Quote:
Originally Posted by rcentros
"Real" as in "it exists independently of any other medium." Without eReaders or other computers, or storage devices, or electricity, an eBook does not exist — the words themselves don't exist. If you go on an extended camping trip without electricity, you're not going to have a "real" book on your eReader. You have a "potential" book but one that requires the eReader be recharged. Not so with a "real" (paper) book. Until the pages rot away, it's always "on" and always "charged." It's never a "potential" book, it exists independently of the conditions necessary for the existence of an eBook. So, in that sense, a paper book is always "real," as opposed to the potential "reality" of an eBook when certain conditions are not met.
|
...until you drop your paper book into the lake. My e-reader is waterproof. What do you do when you finish that one paper book? How many do you bring with you on vacation? I just got back from a weekend in Northern New England, and I read 3 books on my device. It was a lot easier for me to bring two small, light, e-readers than it would have been to bring 3 books with me. Of course, I would have had to bring more than 3, just in case I finished the first 3 and needed another, or I decided that I wanted to read in a different genre (something I do regularly)
Besides, if I'm going on vacation, I always bring a spare reader with me, both loaded with all of the same books. (and of course, I always have my phone if something were to happen to both readers). If I'm going camping, I always bring my solar charger.
Shari