Swimming vs Surfing

I was recently flipping through one of my mother's magazines, Good Housekeeping I think. I came across an advertisement that I loved. It's only one page but it conveys a big message. The title said “We surf the Internet. We swim in magazines”.  This is absolutely true. While on the internet, we skim the surface and jump from page to page, never really digging any deeper. In magazines or books we immerse ourselves in the written word.

Once in a while I will be reading an amazing book that has me totally enthralled. When I take a break from reading it, I usually think of it as coming up for air. It’s a metaphor that I particularly love and when I share it with other booklovers, they agree that it perfectly describes the sensation of pausing whilst reading. When you are reading a really great book it is like being underwater. All other sounds and distractions fade to indistinct echoes of a world happening outside of the one you are reading about. If I am especially engrossed in a book and then suddenly startled out of it, it is a shock to my system, like coming up to the surface to fast. It takes me a moment to readjust to what is happening.

However, I still love surfing the internet (I would like to learn to actually surf as well but that’s beside the point). It’s fun and, like real surfing, faster paced than going for a swim in a book. Surfing keeps you just above the surface and makes it easy to move around from place to place. Perhaps it is the weight of the physical aspect of the magazine that holds one under the metaphorical water. But being underwater isn’t necessary a bad place to be.

Here is the ad of which I spoke:

Paper Supply

I cannot study for an exam off a screen. I remember things better if I see them on a piece of paper as opposed to on a screen. I can shift through long paragraphs and find what I need with more ease if I am holding a physical copy of the article or story instead of scrolling down on a screen.  

That being said, the eco-warrior in me resists wasting endless reams of paper just so I can better study for an exam. But I usually do it anyway. At this point in my life my need to get a better grade on an exam trumps my need to save the world from global warming. Is this selfish? Perhaps a bit. But my impact seems so small, the guilt over wasting precious resources doesn’t last long and I go on to print again.

I try to always print responsibly though. Unless it's a paper for a class that has specific format requirements of course. I adjust the margins, the font size and I print front to back. I go through what I want before I print and cut out the information I know I won't need. I try to keep my carbon footprint as small as possible whenever possible. 

One would think I would be more accustomed to reading off a screen. I grew up with computers and most of my days are spent looking at one. 

Meet the Classics

Penguin Classic Books placed typewriters in computer department of bookstores to call attention to their classic collection.

I am in love with this idea. I love it when people are able to combine old and new media in interesting ways.  Genius marketing.

And a sweet looking typewriter. 

Newspapers: A Reflection

The first time I was in a newspaper was the summer I was seven years old. My friend and I were at the park. We were the only ones there that day. The local paper was doing a story on how hot it had been that summer. A reporter took our picture and asked us questions about our summer activities. Later that week our images were committed to ink. I was so excited to see myself in the newspaper. I thought everyone would for sure see it and that somehow made me important. Like a local celebrity.
Of course that was not the case. The paper in my hometown is a small one. It has little in it that could be considered actual news. Most of its pages are filled with average human interest stories or ads for local businesses. I can't count how many times I've been in my hometown paper since then. At least a couple dozen times for this and that. My mother has kept each and every issue in which I mentioned or pictured.
In high school, I wrote for my school's paper. Most of the pieces for that were quite trivial and boring. They were very routine and took little effort to write. Once, a student reporter wrote an article criticizing the student body about its disrespectful attitude towards the teachers and staff at school. That caused quite the scandal and was a topic of hot debate for weeks at our little school. That is the only time I ever experienced first hand the impact a newspaper article can have.

Electronic Paper

A device that is solely devoted to one function? Unheard of these days.

Meet the NoteSlate. This device is a tablet that one can write on using E-Ink. And that’s all. One can’t connect to the Internet, read the latest bestseller on it, or play any games on it. The NoteSlate is meant to be a piece of virtual notebook paper and nothing else.

While this might seem like a step backwards to some, I like the idea. This tool could be used to write down one’s ideas, notes, sketches, lists, or whatever without the distraction of the Internet. It would be like having an endless supply of scratch paper. It does have all the basic inputs such as USB, headphones, and SD card so you would be able to transfer everything you wrote to whatever other device you would need. And at only $99, it’s relatively inexpensive. And a lot cheaper than buying a regular notebook every time one runs out of paper. Plus (a major plus), it’s much more eco-friendly.

But in the end, is this concept a pointless one? Wouldn’t having Internet access and all the other bells and whistles be much more efficient? Is this just another example of technology for technology’s sake? I haven’t a clue, but it does look cool. 

Dim O'Gauble

I looked at least a dozen examples of digital storytelling. The one I chose to talk about, I chose for the shallowest of reasons. It had pretty colors.

Of course, that is not the real reason I chose it. The project titled Dim O'Gauble was actually very interesting. It tells the story of a young boy (I assume his name is Dim O'Gauble, but one cannot be entirely sure) who is sees dark visions. These visions are apparently dark and nightmarish from the sound of it. The boy's mother seems to be less than sympathetic. It is only his grandmother he can relate his visions to. I got the impression that she, too, had visions. Something was said about it skipping a generation. They are never really explained. Like most of the other projects on Dreaming Methods, this story is presented in bits and pieces, letting the reader fill in the gaps. Though I must say that this story is one of the more complete ones, making it much easier to follow.

