eBooks, eBDs, and my mental health

[unboggling]

Maybe it isn't just me. Does any of this resonate with you?

I got Kindle'd a month ago - my first dedicated eBookDevice (eBD). Since then I've been reading approximately 90% less of my preferred fiction. Why, when the ostensible purpose of such a device is to make the user's book selection, acquisition, and reading processes easier?

Because I was doing necessary things. Because now that I am a bona fide eBookie, eBooker, eBreader(?), a human adjunct owned by his eBD, like a cat owns her human and is master of the household, these necessary things had higher priorities then merely reading my favorite type of material like I used to. I had to:

- Read device and software user guides. (Not my preferred genre.)

- Confront DRM and legalities. (I'm not a lawyer.)

- Discover and start to use calibre and sigil. &
(Though I'm not a librarian or editor or publisher.)

- Research other software and hacks, try many, experiment, write some code. (Just my cup of tea after a career of such.)

- Update myself considerably, but alas a mere pittance of the amount yet to do, on current computer languages and practices, since I retired 12 years ago and didn't keep up.

- Endeavor to unboggle myself here on MR - fascinating but addictive and often sidetracking.

- Apply for library cards.

- Futilely try to import a spreadsheet of pBook metadata into calibre, to combine p & e metadbs in one place using the empty book feature, and other similar first attempts to do new things, most of which crashed and burned. [Note to self: check if there's an Excel plugin for calibre….]

- Download and catalog mostly free ebooks, in a frenzied, obsessive, junkie-ish manner. Most of which I'll never actually read. But now I have them, I must keep track of them. But I'd better standardize all their metadata or else I'll get confused. And clean them up with Sigil or they'll be too dirty and unvalidated to read. And not forget to check all those lending libraries for status of even more eBooks on wishlists.

- Incorporate a cascade of paradigm shifts into my personal worldview. Such as US Department of Defense, where I used to work, generally frowned on open source projects and people. Or, the unique item is the book-title abstraction, not the file(s). Or, if I buy it from Amazon or wherever, I don't own it, I'm merely leasing it. Or, hey, I won't need a steadily incrementing number of 7-shelf bookcases at the step of 1 bookcase per year if I gradually change from pBooks to eBooks and that sure will make my next relocation easier. Like transferring everything from LP album to casette tape then trashing the LPs, or more recently casette to cd, then lately cd to iTunes db. Which, btw, is the main reason I got that iPhone so I could use it like an iPod in my car AND be able to make an emergency phone call, not for reading while driving.

Those high priority necessary things are a mere subset of the potentially infinite number of items of the class of necessary things for an eB'er with an eBD. Could list more, won't bore you.

Am I crazy? Am I actually now NOT DOING THE THING I WANT TO DO in order to facilitate an easier future DOING THE THING I WANT TO DO? Continually, ongoing, reiterating as the complexity and depth increase. In a frenzy to catch up, keep up, even exceed. I actually had a lucid daydream yesterday of becoming a programmer again - somebody slap me silly, quick!

Maybe this is a manic phase in a manic-depressive cycle. Personally for me, and in general for the eBD/eBook industries and users. Similar to a fad with fanatic fanbase. Not nearing the crest, I hope, because the downside wouldn't be pretty. But if not, if it's steady-state or a longterm ascend, hmmm. Let's see, the longer I wait to read all those novels I want to read, the more of them will be available in e-formats and their prices will drop and availability increase as they age. Hmmm.

My eBD is purring, winding around my ankles, trying to trip me up, giving me that look that says its time to feed her. Forums can wait. Feeding her is of course higher priority. So I'm through the looking glass to eB-land.

[luqmaninbmore]

You called it brother. Also add in the distraction of web browsing on the device itself, looking for the latest deals. It's totally obsessive behavior for me. Almost enough to make me take the nook back and stick to my paper books.

[unboggling]

You betcha. But you won't go back. It's too late.

[DixieGal]

LOL! If yer looking' fer help with this problem, you came to the wrong place. We are more on the enabler side of your addiction.

(Eventually you will ease back into reading again.)

[unboggling]

Heh, DixieGal, that's great. MR enabler of eR madness. There are many more enablers than MR. It seems worldwide zeitgeist is digital or going digital, eg facebook, twitter, ipods, etc. I hope there are still readable media left if we're ever hit with a big electromagnetic pulse. I guess optical media would still be readable if there were any circuits left unfried.

[paola]

Originally Posted by unboggling

Am I crazy? Am I actually now NOT DOING THE THING I WANT TO DO in order to facilitate an easier future DOING THE THING I WANT TO DO? Continually, ongoing, reiterating as the complexity and depth increase. In a frenzy to catch up, keep up, even exceed. I actually had a lucid daydream yesterday of becoming a programmer again - somebody slap me silly, quick!

my same fear - but ... "too late mate"

[DixieGal]

We will be needing those solar chargers for our readers! :O

[unboggling]

PHP Code:

test msg 


. I'm trying to figure out how to quote somebody and have it show up as a link to their msg.

[unboggling]

. I'm trying to figure out how to quote somebody and have it show up as a link to their msg.

oops, that didn't work. oh i see, it's the blue buttons on the msg itself

[kindlekitten]

haha! welcome to your newest addiction! look at it this way, it's like cleaning the stalls, polishing the tack, hauling the bales of hay, and THEN you get to go for a ride!

to quote one thing, just use the quote button. to quote multiple things, use the button just to the right of the quote button. that will also take your quoted item into a second page

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by unboggling

oops, that didn't work. oh i see, it's the blue buttons on the msg itself

Got it. Sorry for the clumsiness. I could say my eBD has stressed me out, but I won't. She might get upset.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by unboggling

PHP Code:

test msg 


. I'm trying to figure out how to quote somebody and have it show up as a link to their msg.

Originally Posted by unboggling

oops, that didn't work. oh i see, it's the blue buttons on the msg itself

You can also quote multiple posts easily by click the "multi-quote" button beside each post, then hitting the "quote" button when you're ready to respond to everyone all at once.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by unboggling

Got it. Sorry for the clumsiness. I could say my eBD has stressed me out, but I won't. She might get upset.

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

haha! welcome to your newest addiction! look at it this way, it's like cleaning the stalls, polishing the tack, hauling the bales of hay, and THEN you get to go for a ride!

Yes, good analogy. I'm not crying in MR, I'm loving every minute of it, it all just suddenly struck me as ironic.

[unboggling]

Thx for the help, kindlekitten & queentess.