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#331 | |
Bah, humbug!
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Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
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As a regular reader and fan of the Huffington Post, it gives me no pleasure to say that the site is “hit-and miss when it comes to matters of science." Some of the science articles that appear on the Huffington site are excellent. It is unfortunate but true, however, that others leave a great deal to be desired. That being said; I am neither the spokesperson nor the apologist for what you have chosen to label MOBILE SLEAZE, and I certainly don’t set the agenda for anyone here. In addition, to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never organized a Nuremberg Rally for the purpose of motivating the masses to swear fascistic allegiance to Prometheus. I haven’t read any of your poetry, although I plan to remedy that in the near future. From your creative and eloquent style of writing here and elsewhere on the web, I imagine that when you aren’t busy accusing people who embrace new technologies of being Nazi sympathizers, your writings are quite enjoyable. I did read the original article that sparked this whole debate, and quite frankly, I sympathize with much of what you say, and believe you raise some valid concerns, but in the final analysis, I believe the brunt of your anger is largely misdirected. That neighborhood bookstores are closing their doors all over the country is indeed sad, and probably has been exacerbated by the arrival of e-texts and e-readers, but it certainly didn’t start with them. The elements that have contributed to this perfect storm are many and varied, old and new. The overall decline of reading can most probably be traced to the advent of radio and later TV. The first direct attack on mom and pop bookstores can no doubt be traced to the arrival of the big bookstore chains, which, via their homogenization of stock, most likely had a more negative impact of what books were available than did the advent of television or radio. Then, of course, there’s the economic crash, which only further aggravated the already insecure fiscal position of the average citizen in this country who had been suffering for years under stagnant wages and an economic system that saw no crime in redistributing wages to the upper tiers of society with ever-increasing rapidity. But that you would refer to the decline in physical book sales as a new holocaust and refer to books as the new Jews is nothing short of bizarre. For a gentile like me to say what I am about to say to someone of your heritage borders on the absurd, but here it is: 1) To compare declining book sales to the wholesale slaughter of six million Jews and untold numbers of Gypsies, homosexuals, and others cheapens the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. 2) Jews are the new Jews. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism never died, and throughout the world attacks upon individuals and groups based on ethnicity still occur with alarming frequency. In the article, you raised concerns about privacy. These concerns are valid, and have been discussed here and elsewhere. There are no easy answers, but the problem is hardly limited to e-readers. These days, in the U.S., the simple act of checking out certain books from the library can land you on a Homeland Security watch list. Buy those same books with a credit card and an electronic trail of your reading habits has been firmly established. The silver lining in all of this is that once again the classics are being read, via the uploading of e-text versions to places like Project Gutenberg, and here at MobileRead via the hard work of individual members who not only upload classics, but also actively encourage reading and discussion of classical literature. In addition, many valuable books that in former days couldn’t find publishers because of their limited mass appeal are finding new life on the Internet. New and worthy authors who would otherwise fall by the wayside are finding audiences through independent e-publishing. More and more people are turning off their TV sets and turning on their readers. Online communities are expanding the human family by bringing people together from around the world. Quite a bit of good has come out of all this, if you open your eyes to see it. |
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#332 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 300001
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Citrus Heights, California
Device: TWO Kindle 2s, one each Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS-500, Axim X51V
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Yes, there are skinheads. Yes, there *are* skinheads - and their philosophical brethren - in other countries, including the US. Yes, islamic radicals *are* ideological brethren to skinheads - they just target a different set of 'impure races'. (GAWD, you'd think these people would get a clue that differing religious beliefs do NOT mean 'inferiority', but that's another discussion.) I also liked KindleKitten's reply, but it is clear you still don't get the real issue. Technology, including ebooks and ebook readers is NOT the problem. The problem is that these people don't just hate their (supposed) 'inferiors', they hate anything that can inform people (especially those who might otherwise be swayed to their ideology) to a broader understanding of the issues. Please, if you grasp NOTHING ELSE, understand that it wasn't the 'technology' of books Hitler feared, it was the knowledge contained therein. Had personal computers, the internet and ebook readers existed before and during WWII, he would have just as vigorously suppressed them. Derek |
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#333 | |
Guru
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Karma: 493394
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Seattle, WA
Device: iRex iLiad, Onyx Boox 60
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![]() Elfwreck and Kali Yuga: There is much more nobler work you could be putting the effort of such large posts to! |
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#334 |
Grand Sorcerer
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Karma: 25133758
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)
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Well, I'm supposed to be writing fanfic for the Yuletide fic exchange. And commenting on a friend's collection of renfaire photos. But I'm really not sure either of those is a "nobler" use of my time.
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#335 | |||||||
Guru
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Karma: 551634
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle 1.0.8, iPod Touch, Kindle Keyboard
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Alan--I have responded to your previous posts. You have *never* responded to me. Nor do I expect you to change that pattern now, of course...
