- Posts tagged reading
- Explore reading on posterous
Dog-eared Digital Books
"If I die tomorrow, well, at least my children, who are approaching as we speak, at least they will have a very good idea of what I was like, of what my mind was like, because they will be able to read my books. So maybe there is an immortalizing principle at work even if it's just for your children. Even if they've forgotten you physically, they could never say that they didn't know what their father was like." - Martin Amis [1]
I recently attended the Books in Browsers (BiB) conference [2] at which I heard Bob Stein make the point that there is meaningful and emotional value in annotating written content [3]. While Martin Amis is referring to the act of writing a novel, we could all share experience, in text, across time. If I carefully annotated my thoughts (likes, associations and criticisms) on The Life of Pi [4], with contextual information (an autumnal commute, in a Mancunian bus, aged 24), my children could perform the same act, with the same text, at the same point in their lifetime. This experience could be extremely poignant.
While it occurs with physical books (more frequently in academic genres, perhaps), annotation could be promoted and enhanced through digital reading devices and services. A paper based manuscript is limited by the rate it degrades and its physical size, a digital equivalent (as long at its content can be deciphered) can last, and be expanded, indefinitely. Annotating is not a new concept for the web (and therefore formats like ePub), projects like the Open Annotations Standard [5] have been attempting to solve this problem, with limited success, for some time. One key constraint being the transient nature of the source.
Other BiB talks touched on these subjects. Blaine Cook and Maureen Evans talked about authors being able to use the tools familiar to software developers (source control systems like Git [6]) and social-networkers to aid communal content creation and blur the line between writer and reader (Maureen nurtured a crowd sourced cookery book based on these principals [7]).
Content creation, in this style, might not be appeal to every reader, but note making could. James Bridle's talk covered some of the key features that bookmarks and annotations should provide [8], an appealing idea he described was:
"Traditional books, physical paper books, are fantastic. You can read them cover to cover, bookmark them, dog-ear them, write notes in the margin, underline your favourite passages, treasure them, keep them, and lend them to your friends. Ebooks should let you do these things too - but sometimes they don't." - James Bridle [9]
Taking into account all of the above, there is a strong argument for implementing this kind of functionality within eReading tools. In the Open Books Checklist [8] (item three) includes the following: "You should be able to save these marks separate from the book itself." The Open Annotation proposals share the same ideas. There's another way to look at this.
Borrowing further from software development practices, open source in particular, readers could purchase a "release" of the book. From that point on the book is theirs (their own "version"). Annotations and bookmarks can be added directly to them (in a format that can be hidden/revealed) this version can then be passed on, and on, gaining a life of its own, each reader leaving their mark (as developers leave their comments/foot-prints on a code base). The digital equivalent of browning, dog-eared, written on pages.
As with software, the user's version may deviate from further "releases" made by the original author. These could be merged or ignored at the reader's discretion, this way the supplements can't be separated from their source material (physically or over time). Example usage might include: a teacher annotating a text, then providing this version to their students, who further branch the content. The teacher could choose to merge the best student content back into their version, and when a new text is released choose whether to merge or continue with the version they have with their next class.
My copy of the Life of Pi, becomes our family copy. Each of us leaving impressions, a new edition is irrelevant, ours is the version that means the most.
[1] http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1156/the-art-of-fiction-no-151-marti...
[3] http://www.slideshare.net/synch101/bi-b-bob-stein
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Pi
[5] http://www.openannotation.org/
[8] http://www.openbookmarks.org/checklist/
[9] http://booktwo.org/notebook/everything-is-the-same-only-different/
Tools for Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic
The 3 Rs are the basis of education. So fundamental are these skills I inevitably use, improve and enjoy them daily. The tools needed to perform them vary, but I currently favour the following:
Reading: Amazon Kindle
Like the Portable MP3 Player's effect on music collections, portability has changed the way I consume writing. I often have three books on the go (programming for work, something educational and a novel), I read as I walk to work and have the kindle within reach pretty much the entire day. I still have plenty of physical material, but having my entire library at hand is a real luxury. I'd be very surprised if the momentum of e-reading doesn't equal that of portable audio soon. The kindle is simple, light and lacks the distractions offered by more complex devices. Mix in some Slow-Media philosophy: using long-form reading tools like Instapaper and custom Hpricot scraping scripts, you can read web-content away from the distractions of a PC.
wRiting: Squared Whitelines Notepads (1 A4 Wire Bound, 1 Pocket), Pencils and a Kum Automatic Longpoint Sharpener
Notepad and pencil are a simple, effective, low-tech, way to record ideas. Electronics are fragile (Kindle included), transient and, comparably, hamstrung by their inputs. Tablets may be improving, but drawing and writing are elegantly straight forward and tactile the old way.
I like to have a slim, pocket, notebook to hand at all times for quick use. Moleskin's Cahire and Field Notes are great, but, to me, Whitelines are the best match with an HB pencil for readability. An A4 pad is essential for prolonged note making. I prefer squared paper as it suites diagrams, notes, equations and can be used in any direction.
I'm still experimenting with pencils (recommendations welcome), although most HBs will satisfy (I know many readers will have favourite pens, but there is a unique charm to the humble wood and graphite pencil). It is the sharpener that I think makes the largest difference, thanks to Brendan Dawes, I've discovered that Kum's Automatic Longpoint Sharpener is a cut above any other I've used. Seriously, you may scoff but it's properly cool.
aRithmetic: HP-12c Finance Calculator
My wife rolled her eyes at discovery of my HP-12c finance calculator. It looks dated, for the uninitiated, the reverse-polish input is hard to operate and it's expensive (compared with bog-standard models). But this calculator is a classic, a design that has barely evolved in the last 30 years. It hasn't changed because it doesn't need to. Scott Locklin gives a better account than I, and the mechanical Curta could be a worth contender, if I could get my hand on one.
These tools all have a certain low-tech appeal, even the kindle. They feel like a gentle antidote to the hectic computing environment in which I spend most of each day. Although the HP-12c and Kindle are digital, and require power, they do not flicker, beep or emit light - and are, largely, dependency free (provided the Kindle is amply stocked). In combination, I feel that they could provide a life-time's worth of insight and enjoyment. Throw in a reliable solar charger and these tools could make a desert island a very enjoyable place to be marooned.
