Do you ever feel like hiding your reader?

[mike_bike_kite]

Originally Posted by minspargal

Some of the older ladies at our town book club were real interested in my pocket sony and had never seen an e-reader.

I was demoing my K2 to an 80 year old lady on Monday and she thought it was great. She seemed to quite like the price as well so hopefully she'll be another convert.

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

And I work in the city of Groningen, and that's a fairly big city (for Dutch standards, that is) and also has a large student population. And the other day, I went by train to the other side of the country and still didn't even see one reader (only phones...)

Oh well at least they have phones! (I may actually have missed off my winky on the last post)

Originally Posted by Tome Keeper

It was in a case when I dropped it! It's now in a silcone case because a tiny bit of the circuit board is exposed and I now have the Kindle lighted case and a waterproof pouch

I used to travel a lot in London especially on buses but I now work elsewhere with teenagers, and let just say occasionally things go missing.

Perhaps you could just put a sticker on the front indicating the contents are for English literature GCSE - if they're anything like my son then they'd avoid it like the plague - I can only get him to read books if they're very short and contain raunchy bits.

[shootingMaNs]

I take mine everywhere. The only time I feel like I should hide it is when I have to leave it in the car. I also put it in my toolchest at work after lunch, but that's kind of pointless now. Everyone I work with knows I have one and where I keep it.

[Ivy]

I didn't really mean hiding it like in a car, because one is worried it might get stolen... That's just normal behaviour as far as I'm concered.

What I meant was this exactly:

Originally Posted by patrickt

I totally understand. I'm old and I grew up in a time and a place where most people did not have extra money. Flashing something different and relatively expensive was consider poor form. Tacky. Showing off. It was rude. It's hard to explain but I do understand.

Even today, if someone asks me what something cost I tend to downplay the cost. Oh, around $100 in the U.S. Actually, to get my Kindle here in Mexico cost me almost $200.

Originally Posted by jocampo

When I travel to South America, people look at me weird. The culture there is that very expensive electronic devices, like cellphones, some people use them to "pretend". I don't know if I am explaining myself very well. Of course, is not all the time, but I can understand; the Kindle's price is basically a half or full month salary in some countries, including mine. I guess that I consider myself blessed for what I have.

From all these posts I concluded it's more like a cultural thing, than anything else. I live in Croatia, which is an ex socialist country. For years, everybody had as little or as many as everybody else. If someone did have more, it wasn't obtained in a legal manner.

We've changed our socialistic regime (some 20 years ago) and we have capitalism now, so differences in wealth are allowed and normally occur. Still, people look at someone who jumps out of the average kind of wrong.

For example, I have a feeling people wish to be more successful than their neighbour in America. Or at least as successful. Where I live, people wish their neighbour was as unsuccessful as they were.
I know this is a generalisation, but I'm just trying to paint a picture of the society I live in.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Ivy

I didn't really mean hiding it like in a car, because one is worried it might get stolen... That's just normal behaviour as far as I'm concered.

What I meant was this exactly:



From all these posts I concluded it's more like a cultural thing, than anything else. I live in Croatia, which is an ex socialist country. For years, everybody had as little or as many as everybody else. If someone did have more, it wasn't obtained in a legal manner.

We've changed our socialistic regime (some 20 years ago) and we have capitalism now, so differences in wealth are allowed and normally occur. Still, people look at someone who jumps out of the average kind of wrong.

For example, I have a feeling people wish to be more successful than their neighbour in America. Or at least as successful. Where I live, people wish their neighbour was as unsuccessful as they were.
I know this is a generalisation, but I'm just trying to paint a picture of the society I live in.

Thank you for letting me know we are on the same wave link. As an old guy, it's a delight to meet young people who understand.

[elizilla]

Originally Posted by Ivy

I didn't really mean hiding it like in a car, because one is worried it might get stolen... That's just normal behaviour as far as I'm concered.

What I meant was this exactly:



From all these posts I concluded it's more like a cultural thing, than anything else. I live in Croatia, which is an ex socialist country. For years, everybody had as little or as many as everybody else. If someone did have more, it wasn't obtained in a legal manner.

