slytherinlibrarian's blog

Technology's evolution is much like biological, (only much faster, obviously). The changes aren't always "good", or "forward". Sometimes someone invents something and thinks it'll change everything, but it disappears because in real-life usage, it just doesn't happen (8-track tapes, anyone? Beta?  Beta?)

However, I'd like to take a stand in support of my Kindle.  Perhaps even e-books in general, although I admit to having a bias for Amazon's fantastic setup - the 3G "Whispernet" which, without any additional costs, will deliver me books in under 60 seconds, immediately.  That's IMMEDIATELY, folks.  That means, that Tuesday at midnight when that new title for which you've been waiting for comes available, in can be in your hot little hands without you even getting your lazy ass out of your armchair.  And if that ain't fantastic, I don't know what is.

For me though, it's not just instant gratification.  My kindle allows me the following squees:

1) I can carry LOTS of titles around with me, all at once.  I'm one of those people who tends to read several books at the same time. If I'm at work or in line at the post office, and I feel like dipping in to that fantastic Simon Singh book about the fallacies of alternative medicine, I've got it right there. Or if I want to continue reading my vampire porn by Laurel K. Hamilton, I've got them all, right there.  RIGHT. THERE. 

2) And by RIGHT THERE, did you know I don't even have to actually have my Kindle with me?  My selection of books follows me around in iPhone form as well.  Because my iPhone and my Kindle can talk to each other!  If I happen to be in that post office line without my Kindle in my purse (which, by the way, I can totally do because it weighs less than a paperback book and takes up less space) then I can pull up the title on my iPhone, and it'll be RIGHT THERE on the page i was last reading.  If that's not magic, I don't know what is.

3) The whiners cry, "But what about the FEEL of a book in your hands?  The smell of them? I like my physical books!"  Well, this sounds like a personal sort of fetish to me. But yeah, I do understand. Books should be smelly (to quote Rupert Giles [thanks @joshuamneff]).  I'm NOT one of those people who say the e-book readers will take over and someday the library will be nothing but a stack of e-files to be downloaded.  But I DO believe that an e-reader, for a reading-lover, is a fantastic addition to a collection. You may resist trying them out, but once you do I think you'll understand.  You've been in that situation where you're reading Neal Stephenson's newest 960-page hardback brick, Anathem? Where you're trying to balance that monster in one hand while you eat your lunch in the other?  Ouch.  With my Kindle, I can read ANY book, whether it's Neil Gaiman's 176-page Coraline or the entirety of Stephen King's Dark Tower series without so much as straining my hand, or shifting around to turn the page. The button is RIGHT THERE.  Easily accessed by my thumb with a mere click.  The feel of a 2-lb. brick compared to a few-ounces?  I'm just not that much of a masochist.

4) And if you complain that the screen hurts your eyes, you've obviously never tried these e-readers because the "electronic ink" is *just* like reading a regular paper page. BETTER, damn you, because you can at-a-touch-of-a-button change the font size if you wish. And guess what, you can also look up words with the built-in-dictionary (again without having to get up and hunt down your copy or get online) and highlight paragraphs and write "notes in the margin", all just like a regular book, but better, because you're not defacing the thing by doing so. 

Finally, I do agree with the naysayers that the e-books, as of yet, don't really have a place in the public libraries.  I just don't see how that would really work - or why.  You "rent" out the unit, so the person can keep it for, what, a week? Two?  And browse the collection of books on the unit, or would they be able to download new titles?  It's just not a system that is set up for sharing.  If everyone in the world had an e-book reader, and could download titles from the library (for a week or two), then that might work.  But I don't think techology (or demand) is quite there yet.

I will not give up my physical books.  I do like them, and I agree there's nothing quite so wonderful as a shelf full of your favorite books.  But I will NOT be one of the e-book haters - I think the technology world has something fantastic going on there, and I think it's only going to get better.  Resist it all you want, but do you really want to be the only old fart on the block who still insists on listening to his records "because the scratchiness adds a certain blah blah blah"?  Really?  DO YOU?

Added:  It really is okay if you YOU don't want an e-book reader.  Just... don't be one of those people who have never tried one and say they're dumb. It's just like being a non-twitterer who rants and raves about how stupid twitter is. You just make it more obvious that you don't get it.

Another added point: The reason the Kindle works so well for ME is, I already buy 99.9% of my books from Amazon. I can understand if you're not used to ordering your books online, that you'd balk at the idea that with a Kindle you'd have to purchase EVERYTHING (for the Kindle anyway) from amazon.com.  It's a bit of a committment that some people may not be willing to accept.  It works for me though because Amazon already gets most of my money anyway - all they need to do to own my soul completely is invent a Replicator so I can buy all my clothes, food, and other household items from them as well. :)

This one is, for me at least. Tomorrow I'm taking off for a couple of days in Chicago - mainly to see Neil Gaiman accept his Young Adult Book Award at the Printer's Row Lit Fest, but also to run around and see other things, like the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry.

