Comments | smarriveurr: Digital doesn't wear out

smarriveurr

Digital doesn't wear out

Jan 05, 2010 20:18

It was with palpable pain that I noticed that my copy of the third Riverworld novel was splitting along a bend in the spine. I put it down that night, and even though I was a couple chapters in, I haven't picked it up since. In part, this is just because, as mentioned earlier, I am ludicrously kind to books, and for some reason anal-retentive about ( Read more... )

Comments 10

lietya January 6 2010, 01:39:45 UTC

I'm sorry to hear of the fate of your poor book. I also hate when that happens. Can you buy a replacement copy and *not* dispose of the original? :) Pop it back into its place on the shelf and keep it as an heirloom/collectible while reading the other... Then you keep the passed-down original and you have a matched set on the shelves ( ... )

smarriveurr January 6 2010, 02:12:24 UTC

I suppose it's theoretically possible. The book is already more or less split in half, though, so I'd have to tape up the spine even to let it sit safely on the shelf... the question is where I'd keep the "reading copy." If I put it on the shelf, next to the originals, there's a decent chance it'll still bug me, if I don't, I have to remember where I kept it.

(I'm terrible when it comes to letting books go. I have books that I haven't read in years, know I won't ever read again, but just can't part with, even beyond the books I really *care about*.)

Even with CDs, though, you get scratches and loss (well, up until relatively recently, when you could personally rip and burn a new CD). Anything that lives "in the cloud" is totally immune to danger. There's a lot to be said for the tactile experience of reading a book, and the memories you associate to the sensations - with my approach, though, the Kindle/Nook might almost be worth it for the "you'll never have to repair this with packing tape" angle, and the fact that if there are no ( ... )

lietya January 6 2010, 12:57:33 UTC

Oh, that is a shame. Poor book. You are also clearly a bit more organized than I am - my books always start out in perfect order, and then later additions get piled on/near the shelf and whatnot ( ... )

firynze January 6 2010, 14:10:37 UTC

That's my issue with the devices to read on at present, too. The access-tech just isn't to the point where I can justify the e-book prices, even if they're theoretically indestructible content.

Thread 6

E-books ladymockingbird January 6 2010, 04:50:17 UTC

I've ogled the Kindle and its clone at Borders, Barnes & Noble has one too now. I'll bet it is a matter of time before books-a-million jumps on the bandwagon. But, I have to disagree on the never wearing out, thus the price should be the same or not very much less expensive than the paper versions way of thinking ( ... )

Re: E-books firynze January 6 2010, 14:13:32 UTC

I would love to see a Netflix model for e-Books. Or even an expanded version of B&N's "lending" system. You can already do this at some libraries...borrow an e-book and then it goes "poof" a week or two later. I would pay a bit - a subscription, or per book - to borrow an e-book and read it instantly, and then decide whether or not to buy it (with the per-book fee pro-rated, perhaps).

Actually, I'd be more likely to buy the PAPER copy in that case, but that's another issue entirely...

Re: E-books smarriveurr January 13 2010, 21:21:04 UTC

Sorry... almost declared Internet Bankruptcy for a while there, but I'm back now and catching up on contact.

The trefoil pieces look cool! Congrats on them. Now I need to remember where the other bits got packed away so I can send them all out to you. Sorry about that.

As far as smaller pieces... the biggest issue is that any mistakes become much more obvious as the piece gets smaller. There's always a little wiggle, and even if I have a relatively sharp, small tool... the pencil lines are .5mm, and the push-through .6mm... if the stylus isn't dead-on that half-a-milimeter line, and the lines on the design are under 5mm... well, the margin of error is noticeable.

I'm concerned that if I try to work much smaller than the pieces I sent, particular on curved pieces like the trefoil knot, it'll look sloppy. Could try if you got a particular size in mind, just can't promise much by way of results.

paperkingdoms January 7 2010, 00:18:10 UTC

That is a facet I hadn't really thought about before.

And I'm sorry about your book. It'd be worth having a look at abebooks and the like to see if you can find a replacement book of the appropriate vintage. [Has a couple of very fragile paperbacks that she keeps because she like the cover art, or has associations with the cover art, or...]