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Friday, December 10, 2010

On a trip through a bookstore

I hadn't been through a bookstore lately in quite a while.  I used to go regularly, since I lived on or near the Plaza and because every Wednesday evening my daughter and I would have dinner and then walk the Plaza and look around a bit.

Having gone, then, to Barnes and Noble on the Plaza, some things I noticed:

--As you come in the store right now, they're advertising an e-reader, their Nook.

I have to ask, really, people, think about it.  Why would you buy a Nook or a Kindle or any other thing that is only a book e-reader?

They are today's equivalent of the 8-track tape player. 

They aren't going to last even a decade.

The iPad and other computer "pads" are not just readers but they do all kinds of things.  Sure they cost more but they do a lot more.  They're not "one-dimensional", in function and functions.

So if you're thinking, folks, about buying one of these things, my completely, totally and utterly unsolicited advice is--don't.  Save up a bit more money and buy the next phase of the iPad or some other pad soon to come out.  They do a heckuva lot more.  You'll be glad you did.

--There was a magazine stand of the latest GQ magazine.  It was all the same issue but it had 3 different covers on it.  They were:

1)  "James Franco:  Leading Man of the Year";

2)  "Jeff Bridges:  Icon of the Year" and--are you ready for it?

3)  "Scarlett Johanssen:  Babe of the Year"

Yes they did.

My immediate thought was, "are you serious?".  Are you kidding me?  Could they be more sexist?  Could they be more "1960's"?  Could they objectify her or women any more?  (We know the answer is yes but, still, it was pretty stunning in it's ignorance, I thought, but that's me).

--Finally, just walking through, I discovered that the outlaw Jesse James (from my hometown of St. Joseph) had a son, Jesse James, Jr. 

No surprise there, certainly.

But I thought it wonderfully ironic (and I LOVE irony, as I've said before) that Jesse Jr. grew up to be an attorney.

That's terrific.

Enjoy your weekend, y'all.

5 comments:

Donna. W said...

I love my Nook. We're not rich. I don't need an Ipad because my computer does everything an Ipad does.
Ebooks are more affordable than real books, and much easier to hold.

Sevesteen said...

dedicated eBook readers are cheap enough now that if you like the form factor, they would be worth buying as an interim measure until multifunction pads come down in price.

I don't particularly like the form factor--too big to fit in a pocket, and I'm not sure you could use them with one hand.

I've carried a PDA and read books on them for 10 years or so. I've replaced my last PDA with an iPod tOuch. A bigger screen would be nice, but I don't think it would make up for the ability to keep a library in my pocket, and read in the line at the grocery.

...and the multifunction aspect, where I've got one gadget to keep track of instead of a handful is much more important to me than the bigger screen.

Mo Rage said...

and I totally get that.

But you already own your Nook.

I'm saying for someone who doesn't own one yet. You're enjoying it so have at it. It will be everything you need.

This is more for the next product and the people who don't own one yet.

Mo Rage said...

Sevesteen,

okay, I totally get all that, too, but one day soon, we should be able to have everything--our computer, our phone and our e-reader--all--in one object.

And the sooner it happens, the better.

It will be more organized, cost less and require only one item instead of all 3.

That's where we're eventually headed, just not soon enough.

Sevesteen said...

Except for a decent keyboard and the size of the screen, we are pretty much there--for most of what people do, a smartphone or similar is adequate, considerably more capable than the first computer I got on the internet with.