Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowRain
I find it ironic that the man who so famously championed the dissemination of knowledge and the folly of blindly adhering to tradition in The Name of the Rose would speak against the most effective way to disseminate knowledge around the world in the 21st century by himself blindly adhering to tradition. His reasoning, at its very core, is no different than that of religious teachers.
|
I must admit - that was my first thought as well.
However, I also think he has a point about the shifting and unreliable nature of digital storage media if he's talking about personal archives - floppy, CD, solid state etc...
It's a factor - along with DRM - that may impact the longevity of an individual possession. I don't think it's necessarily as much of a factor for the preservation of the work for the collective.
As for emotional attachment - I can see a Good Reads bookshelf along with typed impressions/reviews to replace the emotional attachment to a dusty tome.
I think hardcopy books do face their own issues though - mould/rot, mice and various forms of neglect/accident can impact the integrity of the book as a possession.
If you're conscientious (and have no qualms about breaking DRM), an electronic book could not only stand the test of time in your own lifetime, but be successfully willed to your children and grandchildren. The difference is of course, that instead of inheriting boxes of books, you might just be picking up a USB hard-drive, SD card, or data crystal (depending on what technology is in favour).
Regards
Caleb