A National Post article about E-books

[CleverClothe]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Yeah, I know. It's an automatic kneejerk reaction I get to people like that. It comes from working for 29 years around people who bitched & moaned when we switched over to pc's, then bitched & moaned everytime we got an upgrade to the software, application, laptops, etc, etc. etc. Or worse always came to ME to do the same process over & over again because THEY didn't want to learn it! In the end I just wanted them to shut up & retire, because their complaining & using me to do their jobs got old real fast.

It took me having a couple of meltdowns before they got a clue and left me alone.

I hope that did not involve any sharp, pointy objects.

[Elfwreck]

First, I don't really know who is buying these e-books. Maybe people who live in airports? Harried business travellers? Truly I do not know.

Wow, the NY Times is covering news of interest to people he doesn't know. I suspect that most of his reaction is affected by the NY Times listing ebook sales rankings right next to pbook sales; if they'd been buried under "technological news," he never would have seen them. So this isn't, "what's with these ebook things? That's not news," as much as "how dare they imply that ebooks are as important as pbooks!"

I've been in this exact spot before, minus the DVDs (I still have and often use a VCR. I prefer it the way I prefer trains to airplanes.

Okay then. Established semi-luddite, someone who holds onto obsolete tech because he's more comfortable with it, rather than because he has any actual objections to the new stuff.

Readers, like me, with groaning shelves, will stop being known as people who own a lot of books, and will be given the cobwebby mantle of collector.

Yes, this will happen; no, not in his lifetime. Tech moves fast, but books have a whole lot of intertia. Pbooks are going to be the dominant form of reading for a long time yet; the format wars, DRM hassles, and lack of computers in much of the world will make sure of that. See this map? Everywhere it's dark, is where ebooks won't be taking over anytime soon.

About three years ago, I sold all of my records and CDs at a place on Mont Royal avenue called L'échange. The collection, procured mainly in my years of reviewing, felt like something I had grown out of, and I did have that iPod, and getting rid of the roomful of jewel cases and 12-inch records was in a way cathartic.

Irrelevant aside: did he rip the CDs & albums before he sold them, thus joining the wave of digital pirates by creating a copy & selling the original? And is he casually mentioning this heinous theft on an internationally-viewed newspaper?

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Okay then. Established semi-luddite, someone who holds onto obsolete tech because he's more comfortable with it, rather than because he has any actual objections to the new stuff.

Hey, I like trains too!

Airplanes are how you get where you need to go; trains are how you enjoy getting there. I will make any excuse to take a train, even a subway for a few blocks, rather than driving, flying, you-name-it. Don't diss us train lovers!

Come to think of it, I have a VCR, too. Though I really need to get some old tapes transferred to DVD and free up that port space on my stereo for ... um, more video game consoles. Or maybe, for household peace, just keep the VCR.

[taming]

A lot of her writing in done with her tongue planted firmly in her cheek. I emailed her with this response:

Hello Mireille,

I read your National Post column *Printerrupted: What happens to lovers of ink when the e-book takes over for good* this afternoon.

If you are more likely to be in places frequented by people who generally do their reading in French, there is a good reason you do not see ebook readers all that often. Publishers buy the rights to specific languages and specific locations, so for example, an agent may help an author put together a deal for English language Canadian editions and fail to negotiate for French language editions in Canada. At the same time, there may be French language editions negotiated for ebooks intended to be sold in France or Belgium, but sellers cannot then sell books to Francophones living in Canada.

It's a horrible mess, even for English speaking Canadians. As you may know, Louise Penny is a popular Canadian mystery writer. Only one of her books are available in Canada--and scads of them are available to people living in the US.

I read most of what you wrote as being tongue in cheek. You do that well. My guess is that if you have to move house very often, downsize to smaller digs, or develop the dreaded older eyes syndrome, your perspective may change. In any case, I was sitting in my doctor's reception room a few days ago, and saw that three people besides myself were reading ebooks. Surely, if that can happen in Red Deer, Alberta it can happen in the big city of Montreal.

Regards,
Taming (I actually used my real name)