do you still read paper books?

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

And what is wrong with bringing a roll of paper, you book-burner you?

Would it be better if I took a book published on toilet paper instead?

(BTW I do take a roll of toilet paper and a liquid fuel stove when I go camping, but having a paper book is a good backup for emercencies.)

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

Would it be better if I took a book published on toilet paper instead?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised this would exist... somewhere... somehow...

[rollei]

I do read paper books when I do not have it in ebook format.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

Would it be better if I took a book published on toilet paper instead?

(BTW I do take a roll of toilet paper and a liquid fuel stove when I go camping, but having a paper book is a good backup for emercencies.)

Reminds me of the joke about the guy with a display of survival gear. Someone notices the pack of cards and asks if it's for kindling. The guy says no. If I get lost all I have to do is start playing solitaire and someone will come along to tell me which card to play next.

[murg]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

True.

They both get tied into the Amazon debate, 1984 must've stuck in my mind somehow.

I don't remember any Amazon v Fahrenheit 451 controversy.

There was a episode with 1984 on Amazon, so you are correct in remembering it.

When referring to generic book-burning, Fahrenheit 451 is the go-to example, due to its subject matter.

[basschick]

i do read paper books sometimes, but ebooks are just so much easier. plus i find big hardcover books hurt my wrist so i avoid them.

[cromag]

Just got a used book store find as a present from my daughter, so I'll be reading on paper again, soon.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by cromag

Just got a used book store find as a present from my daughter, so I'll be reading on paper again, soon.

What title did she find for you if you don't mind the question.

[cromag]

It's titled John Carter of Mars, but it consists of E.R. Burroughs' last two John Carter stories. It's this edition, from Ballantine:

http://www.amazon.com/Carter-Barsoom...carter+of+mars


I've read many (most?) of the earlier stories, but not these two.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

And well you might ask, because the laws of melacha (work) on Shabbos are complex.

There are the 39 actions that were used in the building of the Tabernacle, which forms the core of what can and cannot be done on Shabbos.
These are the "Av" melachos, the "parent" or header of a category. Then there are the "Toldos", are not specifically mentioned in the Scripture but nevertheless considered to be the same type of action. And the Rabbis have frbidden some things as a safeguard because they look too similar to Biblical prohibitions and might cause confusion. And some things, while not strictly forbidden, are strongly discouraged because they aren't in the spirit of the day.

Here, electricity is considered a form of fire, and using electronic devices is Biblically prohibited. Which is to say, we can still reap the benefit of lights and heating/AC and suchlike, but we cannot change their state.

Random fun fact: brushing your teeth is a prohibition as well? Why such an innocuous thing? Because of... #29, m'macheik, or"smoothing". An Av melacha, wih its origins in scraping hides of leftover hair after the tannning. Its Toldah is m'marei'ach, or smearing.
(Mouthwash is okay. It is a liquid. Just as long as it isn't too thick... )

Thanks for the clarification. It sounds rather complicated in some ways.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by cromag

It's titled John Carter of Mars, but it consists of E.R. Burroughs' last two John Carter stories. It's this edition, from Ballantine:

http://www.amazon.com/Carter-Barsoom...carter+of+mars


I've read many (most?) of the earlier stories, but not these two.

Ah I see. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a number of copies of some of the books that were re-released around the time the movie came out.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by crich70

Ah I see. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a number of copies of some of the books that were re-released around the time the movie came out.

Yes, there were indeed. It's such a shame that the film version was so awful - a lost opportunity.

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It would be impossible for me to read only ebooks, because most of the books I need for my academic studies are not available as ebooks.

Springer publishers seems to be ahead of the curve, we get more and more academic texts books from them that are also available as PDFs, and I have even stumbled over an ePub or two.

I am looking forward to writing off an eReader as business expense

[Tarana]

The only paperbacks I buy are immediately OCR'd and converted to epub or mobi so that I CAN read them (vision damage). Otherwise, the only deadtree books I buy would be cookbooks and craft books, but I already have more than I need of those.

I supply a loaded Kindle to some elderly folks and weight and grasp is an issue for some of them. Reading any of the Song of Ice and Fire books is painful if you have arthritis, but an ereader, even one with buttons, is much easier.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by crich70

Thanks for the clarification. It sounds rather complicated in some ways.

Well, it is after all a body of law. I believe US legal law is every bit as complicated if not more so.