙂
I would love to have a Kindle, but I am waiting until they get one that costs less.
We have books in every room of our house, including the kitchen, hallway, and both bathrooms. When my roommate ran out of bookshelves she just started stacking them on flat surfaces. I estimate she has about 100 more books in stacks than we have room for.
July 24, 2009 at 11:21 am
jpowers (7/24/2009)
But haven't we learned from recent legal history that it is almost impossible to completely get rid of emails and other supposedly ephemeral transmissions? Somewhere, there will be some server with a cache containing the original material.
Granted, yes. BUT... If the official version being pushed to the young contains the "approved" content, all that Da Man has to do is marginalize those miscreants that dare question the authority of Oz...
After all, November 1933: When an opponent declares, "I will not come over to your side," I calmly say, "Your child belongs to us already... What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community." -Adolf Hitler
Honor Super Omnia-
Jason Miller
July 24, 2009 at 11:22 am
Aaron N. Cutshall (7/24/2009)
I'm constantly reading books from fiction, sci-fi, non-fiction, technical, etc. I haven't even bothered to count the number of books but I'm sure it's somewhere around 50-75 a year.I like being able to read electronically. I've had a PocketPC for years and I like reading on it but would like it more if it were larger. I've looked at the Kindle, but after seeing what Amazon is capable of doing I'm rethinking that approach. That's very much akin to my purchasing a hard copy book from Barnes & Nobles then having them come into my home, take the book from my shelf, then place the money I paid on the table before leaving. Why should electronic copies be any different?
The other problem with electronic books is that when I purchase books for a particular reader then the reader is now longer available, what do I have left? For example, I have some religious books that are viewable on a reader for the PocketPC that is no longer supported nor can I port them to another format. The same is true for when I transition to the iPhone. What do I do with all of my .LIT books and books in other formats? I still "own" them, but can no longer read them.
Thanks for the insight. That is something I had not considered before. Maybe I'll stick to the paper versions after all.
July 24, 2009 at 11:31 am
jpowers (7/24/2009)
Somewhere, there will be some server with a cache containing the original material.
One would always hope, but I certainly wouldn't want to count on it!!
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July 24, 2009 at 11:32 am
Steve Jones - Editor (7/24/2009)
If I had that shared library at work, I might use that as well. However, like my local library, the selection isn't great. I'm amazed how often the local library just doesn't have the books I want. I think I just have a bad library fit for me.Good that you get books for $7-8. I don't see that often, and I've looked.
The last place I worked also had a shared library, with quite an amalgam. A lot of Tom Clancy novels plus classics. I had a chance to read "The Epic of Gilgamesh" there, which I had been interested in since a Star Trek Next Generation episode in which Picard quoted from it to connect with an alien race which only used analogies for communication.
My roommate is an afficionado of used book stores, many of which are accessible on line, and many of which provide clean, seemingly unused copies of books. Check out "www.ex-librisbooks.co.uk", for example.
My own preference is for Amazon.com, ordering enough at a time to get free shipping. I like the preview capability at the site, so you can read a few paragraphs of pages of the book before you order it.
July 24, 2009 at 11:35 am
Aaron N. Cutshall (7/24/2009)
JJ B (7/24/2009)
For interest: My office recently started a group library. People leave books on the shelf for anyone to read for as long as they want. Those books are free and do not require a trip to the library. We couldn't do that with electronic books.
I also like the shared library approach. Unfortunately, some people don't take care of books as well as I do and I'm often reluctant to hand out my only copy of something for fear that it will come back torn, stained, or otherwise damaged -- that is if it comes back at all!
IMHO the shared library at the office only works if you never expect or want to get the book back again. At my office there was no check out system, so there was no way to tell who had the book. Once you put your book on the shelf you had to expect you might never see it again.
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