E-Publishing and "Picard's Syndrome"

Fast Learner · Dec 30, 2003

Here's an interesting take on e-publishing and the strange minds of buyers. While I don't agree with everything he says, it is quite interesting and provides some humorous insights.

Picard's Syndrome

(Edited to add possesive chewy goodness)

V_Shane · Dec 31, 2003

Fast Learner said:
Here's an interesting take on e-publishing and the strange minds of buyers. While I don't agree with everything he says, it is quite interesting and provides some humorous insights.

Picard's Syndrome

(Edited to add possesive chewy goodness)

That was a good read. Good insights as well. I find it proportionatly true as well. People want something physical with thier money. Proof they have spent it, a trophy of wages spent. It is a brainwash, and trying to get people to convert to the digital will just be a matter of time and convenience.

After all, people buy MP3s and CDs, remember albums? Yep still got mine

d20Dwarf · Dec 31, 2003

V_Shane said:
That was a good read. Good insights as well. I find it proportionatly true as well. People want something physical with thier money. Proof they have spent it, a trophy of wages spent. It is a brainwash, and trying to get people to convert to the digital will just be a matter of time and convenience.

After all, people buy MP3s and CDs, remember albums? Yep still got mine

There are tangible differences between reading a screen (essentially staring at a light bulb) and reading a book. There is also the convenience of a physical book over the screen.

Fully digital books are still light years away, if they can ever match the experience of a real book.

annadobritt · Dec 31, 2003

I do purchase pdfs quite frequently and end up printing it out and storing it in a 3" d-ring binder (since I do all of my initial writing by hand on the sofa on a legal pad or a notebook, so having the binder next to me is very convenient to look things up.)

But when it comes to things like novels or rpg books that run over 150 pages, I prefer the print version (although my bookshelves are starting to bend in the middle from the weight of the books).

I remember those episodes in Star Trek watching Picard reading a real book and thinking that's one cool captain. Nothing beats curling up with a new book on a cold winter's night. I can't see anyone doing that with a pda or any other e-book device.

Cergorach · Dec 31, 2003

d20Dwarf said:
Fully digital books are still light years away, if they can ever match the experience of a real book.

I think your wrong, i've been using a dell pocket pc for the last six months to read a lot of books (so far the entire dune series). These days you can pick one up for $200, and reading books on it isn't the only thing you can do with it, watch movies, listen mp3s (while reading a book), play games, internet, e-mail, personal manager, etc.

It's only a 240x320 pixel screen, but it's good enough to read a novel (on it's side). The crucial factor is what software you use to read your books, i've found µBook a real beauty, it's really simple. Acrobat Reader on the PPC is just vicious, i ordinarily love pdf, but the ppc reader needs a LOT of work. Same goes for the MS reader, although a lot better than the Acrobat one...

Another pet pief of mine is that most novels are actually more expensive in a digital format than that they are in a printed one. If you look at amazon.com, a digital version of Dune: House Harkonen costs me $6.99, while a pocket version i can pick up is only $6.75, not to mention that i'm a regular at the library...

*appologies for the incoherentness of this post, but i'm sitting zombie like behind my computer, trying to make it to twelve o'clock awake, it looks like i won't...*

Dana_Jorgensen · Jan 1, 2004

Actually, an ebook with pages that will provide most of the experience of a paper book should become readily available in under 5 years. The technology to do so exists already; they simply need to finish developing the processes and equipment for reliable and cheap mass production of the material that will be used for the pages. If you can find one available, you can even buy them now, for about $5500.

The hard covers would store the computer and mass storage equipment, the spine would store a battery and probably a flash card reader slot, and the pages would be in the middle, consisting of plastic sheets embedded with a network of wiring and beads containing electrostatic dyes.

jmucchiello · Jan 1, 2004

The one thing that cannot be replaced by an ebook is physical locative memory. If you DM and use the DMG often, pick it up and turn to the XP chart. Now flip to the list of magic weapon special abilities. Your brain tells your fingers to go 20% into the book or 70% in or whatever without you thinking about it because finding those pages has physical locality.

Attaining the same thing on the computer requires that you have your PDF viewer load the same way everytime, you have the timing of it loading down so you can grab the scroll bar and pull it to the right spot (or you click the favorites button that shows up in the same spot and you move down to the right entry by habit). This ability to move to a specific spot is not as easy to realize as it is with a physical object. The pages of the book give tactile feedback to the brain which it coordinates with what the eyes are seeing to get to the page. If your email program grabs a few too many processor cycles the timing you expect when loading a particular ebook will be off.

Ebooks won't really take off until you have a generation of adults who grew up with ebooks as children. They will develop the muscle memory for using an ebook rather than using a physical book.

jgbrowning · Jan 1, 2004

jmucchiello said:
The one thing that cannot be replaced by an ebook is physical locative memory. If you DM and use the DMG often, pick it up and turn to the XP chart. Now flip to the list of magic weapon special abilities. Your brain tells your fingers to go 20% into the book or 70% in or whatever without you thinking about it because finding those pages has physical locality.

Attaining the same thing on the computer requires that you have your PDF viewer load the same way everytime, you have the timing of it loading down so you can grab the scroll bar and pull it to the right spot (or you click the favorites button that shows up in the same spot and you move down to the right entry by habit). This ability to move to a specific spot is not as easy to realize as it is with a physical object. The pages of the book give tactile feedback to the brain which it coordinates with what the eyes are seeing to get to the page. If your email program grabs a few too many processor cycles the timing you expect when loading a particular ebook will be off.

Ebooks won't really take off until you have a generation of adults who grew up with ebooks as children. They will develop the muscle memory for using an ebook rather than using a physical book.

Excellent point Joe, though I don't necessarily think it will take an entire generation. I'd never thought of the muscle memory involved, but you're dead on.

thanks for making me really think about book interaction,

joe b.

DackBlackhawk · Jan 1, 2004

Another Small Point

E-books may have a trouble because the convenience of them is not understood. If the device to read an e-book is harder to use than opening up a paper book, then it will not be liked or appreciated as much as the paper version. It is a matter of training the reader to use a device instead of opening a book. A pdf for a computer is very difficult for a non-computer user or one afraid to use a computer. Many of my customers at OfficeMax complain about the reliability of PCs. A person who has negative vibes against technology because of its durability and reliability may be reluctant to buy a book requiring an electronic device to read it. Technology is improving every day. But people's trust of technology is not increasing.

jmucchiello · Jan 2, 2004

DackBlackhawk said:
But people's trust of technology is not increasing.

I would agree with all of your points but this one. Children today will trust technology when they are the purchasers. It will be second nature to them. They will not fear to move the mouse like some adults today do.

E-Publishing and "Picard's Syndrome"

Fast Learner

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V_Shane

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d20Dwarf

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Cergorach

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Dana_Jorgensen

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jmucchiello

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DackBlackhawk

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jmucchiello

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