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I mean, seriously, how is reading e-books the same as destroying books? Even assuming that by "books" you mean "paper books" this is just wrong. I own thousands of paper books. I just asked for, and got, two more paper books for my birthday. I have a dozen more paper books on my wishlist for the holidays. I have *never* harmed a paper book, even a really, really bad one. It's a fetish of mine, I know--burning one copy of a book doesn't make a difference in its general availability-- but my mother lived through the Nazi occupation of Holland, and I'm never, ever going to burn a book. E-books and paper books are like word processors and pencils. They each have strengths and weaknesses (who would want a pencil that needed batteries and wouldn't fit in a pocket? Who would want to write a whole book with a pencil, now that word processors are available?). These differences mean the two technologies will persist side by side and neither is a significant threat to the other. And in the meantime, my "world of books" has been vastly expanded by the e-book. It is because of e-books that I even *contemplated* reading classics again after a couple of horrible gradeschool experiences with them. I posted about it here: http://catsittingstill.livejournal.c...33.html#cutid1 Quote:
The freedom to read? I have not reduced the availability of one single book. As a matter of fact, I'm a member of Friends of the Library and frequently donate paper books to literacy programs and libraries. The freedom to write? Go right ahead and write, I neither can, nor want to, interfere with that. Nor does the possibility of publishing those works in more than one format interfere with that. Your particular "freedom" to give me irrational orders and have me actually obey? Well, okay you got me; I *am* trampling on that human freedom. Now explain to me why it matters. Quote:
Now if you can calm down a little and explain 1) how being able to read electronic files is grossly culturally irresponsible, 2) how book culture is different from culture in general and 3) how e-books will destroy book culture. I advise you avoid metaphor in these explanations--it is like strong drink for you. You obviously enjoy it, the bite, and the heat, but after two or three hits of metaphor, your prose starts to stagger and quits making sense. ------------------------------------------------------------ In a later post you say: Quote:
To then turn around and complain because you get some of the same treatment you dish out--there's a word for that. It's right on the tip of my tongue but I can't quite remember--hippopotamus? hypnosis? hypocrates? Something like that... Quote:
Given that Nazis read great literature and enjoyed inspired works of art and culture, that would imply that 1) Nazis don't necessarily stamp out literature, art and culture and 2) lack of interest in same doesn't make someone a Nazi. Making your attempt to liken what you wrongly perceive as our lack of interest in paper books to Naziism, well, a non-sequitur even by your own lights. Quote:
The ancient Chinese, for example, had great cultural respect for ideograms, and the calligraphy used to produce them, but treated each other very cruelly. I would not consider that decent. Quote:
When I go to visit my Dad or my in-laws the books I want to take are heavy, and packing them in the luggage so they don't chew on each other is difficult. My bookcases are full, and new ones are expensive. Extra wall to put them against is even more expensive. 200 e-books will fit on a ten dollar SD chip the size of a postage stamp. |
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#336 |
Member
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Karma: 10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: Paperback and hardcover
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Alan Kaufman moderating panel: "IS THE BOOK DEAD?"
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...2643604&ref=mf |
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#337 | |
Banned
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Karma: 72193
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: South of the Border
Device: Coffin
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Next question. Is water wet? Is the sky up above? Why do birds, suddenly appear....? |
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#338 |
Zealot
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Device: Palm Centro, Acer Aspire One
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Unacceptable!
The belittlement of the Sho'a as being used in the article's comparison voids any valid points he is making and cast him out from any consideration of his opinion whatsoever!
I'd do a web site about Kaufman but thestupidestmanoneath.com is already taken ... Last edited by cklammer; 12-06-2009 at 01:49 PM. |
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#339 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 300001
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Citrus Heights, California
Device: TWO Kindle 2s, one each Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS-500, Axim X51V
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![]() Derek |
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#340 |
Member
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Karma: 10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: Paperback and hardcover
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Alan Kaufman moderating panel on Is The Book Dead? Hi-Tech Vs. The Book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7seAE...layer_embedded |
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#341 |
Connoisseur
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Karma: 260
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sacramento
Device: Sony PRS-700
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#342 |
Connoisseur
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Karma: 506878
Join Date: Aug 2009
Device: prs 505
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#343 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 300001
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Citrus Heights, California
Device: TWO Kindle 2s, one each Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS-500, Axim X51V
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#344 |
Member
![]() Posts: 21
Karma: 10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: Paperback and hardcover
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KAUFMAN'S LAW-- A response to Godwin
KAUFMAN'S LAW: "Efforts such as Godwin's Law to thwart the finding of contemporary relevence in the Holocaust is a form of Holocaust denial."
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#345 |
Connoisseur
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Karma: 456
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Toronto
Device: Kobo
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Mr. Kaufman, I'd be interested in you addressing Kali Yuga's post.
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Tags |
bookburning, e-book awareness, godwin's law, holocaust comparison, luddite, mental illness, stupidity, tradition, trolls |
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