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Internet making books outdated

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't even reckon newspapers will ever disappear, which are a far more likely victim of the internets.

    I cannot be the only one who enjoys reading the paper over pint of beer in the pub or sitting in a park? No online edition of a newspaper could ever compete with that...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Reading text of any reasonable length on a screen is horrible.

    It's enough of a chore reading you lot's messages. :p
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    Books won't disappear, no matter how much Google try to claim otherwise, until they invent a screen that you can write on. In my work I do a fair bit of research and, although I have access to online journals, I still prefer getting the paper copy of the Welfare Benefits handbook, or the legislation, or the student finance regulations. You can annotate them.

    :yes: Paper versions of legistation and rules can be a heck of a lot easier to find what you want sometimes.

    Tolley's tax (lists the main tax rules, daedlines, fines etc) is invaluable compared to the nightmare of the HMRC website/useless call centre staff.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Certainly my office at work would look a lot less impressive without the shelf of weighty looking tomes...:D
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    KiwiFruit wrote: »
    Are you saying in this comparison that books can't be beaten by advent of internet?

    Many can be, and many can't be.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    CptCoatHanger wrote: »
    Reading text of any reasonable length on a screen is horrible.

    It's enough of a chore reading you lot's messages. :p

    Is worth mentioning that things liek Kindle don't use traditional back lit displays like monitors - but then again that's a different question since Kindle isn't the internet.

    I think if we see a genuine change to monitors, using the proposed full colour style kindle displays we might see a change in the way people read things.

    However, still doesn't address the fact that the internet doesn't come close to the actual content levels in books.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    Is worth mentioning that things liek Kindle don't use traditional back lit displays like monitors - but then again that's a different question since Kindle isn't the internet.

    I think if we see a genuine change to monitors, using the proposed full colour style kindle displays we might see a change in the way people read things.

    However, still doesn't address the fact that the internet doesn't come close to the actual content levels in books.

    Have you used one of those Kindle devices? Are they any good? I had the impression they were an egregious Amazon selling medium.

    The convenience of a book is a big pull for me; I wouldn't feel comfortable taking a £200 electronic device in the bath with me.
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    Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    KiwiFruit wrote: »
    Sounds like you believe books will become obsolete. Get ready when a paper book is a collectors item and certain ones published are priceless
    I don't, it seems you missed my point...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    CptCoatHanger wrote: »
    Have you used one of those Kindle devices? Are they any good? I had the impression they were an egregious Amazon selling medium.

    The convenience of a book is a big pull for me; I wouldn't feel comfortable taking a £200 electronic device in the bath with me.
    Exactly this. When I was in college, my water bottle leaked all in my bag and destroyed one of my books. If that had been a Kindle I'd have been completely fucked. Plus I'm a bad book-lover and I love the feeling of cracking a fresh spine :D, and I love seeing them all sitting on the shelf being all bookish and awesome.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi

    I have a weakness for giving unsolicited advice, which includes this blog itself. And the recommendation I like to give most often is simply to read books. Recently, because of an encounter with a friend, I questioned myself: Why do I do that? Is it still a valid tip in the age of the Internet with free articles, podcasts and videos? Are books outdated?

    Don't get me wrong: This is not a "books versus Internet" discussion. The Internet is an amazing source of information and to ignore its potential for research and learning
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wikipedia is fascinating, googlewhacking is fascinating, but the only internet sites you can rely on are those publishing respected journals. It's the journals that people go for, not the internet.

    The good thing and the bad thing about the internet is that any old whackjob can put whatever they want on it.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »

    The good thing and the bad thing about the internet is that any old whackjob can put whatever they want on it.

    Very true but they can be spooted a mile off, and most people that do provide content for the internet are aiming to provide good content otherwsie they lose visitors.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Most people aim to provide content that caters for their target demographic. Most content is well-researched but most content is inevitably biased. This is the same of any media to a lesser extent, but there is simply no reliable peer reviewing on the internet.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    Books won't disappear, no matter how much Google try to claim otherwise, until they invent a screen that you can write on. In my work I do a fair bit of research and, although I have access to online journals, I still prefer getting the paper copy of the Welfare Benefits handbook, or the legislation, or the student finance regulations. You can annotate them.

    I don't like too much online stuff in reserch either-nothing beats walking through the library aisles where you see and touch the wealth of info in paper reference materials
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    The good thing and the bad thing about the internet is that any old whackjob can put whatever they want on it.


    Look whos talking :wave:


    Seriously, The internet can never replace the feel and crisp texture of a fresh book or the smell, it is a source of wealth and I have many E-books from the net but it'd never replace the real books :)

    I want a libary in my house
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    See I'm sitting here in the interesting position of having an e-book up on the screen and a hard copy of the thing on my desk next to me.

    There are bits you can't beat the paper copy for, reading through a section, getting the jist of something. If I'm looking for something, bearing in mind this thing is like the yellow pages, then the e book is fab because it's searchable. Finally, if I'm using the charts from it, then again, I'll come across them in the book when I'm using it on my desk, but print them off the e book as so much easier to use on flat sheet than out of the book.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bumped because it seems Arnie seems to agree with the OP!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8090450.stm
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