John Miedema

I, Reader: A Nod to Asimov’s I, Robot

26 September 2009 10 Comments

This entry is part 1 of 45 in the series I, Reader

My blog has been renamed to I, Reader. It is the working title of a project I have undertaken, an exploration of the connections between deep reading and web participation. The title is a nod to Isaac Asimov’s 1950 collection of short stories, I, Robot, a vision of a future in which robots are commonplace. Asimov’s stories explored the relationships between people and technology, and consequent questions about identity. These themes are also explored in this project. (The title is also an allusion to the i-Pod, a technology that has succeeded with music where digital readers have largely failed with books.)

The project is proceeding under the structure of a research course, the final credit of my Master of Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario. As my final credit, I want this project to be summative and special. The final product will be a draft book outline. Like an increasing number of writers today, I am using my blog as part of the writing process. I write better when I can imagine there is an audience reading my material. I am more productive when I can pretend that someone is looking forward to my next post. Even occasional feedback is helpful in detecting blind spots in my thinking, so I warmly invite your thoughts as I begin to post the ideas.

10 Comments »

Mark said:

John, the iPod has also–in my limited experience–succeeded far more with digital reading than standalone readers.

I have seen 2 Sony readers and 2 Kindles in use. My girlfriend, her parents and I, along with numerous friends and acquaintances read books on our Touches/iPhones.

Just Thursday I finished reading Dewey’s Democracy and Education on my Touch, although most things have been shorter. Yes, these are anecdotes and I live in a narrow, flat slice of the US Midwest but if I had to put money on the future of digital readers it would include standalone readers (or mostly so, as the newest Kindle) going the way of the dodo.

# 26 September 2009 at 4:55 pm

John (author) said:

Thanks Mark. I intend to purchase a digital reader at some point, and will take your valued advice under consideration. I have been thinking about the iPod for music. Maybe I should also consider it for reading.

# 26 September 2009 at 6:33 pm

Dave said:

Sounds intriguing, John. I’ll be following “I, Reader” in Google Reader with interest.

(A niggling criticism: you really shouldn’t be using underlining for anything but hotlinks.)

If/when you do get that iPod, be sure to subscribe to qarrtsiluni’s new podcast. I do feel strongly that posting audio alongside text is one of the major ways to get online readers to slow down and pay attention. Minus the audio, I would actually rather read paper in most cases. When I am reading submissions for qarrtsiluni, I print them all out just to make sure the authors get a fair reading. Pretty ironic for an online magazine. I could go on…

# 26 September 2009 at 7:29 pm

John (author) said:

Thanks Dave. Two comments from two significant readers is a great start to I, Reader.

(I always wondered why WordPress didn’t include an underline in its toolbar. That must be why!)

I agree that audio is one significant path to slow reading. The reader is compelled to follow the pace of the narrator, and that can be a very good thing.

# 26 September 2009 at 8:25 pm

Dave said:

(Actually, it does, but it’s in the second row of icons on the WYSIWYG editor, hidden by default. Toggle the “kitchen sink” icon on the far right to reveal that and other, somewhat more useful functions.)

# 26 September 2009 at 8:39 pm

John (author) said:

Dave, thanks for the tip, but I’ll take your advice and avoid the underline.

# 26 September 2009 at 9:30 pm

Mark said:

John, I should add that I do NOT consider the iPod as anywhere near perfect as a digital reader, but only as a step in the process towards one.

My main argument for it besides functioning well–in a basic way–as a reader is that it can do many other things. Now, I am not generally a fan of the trend towards convergence. I do like simple, single purpose (or a few purpose) devices primarily. But a digital reader to be a “proper” reading device needs to be able to get files easily (from the web, via wifi or bluetooth or what-have-you from your main computer), needs to be able to do annotations *easily* along with exporting those annotations, and so on. (The iPod only does some of this; at all much less well.)

Once we get to that point you basically have a small, well-functioning computer anyway. This is why I think the iPod is the correct (but early) step on the way. I certainly don’t need my digital reader to run spreadsheets and the like but if I am carrying something around that can do the reading part well then I think it could do music well, too.

Just wanted to clarify. I’d suggest that if you can you try the assorted readers and see what works best for you–for now–and is at a price you’re willing to pay knowing full well it will be superceded, soon.

# 27 September 2009 at 5:43 pm

John (author) said:

Thanks Mark, my main interest in a digital reader is for documents and e-books that are only available in digital format. Some of this material is worth a good read, and I would prefer it in print, but I am not willing to print out all of this material. The reader would provide a way to at least give the material a good evaluation, and perhaps be sufficient for the whole read in some cases. Given that, I prefer a reader with a very nice look and feel, and the Sony readers I have looked at seem okay. Of course, the other functions you mention are handy too. I’m not quite ready to buy one, but your information is helpful.

# 27 September 2009 at 7:57 pm

barbara said:

If you wait a little longer there will be an itablet…bigger than the touch and generally adaptable.

A reader that doesn’t do anything but allow analog reading is already obsolete.

(I decided to read along as you are writing-rather than some of the other projects on my list- because I have been interested in your work since slow reading and I am following other people who are researching ebooks, ereaders, and epublishing which dovetails neatly with your work.)

# 24 October 2009 at 10:45 pm

John (author) said:

Thanks Barbara. I have decided to wait with the e-reader purchase until the wireless options become available in Canada. I will keep an eye out for the itablet.

Re: your line, “A reader that doesn’t do anything but allow analog reading is already obsolete.” I can’t agree there. A child today could spend the rest of their life reading print books, and have spent their time well.

# 25 October 2009 at 8:55 am