paper notes in a digital world

My Magazine Love Affair

I'll be the first to admit that searching for articles in online databases and finding just the right material from X or Y magazine - in a matter of seconds - is something to behold. However, I discovered again last night just how much I love to read the Real Thing™. To sit back and hold a nice, glossy magazine and flip through the pages is an experience I don't think can be duplicated on the computer. In fact, I'll be quite honest, I rarely read very long text articles on my computer screen at all. If it's a very long article or post - I'll print it. I don't think it's all about ease on the eyes either, there's just something about reading a long piece from a newspaper, magazine or my printer that appeals to me and my tactile desires.

My experience last night: I am not a subscriber to TIME magazine but came across an interesting article while browsing around titled, "Happiness Isn't Normal," which looks at the relatively new psychology of ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I wanted to read this in a bad way and even seriously considered going to the store to buy the magazine rather than read it off the computer screen. (My printer ran its last drop of ink earlier in the day.) This hit me square between the eyes and me me realize another truth about paper in the digital world. Some things really can't be duplicated, and the experience of curling up in bed and reading this (very long) article on my laptop had zero appeal. Yet, the idea of doing the same with a real edition of the nice, cool, slick TIME Magazine was very appealing. I opted against the trip to the store and read it online. But it wasn't the same.

Today, while looking at Borders and picking up the issue of TIME with this ACT article, I discovered there were five or so pictures that didn't accompany the web version. I wished I had waited. I savor the times with a good magazine. Surely there are others like me. I'm not a luddite, as I explained above, I love the lightning fast search for articles and I discovered the article in the first place on the Internet. But that is where the relationship between me and magazines on the web end. Great for quick research, browsing and back issues - but no comparison to the real deal.

I admit to being a magazineaholic. At this moment I subscribe to: U.S. News & World Report, Maximum PC, PC World, The Week (great magazine), The New Yorker, Fast Company, Best Life, Inc., Entrepreneur, Poets & Writers, SC Magazine (computer security), The Atlantic Monthly and Computer Shopper. Those are just the subscriptions. I plead guilty to being an impulsive buyer of magazines at the newsstand - I'll pick up Writers Digest, Pages, Bookmarks, Men's Health and others. The point here being that holding a magazine, flipping the pages and leisurely reading from the Real Thing™ is, I think, a sort of simple life pleasure. Reading these same magazines online, clicking the arrows from page to page just won't do it - for me.

Am I the only one?

 

Sony's "Reader"...No Thanks

Sony is preparing a new - and expensive - device for "ePaper." The "Reader" is the name of this gizmo that got the treatment from Gizmodo. Gawker Media's Gizmodo gives this reason for loving the thing so much:

(Please note, we think the Sony Reader is exciting as all get out, but we’re mostly just excited about a decent consumer ePaper/eInk product in general. Other units are on the way soon from other manufacturers and we’re hyped about those, as well.)

Whatever. I can't imagine reading a book on a device like that. I can't imagine the whole idea of, "ePaper." I suppose it will be able to hold thousands of books and there is allure to some in carrying around a library. Me? I would take one nicely-bound printed book over a $400.00 plastic device that displays text on a screen, as a supposed substitute for books, any day, every time.

Another Reason To Love Paper

I ventured out on Thursday to buy my brand new laptop. I had waited for post-Christmas sales and sure enough, the one I wanted had dropped $100. Needless to say I am excited and feeling good to go pick this shiny new notebook up at the shiny new computer store. I get it home and the first thing is connectivity problems with the wireless network. Then it's restarting after errors at boot. Then it's a problem with Windows XP SP2 and a couple of my favorite programs. Sure enough, they report compatibility problems. Then it's realizing that almost half (half!) of my 100GB hard drive is taken up by two separate partitions. One for the manufacturers "recovery files," and another for "data files," associated with the proprietary manufacturer software.

Ten deep breaths, Mike. Count to 100 before proceeding at each frustrating glitch and surprise. None of that works this time. I'll try later, but by this time I was plenty angry and "calm," was not a part of my vocabulary.

I start telling myself I could subscribe to daily delivery of The New York Times. I could get my info fix with subscriptions to Time, Newsweek, The Week, Sports Illustrated, the New Yorker, a few others - and throw the technology out the window! I could write Paper Notes In A Digital World from a public terminal at the library - or something easy like WebTV. Okay, I'm kidding about that part...but the library would work!

In all honesty, my Moleskine has never been more loved than it is tonight. No compatibility problems - ever. No patches for security threats. Half the notebook isn't taken up by the manufacturer. I love my Moleskine. I hate my new laptop. For now. I'll be fine though and make peace with the fact that new computers require a certain learning curve and adjustment period. I'm actually beginning to calm down tonight and come to terms with all of this. I accept that the "In A Digital World," part of the name of this blog means I probably need to settle in and just figure it all out. But, for tonight (or actually late into the morning hours), I am reminded again why I love paper so much.

Here we go, one more time before bedtime Mike, let's try this again: ten deep breaths. One, two, three........Oh! I didn't tell you about the overheating! It started...(deep breath)...four, five, six........