on getting to the end of the beginning
I've spent a few years now trying to avoid getting ebooks. Along with my cluttered house and cluttered mind, I have a few cluttered digital storage devices, and I am not that great at backups. I'm also not a huge fan of cutting edge anything; I don't want to add digital books in a variety of formats to my collection of VHS tapes, laser discs, and now DVDs.
(In spite of this, I've almost without noticing it, stopped buying music. But that's another story.)
I've talked about not being able to let go of my physical books, but possibly the biggest fear I have of letting go is that they disappear from view. I'm no longer reminded that I have that book just by walking into the room. It's not that my computer's reading program doesn't have a view I can use, but my usage of computers is peculiarly... blind. I approach computers with my blinders on, ready to do a specific set of tasks, and sail by every single program I don't plan to use as though they aren't there. My programs list is a couple of pages long, but when I'm processing photos, I'm just looking for photoshop, and blind to everything else. Even within photoshop, I specifically only want 6 different tools, and could care less where everything is. In fact I don't know where anything else is. I have to go look in the index or the help or hunt through every drop down menu.
Compare and contrast my digital eyes with my physical eyes. As soon as I walk into the living room, I can't help but notice the hulking pile of books in the corner. I know where the books are, because instead of sorting them alphabetically or by date last read, or date last modified, they're sorted to suit my own odd tastes.
Another thing I've talked about is how there doesn't seem to be a one-click way to replace my collection. Can I get all my heinlein books replaced? So far, I can find a way to do it one at a time and for the price of a real book. Remember when you used to be able to get entire DVD collections of TV shows from 20 years ago, for about a buck a DVD? Oh, right. You can STILL do that.
In spite of my complaints, or maybe because of them, I've decided to tentatively dip my digital toe in the pool, so to speak. I'm going to start trying to migrate entire flocks of books at a time. Will it work? I don't know. Will I do something irrevocable (like getting rid of physical copies and then losing digital copies?)? Possibly. Will I get frustrated? Probably. But do I need to move on? Yes.
(In spite of this, I've almost without noticing it, stopped buying music. But that's another story.)
I've talked about not being able to let go of my physical books, but possibly the biggest fear I have of letting go is that they disappear from view. I'm no longer reminded that I have that book just by walking into the room. It's not that my computer's reading program doesn't have a view I can use, but my usage of computers is peculiarly... blind. I approach computers with my blinders on, ready to do a specific set of tasks, and sail by every single program I don't plan to use as though they aren't there. My programs list is a couple of pages long, but when I'm processing photos, I'm just looking for photoshop, and blind to everything else. Even within photoshop, I specifically only want 6 different tools, and could care less where everything is. In fact I don't know where anything else is. I have to go look in the index or the help or hunt through every drop down menu.
Compare and contrast my digital eyes with my physical eyes. As soon as I walk into the living room, I can't help but notice the hulking pile of books in the corner. I know where the books are, because instead of sorting them alphabetically or by date last read, or date last modified, they're sorted to suit my own odd tastes.
Another thing I've talked about is how there doesn't seem to be a one-click way to replace my collection. Can I get all my heinlein books replaced? So far, I can find a way to do it one at a time and for the price of a real book. Remember when you used to be able to get entire DVD collections of TV shows from 20 years ago, for about a buck a DVD? Oh, right. You can STILL do that.
In spite of my complaints, or maybe because of them, I've decided to tentatively dip my digital toe in the pool, so to speak. I'm going to start trying to migrate entire flocks of books at a time. Will it work? I don't know. Will I do something irrevocable (like getting rid of physical copies and then losing digital copies?)? Possibly. Will I get frustrated? Probably. But do I need to move on? Yes.