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Our Bookless Future

claremontreviewofbooks.com

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Re: Our Bookless Future

#31

Post by aspectmin »

sq_ wrote: post #9

This line from the article really caught my attention: > In sum, Wolf says, the paper reading brain has better memory, more imagination, immersion, and patience, and more knowledge than the screen reading brain. I've been torn for years about how to feel about my reading and writing habits. I love reading physical books, especially when I'm trying to develop a deep understanding of some topic, and I have, at times, m…

Agreed. I still remember best when I take notes on paper. (I was a voracious reader as a kid, still read a lot now). I bring notebooks to meetings and write notes. It helps my recall immensely. I've tried so many other todo and note apps it isn't funny. None of them really worked as well as me keeping lists on paper of things to do: A list of what I want to accomplish today, a list of key things I need to do, and a big sparkfile (half on computer, half on paper) of things I want to remember.

Re: Our Bookless Future

#32

Post by ggm »

Yet for more time stories were essentially oral and the oral tradition of being read to while working, and of reading aloud to one another kept knowledge alive for many people. Oral story telling and reading aloud presumes high literacy when a shared activity

Re: Our Bookless Future

#33

Post by lenkite »

sq_ wrote: post #9

This line from the article really caught my attention: > In sum, Wolf says, the paper reading brain has better memory, more imagination, immersion, and patience, and more knowledge than the screen reading brain. I've been torn for years about how to feel about my reading and writing habits. I love reading physical books, especially when I'm trying to develop a deep understanding of some topic, and I have, at times, m…

I believe this is simple conditioning. There are many people like me who learn better from ebooks, online-papers and pdf's rather than dead-tree books. We can annotate, attach notes, add/remove highlights and most importantly: search without needing a painful index and simultaneously study 2 or more books on the same subject with little trouble in shifting context.

With paper books, all this is very painful - too much jugglery needed.

Re: Our Bookless Future

#34

Post by stevenkkim »

burlesona wrote: post #28

A lot of comments are debating the important of physical reading versus screen reading. I think that’s actually missing the point. > “Behind our screens, at work and at home, we have sutured the temporal segments of our days so as to switch our attention from one task or one source of stimulation to another. We cannot but be changed.” This part rings true for me. Last summer I read Cal Newport’s “Deep Work” and then…

I agree with your points about distraction, and I think "Deep Work" is a critically important book. That said, it's easier said than done.

I only have one iPad and I do use it for many things including work, and it is shared with family members. That makes it full of distractions.

I have thought about getting a second iPad dedicated to reading, but since you can't uninstall Safari, I feel I'm going to end up getting distracted by the Internet. I'm not confident I have the self-discipline to never go on the Internet when it's just a tap away.

I do think having an iPad-like device with no functions except a book reader would be an interesting product.

Re: Our Bookless Future

#35

Post by robin_reala »

stevenkkim wrote: post #34
burlesona wrote: post #28

A lot of comments are debating the important of physical reading versus screen reading. I think that’s actually missing the point. > “Behind our screens, at work and at home, we have sutured the temporal segments of our days so as to switch our attention from one task or one source of stimulation to another. We cannot but be changed.” This part rings true for me. Last summer I read Cal Newport’s “Deep Work” and then…

I agree with your points about distraction, and I think "Deep Work" is a critically important book. That said, it's easier said than done. I only have one iPad and I do use it for many things including work, and it is shared with family members. That makes it full of distractions. I have thought about getting a second iPad dedicated to reading, but since you can't uninstall Safari, I feel I'm going to end up getting…

But aren’t you talking about an ebook reader like a Kobo or a Kindle then? They exist already.

Re: Our Bookless Future

#36

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

chewz wrote: post #16

> Just a few years ago, the Kindle was being blamed for the death of the traditional book. But the latest figures show a dramatic reversal of fortunes, with sales of ebooks plunging. So what’s behind this resurgence? https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/27/how-ebooks-los...

There's a thriving independent self-published Kindle market which isn't included in the sales of the mainstream publishers. So there is no "dramatic reversal of fortunes."

Re: Our Bookless Future

#37

Post by ajmurmann »

moonka wrote: post #22
throwanem wrote: post #21

I miss my Palm TX. It managed to be so poor at almost everything it tried to do that uninterrupted reading was the only thing it was really good for. A pocket device without notifications. Can you even still imagine? I barely can, and it's only been eight years.

I like my kindle for so many reasons, especially the screen which doesn't strain my eyes. But this is by far the biggest benefit over reading on my phone or a tablet.

I'm in the same boat. I wonder how soon e-ink readers will get great response times and then share the same problem as modern tablets compared to the old palm.

Re: Our Bookless Future

#38

Post by stevenkkim »

robin_reala wrote: post #35
stevenkkim wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with your points about distraction, and I think "Deep Work" is a critically important book. That said, it's easier said than done. I only have one iPad and I do use it for many things including work, and it is shared with family members. That makes it full of distractions. I have thought about getting a second iPad dedicated to reading, but since you can't uninstall Safari, I feel I'm going to end up getting…

But aren’t you talking about an ebook reader like a Kobo or a Kindle then? They exist already.

I have both, and they are just too slow. I think if I were reading fiction page by page, it would be fine. When I read non-fiction for learning, it's very difficult to skip forward/back, re-read sections, highlight/annotate, flip to the footnotes and back, jump to the table of contents and back, etc. All of these actions are frustratingly slow on the Kindle or Kobo. The iPad is fast enough to make a good reading experience. But the distractions.

Re: Our Bookless Future

#39

Post by marban »

burlesona wrote: post #28

A lot of comments are debating the important of physical reading versus screen reading. I think that’s actually missing the point. > “Behind our screens, at work and at home, we have sutured the temporal segments of our days so as to switch our attention from one task or one source of stimulation to another. We cannot but be changed.” This part rings true for me. Last summer I read Cal Newport’s “Deep Work” and then…

On a related note regarding dedicated devices, I recently got a new iPod Touch with zero apps installed / wi-fi off just to force myself to only listen to music w/o any distractions. Sales guy at the Apple Store Tokyo was like — Why the hell are you buying an iPod in 2019?

Re: Our Bookless Future

#40

Post by kilroy_jones »

stevenkkim wrote: post #5

The following assertion interests me greatly: > She points out how the “physical and temporal thereness of books” provides a tactile support for the reading circuit’s development that e-books do not, while noting e-books nonetheless continue to spread to classrooms and children’s bedrooms. Why would this be the case? Is there a measurable difference between dedicated "paper-like" e-book readers like the Kindle vs. e-…

Maybe there is a spatial element, as in a mental mapping that is done based on the location in the book both seen and felt in the hands.
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