Re: OT -- Because...

On Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:58:19 GMT, "MBarnett"
<res0p21f-UNDO-@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Wilbur Slice wrote:

[SNIP]

The fact is, books are as doomed as photo film. People laughed at me
back in the 80's when I started saying that photo film was going to
die. They laughed when I said vinyl records and cassette tapes were
history. And people laugh now when I say that books are doomed.

But check this out:

http://tinyurl.com/2oh8yy


[SNIP & jump to a subsequent post]

The devices I'm talking about aren't here yet. But they are
inevitable, and not too far away. And when they come, the only people
still reading paper books will be old folks who just can't accept
change.

I'm not laughing at you, Wilbur, nor implying that what you're saying is
impossible or improbable. I've worked in electronics since 1972, and I *like*
technology. The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, and devices like
it will most certainly become a part of modern life. That being said, this type
of device is not without notable limitations and requirements that printed
material is not encumbered with.

Like what? Seriously - I'm not trying to be dismissive, I'm really
interested in what could be a perceived advantage to paper books. I
can thoink of only one - no power requirements. But with battery
technology advancing as it is, that seems a small concern now, and
will be even less in the future.

And I can list all sorts of HUGE advantages to digital format, as I
have in other posts. The largest of which might be that this device
(and the Kindle isn't it, yet) will be virtually ANY book or magazine
EVER published anywhere in the world throughout history in any
language, etc.



Digital technology is wonderful stuff, but much of it has many more variables
for failure than similar analog technology, power requirements and durability
being the ones that come immediately to mind. Our propensity to embrace the
"gee-whiz" aspects of new technology often causes us to overlook the practical
aspects of sticking with older technology. All technology has limitations, but
modern technology (and here I'm speaking primarily of electronics), has a far
greater tendency to fail catastrophically with little or no warning ....
whereas older "analog" electronic devices seem to wear out gradually, and
provide more symptoms and warnings prior to failure. Not only that, they're
usually easier to repair, rather than just throwing them away and buying a new
one. :-|

Throwing them out and buying a new one is an *advantage*. That's why
we do it. If it were better to fix old stuff (like we used to do),
we'd still be doing it. But for a number of reasons, it's better to
update than to repair.

Same with the other points - wearing out gradually, etc. If it's
cheap enough to have a brand new spare, then who wants an old wanky
device that is going bad gradually? I'd rather have it fail
catastrophically and I'll switch to the brand-new perfect replacement.



Would I ever buy an electronic "reading device"? Probably ..... I've had my
eye on the FreeHand "MusicPad Pro" for a couple of years, but can't justify the
expense .... yet. :-)

Yes - "yet" is the operative word. As I said, these great devices are
not here yet, but I have no doubt that they are coming, just as I had
no doubt that 35mm film was on its way out.



"Analog" devices I don't want to do without:

Alarm clock.

All my alarm clocks are digital.

Books.

Yes, so far. I read a lot of paper books, and I have a fairly large
library. But I think that's going to go the way of my music library.
I used to have thousands of vinyl records that I had accumulated, but
when I got divorced last year and had to move to a new house, I tossed
almost all the records away (I kept some for sentimental reasons) and
now I have loaded even all my CD's onto hard disks and now my entire
music collection is available to me almost instantly any time I want -
I just point and click on iTunes. And I can search and sort by
preference and all sorts of things. Plus - I can carry my ENTIRE
music collection with me on my iPod, in my shirt pocket. I'm never
going back to vinyl.

Acoustic guitar.

Yes. Althoug, I must say that I have a few electric guitars, too.

Toothbrush.

You should switch to the SonicCare electric toothbrush. Highly
recommended by dentists, they do a FAR better job of cleaning your
teeth and keeping your gums healthy. Seriously- check into it. And
not just any "electric" toothbrush - check into the SonicCare.

Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better than
transistor or digital amps, lasts far longer, is easier to repair, and it's not
as susceptible to EMP. Besides: They're fun to build!)


I have a tube amp, too. And I like it. But I dread the day the tubes
die and I have to find replacements. You can't go down to the grocery
store to get them anymore...

.

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