Yeah. I'm still here. I haven't been on the site nearly as often as I used to be though. Thing is, I kinda miss the shenanigans of the AOST and all that. I dialled it back a lot because I was beginning to think that I was driving people away, but I'm not quite so sure in retrospect.
I have visited the Wikia Discworld Wiki. It is a sad and pathetic beast. It appears that i am the only one to edit it in the last month. On the contrary, its rival teh Wikispaces wiki is thriving. Please help bring the wiki to life. Thank you. On a brighter note, i finally managed to read a rare copy of Where's My Cow?
It can be cheaper on-line especially if you pre-order a new book, but then not so much when you forget you've pre-ordered it from one well known online retailer, and then pre-order it again from another store...
It's a good job we know people who like books as presents.
I have a kindle. I don't buy books any more, and my kindle carefully remembers EVERYTHING I EVER BOUGHT and won't let me buy it again. It's pretty damn cool.
If you don't have a Kindle, you should get one. *nods*
Incidentally, it's really hard to keep track of what you're spending on a Kindle.
I do the same... but I've taken the extra step that, currently, I only download previews and free books. When I have a decent minimum of disposable income, I'll be permitted to buy only one book at a time and only when I've read the ones I've already bought
I read somewhere that the kindle and what not; has caused a sharp rise in trash novel sales. Thanks to the price of the trashy novels being so low and thanks to the fact people can't tell what you're reading on the kindle.
Now people can read the latest twilight Dan Brown crossover to their hearts content on the kindle without anyone judging them. Its the new putting a different cover on the book you're actually reading.
I like the idea of a Kindle for holidays and the like, but personally I like having the actual book, especially of authors I really like (Pratchett for instance). There's just something about having a hard copy, I guess, and who wouldn't be proud to show the cover of a good Discworld novel to the world :D They look great on a shelf if you have a nice big set too.
Other books which I would intend to read just once, I wouldn't mind the idea of a Kindle for that either. I guess it saves the thumb muscles too, not having to hold the book open and all ;)
Now people can read the latest twilight Dan Brown crossover to their hearts content on the kindle without anyone judging them. Its the new putting a different cover on the book you're actually reading.
Star Trek:Voyager predicted that in the late 90s
Paris: What're you reading? Torres: (Pulling the PADD away) None of your business. Paris: (Stealing a glance, reading) "Rork turned his fierce eye upon her, and M'Nea felt her heart begin to quicken, even as her hand went to her dagger. She had intended to plunge it into his throat, but something about him made her hesitate..." - B'Elanna, is this a Klingon romance novel?
Incidentally, a PADD looks so like a Kindle that you could have used a Kindle as the prop. I think there are Trek fans at Amazon.
Oddly, I've always had a thing for electronic books. For me, the most inconvenient thing about reading is how you hold the book, especially if you're lying down - which I do a lot when I read. I can remember wishing at the age of 10 that someone would hurry up and invent a real PADD because it can't be that bloody hard LOL
Wouldn't getting an iPad or something be a better investment? It can do multimedia and other features that Kindles can't. You can also browse books.
On the surface of it, you'd think so. But there aren't many ebooks available for the iPad, it's a bit chunkier and heavier... and, last I checked, several times the price. Anyway, I have my eye on an Android tablet for reasons of an app that's only available on Android and the fact that All Mac Users Go To Hell
I used to scoff at e-books over real books until I got one and within an hour of reading the first book on it I found myself trying to physically turn pages. It feels really natural very quickly. While a book is lovely, and you can't beat that paper smell, a Kindle is lighter, easier to read- sitting or lying down- and easier to carry. I also tend to have more than one book on the go, and it's a pain trying to haul two of them around everywhere. These days I also NEVER run out of reading material on a train, and that is priceless.
Also, I live in a box room, with no storage space at all. And I move house at minimum once a year. Not having 190 books to shift is a godsend.
As for a tablet- backlighting is awful, and makes my eyes hurt. An e-reader will never do that to you.
I also appreciate the ability to read smut incognito, and it's brilliant feeling like I'm contributing in the catch-up-to-Star-Trek race. Incidentally, I've had my Kindle for nearly two years now, and it doesn't break. Certainly nothing a quick reboot won't fix, and I've only ever had to do that twice. And it never even lost my page.
I see why you. Like. BOOKS. There are good reasons to go for an e-reader instead. Don't knock it till you've tried it! ;-)
