That was Then

Just a quick post to throw up some photos. I have been discussing the new(ish) eReaders popping up right and left with a couple friends and acquaintances in the last couple days because of the most recent emergence of Barnes and Noble's Nook as well as the presentation of txtr at the Frankfurt book festival.

Do I want an eReader? Well, I'm almost always game for a nifty piece of new technology, but to be honest, I'm not ...yearning for one. I'm happy enough with the combination of my iphone and laptop, but then again, maybe I just need to hold one in my hands and experience it to know what I am missing. But really, I somehow can't imagine it because I love books as physical objects. I love turning pages, having this sense of satisfaction as I make my way through them, always having a sense of how much I have read, and how much is left. I like to browse through them at random too - just stand in front of our bookshelves and pick up something I haven't looked at in a long time and turn to a favorite section or page. I like the smell of books, and the lightness of them. And as I spoke about with my mom last night as we discussed the fact that on the Kindle I could get a subscription to The New Yorker and other magazines and thus avoid throwing out so much paper, I said "yes, but I love to see the artwork on paper." Kind of selfish. Maybe print magazines are meant more for luxury consumption in the future, or as a collectable....

For whatever reason, 10 years ago, I felt quite differently. The Rocket eBook from Franklin came out on the market, cost about 350 bucks if I remember correctly, and I was one of those slightly crazy early adopters. I bought it, used it a bit - perhaps bought about 10 books? I don't remember....and then it ended up in the "we-put-our-too-difficult/cool-to-throw-out-or-recycle-valuables-in-here" closet. And I have dragged it from country to country, not having the heart to get rid of it because of how totally jazzed I was to get it when I did. (Yes, the Nabaztag is also sitting in this closet as well as a humidifier in the shape of a penguin, keeping the eBook company, and god-knows whatever geeky toys I have collected over the years.)

Christian asked for a photo of my Rocket eBook, so here are a few - quite a bit different from those on the market today. I think it weighs...about a kilo - which was one of the primary problems with it - it made your arm tired to hold it for any length of time. (Phone next to eBook photo is so you can get a sense of size)