41–50 of 181 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because most of the great intellectual works exist in these "legacy form factors."
Of the past yes, but what about the present and future?
I'd love to hear of one that was though.
Author not an optimist I guess. Better to say 54% of Americans read a book in 2023!
I haven't read a book for a few years. Don't have time. I don't think it's a big deal.
But all my friends on Goodreads are claiming to finish a book a week Are... Are they LYING?? No one lies on the internet. EDIT: Wow I guess I hit a, nerve. Sorry folks. I use Goodreads and finish about a book a month. So I don't think a book a week is unreasonable/impossible. I just meant to allude to the fact that the platform has gotten a lot of attention for review bombing and profile manipulation. Anyways, here i…
But more to your point, what percentage of the population do you think is active on goodreads? I can't find any MAU numbers for them, just total membership numbers. Regardless, it is a self-selecting audience. Much like if you go to a theater to see the latest garbage marvel movie, the people in that theater are probably very likely to have seen other marvel movies in the theater recently too.
But all my friends on Goodreads are claiming to finish a book a week Are... Are they LYING?? No one lies on the internet. EDIT: Wow I guess I hit a, nerve. Sorry folks. I use Goodreads and finish about a book a month. So I don't think a book a week is unreasonable/impossible. I just meant to allude to the fact that the platform has gotten a lot of attention for review bombing and profile manipulation. Anyways, here i…
I finish about a book a week, reading a couple of hours a night before sleep. It's not unreasonable.
People with children are often lucky to have 30 minutes for themselves.
(Yes, Britney Spears is still on the NYT list. I checked so you don't have to.)
Why do we obsess so much over legacy form factors? Watching movies, listening to 2h conference talks, playing a 60h narrative videogame, and reading scientific papers in PDF may not be as noble, but they are equally meaningful to me.
No one is telling you to stop watching movies or playing video games, but being a more active participant in a leisure activity can be beneficial every once in a while.
And worst than that, I wonder about the quality of the books for the other 54%. Reading a book by itself is not a virtue.
Voracious reader. Dozens of books a year, all swords & sorcery. Not really anything he could learn from.
I read a lot but I can't think of a book I read last year.
I don't think "didn't read a book" is that useful for inference about imagination, literacy, education etc., unless it's also matched by watching an enormous amount of linear or episodic television.
"Didn't read a book" might, however, be a meaningful proxy for shorter attention spans. I think it could be in my case, even though I read voraciously.
And worst than that, I wonder about the quality of the books for the other 54%. Reading a book by itself is not a virtue.