 be duplicated by an electronic screen. It doesn't have that musty book smell; you won't remember the time you picked it out at Pennywise Books with your literary-minded ex; you won't be able to mail it to your sister once you finish it. /p
p But, as college students, let's be honest: The allure of paying under $5 for Dostoevsky's complete works, as I did last night for a Russian literature class using Amazon's e-reader Kindle, is nearly irresistible. If I really love all 600-odd pages of 'The Idiot' and want it physically sitting on my bookshelf, I can overnight it. No big deal./p
p This isn't the beginning of a devaluation of the book 'mdash; quite the opposite, in fact. I'll feel much better dropping a couple hundred bucks on a rare or signed edition of a novel, because I'll have extra cash available that I won't have spent on paperbacks in the airport. The latest John Grisham thriller provides me with nothing more than an entertaining way to pass the time on the Amtrak to Los Angeles. On the other hand, a first-edition Jack Kerouac will, in my estimation, be worth holding on to 'mdash; and I'm talking physically./p
p I'm not saying the Kindle is the be-all end-all of books as we know it. I'm just saying that something like it is going to be in everyone's pocket on the subway in the not-too-distant future. Not only are e-readers portable, efficient and convenient, they also fit perfectly into the 'green' mentality of the moment, which everyone from President Barack Obama to Chancellor Marye Anne Fox is currently adopting (see: Earth Week). /p
p Killing fewer trees definitely gets filed under 'sustainability.' In fact, they might even build a monument to the Kindle at our new Sustainability Center. /p
p And at a time when newspapers and publishing companies are either collapsing like condemned buildings or cutting staff like it's the apocalypse, Kindle and the like can achieve the impossible: increase both access to written works and American reading levels. /p
p Digression: We, as a culture, are lazy. If you want to debate this, we can talk about it in the car at the nearest drive-thru restaurant, as long as we stop at the B-of-A ATM on our way. And after our conversation, I'm sure we'll both need a drink or two, which we can pick up at the drive-thru liquor store. /p
p But I get it 'mdash; you'd rather not go to the library and hear 5-year-olds whining about borrowing the latest Disney installment. Plus, the Fashion Valley Barnes 'amp; Noble employees are creepy, and don't even get me started on Geisel Library. I feel for you. /p
p But get this: Kindle loads reading material, ranging from classic novels to newspapers,' in seconds. To you. At your exact location. To a flat device the (exact) size of an unopened DVD case that weighs only around twice as much as a double-double burger, even animal-style./p
p Unfortunately, like most new technologies, e-readers currently come with a hefty price tag. Not only will the Kindle set you back a few hundred, but new releases often clock in at around $10. Considering that you're paying for a digital copy that can't even be transferred, much less resold after you read it, that seems a little steep. Here's my idea: Steal the T-Mobile MyFaves plan and let readers share e-books they've downloaded with their closest family and friends. That means everyone will want their own e-reader once its price drops, and siblings won't try and kill one another when the next Harry Potter-esque series arrives. /p
p If the price isn't a problem, but you're not into Kindle's paperback novel-size screen, another option beckons. A company called Plastic Logic has invented something just for newspaper readers, though it functions with all the same reading material as smaller screen e-readers. Instead of a relatively thick, unbendable screen, the company has introduced a printer-paper-sized sheet of plastic that is larger, yet still portable./p
p Also, in a statement that makes me want to purchase the e-reader the second it comes out, the company claims the nifty device is strong enough to withstand 'getting hit by a shoe.' /p
p Hello, other companies? I want everything described in these terms. What, exactly, can I hit your product with before it breaks?/p
p Regardless of whether you think the e-readers currently available are the answer, the question of the future of printing needs to be addressed. Barnes 'amp; Noble won't do itself, or us, any good by burying its head in the sand; neither will Hearst Newspapers. If this means adopting the e-reader business model and selling their own tailored versions, they better get on it and adapt 'mdash; or risk being left behind./p
p In the meantime, I'll be snuggled up on my couch with this morning's Times, last week's Economist and the final chapters of 'The Idiot' 'mdash; all for less than last month's cable bill. The Kindle even saves my page for me. Score./p
p)
Look, I love books. Absolutely love ’em all. As a sophomore, I rejected all hope of future prosperity by trading in my human biology major for literatures in English. And, as the zeitgeist would have it, I’ll be doing that reading not on pages, but on an electronic screen.
But don’t start lamenting the end of civilization, or the inevitable world electronics industry domination just yet. Revolutionary technologies have already changed the way we listen to music, communicate and access information. Come on, our parents were sure the freaking Internet was going to phase out all human communication until they started using Urbandictionary.com to figure out what the hell we were talking about. It’s not so surprising that some techies have decided it’s time we stopped cutting down trees in the interest of looking cool while reading ‘War and Peace’ on the shuttle.
