tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post2070680452386795406..comments2023-09-16T09:00:31.715-04:00Comments on Telecommuter Talk: Is It Too Much to Ask?Emily Bartonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13971084813206845680noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-11526942179881605142009-02-22T10:55:00.000-05:002009-02-22T10:55:00.000-05:00You should know, I've read absolutely gadzillions ...You should know, I've read absolutely gadzillions of posts. Honestly.litlovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10952927245186474480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-41200104192927406132009-02-16T14:56:00.000-05:002009-02-16T14:56:00.000-05:00Emily, I’m not really answering the question but a...Emily, I’m not really answering the question but a noteworthy part of Amazon’s announcement of the Kindle 2.0 is they will be publishing Stephen King’s next novel via the Kindle (exclusively -- for at least a while). Now, King has options many other authors do not, but methinks an interesting development and threat to traditional publishers, ones that are also under siege in the present economic environment. BobBobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10495693030721170952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-10989014062040413462009-02-16T10:40:00.000-05:002009-02-16T10:40:00.000-05:00I want to be able to mark passages and take notes ...I want to be able to mark passages and take notes easily. And it should definitely be possible to do this with an e-book reader (if it isn't already, I don't really know). I worry about textbooks being on e-readers without allowing students to highlight or underline or write in the margins -- those things are essential!Rebecca H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10825532162727473112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-32215959630114114372009-02-14T23:46:00.000-05:002009-02-14T23:46:00.000-05:00MFS, yes, what the hell is taking Apple so long? I...MFS, yes, what the hell is taking Apple so long? I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the iReader. And you're right: we absolutely must be able to buy our e-books from whomever we want and be able to share them (what else will you and I do when we get together if we can't dump a bunch of books on each other?). <BR/><BR/>Stef, yes, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of your Kindle, so I can experience it vicariously through you. I trust you to tell us all about it: both its pluses and its minuses.<BR/><BR/>Litlove, I didn't think of it, but you are so right about needing a feature that lets you know how far through the book you are. And I will refrain from thinking, "This must be the only post Litlove has read on e-books," and instead think, "Wow, she must have read hundreds of posts on e-books by now, and she thinks MINE's the best!" :-)!<BR/><BR/>ZM, yes, I'm waiting for more integration and will definitely keep holding out. Of course, if I get to the point at which I'm the only one in the world who doesn't have one and can't read Pat Conroy's next novel (if he ever writes another one), because it isn't available otherwise, well, then I might have to cave, despite my demanding high standards.Emily Bartonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13971084813206845680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-19356987227168211862009-02-14T18:50:00.000-05:002009-02-14T18:50:00.000-05:00I do so love electronic things. But the Kindle ju...I do so love electronic things. But the Kindle just doesn't work for me. It's not particularly beautiful and it's not all that clever, by which I mean that it too slavishly imitates the experience of reading a real book, which means it will never really be as good as just sitting down with a book in your hand. I'm going to wait, because I know that at some point something wonderful will come along, something that doesn't replace real books, but somehow enhances them. <BR/><BR/>And now I'm going to go and see what Mandarine has to say.bloglilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14041507137356035341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-30489490377108703752009-02-14T18:14:00.000-05:002009-02-14T18:14:00.000-05:00I am sure your instincts are right here. Hold out...I am sure your instincts are right here. Hold out -- the perfect reader has not been invented yet. I think when it comes it will include some of the features you describe -- either that or there will be several different models available just like there are several different computers, phones, etc. As technology gets more and more integrated with each other it will be easier for devices to be more integrated. <BR/><BR/>For now I am highly satisfied with my iPhone and the Stanza reading app. It is one of the better e-reading experiences I have tried. <BR/><BR/>So, I say, keep holding out.ZoesMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13279493011192565601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-41693254045323186292009-02-14T15:32:00.000-05:002009-02-14T15:32:00.000-05:00I like the idea of it opening vertically rather th...I like the idea of it opening vertically rather than horizontally. But one thing I fear an electronic device will never offer me is the feel of knowing how far through a book I am. I think it's intrinsic to the reading experience to be able to see the pages swap over from a fat wodge in your right hand to one in your left. But then, I am a Luddite. And I like books - I'm still not convinced I need an alternative. I must say I do like this post on ebooks more than any other I've read, Emily!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-58375401713195600272009-02-14T10:29:00.000-05:002009-02-14T10:29:00.000-05:00Well, you know, my Bookman and I ordered ourselves...Well, you know, my Bookman and I ordered ourselves a Kindle in November as our Christmas present to ourselves. It was out of stock and we have been waiting patiently since then. Amazon emailed me Monday after their Kindle 2 announcement to let me know they will be sending us one after the 24th. I am looking forward to playing with it and I will definitely report the positives and negatives of the thing in terms of ease of use and book reading experience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-4235447781360089632009-02-14T08:21:00.000-05:002009-02-14T08:21:00.000-05:00Oh how I loathe the Kindle. Nasty plastic thing wi...Oh how I loathe the Kindle. Nasty plastic thing with all the charm of an Etch-a-Sketch. Am also down on Amazon. If I am ever going to buy an e-book reader it has to be a whole lot prettier (Apple? Apple? Are you listening?). It needs a touch screen. It must be colour. It must change pages so fast that I don't notice a delay. It must be book-sized, durable, spill proof and lightweight. I must be able to buy books for it from whoever the hell I like, and I must be able to lend those books to whoever I like, just as I can with print. I should be able to underline and make margin notes, which means the page display needs a margin. It should allow concurrent reading of different books, and it should integrate with my laptop so that if I wanted I could pick on one screen where I left off on another.<BR/>Also, the range of books available has to improve enormously. <BR/>Also, unless it is the sort of gadget that inspires lust, i have to need it. I like carrying books; I like carrying a stack of books on holiday or buying them there. I care much less about practicality. Books are pretty and they do furnish a room.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-23871109965237548332009-02-14T08:09:00.000-05:002009-02-14T08:09:00.000-05:00Mandarine, you're right: quick page-flipping is ne...Mandarine, you're right: quick page-flipping is needed, even for novels. I quite often forget something about a scene (especially if it's a mystery) and want to flip back to find it. That draining of the battery is a problem, though...And I remember your brilliant piece on the p-book. It reminded me of another piece that came out (I think it was in THE NEW YORKER) a number of years ago.Emily Bartonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13971084813206845680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28169009.post-2939316840526728812009-02-14T02:15:00.000-05:002009-02-14T02:15:00.000-05:00My ideal ebook reader would be very similar to you...My ideal ebook reader would be very similar to yours, with the addition of a functionality of paper books that I am still missing in all e-book technologies: fast page-flipping.<BR/>If you want students to be using such devices for textbooks (or permanent online access to wikibooks), you need to have a very fluid, very accurate page-flipping mode (ideally combined with ctrl-f): this would mean a page-update/display rate of at least 10 pages per second, with a knob or cursor for the reader to adapt the variable rate when he/she believes he/she is reaching the required section.<BR/><BR/>With novels, one may be quite happy with only being able to flip one page at a time with a display delay of one full second. But for non-fiction, be for skimming the book before buying it, or for returning to some place in the book that has left a fuzzy imprint in the back of one's subconscious, no scrolling or ctrl-f mode will ever replace fast page flipping.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, as kindle-like technology (e-paper) consumes energy only when one changes the state of a pixel, fast page-flipping will be a sure way to drain a battery in no time.<BR/><BR/>PS: for those interested in e-book humour, I had written what I personally consider an extremely funny piece: <A HREF="http://www.wisemandarine.com/p-books-an-unbiased-review/" REL="nofollow">an unbiased review of p-books</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com