Comments on: I, Reader: A Nod to Asimov’s I, Robot

By: John

John — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:55:51 +0000

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.

By: barbara

barbara — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:45:56 +0000

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.)

By: John

John — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:57:02 +0000

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.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:43:35 +0000

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.

By: John

John — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:30:31 +0000

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

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:39:08 +0000

(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.)

By: John

John — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:25:40 +0000

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.

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:29:09 +0000

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…

By: John

John — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:33:19 +0000

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.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:55:25 +0000

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.