We've changed our socialistic regime (some 20 years ago) and we have capitalism now, so differences in wealth are allowed and normally occur. Still, people look at someone who jumps out of the average kind of wrong.

For example, I have a feeling people wish to be more successful than their neighbour in America. Or at least as successful. Where I live, people wish their neighbour was as unsuccessful as they were.
I know this is a generalisation, but I'm just trying to paint a picture of the society I live in.

I was in Croatia in 2006, and I had a hard time figuring out what was considered a sign of relative wealth, what was ostentatious, etc. I did see this attitude of concealing wealth, mainly in the way that the outsides of the buildings often did not match the insides - people let the outsides of their homes go to ruin, yet they would be pretty nice inside. In the USA, people fix up the exterior first and pretend the inside is nicer than it really is - and we help them by not pressing to come in. I guess we are more ostentatious. Also, the relative prices of things were confusing - some things cost far more than at home, others cost far less, and I couldn't predict which would be which.

So I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable reading from my Sony reader there either. OTOH, if I were there again I would be a visitor and should probably look at my surroundings instead of having my nose in a book. There is much to see there!

[ApK]

Originally Posted by elizilla

In the USA, people fix up the exterior first and pretend the inside is nicer than it really is - and we help them by not pressing to come in. I guess we are more ostentatious.

In the USA, we vary wildly on this, as we do in most every regard!

A friend and I noted once that in NYC, if you found a restaurant hidden in rundown block, with a dilapidated looking store front, you had chance of finding a real hidden gem and great food.

In Hollywood, if the place didn't look good, the food would be worse.

It seemed like in in NYC, if a restaurant had any money, they'd spend it on the food, and the building could crumble around them....who cares...

In LA, if there was any money to be had, it went into image, and attracting customers FIRST, and only care about the food once they had 'buzz.'

[Ivy]

Speaking of not displaying our tech things in public...

My friend just bought a MacBook and he wants to install a word processing program so he can use it for university. He's asking me to skip class tomorrow to meet with him and help him install it (because he needs it the day after tomorrow). He would be embarrassed to actually bring the computer to class* and do it there, because nobody carries their laptop to class around here. We use old-school notebooks.

I did a semester in Madrid and I took my laptop to class there instead of a notebook. Everybody did. It was normal. Here... it's seen as sort of pretentious.


*I mean it, embarrassed, even though it's new and he adores it and he spent a year gathering the money to buy it so he's pretty proud of it now.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Ivy

Hello all.

I've noticed something in my behaviour and I just wanted to see if there's anyone here with the same attitude. I love my reader, it follows me wherever I go and we even sleep together. You get the picture.

But sometimes... it's like I'm a little bit ashamed to be seen with it. Crowded places like the university or public transport make me want to hide it and try to use it inconspicuously, which is hard, since it's metallic red.

People in Croatia don't really use readers and just having one attracts looks. Some people recognize it for what it is, some have never heard of such a thing. I feel like I'm trying to be a show off for using it in public, which I know is stupid, since I would be reading a book there without any problems... but still.


Anybody having the same "problem" or it's just me?

Here in Canada - no, I never hesitate to whip my reader out. In Croatia - I use it in public, with my book-like cover people just think it is a book or journal. I've had people ask me why I keep staring at the same page for an hour

And yes, I have felt like a show off in Croatia at university with my reader (which costs less than many if not most of the mobile phones I see at university, so really, I shouldn't feel like a show off, but there you go. I've had people at university make rude comments about my cheap, old cell phone, however. No tact.)

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Ivy

Speaking of not displaying our tech things in public...

My friend just bought a MacBook and he wants to install a word processing program so he can use it for university. He's asking me to skip class tomorrow to meet with him and help him install it (because he needs it the day after tomorrow). He would be embarrassed to actually bring the computer to class* and do it there, because nobody carries their laptop to class around here. We use old-school notebooks.

I did a semester in Madrid and I took my laptop to class there instead of a notebook. Everybody did. It was normal. Here... it's seen as sort of pretentious.


*I mean it, embarrassed, even though it's new and he adores it and he spent a year gathering the money to buy it so he's pretty proud of it now.

