Notes for people who see me with Erasmus (that is, my Kindle).

April 24, 2012

Sure, you can touch it. But no, you can’t touch it, because you will
No, it doesn’t have a fancy page turning animation. This is largely because, although I don’t know the specifications, the e-ink screen focuses on providing a surface which is easy to read as a regular book, i.e. no glare, can be read for extended periods without what doctor’s call HES (Hurty Eye Syndrome).
Nice things about physical books: the smell, the feel of the book in your hands, turning the page, never running out of batteries, etc.
Nice things about e-books: being able to carry hundreds or thousands of books which would weigh hundreds of kilograms; being able to get thousands of copyright-free books at no cost whatsoever, completely legally.
Amazing things about all books: reading the words, ideas, feelings and thoughts of someone who, even though I may never meet them, can make me think, feel and see the world in ways I never thought possible. At the very least, they can entertain me and pass the time.
Basically, I didn’t get an e-reader to have a snob tell me how it’s just not the same with an air of superiority as if I am incapable of reading physical books, as if people who read e-books and people who read physical books are not only mutually exclusive, but mutually hostile.
I don’t think it’s possible for me to think about e-readers without paraphrasing John Green: It doesn’t matter how you read, but that you read.
In conclusion: chill the fuck out.