I understand my wonderful and amazing sister's hatred of such a device. It's an easy side to pick because reading a book is entirely an immersive experience, to whit the tactile sensation of page turning, or even the musty smell of an old volume complete a truly and remarkably joyous sensation. I understand the plight of the bibliophile, because at heart, I am one.
I am also however a humanitarian, and right now devices such as the Kindle make education a much stronger possibility for nearly every country on the planet, to include our own. I won't get into the statistics (unless you want me to) of the costs for text books, and how such industries react, but in truth a simple E-reader with text on demand documentation IS the answer to so many problems, to include lack of not just current textbooks, but text books in general in places such as American Indian reservations. It comes down to simple math: e-reader devices will save our future generations from illiteracy, and hopefully grant them the education and critical thinking skills to make strong decisions for the future, weather from the ability to now enter a trade school, or simply being able to read the Qur'an, and understand that the tribal warlord in front of you is not quoting scripture, but his own agenda, and to choose not to follow him.
This all goes without getting into the conversation of what it means for self-publishers, which allow the amazing art of literature to begin to spread in much the same way that the digital recording revolution has for musicians. Want to argue this point? Fine, throw away everything by Anathallo, The Dresden Dolls, The Paper Chase, The Decemberists, Minus The Bear, Aesop Rock, Deltron, and The Flobots as well as many, many other musicians and musical acts that simply would not exist as they do today without this medium becoming available to everyone in an electronic format. I honestly cannot wait to see what new and brilliant authors await our discovery now that /anyone/ can self-publish for virtually no cost.
That being said, when I win the lottery, I will still sit in my den wearing a smoking jacket surrounded by all my leather-bound first editions rubbing my hands together and cackling whilst drinking bourbon.
-T
Attack! def:
The act of maliciously, humorously, and other adverbs too, having good natured fun with the mundane, and things we wish were much simpler. Like relationships, technology, and rhetoric. Enjoy us.
Great article, TJ! Good points made about the E-reader being helpful to American Indians on reservations. Just wonder if the gov't would ever fund something like that since they are too busy trying to shut down women's resources.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for them myself and much rather would I love to hold a book in my hands and turn the page as you do. So I don't have one. Besides I can't afford one anyway. <3
The argument could also be made in regards to those serving overseas. Rather than scrounging about for whatever spare reading material they can find (the back of an MRE or that dog-eared magazine or book that has been repeatedly passed around), they could have a trove of literature in a lightweight, portable device that could easily fit in their packs. In addition, just like the citizens of the country who would be able to read the Qur'an and discern that the warlord is in fact putting forth their own agenda, not scripture, it would also be helpful in occupied countries to be able to quickly draw from their religious texts and histories to build and maintain a working relationship with the citizens of that country.
ReplyDeleteOne downside of such a device would be the necessity of keeping it charged. Another would be the possibility of cracking the screen and losing the functionality of the device.
That having been said, having used the Kindle, I prefer the immersive experience of the book over the e-reader.
To be fair, I think I'll always prefer the tactile sensation of turning a page vs. clicking a button. It's far more satisfying.
ReplyDelete-T