I don’t know why I didn’t use Google Reader sooner. It is a handy way to have all the blogs you like to read at your fingertips. I had to test out Reader for work a while back, but somehow I just didn’t think to use it to keep track of sites I like online. It’s great.
Anyway, here are some links to check out:
1) An article about the history and potential future of “e-books” (tweeted about by @bookoven). Aside from the title (which references one of my favourite books of all time) I found the article interesting to read but as many of the commenters pointed out, I did not find that it addressed all the potential “e-book” issues. I do spend quite a bit of time reading online. I did/do it for my job, and also like to read the NYTimes online as well as blogs and other news. However, I haven’t managed to read a book either on my computer or using a handheld device such as the iPhone. I have Stanza installed on my phone, but yet I would much rather grab a book off a shelf.
So, here are two questions I had:
a) What about kids’ books and other books that put a heavy emphasis on photos/pictures/diagrams? Maybe it is just me, but I can’t imagine snuggling up with an iPhone and my daughter, and straining to see at the gorgeous illustrations that are a huge part of the “stuff” of children’s books. I guess we could look at them on the computer, but then we wouldn’t be snuggled up in a comfy chair or in bed. And do I want to be teaching my daughter to read on an iPhone or similar device? Isn’t part of the fun of learning to experience the world of books a tactile one? Or is that just an old-fashioned vision?
b) How will these devices affect reading in the future? While the medium was addressed in the article, the future of “reading” was not really touched upon. Will people no longer read (see the article and Apple’s thoughts on why they haven’t gotten into the e-book market) or will people of the future only have a tolerance for reading short articles on screen and foregoing longer books that can’t be read comfortably on an e-reader?
On other topics, this site scares me. Why can’t we just let kids be kids without us messing around and trying to make them better, smarter, stronger, faster, etc.
There was a fascinating blog post in the NYTimes about how parents need to ask for help in raising their kids. I would guess that I am not the only one in agreeing with the author that it is difficult to ask for help. Amelia has only been in this world a few short months, so I can’t really speak from vast experience, but nonetheless this article resonated with me.
A snippet: “I am bad at asking for help. Turning like that to someone I did not pay or was not related to feels like an intrusion on their life, handing them a complication that was technically mine to solve. I know it makes no sense — I would be happy to watch a friend’s child, or run their extra errand — and yet to ask for that same kind of favor feels like an imposition. In an emergency, yes, but in a day of general chaos, no. I did so over the years, but not often and not well.
All this is another way of saying that asking can feel like weakness.”
So far this week I have gotten through Lilies of the Field and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Last night I picked up Deliverance (which I haven’t read) but after looking at the back cover, I opted instead for The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul (which I have read, but believe it is worthy of a second…er, third? read).
And, that’s it for now. I took some cute video of Amelia today so I will aim to post it tomorrow.