10 reasons why "real" books are better than e-books, supposedly

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Of course both have their advantages. Trying to list--definitively--those reasons why one is "better" than the other is the part that's pointless and has no advantage. There is no convincing argument--no coup de grace--for either side. Because both win. What's "better": winning one million dollars or winning two million dollars?

Err, 2 million. Not your best analogy DD

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Err, 2 million. Not your best analogy DD

Actually not entirely true, even if it intuitively feels like it should be.
About ten or twelve years ago there was a big win on horse racing (trot is huge in Sweden) and two buddies had bet on a system, but one had paid 2/3 of the ticket. Hence he got 2/3 of the winnings. Approximately £2M and his buddy got the remaining £1M. This was a small, small rural town, so it didn't take long before everyone knew who the winners were.
The guy who got 2/3 of the winnings was pestered by lots of people. Buy me a car, help me with my mortgage, my daughter's horse died can't you buy her a new, that sort of thing. He finally couldn't take it and had to move. No one pestered the guy who "only" won a £1M, because they "felt sorry" for him.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Err, 2 million. Not your best analogy DD

Not so fast. I said "better."
For the average Joe, can you honestly say winning two million dollars is "better" than winning one million dollars? Or is it just more?

Which of those two you'd rather win wasn't really the question.

[hidari]

Why does Apple need to be better than Android or vice versa.... People 'need' identity and 'uniqueness'... hence everyone at MR is a 'unique' ereading person.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Not so fast. I said "better."
For the average Joe, can you honestly say winning two million dollars is "better" than winning one million dollars? Or is it just more?

Which of those two you'd rather win wasn't really the question.

Well, a new house and my other half clearing out the local Louis Vuitton would wipe out 1 million leaving me skint again

A million just doesn't go as far as it used to, I could probably stretch a couple of million out to retire on.

According to this site http://www.mybudget360.com/how-much-...age-us-income/ the median household income is a shade over $50k so a million is only 20 years worth, sure you will gain some on not paying tax and some more on interest, but you will lose on inflation, sure you could spend a chunk of it on some really good body armour and tell your other half that they will have to keep working but I wouldn't recommend it

So, yes, I stand by my answer, 2 million is better for the average Joe than 1 million.

[elemenoP]

As someone who enjoys both ebooks and pbooks, and reads both formats regularly, I found the list a little silly. They didn't mention one of *my* top reasons for reading pbooks, which is that I like the cover, the typography, the gestalt of the thing. I just enjoy holding a good book (both in the sense of the writing and the design of the physical book) and reading it. When I've read a lot of ebooks, I miss that.

As others have mentioned, it's lucky that we don't have to choose one format or the other!

eP

[DiapDealer]

If you can't retire on a million dollars (invested wisely), you're doing something wrong (or you're trying to do too much).
As far as the median household hooey goes, I'd have to knock on a lot of doors in my neighborhood before I found a household that pulled in 50k. A lot of doors.

No, I stand by my original statement; the "betterness" of handing Joe Average 2mil over 1mil is negligible. His financial problems are solved either way.

EDIT: which is all rather pointless and offtrack for this thread, regardless.

[QuantumIguana]

$2,000,000 is better than $1,000,000, but it is not twice better. Getting a million dollars is life-changing. I could retire today if I had a million dollars. I'd take two million, sure, but the second million wouldn't benefit me as much as the first million would.

[Erinath]

This thread reminded of a Stephen Fry quotation that I love:

[Stephjk]

For me, living and travelling in a boat with limited space for storage, the advantages of ebooks far outweigh paperbacks. The shelves can now be used for more important things!

[TadW]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

The FAA is going to allow battery operated devices to be used on a plane at all phases of flight soon so that is no biggie.

Any idea when exactly? I admit: the only time I buy reading material in paper format is before boarding a place. I hate waiting for the seat belt sign to turn off before I am allowed to turn on my reader device.

[NickyWithNook]

I can't take seriously any list that has a variation of "creates clutter" listed as a benefit.

[Namekuseijin]

my goal in life: all things most dear to me in my pocket -- including books, music, games and movies -- my entire wardrobe fitting in a suitcase and an ocarina to make up for solitude moments... I'd actually prefer a piano, but it doesn't fit in my pocket, both ways...

old dead trees collecting dust on the shelves is a depressing view. plus, I sneeze...

[Elfwreck]

[*]You can read books in the bath.
Can read ebooks in the bath! A zip-top baggie protects it just fine--and unlike pbooks, there's no risk of steam or splash damage!

[*]No need to turn off your book on a plane!
No need for me to turn off ebooks on a plane either; I don't fly since airport security decided that plane travel came with permission-to-strip-search passengers.

[*]You can read in the sun.
Yet another list created by someone who doesn't know the difference between e-ink and tablet readers. (Hmm, what was that about "the public is clear on the difference?")

[*]They fill your shelves.
While I admit that a nicely-arranged shelf of books is a joy, anyone who reads more than the national average is entirely aware this is a mixed blessing. Ebooks *NOT* filling shelves is a sharp point in their favor, most of the time.

[*]Antique books are amazing.
They are indeed. And so is antique pottery. And antique furniture.

This is me, *not* getting rid of my digital folders in favor of a 20s-era rolltop desk.

[*]You can’t get an e-book signed.
You can, but it's definitely not the same.
Was this list created by someone who works for the publishing industry? Because as much as I love my signed paperbacks, usually when people talk the great value of about signed books, they mean hardcovers, and damnfew of us make those--signed hardcovers, I mean--a large portion of our reading habits.

[*]Libraries and bookstores!
Yes yes! Libraries and bookstores!

... Wait, how was that supposed to be a point in favor of pbooks? Ebook stores carry a much larger selection than any pbook store, and e-libraries have a convenience that works with any schedule.

[*]Finishing a long book is more rewarding this way.
You should WORK for your reading achievements! With a pbook, you know that you have completed THREE POUNDS OF READING, not just a word count and number of hours.

[*]They inspire tattoos!
... I got nothin'.

[*]Books don’t die.
ZOMBIE PBOOKS! Zombie pbooks being laid to rest by digital-warrior ebooks! Quick, someone write it up; it could be the next Jonathan Coulton song!

[the.Mtn.Man]

What a silly list. I care about the content, and e-readers do an excellent job of giving me access to it. Filling my limited shelf-space with physical books or having a book signed are not important to me. And I actually can read my Kobo Touch in the sun, thank you very much.