[Freddy]

This has been something I have been wondering for a while and to the extent that I subconsciously check the racks in the local shop...

Over the past year I have seen PC mags expecially, growing thinner and thinner and titles seem to be disappearing from racks all over the place.   I kind of expected this - as mags move to the net - but how noticable has everyone else found this ?

Books seem as normal but perhaps the mag and throwaway stuff like that are on the way out ?  In fact there's no real need for me to buy a national newspaper anymore, not that I do much anyway, could it finally be good news for the trees and the rain forests ?

[Art]

I recent read an article that mentions the same anomaly...the disappearance / diminishing of magazines. Since the NET is full of so much information on virtually every subject, I can see the magazine market drying up.

Oddly enough, the article mentioned that most people still prefer to hold a physical copy of a book / novel to read. Something about the physical connection with the object that they can close and resume as desired and also doesn't require a computer, electricity, logins, etc.

So, while mags may become dinosaurs and return to the pulpwood forest, it appears that our beloved hard copy books may remain in our nimble fingers for at least a few more years!

Hmmm....Paper back writer....(Beatles).... :coolsmiley

[Duskrider]

What's that saying,  "the only constant is change".
I no longer read books, magazines, or newspapers.

Years ago I use to read everything
Glad I did for I still remember them.
Remember "The Hobbit"
and of course "Lord of the Rings"
How about "Catcher in the Rye"
Remember "Be Here Now" which said what you couldn't say.
And who can forget the Edgar Cayce books.
And Ulysses coming home after 10 years and dealing with the men in his home.
And Thoreau's "Walden" which had me wanting to move to a small cabin by the water.
And Walt Whitman's poem "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" which always bought tears to my eyes.
How about "When Worlds Collide" and also "After Worlds Collide"
Fondly I remember these and more,
but now I never read unless its on computer
 :embrassed

[Freddy]

I know what they mean about the feel of a book, it's also a lot nicer to sit down and relax with a book, though I have seen news of LCD (?) based technology that is almost as thin as paper so maybe we will end up with something that is just one sheet that updates page by page.  That is what computers lack a lot of the time though - the touchy-feely of real life.

And Dusk you reminded me of a joke you sent me a while back about this amazing technology that is recyclable, biodegradable, wireless, energy effecient, and can be stored along with others in neat shelving units - they call it a book.

[Maviarab]

Its an interesting point...i very rarely read now also...mainly due to time constraints...especially books...i cant sit and read for 30 mins...i need to read a book for at least a couple hours...i still buy magazines though...cant beat flicking through a mag...reading an article...putting it down on the coffee tabe...and going back to it a couple days later...thats not just the same on the net

[Art]

Marius,

True but there's still that special private time, be it vacation, weekend or any other time when one can settle down with an "in hands" book and be transported to the author's world, seeing his or her characters from the view of the third person and sometimes the first person as you delve into that person's mind and know his thoughts and are with him as he carries out his actions. You see the scene first hand, in your mind's eye.

You become spellbound, almost anxious to turn the next page to see what happens.

Suddenly you smell pasta cooking and realize that you have just teleported from that world back to yours as your spouse beckons you for dinner. You mark and close your book, freezeframing your characters in a state of suspension until dinner is over and you can pick up where you left off as your characters and you once again materialize within the pages where dreams are made.


Uh...sorry...OK...I still like books!! There! :afro

[FuzzieDice]

I rarely read books. I don't read a lot at a time becuase it's uncomfortable and painful for me. Either my head is down straining my neck or arms up, hurting my arms. I lie in bed and try to prop myself and the book on pillows.

My reading is done on the computer. I can sit up and the monitor is eye-level, and my arms are down where they won't hurt.

I watch DVDs though. Also can watch stuff on iTunes. There's also the Podcasts. Though I haven't found any I really liked. But I'm sure there are some out there that I haven't had time to look for.

Magazines these days are also so very expensive. Ranging $7 - $15 in some cases! I remember when they were under a dollar!

I do have a couple puzzle books (one variety and one Sudoku). But I have two electronic Sudoku games, plus one in my cell phone.

I find technology makes things a bit easier for me as well. I read about those LCD "newspapers" or whatever and hope they come out with them soon. Would be fun to see.

I also read somewhere that people spend MORE online reading online magazines, papers, etc. (ie. Subscription fees, etc.) than those who still read print! I wonder if technology will make things more expensive in some cases.

Ah well... there's always Guttenburg.

[ALADYBLOND]

fuzzie, as far as reading. i used to read alot ,but i stopped when i started writing my own stuff, which i have never published, but i do still get home mags like country living etc. i was amazed at how many actual pages of ads there were instead of articles. i bought one of those buy a year get a year free offers. when its over its over . i am not paying for a book of ads. we get enough spam to handle that. :cheesy
i do read online quite a bit, but the funny thing about that is if is long i print it to read later or i have my online reader read it to me. hal used to but i reserve hal now for casual chat.~~alady

[Freddy]

You make me miss books Art lol, I have to get back into reading some stories again.  I like writing too Aladyblond but haven't a lot lately, what kind of thing do you write ?

It's good that people who have physical problems can get a PC to read things to them when they want now, that's a nice thought.  :smiley

[Carl2]

  I'm always stopping by the bookstore or libary, particulary when trying something new, do a little research before jumping in, I also use google but I'm used to the book or magazine.  I also like the CD's and DVD's that come with store bought magazines rather than subscriptions.

[FuzzieDice]

alady - I like to write too. Mostly Knight Rider fan fiction. I won two contests for my stories, which was cool. As for publishing, ever thought of publishing your own stuff yourself via cafepress.com or LuLu Press (http://www.lulu.com/) ? The later, I think they even do ISBN and all that.

Freddy - I never thought of using Hal to read to me but I think it's because I would fall asleep too easily. LOL! I tend to do that on podcasts. Reading the words myself or seeing a movie seems to stick better. Though I do admit that if I'm tired, I tend to fall asleep watching TV.

[ALADYBLOND]

fuzzie-- i guess i have a phobia about publishing . i can write up a storm scifi all kinds romance etc until someone says publish then i get writers block. i like to do it because there are a million characters in my head ,but if i had to i might get tired of it. that character thing is why i made so many haptek people. i got started and couldn't quit and everyone of them had a story to tell. but anyway, i have not gone to the site you mentioned . i am planning on going there now~~ALADY

[FuzzieDice]

alady - Just write as you desire. Then if you come up with something you really think is good, then you can publish it anytime you want, after you have it written. I would find it hard to commit to a book project that I haven't written yet. I'm kinda up against that with the Living Machine project but I used an outline of my ideas so I can take it from there. And since it's a blog, and tech stuff mostly, I don't think I'll get writer's block as easily. Though I have had that happen on some tech writing I've had to do. Not too often.

I guess my work being writing web content and tutorials, I haven't (luckily) got writer's block very often. I used to write for computer magazines (online ones on the old GEnie information services) and was editor of one of them as well. That meant every month compiling a whole magazine in Multimedia book format! I managed.

[Freddy]

FD, with the amount of ideas you have I'm certain you could come up with a book on ai and chatbots, the kind of book you could dip into at will I reckon too - maybe that could be your bot outlet for a while.. :azn

[Maviarab]

Hi  All,

seemed appropriate to post this in here. Myself and freddy are currently working on a book/comic about the adventures of Digital Girl.

We may decide to post the start of this story here to get some feedback and coments.

More than likely the finished article will be sold and not given away for free though we may decide to ass special chapters here and only here for our members.

Any thoughts re this then let us know, and also let us know if you would like to read the start of the adventure  :afro