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Thread ID: 108739	2010-04-09 16:53:00	Electronic Books vs Bound Books	SurferJoe46 (51)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
874622	2010-04-09 16:53:00	Interesting article here from Texas about students and books . ( . com/articles/04_09/texas_governor_perry_wants_electronic_education_te" target="_blank">thestatecolumn . com xtbooks_5783 . php) I can see some positive results from not having to hump around schoolbooks in backpacks by the students to-and-from classes, home and such . They are heavy and fraught with damage and need to be replaced yearly since most 'scholarly facts' become obsolete or re-written after a short time . The positives: 1) less scholastic mass to carry (think shipping, drayage, storage, dissemination, disposal) since handguns and ammo clips are already heavy in themselves and books just add to the student's weight load 2) lowered use of trees and ink/bindings/staples - etc, moot, but somewhat inclusive in the big picture since paper comes from -- you know! 3) renew-ability factors from data obsolescence need new printed material almost monthly, if not yearly at least - almost instant download of relevant and timely data . 4) simplification of data and collation into a single data base (think repositories, data servers and online accessibility/downloads) 5) fewer stick-and-mortar buildings necessary for libraries and associated liabilities of them 6) lowered or dismissed numbers of paid employees in negative cash flow situations - libraries are a cash drain to the taxpayers in their associated and peripheral fees for salaries, insurance, utilities, property use, retirement benefits, maintenance, etc . 7) instant digital accessibility for times when libraries are closed for the night, holidays, weekends via the internet . The minuses: 1) that 'paper and glue' smell (mustiness?) and feeling - the 'heft-factor' is also missing 2) home libraries will become obsolete - perhaps becoming shelves for tropical fish tanks and other personal trophy displays (isn't that what having books on display is all about in some homes anyway?) like rock collections, shrunken heads and Indian arrowheads 3) loss of community aesthetics in not actually having a library in every city, town and burg 4) printers and binderies will go out of business - the electronic age is upon them 5) pride of ownership in written material - the 'collector-factor' 6) unnecessary need for school lockers for book storage between classes and weekends . Could this be the tip of an iceberg? I don't want to offend those with personal elegant libraries and ownership of signed/first printings like an original hand-pressed Guttenberg and such, but really those books aren't for general perusal or reading/handling etc . , since that would devalue the collector's evaluation instantly . ~~ I've seen Bibles in houses that are under glass and somehow just owning it in that condition magically confers mystical powers of protection to the house and it's occupants . The pages are never read, perused nor are they allowed to be touched for the collect-ability factor - and it might let the spell escape if it actually got out of it's glass sarcophagus . But I see a new way to 1) save money 2) save waste in trees 3) save redundancy 4) save costs 5) lower carbon footprints - even if I cared about that at all! 6) keep data up-to-date and improve (viscerally, to me at least) data flow and scientific refresh-ability 7) worldwide accessibility to documents and tools of higher education 8) across-borders flow of information and interior conditions (OK, maybe China won't co-operate -- I can see that as a possible possibility, possibly!) Wot sayist thou?	SurferJoe46 (51)
874623	2010-04-09 21:33:00	Yes, close all the libraries, then re-open them as repositories of the collected wise acts of politicians. We are going to think VERY small here.	R2x1 (4628)
874624	2010-04-09 21:42:00	I have hundreds of paper-based books around home, but 95% or more of my recreational reading is now in ebook format (and has been for about the last 5-6 years) . Much easier to whip out my phone and start reading on the ferry or plane than to carry a book (or books) and try to do the same . . . The only real gripe I have is the price of the ebooks - they don't have anywhere near the same production and freight costs as physical books, yet the titles are often not dissimilar in price to the paper versions . So I tend to read older titles because they are often cheaper (or classics, which are often free) .	johcar (6283)
874625	2010-04-09 21:55:00	For study books then I would use an e reader if I had one for fiction or bedtime reading then I would much prefer a real book some of the stuff I read I doubt would be available in electronic format anyway yet	gary67 (56)
874626	2010-04-09 22:09:00	You might be surprised, Gary - a lot of authors are publishing direct to ebook format and hard cover concurrently these days... But you're right nothing like a REAL book when you're lying in bed - although an ebook allows you to read so you don't disturb SWMBO or have to get out of bed again later to turn the light off...	johcar (6283)
874627	2010-04-09 22:16:00	As a printer I have been waiting for the digital age to put me out of a job. It hasn't happened yet. Its just a matter of moving with the times. We are getting a lot of self published books coming through. people still like holding it in there hands. Print is not dead...........Yet	plod (107)
874628	2010-04-09 22:38:00	You might be surprised, Gary - a lot of authors are publishing direct to ebook format and hard cover concurrently these days... But you're right nothing like a REAL book when you're lying in bed - although an ebook allows you to read so you don't disturb SWMBO or have to get out of bed again later to turn the light off... A bed AND a light? Luxury!	R2x1 (4628)
874629	2010-04-09 22:55:00	We are getting a lot of self published books coming through. people still like holding it in there hands. Print is not dead...........Yet Its demise may not be all that far away if the proof readers have their just deserts. And we won't comment on the double entendre .. :lol: (there = their)	WalOne (4202)
874630	2010-04-09 23:49:00	Its demise may not be all that far away if the proof readers have their just deserts . And we won't comment on the double entendre . . :lol: (there = their) By the time a job gets to me, how things a spelt are beyond my control or care	plod (107)
874631	2010-04-09 23:54:00	Its demise may not be all that far away if the proof readers have their just deserts. And we won't comment on the double entendre .. :lol: (there = their) Ironic: "just deserts" = "just desserts" :D :D .... or was that deliberate???	johcar (6283)
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