Earlier this evening I was shopping Barnes & Noble. I had gone to see if I could find a book on a certain topic and to browse around other sections. Sometimes I like to go in and browse and see if something jumps out at me.
I couldn't find a book on the topic I had wanted, but that wasn't a big deal. I then went to the magazine section, the Science Fiction section, the sports section, and the manga section. Initially I picked up two books: An R.A. Salvatore paperback that concluded a trilogy I started months ago and a really slim volume on Truth, from the author of "On B.S." (Not the real title.)
By the time I left I placed everything down that I had picked up. Nothing felt compelling enough for me to walk out with it in my hand.
I had been reading this forums with a bit of gadget lust alternating between wanting a Sony Reader and not wanting one. Tonight I came face-to-face with why I would probably not do well with one. I am a some-times reader. I am the type of reader who will get on a kick to read books and I'll bulldoze through a few on a variety of topics. At some point, however, I'll simply tire of reading longer pieces and not really care to do it for awhile. The cycle repeats at some point.
I realize, also, that I do this with a lot of my hobbies. I like a great many things -- too many, in my estimation. I like video games, books on a number of topics, mobile computing (laptops, PDAs, phones, etc.), pod/vidcasts, computing, etc. And I will cycle through these things over and over as my interests wax and wane.
Easily, I can see myself using the Reader until I tire of reading books or I'll not be able to get something I want on it. And then it will sit collecting dust. Plus, the more difficult it is to get the stuff I want at the time on the unit, the more easily I'll tire of it. I'd prefer not to tire of a $350.00 device! I know some of you are putting RSS feeds and other things on it, but only after a bit of massaging that I'm just not sure I'll do.
I don't see this as a fault with eBook devices or the Sony Reader in general. Heck, it's a personal problem!
My problem is that I get tired of stuff. I get bored. I want to move on. Throughout my life, I've viewed people like the folks here with a bit of sadness. I think it would be quite nice to be interested in something so much that my enthusiasm remains high. I've never been able to accomplish that.
I can't say that others would forgo an eBook device for reasons similar to my own, but I thought you folks would find it interesting my though process. No offense is intended!