Will books survive? A scorecard.

Post by carbon8 » Mon, Nov 23, 2009, 12:06 AM UTC

mattlanger wrote: post #13

Raphael wrote: post #2

A teenage perspective, where computer-based reading loses nothing and gains everything. I assume an open or hackable system, which any sensible user will take advantage of. Readability: Change font, size, aliasing, and spacing to your liking. Convenience: access millions of books using search Annotation: Text editor or some kind of application. Cost: free Social flags: You can still tell people what you're reading. B…

> Rarity: If text is not online, it doesn't exist. Be careful with that line of thinking. Time and again throughout the history of the digital age, data has ceased to exist precisely because it was in a digital form. Consider this remark from the US National Archives: "By the mid 1970s, when computer tapes for the 1960 census came to the attention of archivists, there remained only two machines capable of reading the…

Actually, the libraries in the google books project get digital copies, too.

It's also important to remember that university libraries very adamantly do not view themselves as archives at all and are constantly weeding out books that they view as no longer relevant to them. The only items that can be assumed to be retained by the library are those very few items that are in each library's special collections.

Post by Mz » Mon, Nov 23, 2009, 12:50 AM UTC

chipsy wrote: post #16

Mz wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived for 4 1/2 years in an apartment that had to be gutted and inspected by some environmental office or other prior to me moving in. Anytime I took a hot shower or boiled water on the stove, brown goo ran down the walls that smelled like cigarette tar. While living there, I ended up bedridden for about 3 1/2 months and spent about a year at death's door. I had a long history of respiratory and other health issues…

This doesn't surprise me one bit. I think we all have sensitivities to various unnatural concentrations that we "politely overlook." Food and chemicals are the most obvious ones. Most paper gets treated, but it could also be intrinsic to paper being a fibrous, naturally decomposing product. I will have to let my parents know about this one, since they have zillions of books and my dad has persistent asthma. Personall…

I've also made a lot of dietary changes, but that wasn't relevant to the question that was asked of me. If you are interested, there is a website listed in my profile which talks more about what I've done.

The bookworm with respiratory problems/allergies is a stereotype in popular culture. I have concluded that being a bookworm helps cause those respiratory problems and it is not merely coincidental. Most paper is treated with strong chemicals, like bleach. Some books also have a lot of dyes in them (and I toured a printing company about 3 years ago -- it's quite a toxic environment and they openly acknowledge that). I react really badly to some things with heavy dye concentrations. Plus there is just the aspect of rotting, mold, mildew...etc.

As an interesting additional footnote: When my sons and I were sharing a single bedroom while living with relatives for nearly a year while I was going threw a divorce and job hunting, we stored boxes of soda and other foods in our room with us. We found that removing the cardboard boxes consistently lowered the temperature in our crowded little room by 5 degrees Fahrenheit and also lowered the humidity. Coincidentally, it also cured our problem with sometimes finding a large roach somewhere in the room. We have concluded that cardboard boxes are essentially a rotting compost heap, giving off heat and humidity like any compost heap. The temperature and "climate" in our apartment is dramatically more comfortable and stable than it has ever been now that upholstered furniture and cardboard boxes (and books and magazines) are not part of our local "ecosystem"

Re: Will books survive? A scorecard.

Re: Will books survive? A scorecard.