eBooks ReDooks
Posted on | September 20, 2007 at 7:34 am | 8 Comments
Janet sent me some links to a couple of articles and blog postings about some new developments in the eBooks realm. This Teleread blog entry pretty much sums things up and has links to the other stories and posts. The gist of things is that Amazon is planning on launching it’s own eBook reader, called Kindler, which can wirelessly connect to Amazon’s eBook store to download the books without having to connect the electronic reader to a computer. As this Techdirt blog posting says: For eBook aficionados, this might be a nice convenience, but it’s pretty hard to imagine this feature proving pivotal to winning over the broader population. Of all the problems people have with eBooks, the fact that you have to connect them to a computer probably isn’t a significant one. Indeed, in my post of the advantages and disadvantages of eBooks, I didn’t even think to list that as a reason.
I think I failed to make it clear in my original post that just because I prefer eBooks at this point doesn’t mean that I think everybody should feel the same way or that they’ll eventually replace paper books. No, I realize I’m in a very small minority here. It’s right for my lifestyle, but not for everyone’s.
Reading these articles has pointed out a number of other advantages that paper books have over eBooks that I didn’t realize before. Among them:
- Paper books are a heckuva lot easier to lend to other people and to share. (Isn’t that illegal though? Shouldn’t everybody who reads a book have to pay for it? Where’s the publishing world’s version of the RIAA when you need it?) And then there’s all those sticky DRM (Digital Rights Management) issues…
- The reader technology may eventually become obsolete, rendering your library/collection somewhat unusable. I forgot that there are a number of competing formats for publishing and reading eBooks, and that some of them may fall by the wayside. How do you know your hitching your library to the correct horse (now there’s a picture)? I see this as a pretty big problem. Looks like they’re working towards a standard format, but that might take awhile, and it could render my current collection obsolete.
- Reading electronic print may cause eyestrain/headaches for a number of people. Many people may not be able to read for very long before they have to stop. (Luckily this doesn’t seem to apply to me.) Staring at a screen will do strange things to people. However, I think that technology will eventually solve this problem as the eBooks start to resemble real books more and more (see eInk).
- Must have a computer in order to download books and get them into the reader. (This is changing.)
So, thank you Janet for opening my eyes. Though I’m not happy with the way the wind is blowing, I’m still going to be using my trusty eReader.
Pet Peeve Of The Day: My fellow early morning darkness joggers who wear dark clothing so the vehicles can’t easily spot them. They give the rest of us a bad name. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost gotten into a jogger-vs-jogger sidewalk collision with one of these people. Really, I can’t tell you.
BTW, my buddy/co-worker and frequent blog commenter DMR has started his own blog, chronicling his move from the wonderful world of Colorado to the pits of depravity on the east coast: New Yankee. Check it out. I’ve added you to the blogroll, dude.
Latre.
Comments
8 Responses to “eBooks ReDooks”
September 20th, 2007 @ 11:06 am
Well, that was a surprise not seeing the flaming banner and instead getting some pastoral cabin-ey goodness. I read the blog from the RSS feed, so unless I want to make one of my pointless comments I don’t see the actual site.
I’m going to piggyback on your pet peeve. What’s with the joggers who run in the street?!? The street is for we lardbutted drivers who haven’t had enough caffeine yet to drive upon in our multiton death machines. Keep your rosy healthy glow (and dark clothes) on the sidewalk and don’t tempt me when I have a 700:1 kinetic energy advantage.
Let’s hear it for eBooks. I already read books on my laptop, so I’d be happy to adopt some system for eBooks with a paper and ink like resolution. Our house is well beyond bookcase maximum density. I could use the extra room.
September 20th, 2007 @ 11:26 am
Hit reload a few times and you should eventually see some header images that aren’t completely pastoral.
What’s with the joggers who run in the street?!?
I have to sheepishly admit I run on the street whenever possible, but at least I wear light clothing when I do it. It’s just so much easier (especially on the knees) to run on the asphalt than on the concrete sidewalks or soft grass. At least I run facing traffic and always hop onto the sidewalk when a car is coming. Except when I have the urge to play chicken with something that has a 700:1 kinetic energy advantage. Luckily the street I run on is fairly deserted at that time of the morning.
September 20th, 2007 @ 11:27 am
The publishing world would LOVE to see libraries wiped out. I heard this interesting story on NPR’s On the Media last week. Apparently, someone from the American Association of Publishers “compared some in the library community to Ruby Ridge and Waco-style terrorists.” Luckily, libraries are right up there with motherhood & apple pie in the minds of most Americans, and librarians are powerful, powerful people who will kick the publishers’ asses if need be.
September 20th, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Well, at least the librarians that we know!
September 20th, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
Sue, I just read the article you linked to – very interesting. I don’t think I’d ever heard of the First Sale Doctrine before, though the concept is familiar.
Damn libraries! Lending out books to anyone who comes along…
September 20th, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
Banners:
Ah ha! Jam-packed with pictorial wonders.
Joggers:
Well, at least I know the answer to “why?” now. Of course, if they were all courteous (and cognizant of the laws of physics) like yourself they wouldn’t tick me off.
First Sale:
That is an interesting article. I knew about the doctrine but had not heard about the current case. The courts better wisely slap that one down.
September 20th, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
> I failed to make it clear in my original post that just because I prefer eBooks
> at this point doesn’t mean that I think everybody should feel the same
Well then why even READ this blog, if not to be told how to think and behave??
What am I supposed to do now, go back and UN-delete my half- gig of podcasts carefully collected for my 3+ hrs/day of commuting? Dream on, flip-flopper…
September 21st, 2007 @ 8:36 pm
Someday, I may even think of enough interesting things to attract my own cadre of loyal followers. Someday. So far, I’ll I did was piss off the wife because she said my blog made it seem like I don’t want to move. DOH!