E-books vs. real books.

Recently most of my reading has been by e-book, which is a blessing and a curse. It's easier [assuming your eyes can take the strain of staring at a screen - I know mine can], can be had for free [this isn't a secret, is it?], and just makes finding titles easier in general.

I do, however, still prefer the real thing. Good old ink on paper. There's just a strange correlation between the page and the story [yes, even non-fiction usually has a story unless you're reading a dictionary or something]. I don't think they can find anything to replace that.

I kinda agree with you, it's not the same. You don't have the same physical "relation", and reading a paper book is easier on the eyes(unless you have an e-ink reader).

P.S: Not to be a douche, but "perusing" actually means "to read through with thoroughness or care". Not just browsing through something.

[quote name='lilsypha' post='3784884' date='Jul 21 2011, 12:38 AM']I couldn't disagree with you more.

Books are one of the most wasteful aspects of our society that have managed to continue to the modern day. It's a massive waste of resources that could be better applied to other things. Who gives a fart in high wind if someone can look at your "impressive" collection of books on a shelf? Fat lot of good they're doing on shelf. Who cares about the "feeling" of holding a book? These are total bs reasons to justify something that has evolved to the point where it's not necessary at all.

Books are a highly consumable commodity, and the vast majority of them don't get read more than once. Electronic books and their respective readers allow you the flexibility to consume the content without any of the waste. Who cares if your SD card with 1,000 books on it isn't visibly impressive? That's HUGELY impressive in my mind, that all that literature can fit in such a tiny space. It saves space, is easy to transport, and is available at the push of a button. It's easy to bookmark as many pages as you want for reference, or even look up a word you don't know. All positive aspects of modern technology wrapped together in a tiny affordable package.

If only all modern technology could be so useful.[/quote]



I think it's a misconception to think that books are just ink on paper. Certainly they've endured longer in humanity's history than any other form of communication - past or current. Scrolls? Clay/wax tablets? Parchment? Meh. I mean, ebooks are still named after them.

I also happen to think that books are indeed still necessary, the same way talking face-to-face still matters despite the fact that you can just call basically anyone you know. In fact a book can change more lives, have more influence than a freaking nuke [think the bible/koran, for example].

Also, to the point that books are wasteful... How exactly do we make ebook readers? It's not like all that high-tech wizardry just came outta nowhere. How do we power such devices? All of it still ends up contributing to all the waste we create. And up to the point - most of what we do is wasteful. At least paper can be recycled.

PS
Most people who are proud of their collections of books, actually read them. In fact, it's a damned shame to collect books for the sake of collecting them.

Recycling is actually a very harmful effort. If we can cut down on the need to recycle, we are still doing more good than harm. Regardless, lilsypha is very, very correct. We're moving forward as a society, and although that may be considered harmful, technology is raining supreme. The health issues with staring at a screen like that for so long still exist though, and can have adverse, permanent affects on your eyesight.

Ebooks are a double edged sword. You sacrifice the need to use so many resources in printing and recycling, but you place yourself at risk if you are a big reader. In that respect, there will always be a demand for physical media, but that demand is diminishing with each day. I mean, I don't personally care for myself. A book is a book. The novelty of owning them is lost on me, and I regret having the books bought that I own, as I'll likely never read them again.

The amount of energy needed to power a kindle while you read is far less than the energy needed to get the book to you. (making the paper, cutting the paper, printing the book, delivery to wholesaler, delivery to retailer etc)

The environmental impact doesn't cut it.

[quote name='Nathan Drake' post='3785348' date='Jul 21 2011, 03:52 AM']Recycling is actually a very harmful effort. If we can cut down on the need to recycle, we are still doing more good than harm. Regardless, lilsypha is very, very correct. We're moving forward as a society, and although that may be considered harmful, technology is raining supreme. The health issues with staring at a screen like that for so long still exist though, and can have adverse, permanent affects on your eyesight.

Ebooks are a double edged sword. You sacrifice the need to use so many resources in printing and recycling, but you place yourself at risk if you are a big reader. In that respect, there will always be a demand for physical media, but that demand is diminishing with each day. I mean, I don't personally care for myself. A book is a book. The novelty of owning them is lost on me, and I regret having the books bought that I own, as I'll likely never read them again.[/quote]

Lol, yeah... As opposed to, say, letting shit rot [or not rot, both are equally bad] everywhere and have to dig up natural resources again. Also, there is no such thing as a 'novelty' of owning a book. Some people are just more attached to theirs than most. It happens with everything.

One last thing. We aren't moving forward as a society, technology-wise. In fact, almost 95% of our current technology still depends on the same shit it depended on 100 years ago - burning fossil fuels.


[quote name='The Pi' post='3785376' date='Jul 21 2011, 04:02 AM']The amount of energy needed to power a kindle while you read is far less than the energy needed to get the book to you. (making the paper, cutting the paper, printing the book, delivery to wholesaler, delivery to retailer etc)

The environmental impact doesn't cut it.[/quote]

LOL, yeah, and I guess ebook readers teleport to people now? Come on man, everything, and I mean everything that is manufactured is shipped, one way or the other. That's not a fair comparison.

Imagine this: When a book is made, regardless of language, it's a book. On the other hand, there are multitudes [ok, that's an exaggeration, but there's more than 1 type] of ebook readers that take various amounts of material. Once a book reaches the owner, it will be fine as it is for as long as the owner can take care of it. On the one hand, an ebook reader might be phased out in 5-10 years [books have been known to last longer]. On operating costs alone, books just require a sufficient amount of light. Ebook readers need constant recharging, maintenance, updating, whatever. Then, when someone is finished with a book, there is always the option of giving it away to someone who can still use/appreciate it, regardless of age. An ebook reader will probably be tossed out as soon as it gets phased out.



