the usefulness but overall suckiness of e-readers

PRO

by Kristina

via

Yeah, I’m not a Kindle/Nook/e-reader kinda gal. The whole concept pretty much annoys me, and it blows my mind to think that in thousands of years, if the human race is in fact still around, there will be no evidence that our society even existed because we insist on digitizing everything. But anyway, in the interest of fairness, which is what this whole blog is about, here are a couple positives about this growing technological trend.

First of all, in the long run, it does save you money. Book stores are becoming a rarity, so if you do want to buy a bunch of books, you usually have to do so using an online forum. Consequently, not only are you paying for each individual book, you’re also paying for the mysterious “shipping and handling” charges that somehow make your $29.95 book purchase add up to $200.99. (Seriously?? Stop handling my books! Stop it!)

Also, in this age of luxury and laziness, convenience is more important than overall experience. Translation: Kindles are great because you can carry them around no matter where you go. You can’t bring the entire series of Harry Potter with you in physical book form anywhere. Your arms will fall off or bulk up like Ahnold in Terminator which may not be so hot if you’re of the lady variety. The portability of Kindles and other e-readers make them an easy choice if you travel frequently or have a long commute.

All in all, I think it’s great that the convenience of e-readers encourages people to check out the latest best-seller rather than the newest reality show. (Shhh.. I still think they suck). 

CON

by Lindsey

via

E-reader. The most dreaded word a librarian (or the spawn of said librarian) can hear. Along with Kindle, Nook, Kindle Fire, and iPad (for novel-reading purposes). It makes me quake in my boots, shake, shiver, you get the gist. Anger also bubbles up inside of me. HELLO! We cannot cause such injustice to our ancestors who wrote with twig, quill, berry, whatever they had available on whatever paper-like substance they had in the vicinity.

Can we so easily reject the innovations that history left to us? Scrolls from the library at Alexandria (okay, so I took that from Diane Kruger's character in National Treasure); parchment, animal skins, tree bark?!

Okay, I admit it may seem a little archaic, but its important to stay close to our roots. Think Founding Fathers, Aristotle, scribes, cool old-school stuff. We must hearken back to the days of yore and stop succumbing to the cold, brightly lit screens of the unfriendly e-reader.

What about a book? One you can select from the shelves of a retail bookstore or, better yet, a used bookstore (my personal favorite). One you can open, note the creaking of the spine (if it's a real antique), and smell that timeless, musty aroma emanating from its pages. I firmly believe there is nothing better. E-readers are slowly taking over, assimilating the beings of this world into a technology-only culture. Like the Borg on Star Trek. But worse. Can we break the trend and prove resistance is not futile? Put down the damn iPad and pick up a book.