Remember when portable mp3 players first showed up? Everyone thought the music industry was crazy to believe we would pay for, or even to need access, thousands of songs at any given moment. A few years and billions of iTunes downloads later, having your music collection at your fingertips has become the norm, not the exception.
Now I, more than most people, understand that the pleasure of curling up with a page-turner could never (or at least not soon) be duplicated by an electronic screen. It doesn’t have that musty book smell; you won’t remember the time you picked it out at Pennywise Books with your literary-minded ex; you won’t be able to mail it to your sister once you finish it.
But, as college students, let’s be honest: The allu
re of paying under $5 for Dostoevsky’s complete works, as I did last night for a Russian literature class using Amazon’s e-reader Kindle, is nearly irresistible. If I really love all 600-odd pages of ‘The Idiot’ and want it physically sitting on my bookshelf, I can overnight it. No big deal.
This isn’t the beginning of a devaluation of the book ‘mdash; quite the opposite, in fact. I’ll feel much better dropping a couple hundred bucks on a rare or signed edition of a novel, because I’ll have extra cash available that I won’t have spent on paperbacks in the airport. The latest John Grisham thriller provides me with nothing more than an entertaining way to pass the time on the Amtrak to Los Angeles. On the other hand, a first-edition Jack Kerouac will, in my estimation, be worth holding on to ‘mdash; and I’m talking physically.
I’m not saying the Kindle is the be-all end-all of books as we know it. I’m just saying that something like it is going to be in everyone’s pocket on the subway in the not-too-distant future. Not only are e-readers portable, efficient and convenient, they also fit perfectly into the ‘green’ mentality of the moment, which everyone from President Barack Obama to Chancellor Marye Anne Fox is currently adopting (see: Earth Week).
Killing fewer trees definitely gets filed under ‘sustainability.’ In fact, they might even build a monument to the Kindle at our new Sustainability Center.
And at a time when newspapers and publishing companies are either collapsing like condemned buildings or cutting staff like it’s the apocalypse, Kindle and the like can achieve the impossible: increase both access to written works and American reading levels.
Digression: We, as a culture, are lazy. If you want to debate this, we can talk about it in the car at the nearest drive-thru restaurant, as long as we stop at the B-of-A ATM on our way. And after our conversation, I’m sure we’ll both need a drink or two, which we can pick up at the drive-thru liquor store.
But I get it ‘mdash; you’d rather not go to the library and hear 5-year-olds whining about borrowing the latest Disney installment. Plus, the Fashion Valley Barnes ‘amp; Noble employees are creepy, and don’t even get me started on Geisel Library. I feel for you.
But get this: Kindle loads reading material, ranging from classic novels to newspapers,’ in seconds. To you. At your exact location. To a flat device the (exact) size of an unopened DVD case that weighs only around twice as much as a double-double burger, even animal-style.
Unfortunately, like most new technologies, e-readers currently come with a hefty price tag. Not only will the Kindle set you back a few hundred, but new releases often clock in at around $10. Considering that you’re paying for a digital copy that can’t even be transferred, much less resold after you read it, that seems a little steep. Here’s my idea: Steal the T-Mobile MyFaves plan and let readers share e-books they’ve downloaded with their closest family and friends. That means everyone will want their own e-reader once its price drops, and siblings won’t try and kill one another when the next Harry Potter-esque series arrives.
If the price isn’t a problem, but you’re not into Kindle’s paperback novel-size screen, another option beckons. A company called Plastic Logic has invented something just for newspaper readers, though it functions with all the same reading material as smaller screen e-readers. Instead of a relatively thick, unbendable screen, the company has introduced a printer-paper-sized sheet of plastic that is larger, yet still portable.
Also, in a statement that makes me want to purchase the e-reader the second it comes out, the company claims the nifty device is strong enough to withstand ‘getting hit by a shoe.’
Hello, other companies? I want everything described in these terms. What, exactly, can I hit your product with before it breaks?
Regardless of whether you think the e-readers currently available are the answer, the question of the future of printing needs to be addressed. Barnes ‘amp; Noble won’t do itself, or us, any good by burying its head in the sand; neither will Hearst Newspapers. If this means adopting the e-reader business model and selling their own tailored versions, they better get on it and adapt ‘mdash; or risk being left behind.
In the meantime, I’ll be snuggled up on my couch with this morning’s Times, last week’s Economist and the final chapters of ‘The Idiot’ ‘mdash; all for less than last month’s cable bill. The Kindle even saves my page for me. Score.