Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
Sure you do... you're using a bound collection of paper to store the words. I use a PDA. They are both "devices" used to store the words and allow you to read them. The big difference is, my one device can hold hundreds, even thousands, of books... your device holds exactly one book.
When you can memorize and recall literature, word for word, you won't need "devices." (But you still need something to get the words in your head...)
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It's totally not the same. Your device requires electricity and technical know-how. If civilization collapsed your device would quickly be useless. Even assuming some sort of solar generator, it would only be good for a few years until the device gave out. Unless you could build a new one yourself, which I would find hard to believe.
The pbook requires nothing except the book. Assuming it's taken care of, once it's printed it's forever. It doesn't require electricity or maintenance. Anyone can use it with no instruction, and no access to electricity or fancy technical doo-dads. I have books that were my mother's when she was young that are still in perfect reading condition, 55-60 years later. There are still 20 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible around and that's 450+ years old. There's no way my PRS-600 or Kindle is going to be around and working that long.
My point is not that it doesn't take some technology to print a book, but once you have the book it *never* obsoletes. You can always read it, without an upgrade or new device.
I'm clearly a fan of ebooks, considering that I own readers and belong to this forum. That doesn't mean I can't see the advantages of a pbook along with the disadvantages. I'm currently trying to replace my huge pbook library with an ebook one, but I do have a niggling fear in the back of the mind that one day I'll regret not have those pbooks anymore.
-Marcy