The graphics were well done and beautiful, though less than elaborate. The story is presented on the screen in layers. The layers move with mouse which makes for a interesting effect. It is as if you are digging through the layers of the story. These background images look like random doodles that appear to mean nothing. This just adds to mystique though. Parts of the story appear on the screen only briefly and then fade away. Because of this I had to go through the story several times to get it all.

One simply clicks on the yellow arrows to move through the story. Though, some of the words are links which takes the reader 'into' the boy's visions. These visions are effectively eerie. 

Overall, I quite enjoyed this digital read. It was interesting and visually appealing. I highly recommend taking a look at it.

Surveys and Sweets

This afternoon I was unassumingly sitting in the cafeteria when I was approached by a woman bearing candy and an iPod Touch. What was that thing my parents always told me about strangers with candy and portable media players?

In any case, I ignored my parent’s advice and spoke to her.  She asked me to take a survey about the food services here. As a form of payment for answering these questions, I would receive a free piece of candy. Sadly I would not get to keep the iPod. The iPod was instead the tool used to take the survey. Twelve questions were answered via the touch screen device. It seems these new media instruments are becoming ever increasingly present in daily life. Something as simple as asking and answering a few questions is now made easier and more environmentally friendly. No paper and pencils to carry around. No surveys to sift through when done. All the results are immediately calculated without the risk of a single paper cut. Very convenient, indeed.

Carrying around a half dozen iPod Touches and giant blue bag of candy did look a tad cumbersome. But still this must be vastly superior to the old way of conducting a survey. And very rewarding when one considers the candy.

I took the Skittles. 

For Best Results

Instructions in the ways of old media. Perhaps I was mistaken when I thought books to be less fragile than their electronic counterparts. At the very least, the number of instructions here is far less than that which would come with the eBook readers. 

eBooks: My Humble Opinion

Similar to most people I know, I have mixed feelings about eBook readers. I fear that most of what I have to say about them has already been said many times over. However, I shall write it out here anyway and hope that I might be able to add something new to the conversation; nonetheless, I would not blame anyone who chose not to read this particular entry all the way through.

I can appreciate the advantages eBook readers offer. It would be nice to have all your books in one place and be able to take them with you anywhere. It certainly would be easier to carry. Being able to purchase books and read them instantly would convenient as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered books online and had to wait as the next three or four stretched out to feel more like an entire month. When you are truly excited to read a book, it is almost painful to have to wait to read it.

Also, on average, eBooks are cheaper than regular books. So overtime the eBook reader would essentially pay for itself when one counted all the money saved buying digital copies of a book rather than one made of paper.

Speaking of paper, the eBook reader requite very little of that. It is much more environmentally conscious to purchase an eBook. It must save quite a few trees. As someone who tries to be ecofriendly, this is a major plus.

There are so many different eBook readers out there now. There are the big ones such the Kindle and the Nook. Both Sony and Samsung have its own eBook reader. There’s also the PocketBook and the Kobo and a dozen others that I’ve never heard of. It’s clear that the eBook reader is not going anywhere anytime soon. And (no surprise) even Google is getting in on the game:

(regardless of what it says about Google or what it means for the book business, this a pretty amazing video)

But like any true bibliophile, I cannot help but feel a small amount of animosity towards the eBook. No matter how bad it is for the environment, I will always prefer the feel of paper than piece of machinery.

I would miss the smell of books too. For me, it is one of the most delightful smells in the world, right behind the smell of fresh baked muffins and a new pot of coffee.

Being able to hold a book and turn the pages will always be preferable to touching a screen. A book doesn’t need batteries. And if it gets wet, it does quite working. Sure there might be some water damage, but that won’t stop me from being able read it.

Having shelves of books might be more expensive and take up more room than an eBook reader, but that won’t stop me from preferring real books to virtual ones.

Instant Ink

Rubber stamps. I don’t know about everyone else, but I had a huge collection of them when I was a child. Every once in a while I would take them out to create my own strange works of art. They are an old medium for sure. It’s been ages since I’ve seen one. Looking back, I’m not sure what made them so much fun. There were countless different shapes you could get in a rainbow of colors. It was easier than actually attempting to do draw something myself, I suppose. I always got a kick out of it when I was young. How many afternoons did I end up with inky fingers and reams of paper covered in smudged stamping? They always got thrown away in the end anyway. Other than in the scrapbooking world, what purpose do they serve? There are the times when a teacher doesn’t want to spend the money on shiny stickers; they usually opt for the stamp.

Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “Where is she going with this? Stamps? Who cares?” Well just hold on my friend, because you are about to be blown away.

I have just discovered that even this old art form could go high tech. There is now a concept design for a device that is a digital camera and rubber stamp in one. You take a picture and, through some crazy miracle of modern technology, have the option of turning it into a rubber stamp. Thus you would get an instant copy of the photo in ink. It’s like a Polaroid, only more fun. If you ask me, a stamp is way cooler than getting a regular printed version of your photos.

Too bad it’s only a concept right now. But if this product were to become a reality (a reasonably priced reality) I would most definitely be in line to buy my own. What more could one want from life than to have a digital rubber stamp? Turn my own face into a stamp? Yes, please!

Here is the link to the design if you care to learn more.