However, there was an item there that alerted me like the rumble of distant thunder. Or maybe the sky brightening just before sunrise (to stay with nature metaphors). I'm talking about the Nook. A young man was offering demonstrations of just how easy it is to use a Nook. As I stood there looking at it, I felt as though I was at an Exposition of The Latest Radios sometime during the 1930's. I was surrounded by the latest table models, portable, consoles, cabinets, all heralding the dominance of radio. And over in a corner sat a young man with a strange looking contraption on a table. It had a little screen, which had a picture on it, a picture that was grainy and in black and white and moved. He called it television.
So what about all those books at The Big Read on all those tables? What is their future? Will the Nook and the Kindle and the iPad hold sway in the not-too-distant future? Quite possibly. But I think there will always be a place for books. At least I hope so. One thing for sure, though. Unless technology comes up with something I can't even imagine, nothing will ever replace The Writer. The story will always start with someone sitting down at a table or desk and looking at a blank page.
What do you think?
Well said and absolutely true. Sorry I missed the Big Read this year, but I was out of town for my daughter's wedding. Nook, Kindle, I Pad, nuh-uh! I'll be one of the last hold outs, because I like holding a book. Besides, Bill says any electronic device that has more than two buttons, has one too many for me.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your daughter's wedding, Linda. I'm sure you will find some humorous and touching aspects to the proceedings to write about. Bill's right about the buttons. That's why I'm waiting for an implant.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the book, but find my Kindle is great for reading free samples of books I'm considering buying, or public domain books (free). I might prefer a e-book if the screen were bigger. One cool thing is I can instantly look up any word in the Kindle's dictionary while reading a book. I think Amazon's last quarter saw the first time they sold more e-books than paper. The Kindle version of my first book outsold my paperback by about 30:1 and was continuing to climb until I pulled it (for unrelated reasons).
ReplyDeleteHi Gerry, I bought my wife a Kindle at Amazon recently; she is still of divided mind about it. I will try it soon...but I have to say I am a bit put off by the "contraption" nature of it. I struggle with things cybernetic anyway; for me the learing curve is strictly horizontal, so I'll always be a decade or so behind the trend, I suppose. Knowing as little as I do, however, my guess is that the ipad would be a better investment than the kindle. Just sayin'... Jim
ReplyDeleteGerry- As long as they make Coffee Tables, there will be Books. Jeff
ReplyDeleteI love Macs, Jim, so I'd vote for the iPad, even though I don't have one. Jeff, do they still make coffee tables? Funny thought.
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