For people who still read...

webecedarian · 17 Sep 2010, 10:10 AM

...and I think there are a few of them here...

The cover story from Fortune, earlier this year:

The Future of Reading
By Josh Quittner

http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/09/tech...tune/index.htm

n5bb · 18 Sep 2010, 09:47 PM

Thanks for that link!

Every day on my Kindle DX I read two newspapers, several magazines, many books, and even cartoons (in The New Yorker). This is the second version of Kindle I have owned. And I still read my local print newspaper, several print magazines, and have a couple of stacks of unread books waiting for my attention. How can people waste their time watching 8 hours of television each day?

Bill

janusz · 19 Sep 2010, 03:11 AM

Groucho Marx said

Quote:

I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

David · 19 Sep 2010, 03:33 AM

I don't own a TV so will not comment

**Sherry** · 19 Sep 2010, 06:01 AM

And another voice heard from. "I LOVE TV". After all, TV can be very educational. Like one of the best educational programs, "I Love Lucy".

Sherry

n5bb · 19 Sep 2010, 09:11 AM

And Groucho also said:

Quote:

From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.

Chipper · 20 Sep 2010, 11:01 PM

I am currently taking an on-line course at the University of Maryland University College. The course title is " Information Literacy and Research Methods."

One week the teacher posted a question for us to discuss -- "With so much information being available on the internet, do you think there will ever be a day when physical libraries will no longer exist. Very intersting discussion!! Many of us felt they would be. Some of our reasons:
* There are lots of reference materials which cannot be converted to digital form very easily.
* Libraries are evolving -- many have PCs for the public to use. So... from this standpoint, libraries will still be a place where the public can utilize materials without having to purchase them -- it's just what they supply to the public will be different from the past.

David · 20 Sep 2010, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chipper

* There are lots of reference materials which cannot be converted to digital form very easily.

The fact that you can read them without electricity (or any other additional hardware and software) is just an added advantage I suppose. Your batteries will never die if you are reading a real book

janusz · 20 Sep 2010, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

The fact that you can read them without electricity

24 hrs a day??

David · 20 Sep 2010, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janusz

24 hrs a day??

I didn't say that janusz

- you are dead in the water 24/7 without electricity - so, now I am eagerly awaiting posts from the proponents of solar power...

n5bb · 21 Sep 2010, 11:34 AM

Did you know that e-books are "greener" than printed books?

My Kindle doesn't need to be plugged into the electric grid continuously. It's run by energy stored (in a battery), just as the solar energy which created the tree growth which was transformed using a large amount of energy (paper mills, printing presses, bookbinding plants, delivery trucks) into the printed book is stored. As well as the solar energy stored so I can read either my Kindle or my printed books indoors and at night.

Bill

ChinaLamb · 21 Sep 2010, 10:52 PM

Love my kindle, only wish it was the international version... Love getting books shipped Instantaneously when overseas - not to mention saving a MINT on shipping!!!

I just have to manually download the books to my kindle...

David · 21 Sep 2010, 11:39 PM

I read a lot of older books many of these now being out of print. A portion of these older books are available on the net. Quite often these are available in html format only (I have not as yet tried to download and convert these myself)

Would a Kindle be of use to me for reading this kind of material, without a deal of hassle?

There is virtually no WIFI where I live (in the immediate vicinity of my home) and this is neither set up at my place of residence; I do have a conventional DSL high speed internet connection care of my local telephone company.

ChinaLamb · 22 Sep 2010, 12:08 AM

If you can get to these sites, you can download books in a kindle compatible format - all these should be free sites for books out of copyright... I downloaded 100 such books and am reading classics from Sherlock Holmes, to Moby Dick, to other books by Dale Carnegie, etc...:
http://www.gutenberg.net/
http://ireaderreview.com/2009/09/08/...books-top-100/
http://feedbooks.com/publicdomain
http://www.ipl.org/reading/books/
http://www.1001books.com/
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/search.html
http://www.ccel.org/
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Childr...28Bookshelf%29
http://manybooks.net/

Enjoy!

