yeah but music as something to listen to "on the go" changed that decades ago and records were never the ideal way in which to listen to music in that way, obviously. but books are essentially perfect as is, it's not like you're stuck only reading them in a single room.
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:22 (fifteen years ago) link
I admit I am totally the last person to care about this though. I buy most of my books used or remaindered for like $2-5. Kindle or whatever is going to have get awfully cheap to make me even thing about picking it up.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:23 (fifteen years ago) link
I wasn't talking about the kindle but some other ebook reader
xp
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:23 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm not disagreeing with you at all, I'm just trying to point out that not everyone holds the physical book as sacred as we do.
― homage is parody gone sour (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:24 (fifteen years ago) link
I mean can Kindle replicate the Boris Vallejo cover and musty smell of this Frederick Pohl novel I got for $1.50. I think not.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:24 (fifteen years ago) link
i think a lot more people hold the book sacred than ever held (or hold) a record sacred, though
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:25 (fifteen years ago) link
which is kind of scary imo xxpost
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:25 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah, the sony reader, right? i mean, i'd like to look at it too and check it out but i just don't see it happening. who knows, maybe this thread will get revived in five years and we'll all have a good laugh when we read it on our personal portable reading devices instead of a computer etc etc
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:26 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah i mean i went to a bookstore, inspired by the recent graphic design thread, and bought about 15 old penguin paperbacks for $25, all with these amazing mid-century designs on the covers. that sort of thing can't be replicated at all. and also, regarding the record comparison, records i think are going to outlast CDs and it won't even be close.
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Kindle seems more like a books on tape type of thing where it'll be convenient and neat for some people, but never take hold by and large.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:27 (fifteen years ago) link
exactly^^^
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:28 (fifteen years ago) link
"records i think are going to outlast CDs and it won't even be close"
I don't think either are going away, but I suspect the price of petroleum may have something to do with how this fite turns out.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:28 (fifteen years ago) link
i figure it's totally great for the constant traveler (who wants to travel light) or fugitive on the run, but yeah...no other reason to really own one imo.
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:29 (fifteen years ago) link
if the Kindle was *really* going to take off, it would have already
don't think this is true at all. i love books and they'll always be around, but even though i don't want a kindle now, i can totally see getting some kind of e-reader device once they get a lot cheaper and better (which is definitely gonna happen). the more my bookshelves start to overflow the more appealing it seems.
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:31 (fifteen years ago) link
i can see it working out in a big way for universities, given the high cost of textbooks and the slight ridiculousness of having students sell back the same books every semester.
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:33 (fifteen years ago) link
the more my bookshelves start to overflow the more appealing it seems.
yeah i totally understand this and 5-10 years ago i would be right there with you, but i've started to donate books that i know i won't need anymore. i just don't feel the need to own every book i've ever read? and if i need to buy something again, it's easy enough to find a used copy
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:36 (fifteen years ago) link
and as far as cost and space issues go, there are always libraries
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:38 (fifteen years ago) link
i mean shit, all you need is an ID and you get a card and limitless endless access to an unending stream of books for free
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:39 (fifteen years ago) link
I have 4 packed floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in my basement, and I will always love vinyl, but I also find it hard to believe that after the near-demise of the music industry as we know it people still maintain that the print industry is completely immune
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:41 (fifteen years ago) link
These are all really good and really valid points, but I don't think the mega-serious book lovers will be the ones to decide the fate of physical books. I mean, its pretty much the 5 CD a year people that decided the fate of the music industry, right?
― homage is parody gone sour (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:42 (fifteen years ago) link
returning books and paying overdue fees is a hassle, though (which is why people stopped going to video rental stores the minute they had an alternative).
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:44 (fifteen years ago) link
i'm not saying the print industry is completely immune--not by any stretch of the imagination. there needs to be a correction there, too. i think advances for novels especially are way too high, for example, and there have been some adjustments lately, which is a good sign.
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:44 (fifteen years ago) link
returning books and paying overdue fees is a hassle, though
you really think returning *free* books to a *free* library is a hassle?
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:45 (fifteen years ago) link
yes
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:46 (fifteen years ago) link
I am like a 5 minute drive from my library and it takes me 30 minutes to get there cuz of traffic so I rarely go
― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:47 (fifteen years ago) link
sounds like you could walk there
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:47 (fifteen years ago) link
it's inconvenient, i put it off or forget and then they are no longer free
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:47 (fifteen years ago) link
then again I could get my books routed to the library that I can walk to a block away so I don't know what I'm typing about
many libraries offer renewal services online
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:48 (fifteen years ago) link
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, April 22, 2009 2:33 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark
this is how I see it happening - assuming continued improvements in the device quality and capacity - if it catches on with kids in school, there eventually will be a generation that views somebody who carries books as quaint, like somebody who still gets their shoes repaired. and carrying around books is a huge pain in the ass for students.
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:48 (fifteen years ago) link
segway (ewalk thingy)
― conrad, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:49 (fifteen years ago) link
also my library is a 5 minute drive away, I can renew online, and I still paid $10 to rent tron on DVD for "free"
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:49 (fifteen years ago) link
library should offer door-to-door service imo
― buzza, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:50 (fifteen years ago) link
anyway, libraries are an amazing public service and all, but i worked in a bookstore for years and i've always felt good about spending money on books (although even paperbacks can be kind of ridiculously expensive these days).
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:50 (fifteen years ago) link
can't wait to set my eggers page turn tones
― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:50 (fifteen years ago) link
ilx is the greatest book ever written
― buzza, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:51 (fifteen years ago) link
I saw some dude on a segway a few days ago waiting for the walk sign to change and he was just in one spot spinning in circles
― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:52 (fifteen years ago) link
much like this thread
― fuck you chelios (jeff), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:52 (fifteen years ago) link
nothing has ever wanted to make me buy something as much as that scene
holy shit some of the words in that sentence are in the wrong place
― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:53 (fifteen years ago) link
on the new kindle you can rearrange the words, make your own books
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:54 (fifteen years ago) link
i suppose i think some technology or some things that are pushed on people as being these great new things (mcmansions! suburban subdivisions! wall to wall carpeting!) are actually things that end up making them a little more miserable and disconnected.
― macarooni (omar little), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:55 (fifteen years ago) link
don't ask about the wall to wall carpeting thing, that's a whole other pet peeve i have.
indoor toilets, electric light, clothes
― conrad, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:56 (fifteen years ago) link
you should have seen the thread where the monks complained about the printing press
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:56 (fifteen years ago) link
why didn't you just buy it for 5 more bucks?
http://www.amazon.com/Tron-20th-Anniversary-Collectors-Bridges/dp/B00005OCMR
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:56 (fifteen years ago) link
because I support piracy
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:57 (fifteen years ago) link
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:57 (fifteen years ago) link
mr. que are you a librarian
― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:58 (fifteen years ago) link
I thought the library was a B&M pirate bay store
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:58 (fifteen years ago) link