Down, but not out

ic said:
http://mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=1610Ag shame - who honestly wants to get covered in newsprint ink? I hate newspaper & much prefer online news - without having to wade through an offline version of what was once a tree :D.

It's called change, and those that adapt well to change will survive, those that don't fall victim to the process of natural selection...
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Couldnt disagree more - something is lost when the written word moves away from paper and onto a computer screen. Maybe its a purely tactile thing but its none the less vital to the experience.

What next - reading your child a bedtime story from under the glare of a laptop screen? Change isnt always for the better.
 
What next - reading your child a bedtime story from under the glare of a laptop screen? Change isnt always for the better
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Why not? Because you had a book read to you? why dont we just wip out the old stone tablets or papyrus while we are at it?
 
The stone tablets might be the only remedy for certain children to fall asleep
 
w1z4rd said:
Why not? Because you had a book read to you? why dont we just wip out the old stone tablets or papyrus while we are at it?
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Sorry - forgot I was in the land of the artificial christmas tree :) Suppose there's no need for pens anymore? No more handwriting either.

All I was saying is that reading a book is a different experience compared to reading text off a screen.
 
bwana v.7 said:
All I was saying is that reading a book is a different experience compared to reading text off a screen.
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Yup, couldn't agree more. I've tried reading books online and I just can't manage to stay focussed for any length of time. I much prefer to read a real book.
 
bwana v.7 said:
Sorry - forgot I was in the land of the artificial christmas tree :) Suppose there's no need for pens anymore? No more handwriting either.
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Yes, but we don't cook our meat over a fire created by rubbing two sticks together anymore, either.
 
Used to be the meek were to inherit the earth - now they're spelling meek with a 'g' ;)

I've got computers literally littered around the house - much to the dismay of my missus - and I've got shelves full of books. Its about balance.

I'd also prefer to read an actual newspaper but a) SA newspapers suck, and b) no one will deliver out where I am (I'm lazy).

Then again - after reading online today about the local loop unbundling that I seem to have missed its all fiction anyway. I'll stick to the NY Times and News24.
 
And what of electronic paper ? - the new frontier for books, magazines and newspapers ?

Once that becomes cheap enough to mass produce, it'll be everywhere, starting with animated adverts in expensive glossy magazines (a tiny battery in the spine would power it) and eventually making it's way to newspapers.

Books themselves would benefit greatly from this technology, instead of turning a page, you click a button. Instead of a bookshelf full of books, you have a single device which can hold an entire library.

This would save hugely on the pollution caused from the creation of traditional print media, so it can only be a good thing in the long run.

Looking forward to it myself.
 
bwana v.7 said:
Used to be the meek were to inherit the earth - now they're spelling meek with a 'g' ;)

I've got computers literally littered around the house - much to the dismay of my missus - and I've got shelves full of books. Its about balance.

I'd also prefer to read an actual newspaper but a) SA newspapers suck, and b) no one will deliver out where I am (I'm lazy).

Then again - after reading online today about the local loop unbundling that I seem to have missed its all fiction anyway. I'll stick to the NY Times and News24.
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bwana v1-7 you have a very good head on your shoulders. It is all about balance. I, for one, have decided to bring balance back into my life this year. I've spent the past few years working my butt off and have had no time for self. I hadn't read a book in many, many years, so I'm setting at least half an hour a day aside to read a book. I just finished my first book - what a pleasure.

I don't mind reading the news online, but I must admit there is nothing like doing it the old way and getting those fingers full of ink :)

Have to agree again - our newspapers are definitely not up to scratch.
 
Electronic paper will better approximate the experience of actual paper than computer screens, will consume far less power, and will hopefully require less chopping down of trees if many people use it in future (hence a little less land required for commercial forestry). With built-in WiFi, large central repositories of scanned/electronic books could someday (not too far off) allow for instant, searchable access to millions of books, more than any current library, anytime anywhere. 'Something' will be lost, sure, but I think much would be gained. I doubt if actual printed books will ever become "obsolete", but this kind of widespread change, once the technology is ready and can be mass-produced at low cost, seems inevitable somehow.
 
I really like to internet for my news, I choose to read the articles that interest me and ignore the rest. Go Google.!
 
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