"Owning" eBooks

Reading "Convergence and its discontents: From a book culture to a reading culture" by Prof. A. van der Weel (incidentally also my thesis advisor), I let my mind wander and I came up with this particular thought:

If the digital book removes the status-symbol factor of books (something the book as an object definitely has), does that mean that the only eBooks that'll be bought will be the ones that really are going to be read (therefore, less eBooks will be bought, since less and less is being read)?
On the other hand, isn’t it true that a lot of books are bought because they will, at some point, probably (or not, in some cases) will be read (this is, I suppose, the psychology of the reader)? If this is the case, the digital form of an eBook should be of no consequence (especially since the hard drive on which you store eBooks is, probably, infinitely larger than any physical shelf space (more room for books to read at some point in life, so to speak).

Keep in mind I haven't actually finished the article. The PDF file is open on my laptop as we speak and it's glaring at me to read it (I will, I just figured I'd do this first). The thought also really hasn't much to do with my thesis subject (as far as I have one, we're talking embryo phase, here.....actually, the healthy, little swimming soldiers of my mind have yet to reach the metaphorical ovum of original thought, :-)

The point I'm, hopefully successfully, trying to make is perhaps too personal. I don't know if every buyer of books works in the same way as I do. However, I would not be surprised if they do. I can't really call myself a mass reader of books (recently started to remedy that), but I do think I own quite a nice collection of different genres of books. Since I don't think this is solely for status reasons (I don't display them nearly as nice as I could) the other reason, which I frequently comment upon is this: When I buy books I might be aware of the fact I will not read them any time soon, but I'm convinced I will read them at one time in my life. Or; "I'm just building a collection for later, otherwise I'll have nothing to do when I'm old and retired".

Regardless of whether this is bullshit or not (hint; it is), it serves as a perfectly good excuse to keep buying books I won't necessarily have the time to read. And I wonder if this is true for eBooks as well. My complete thoughts on digital distribution (on anything, really) deserves more time, so I won't go into it here. But I can definitely see myself stuffing my hard drive with books to read in the future (hopefully on my then owned iPad....seriously, I want that thing so badly, :-)

Anyway, something to think about. I'll probably come back to it. This is turning out to be a longer post than originally intended anyway. You know how it works; one sentence becomes a paragraph, a paragraph becomes an entire essay, and all of a sudden you find yourself checking the spelling and argumentation and rearranging words to better suit your point, as if this is something that matters. Maybe that's the reason I don't write as much as I could/want on this blog; it just becomes too much of a hassle. Oh well, here's to....more, I guess.

I'll finish that article now, before it gets mad at me.
SW

I know, I know, I suck!

I'm back! Sort of. I realise it's been waaaaay too long since I updated the blog. In some ways I think this is because I kept postponing writing here to avoid discussing the fact that (and why) I never write here. So I'm totally going to ignore the hows and whys and the consequences and 'how it makes me feeeel'...blegh. (whiny, bitchy voice implied, obviously)

This won't be a long post, because I'm tired (which is a regular state for me these days, I'll have you know). I am writing btw, or at least planning to write some short stories (have two well developed ideas in my head and on paper. Just need to find the time to actually sit down and write) that could develop in something more. I'll probably use this place to update and comment on that (and eventually post it, all open-access and shit).

For all the regular boring updates on life and thoughts (the shorter ones anyway) I have been using Facebook. So come find me if you haven't already! (Yes I'm talking to my imaginary blog readers. It's official, I've gone insane!)

I'm done, for now. Sleeeeeep!
Timmorn

I'll leave you with this: Gobbledygook! Hogwash! Humbug! Pish Tosh!




HAHAHA I just saw that I have a label 'beards'. Now that's just fucking funny!

First Entry

I'm starting this blog to see if I can even do something like this, and maintain it as well. To write more, to find out if I can write at all and to get some creative juices flowing, so to speak. Nothing is really happening right now in that area, and I'd like there to be some proof that I can be creative. Nothing is sure about what I'll do with the place. I'll probably start writing about my day, some thoughts, deeper contemplations. Maybe write a story or review a movie or a game. Perhaps, if I'm bold I’ll write about myself, so people who read this (if there are any, if I tell anyone I'm doing this) can get to know me better. I don't know.

The thought for an internet diary, weblog or any such thing, first occurred to me while talking to my dad about essay writing and my bachelor paper in particular. I don’t think I’m very good at writing essays. I don’t get bad grades necessarily, but I’m never truly satisfied, or convinced this is the best I can do. So overall, I think I could improve, but I don’t. That’s mostly because I don’t write as much as I want (or should), and postpone a lot. Well, this experiment will remedy the lack in quantity, and hopefully the quality of my writing as well. (and, with some discipline, getting better will make me stop postponing).

So I’ll try some Free Writing as well. When the time comes I’ll explain just exactly what that means, but it’s a great way to get flowing thoughts under control, and my mind always seems to be flowing, chaotically, so I might as well put it to good use (can’t watch movies and play games all my life, I suppose....Oh god, It would be great if I could though...sigh).

As for the title, Temporary Peace is a song by a British band called Anathema, but it seemed a great way of saying that writing this blog is my small moment of calm in an ever growing world of chaos.(too cheesy? I don’t know, I do feel I’m growing up, and more is added in my world day by day, it seems. Can you believe I even have a steady job now? But more about that later). I might change the title later, if I find something more suitable, or more awesome (fyi, awesomer should be a word, definitely). I’m never good at these things, thinking of good stuff to start with. Look at my best of list to your right...that’s probably not even really true, just what I’m thinking of right now. The same goes for the layout and the colours. I’ll definitely change them. This looks too much like my deadjournal pages. (oh yeah, I’ll add this somewhere else as well, but if you want to know what I nagged about as a teenager, look at my Deadjournal. It’s not that emo/goth/suicide-like, just a pun on livejournal, but....well, for emogothsuicide-like types, I guess. Oh well.)

I think this is it for tonight. I have all these ideas floating in my head about what I want to do with this place (I guess I see it like a room or a garden, one that needs to be decorated with words and thoughts, I don’t know why), but if I use them all up now, this will be a very short lived experiment. All I’ve got to do now is not forget them, which is harder than it might seem.

I’ve run out of steam (wordsteam that is). This first entry’s better, and longer, than I thought it would be (considering I created the blog and the layout and the lists to your right about 4 days ago and have been looking at an empty blog, with an empty mind for some time). I’m going to go to bed now. I’m cold, I’m going to warm myself against Eline. Tomorrow (or is it today) my new TV will be delivered, I hope. Again, more about that.

For now, this is me signing out, turning off the lights in my new room of words and thoughts (don’t forget to water the ones in the garden, so they can grow into beautiful wordy flowers overnight). I’ll leave you with today’s quote (your ‘international moment of zen’ or whatever): “If I let you suck my tongue, will you be grateful?” (Nicholas Cage, FACE/OFF)

Hehe...(what’d ya expect from a guy named Castor Troy)

Listening to: Fink – Distance and Time (bought it in the store because they had it on and I liked it, I usually never do that)

PS Oh yeah, feel free to comment, a lot, let’s get discussions going. Not with this post obviously, no real dividing statements made here, but later on. This is the internet, we can’t see you, we can’t kick you in the groin, be bold, be ballsy (oh, bad pun), I know I will (try). Also, correct me whenever you see fit. With spelling and phrasal errors, but also if I make a mistake or get my facts wrong. This is supposed to make me better at writing, and mistakes are there...blahblah, you know what I mean.

PPS. Saw THERE WILL BE BLOOD today. It was a bit long, but awesome. (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was awesomer though) But Day-Lewis is scary good.