SusanUKF · 22 Sep 2010, 01:24 AM

I still go to the local library and take out books to read, a dying activity it would seem, but I always emphasize the importance of actual hold-in-your hands books to my children. Our house is like a mini-library actually.

17 Sep 2010, 10:10 AM	#1
webecedarian Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 479	For people who still read... ...and I think there are a few of them here... The cover story from Fortune, earlier this year: The Future of Reading By Josh Quittner http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/09/tech...tune/index.htm

21 Sep 2010, 11:34 AM	#11
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,926	Electronic books are "greener" than printed books Did you know that e-books are "greener" than printed books? My Kindle doesn't need to be plugged into the electric grid continuously. It's run by energy stored (in a battery), just as the solar energy which created the tree growth which was transformed using a large amount of energy (paper mills, printing presses, bookbinding plants, delivery trucks) into the printed book is stored. As well as the solar energy stored so I can read either my Kindle or my printed books indoors and at night. Bill

18 Sep 2010, 09:47 PM	#2
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,926	Thanks for that link! Every day on my Kindle DX I read two newspapers, several magazines, many books, and even cartoons (in The New Yorker). This is the second version of Kindle I have owned. And I still read my local print newspaper, several print magazines, and have a couple of stacks of unread books waiting for my attention. How can people waste their time watching 8 hours of television each day? Bill

19 Sep 2010, 03:33 AM	#4
David Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Canada. Posts: 10,355	I don't own a TV so will not comment

19 Sep 2010, 06:01 AM	#5
Sherry Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: USA Posts: 8,687	And another voice heard from. "I LOVE TV". After all, TV can be very educational. Like one of the best educational programs, "I Love Lucy". Sherry

20 Sep 2010, 11:01 PM	#7
Chipper Master of the @ Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Greenbelt, MD (USA) Posts: 1,278	I am currently taking an on-line course at the University of Maryland University College. The course title is " Information Literacy and Research Methods." One week the teacher posted a question for us to discuss -- "With so much information being available on the internet, do you think there will ever be a day when physical libraries will no longer exist. Very intersting discussion!! Many of us felt they would be. Some of our reasons: * There are lots of reference materials which cannot be converted to digital form very easily. * Libraries are evolving -- many have PCs for the public to use. So... from this standpoint, libraries will still be a place where the public can utilize materials without having to purchase them -- it's just what they supply to the public will be different from the past.

21 Sep 2010, 10:52 PM	#12
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Love my kindle, only wish it was the international version... Love getting books shipped Instantaneously when overseas - not to mention saving a MINT on shipping!!! I just have to manually download the books to my kindle...

21 Sep 2010, 11:39 PM	#13
David Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Canada. Posts: 10,355	I read a lot of older books many of these now being out of print. A portion of these older books are available on the net. Quite often these are available in html format only (I have not as yet tried to download and convert these myself) Would a Kindle be of use to me for reading this kind of material, without a deal of hassle? There is virtually no WIFI where I live (in the immediate vicinity of my home) and this is neither set up at my place of residence; I do have a conventional DSL high speed internet connection care of my local telephone company.

22 Sep 2010, 12:08 AM	#14
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	If you can get to these sites, you can download books in a kindle compatible format - all these should be free sites for books out of copyright... I downloaded 100 such books and am reading classics from Sherlock Holmes, to Moby Dick, to other books by Dale Carnegie, etc...: http://www.gutenberg.net/ http://ireaderreview.com/2009/09/08/...books-top-100/ http://feedbooks.com/publicdomain http://www.ipl.org/reading/books/ http://www.1001books.com/ http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/search.html http://www.ccel.org/ http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Childr...28Bookshelf%29 http://manybooks.net/ Enjoy!

22 Sep 2010, 01:24 AM	#15
SusanUKF Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 5,428	I still go to the local library and take out books to read, a dying activity it would seem, but I always emphasize the importance of actual hold-in-your hands books to my children. Our house is like a mini-library actually.