MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - e-readers for every man woman and child

Andrew H. · 02-22-2011, 06:23 PM

I think Kali's right about OLPC covering the bases.

Also, paper books actually make a lot more sense in the 3d world than they do in the modern western world simply because there is a lot more sharing due to poverty.

I.e., if I buy a paper book, I will probably be the only one who reads it. I may lend it to another person, but I'm just as likely to just tell them about it and then they will just buy their own copies. I have books in my library that I read once, 25 years ago, will probably never read again...and neither will anyone else. But there it sits. It's in this context that e-books make a lot of sense - I don't really care about resale or lending because I do that infrequently anyway.

But in a context where books are rare, they will be shared. Again and again and again. Books are also not delicate - you can sit on them, a camel can step on them...you could even drop them in the water - and they will remain usable, if a little battered.

Also, if a family has 7 kids, each kid could take a separate book with them as they go out into the fields/school/work/ etc. I'm not sure that each kid would have an e-book reader.

02-22-2011, 06:23 PM	#10
Andrew H. Grand Master of Flowers Posts: 2,201 Karma: 8389072 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Naptown Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)	I think Kali's right about OLPC covering the bases. Also, paper books actually make a lot more sense in the 3d world than they do in the modern western world simply because there is a lot more sharing due to poverty. I.e., if I buy a paper book, I will probably be the only one who reads it. I may lend it to another person, but I'm just as likely to just tell them about it and then they will just buy their own copies. I have books in my library that I read once, 25 years ago, will probably never read again...and neither will anyone else. But there it sits. It's in this context that e-books make a lot of sense - I don't really care about resale or lending because I do that infrequently anyway. But in a context where books are rare, they will be shared. Again and again and again. Books are also not delicate - you can sit on them, a camel can step on them...you could even drop them in the water - and they will remain usable, if a little battered. Also, if a family has 7 kids, each kid could take a separate book with them as they go out into the fields/school/work/ etc. I'm not sure that each kid would have an e-book reader.