John Miedema

I, Reader is an exploration of the connections between reading and technology. The launch point of this exploration was a theme called “Robots and Readers”. With references to Asimov’s I, Robot, some important concepts were introduced. A first post looked at the closeness of the technology or container of information and the meaning of its content. A second post considered that there is a basic conflict between technology and thought. The third post examined our prejudice against machines, rooted in a fear of our own object-like nature; critical thinking about technology was recommended as an alternative. A final post suggested that our object-like nature may faciliate our quest for understanding and meaning. I will return to these concepts at various points as the exploration continues.

The connections between reading and technology are mere finger-holds so far. When I talk about thought and intellectual activity, I implicitly pair them with reading. Now, I will turn the exploration more directly into the act of reading. The next theme will be a series of posts analyzing a type of reading for which I do not have a good label yet. It has some overlap with my earlier material on slow reading, but it is something different too. At this point I call it “Reading as a Creative Act”.

(Note: I prefer the term “Aside” rather than “Process Note”. I have also re-labeled my previous process notes as asides.)