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Why we shouldn’t worry about leaving print behind

24 pointsby ernesto95over 9 years ago

5 comments

noam87over 9 years ago
Digital won&#x27;t replace print just as the radio and TV didn&#x27;t replace print (and interactive didn&#x27;t replace passive, and print didn&#x27;t replace the spoken word). They are wholly different ways to interact with information, each better suited for different tasks.<p>I&#x27;m 28 years old, and I buy all my books in print form. There is something about learning from a physical object (with volume, texture, scent) that makes things &quot;click&quot; better. I remember &quot;where&quot;, within some textbook I read half a decade ago, some topic is explained. A literal, physical &quot;where&quot;: a page, somewhere in the middle of a physical stack of bound paper, which I can touch and feel; I might event remember where I was when I studied the subject; maybe I jotted some note on the margin, maybe I spilled tea on the pages before, giving that &quot;where&quot; its own unique texture and colour, all of which my brain will forever associate with that information. Digital can&#x27;t do any of that.<p>There is nothing left to improve about the physical book.<p>Of course, if my physical book confuses me, because perhaps it was written by a certain man named Spivak, who does not like to explain what happens in between those little &quot;=&quot; symbols, I can&#x27;t press on anything and expect it to expand magically and reveal more detail. It&#x27;s at this point that I will turn to my laptop, and search for more information, maybe even ask a stranger half a world away, or watch an interactive video. My copy of &quot;Calculus on Manifolds&quot; can&#x27;t do any of that.<p>I also still find that the best way to solve a problem (even a programming problem), is on pen and paper. Physically jotting down an idea beats pressing buttons while staring at an obnoxious, headache-inducing glowing screen any time (which I try to avoid as much as possible, even as a software developer). To me flipping still beats searching and clicking, and pen and paper still beat Google calendar, or whatever todo-app-of-the-week.<p>The best technology is invisible and gets out of the way. We are physical animals, and technology is best when it assists and enhances our physical world, not when it tries to be a shoddy substitute for it.
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theseatomsover 9 years ago
Slightly off-topic: Print is still far and away the best medium for archiving information for future generations.
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rjeliover 9 years ago
With the recent incensed discussion of Python 2 vs. 3, I thought this would be about the `print` statement.
colmvpover 9 years ago
I&#x27;ll say that I prefer buying physical books whereby the medium suits the matter. Incredible visuals like traditional art, design, and photography just aren&#x27;t the same on an iPad. Technical information is easier to skim, note, and browse in paper format. But the vast majority of books I read on a weekly basis such as non-fiction, psychology, and philosophy is just flat out better with my Kindle.<p>I love that I can carry a library of books in my bag with a fraction of the weight. I can also quickly sample and potentially purchase a book on a whim without having to leave my home or wait for a delivery. I can switch between books or magazines in a cinch. I don&#x27;t need to recycle old magazines and instead just rely on the next issue of the New Yorker magically showing up on my device. And most importantly, the space saved in my physical home is invaluable.
issover 9 years ago
I find this discussion fascinating. I&#x27;m an avid reader and until 4 years ago I wouldn&#x27;t trade a physical book for a digital one. Still today, I have this romantic vision of a personal library with an eclectic book collection. But then, I bought my first kindle and things changed. Since 2012, I bought over 150 books, read half of those and if anything, the kindle made me read even more. Besides, I really believe that digital books are also democratising the access to knowledge and information. I&#x27;m based in Portugal and to buy the 150 books I mentioned above I would have to spend more than double the amount I ended up spending. Why? Because I would need to order them from USA and transport it&#x27;s still very expensive.