PS
People, let's not kid ourselves with the whole "environmental impact" debate. What we're doing now is no different from what we were doing a century ago [except maybe we do more of it now, and on a larger scale]. A book now, an ebook tomorrow - the environment doesn't give a sweet f*ck because it's still going to be messed up unless we clean up our ways.

I will never purchase an ebook. I love having a hardcopy of books, collector's editions if they exist. I read my books several times. Some books that I love, I buy a regular paperback copy to read, and keep a collector's edition on the shelf.

I like don't ebooks. They lack the charm and feel of a real book and I can never keep focused on them like a real book.

i like real books. but i recently had to move and the real books were a literal pain in the back. i wanted to take the easy way out and just burned them all but even then i would have to throw them in a pile.

1-10 real books are good. when you get to 100, they take up a ton of space and are a real bitch to move around.

I never thought I would hop on the bandwagon of e-books. I just didn't think it was necessary or all that good an idea.

My mom got a crap e-reader manufactured by The Sharper Image, for maybe 30 bucks at work. I said "oh, that's neat. Maybe I should get one... nah, probably not."

A few months later, her store (Bed Bath and Beyond, btw) had a Pandigital 7" Android 2.0 tablet on sale, I got her 20% off employee discount and a 30 dollar rebate. Now, the tablet sucks. It does what it needs to do, though. However, it is a very capable e-book reader, and have started re-reading the Halo series on it. THIS was very nice and I do quite like it.

Dude what? It's basically the evolution, and every machine and item we use evolved from something.


Tie/Bucket/Backpack
Gameboy/Advance/SP/DS
Bathtub/Shower
Steam Engines/Gas Engines/Electric Cars
Candle/Water/Electricity/Wind Power
Record/Atrac/Tape/CD/MP3
Reels/VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray



It's evolution. It's so much more convenient to own an e-book. I know it may not have that feeling, but they're not bad things at all. It's a lot better than carrying around 2-3 books. Takes up less space, and as you said a lot cheaper. Especially with the price of books now, how can they not expect people to go out and get an e-book reader?

[quote name='ShadowSoldier' post='3785489' date='Jul 20 2011, 03:53 PM']Dude what? It's basically the evolution, and every machine and item we use evolved from something.


Tie/Bucket/Backpack
Gameboy/Advance/SP/DS
Bathtub/Shower
Steam Engines/Gas Engines/Electric Cars
Candle/Water/Electricity/Wind Power
Record/Atrac/Tape/CD/MP3
Reels/VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray



It's evolution. It's so much more convenient to own an e-book. I know it may not have that feeling, but they're not bad things at all. It's a lot better than carrying around 2-3 books. Takes up less space, and as you said a lot cheaper. Especially with the price of books now, how can they not expect people to go out and get an e-book reader?[/quote]
Staring at a bright screen hurts my eyes.

Besides, newer is not always better. I still buy CD's because of the improved quality, and I use my GBA SP more than my DS so I can play more games.

For convenience I have been reading eBooks in one form or another for over 10 years (started on my palm pilot) and now with the Kindle app on my phone. I have a train ride twice a day so it’s been convenient and there are less books to carry. Its better now with the ability to convert the book formats from one to another so I can use the one app to read them all. I read comics in the same way (not to mention watch TV programs and films and listen to music). It’s a convenience thing. Funny thing I don’t read books but I buy them still…. No idea why…

I like both. I do like actual copies of books, but I also love the ability to carry a book on my phone because of the convenience. If I'm in a doctors office I don't want to be carrying a huge book (like the Harry Potter books), especially hardcover books since a good portion of my books are hardcover. Also if I'm on a long car trip (since the car trips I take are usually 10+ hours), it's easier to have my phone with a car charger as I can read in the dark and I can pack a lot of books. If I'm at home and I have the book I'll actually go grab the book, but if I'm out I will just read on my iPhone. eBook Readers are also convenient if we can get text books on them. Have you tried lugging a bunch of huge text books? They're cheaper in eBook format anyway. I'll use eBooks when I'm not at home and a regular book when I am.

I do almost all of my reading while traveling and while waiting in public. It's only when I'm quite caught up in a particular book that I tend to continue the read when I'm home.

Though some of my best "reading experiences" have been with physical books, I legally own a number of books that I don't have physically and vice versa.

If it were simple to license both platforms, like "rip" my physical books, I would be just thrilled.
Instead I sometimes resort to pirating e-versions for my e-reader device, the 1st gen Nook.

I can't agree with most arguments against e-books as a Nook owner. It's like having a flashcart with the capability of owning your entire game collection, but for reading. Of course there's often titles not available in epub, but that doesn't bother me. The titles I can't obtain for my e-reader are titles I can't obtain physical copies of either due to out-of-print / rarity.

It's more physically comfortable for me to hold my Nook and "page turn" for 10+ hours straight (which I've done with some of my most compelling reads). When holding a book open with one hand for that amount of time I get serious cramps and have to pass it between both. When I was reading Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age last year I remember seriously considering blowing ten bucks on the digital version just because of that problem.

I'm sure those who insist that physical books are more enjoyable and/or superior for whatever reason probably think that's not an important issue, or is an exaggeration, but it's almost as important a factor for me as the convenience of having my "completed" books at the handy in the same physical space that I keep my "in progress" reads.