Yes, in 5 years of school in Croatia I've seen laptops in actual university classes perhaps once. Here coffee shops are full of Mac laptops. In Croatia I know quite a few (fellow) Mac users, but I've only seen someone using a Mac at the library once. That's it! I expect to see more, though, now that T-Mobile has some sort of deal on them when you get a 3g internet plan. your friend shouldn't feel embarrassed - but he should keep a close eye on it when he has it out so that it doesn't get stolen.

[The Terminator]

I read it anywhere I feel like, sometimes it is annoying people seeing it and asking what it is and what it does.... Hello I'm trying to read in PEACE. But that's only when I'm in my town not another one where I don't know anyone.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

. I've had people ask me why I keep staring at the same page for an hour

Why are they watching you for an hour? Creepy.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Here in Canada - no, I never hesitate to whip my reader out. In Croatia - I use it in public, with my book-like cover people just think it is a book or journal. I've had people ask me why I keep staring at the same page for an hour

And yes, I have felt like a show off in Croatia at university with my reader (which costs less than many if not most of the mobile phones I see at university, so really, I shouldn't feel like a show off, but there you go. I've had people at university make rude comments about my cheap, old cell phone, however. No tact.)

Ah, but the actual cost of things is irrelevant. A man I know, not a friend, was critical of me for spending money on a laptop computer and an internet connection. I said, "I spend less on my computer than you spend on liquor."
"That's different."
"It is. I can remember using my computer."

[Ron.]

I don't take mine out in public anymore, I used too but every time I did I would spend more time answering questions about it then reading

Now I leave it home and read on my iPhone instead...

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by ApK

In the USA, we vary wildly on this, as we do in most every regard!

A friend and I noted once that in NYC, if you found a restaurant hidden in rundown block, with a dilapidated looking store front, you had chance of finding a real hidden gem and great food.

That is so true! I can't tell you how many times I've looked for somewhere to eat and purposely looked for a dive because I just knew that they were trying to keep their most excellent food a secret! The same is true of Philly. I remember one of the first times I was there on my own, I was probably 18 y/o. As I was driving down South St. I saw a rib place that looked like a hole in the wall in the less desirable part of town and just knew that the food was great. It was. There were times that I'd get a craving for ribs, drive 1:20 minutes to Philly, get my ribs, then drive home. They were THAT good!

Originally Posted by elizilla

I was in Croatia in 2006, and I had a hard time figuring out what was considered a sign of relative wealth, what was ostentatious, etc. I did see this attitude of concealing wealth, mainly in the way that the outsides of the buildings often did not match the insides - people let the outsides of their homes go to ruin, yet they would be pretty nice inside. In the USA, people fix up the exterior first and pretend the inside is nicer than it really is - and we help them by not pressing to come in. I guess we are more ostentatious.

I think when it comes to homes it falls more along the lines of having good manners or being a good neighbor. I don't care what my neighbors do to the inside of their homes, but when they let the outside go to pot, I consider it rude and inconsiderate to their neighbors and neighborhood. I have a neighbor around the corner that has a junk yard for a front yard. He has a pool in the back yard w/ no water in it. Meanwhile, his next door neighbor has a beautifully landscaped tropical paradise of a front yard. Every time I drive buy their houses, the dichotomy feels unreal. We have our worst lawn sitting next to our best lawn. I'm so grateful for my neighbors across the street, because their house is my front view. They make it a pleasure for me to sit in my living room and look outside of my window. Coincidently, we use the same landscaper, and I can always tell which houses in the neighborhood, uses this landscaper as well.

[astra]

No. Not me.
I generally don't care what others think about me. A space around me is my space, my life. Others should mind their own business and live in their space.

Originally Posted by Ivy

Maybe it's just because of where I'm living. eReaders are really not popular here... not unheard of really, but nowhere near popular. And if anyone's heard of it, they ask: "Hey, that's Kindle, right?"

When I bought my first ebook reader - Sony PRS-500 there were probably 100 ebook readers in all of the UK? Kindle obviously didn't exist, even as a foetus in Jeffrey's mind.