So, how about some Tim Minchin for your Thursday? This is some "classic" Tim, which someone has illegally ripped from his "So F**king Rock" DVD. Enjoy!

 

This isn't new, but the vid is a better one that has previously appeared on YouTube.

It's the "JLA Song"!

 

 

So, last December two outstanding musicans got together for a little sing in Dublin.

Tim Minchin joined Duke Special on stage - and from what I heard and from the pictures I saw, it was as close to heaven as many of us non-heaven-believing people can ever hope to get.

Thrillingly, a Northern Ireland television station recently aired the concert, and a lovely person loaded it up on YouTube. So now we can ALL experience a tiny bit of the heavenly.

WATCH! And be AMAZED. :)

 

Tired of Monday kicking my ass. So even though I got very little sleep last night, I'm not letting Monday get the better of me. Nope. In fact I'm denying Monday's very existence. It's not Monday. It's Slapdown day. Booyah.

Saw Bo Burnham on Friday - he was very funny. The audience was extremely loud and rowdy though - a mix of it being the "late show" (started at 10pm) so lots of people were already drunk, and there's that fable of the full moon having something to do with it as well. At least the rowdiness was very positive-flavored. Much more of the "I looooveeee youuuuuu Bo!" rather than get-off-the-stage-fag kind of heckling.

I'm currently listening to Amanda Palmer over and over and over. I love her attitude. She's on Twitter too (@amandapalmer) and she updates regularly. Recently she went back to her old high school and helped the kids there write and produce their own musical. That's pretty damn cool of her.

Take a look at her awesomeness:

 

She makes me want to walk around in my underwear and shout "Fuck You" at anyone who says anything about it. I hope I have the chance to see her live sometime - she'll be a hoot.

So in making Monday my bitch, I'm listening to Who Killed Amanda Palmer while I'm cataloging music CDs. Who needs love when there's Southern Comfort? The sandwiches are wicked and they know you at the Mac store.

I'll be seeing Bo Burnham live in Chicago on Friday.  I'm really hoping my husband can come along with me though, since I'll be driving back home (3 1/2 hours) after the gig and me and staying awake at 3am isn't really likely.

 

Husband still hasn't been able to get into the fields to start planting, due to all the rain. This sucks because apparently the later they plant, the lower the yields, which means a lower income for the year. Blah. Go away rain, yeah? Just for a few weeks. Then come back over the summer. Kthnx.

 

Reading... I'm currently sucked into a girlie-sci-fi series that Felicia Day

recommended (via Twitter and via Goodreads... how cool is THAT now?) Right now I'm only on the first one, Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair. And loving it. I think I needed some fluff to read since I'm

also (still) working my way through Trick or Treatment by Singh and Ernst.  Why does it take so long for me to read nonfiction? And does everyone encounter this problem?

Anyway, they're good books. Especially the Trick or Treatment - I think it's something that everyoen should read, since it's so hard these days to discern "real" medicine from the quakery. 

 

 

 

What else?  Still planning my fun-exciting trip to England this autumn.  At some point I'll blog in detail about all the places I'll be going and the people I'll be seeing.  It'll be a long, grand adventure, and I can't wait!

And finally, since no blog post of mine can be without a little bit of Tim Minchin, enjoy this nice audience-vid of Tim performing Bears Don't Dig On Dancing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

 

 

 

Parts 2-4 have been posted!  Give 'em a watch.  Poor runny-nosed Tim.

 

 

 

Lookit what we've got for you today - it's a video version of the Skeptic Zone interview with Tim Minchin!

 

And even better, it says Part 1... so hopefully the rest will be uploaded soon as well.

Enjoy!

This is Tiernan Douieb.  He's a funny guy.  And he's from London so he's got a really cute accent, too.

 

He's trying to get to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. To get there, he needs money.

Watch him for a bit here:

 

And if he made you laugh at all, you might consider giving him some money so he can take his act to Scotland.  Or, if you're just feeling generous.  Or, if you're just a lovely person and you do this sort of thing - help out a stranger, gain some karma.  Or something.

Donate HERE!

He's a very nice guy.  You can also follow him on Twitter!

Because Friday is for wonderful things, here's a new Skeptic Zone podcast with Tim Minchin, being his usual brilliant self.

Have a listen!

Right here.

And while you're at it, you should listen to this interview of people who are performing at Melbourne's Comedy Festival (Des Bishop, Tim Minchin and master of magic, James Galea) because their conversation is fantastic and very eye-opening.