In Praise of Bibliophilia

I agree veghead, I collect books like treasure but it's definitely not the case for my kids. They read on-line, do their homework on-line, play games on-line, etc. I have to schedule my xomba writing time around their schoolwork time as homework and essays are submitted electronically to their teachers and we only have the one computer. I honestly don't think that kids will return to physical books like we grew up with. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, either. I'm interested to see the future of the book, the e-book and what could possibly be next. +1 from me!

Peace,

Mia NW

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Thanks!

Loved the rant, Veghead. It's true what you say: virtual-world addicted kids are going to make the real world a very sad place to live in.

Not so keen on Shakespeare myself but I get your point.

I have a huge collection of books (I'm a guy so huge to me means about 75 to 50). I also have many books for my children. To me reading books really takes you to that suspended reality where anything can happen and my worries are forgotten. My dad was a big collector of books so that is probably where I got it. I probably read about two to three books a month.

reading a book and reading online.
I cannot read e-books: I have to print them!

I've never been a huge fan of reading books online. There's just something missing in the experience, plus it's just not as comfortable as finding a nice comfy chair and losing yourself in a book.

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I guess it depends on how old you are (no offense). I don't have any problem reading off a screen but my parents, aunts, uncles, etc. can't seem to do it.

Either way, reading off a screen isn't healthy for your eyes because of the flicker...

Hi, my name is mphsgrl and I'm a book addict.

One of the biggest complaints my friends have when helping me move, is about the boxes and boxes and boxes of books I have. They cannot understand why I don't just leave them behind. "You've already read them, so what's the point in keeping them?". Aaaggghhh, how can I explain to anyone what my books mean to me?

I will admit that I tend to be obsessive about any interest I have, and am trying to learn moderation in baby steps.

I'm proud to say, though, that I have begun recycling some of my books through a local used bookstore where I also earn credit towards future purchases based on the amount of books I give to them.

Glad to know that threre are other book freaks out there...
I can't even imagine reading an ebook. I suppose I'll give it a try eventually.

I try not to read too much text online, because it feels less natural than reading in print, partly because of the constantly but subtle flickering you mention. I don't know if ebook readers like the Kindle solve the problem of the flicker or not.

I do think some of the worry about young people not reading great books because of the Internet is exaggerated, at least in terms of literature. Cliff's Notes and similar guides have been around for decades; the 'Net just makes them more accessible.

And the argument about people not reading Shakespeare, etc., is actually an issue that I started hearing about more than 20 years ago, long before the Internet. In 1987 the book The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom argued that American education and culture was being dumbed down because schools were no longer teaching the classics in literature, philosophy, etc., and said that colleges were turning out students who were no longer intellectually curious. His argument was partly based on the fact that schools were eliminating required courses in the classics in favor of reading more contemporary authors and those other that what critics called the "dead white male" group of thinkers.

In internet, you know, you can sometimes interact and you cannot be 100% concentrated. It doesn't depend how old you are: it is not healthy to read for hours on the monitor!
But I can read for 24 hours a good book. I am just away in another world and i live the book in myself.
It is not just another way to read, not the same.
I can explain you in this way: I'm musician and I listen a lot of music every day. (CD, video, MC and so on)
But it is a very different experience to listen a live concert and to be there! You live all emotions really.
The same is for a book.

I thought Xomba notified us by e-mail when we got new comments, but I guess the system doesn't always work? Anyway, I just happened to be trolling around the website and stumbled on all your comments, so I'm going to be lazy (I've got a book I'd rather read!) and answer you in one general comment.

I'm relieved to find fellow bibliophiles out there. Some of the points you make, like staring at a computer screen being bad for the eyes, are another reason to take a break from the Internet (not to mention all those tiny tiny vision-killing screens people stare at in their mobile devices).

E-books are a kind of compromise to real books, but I always download e-books if I want to read them.

And yeah, Cliff Notes have been around forever, but nowadays there are thousands (or at least hundreds) of those kind of websites that allow kids to basically cheat and not read what they should read, and even have somebody else ghostwrite their papers.

As for Shakespeare, I'm actually not a huge fan either but I recognize how influential old Will has been in our culture and kids should be familiar with his work for that reason.

As for book collections, between my husband and me we have thousands of books, some of them dating from when we bought them in the 50s and 60s, and most of which are just collecting dust on a bookshelf, but the thought of dumping them is agonizing. They're part of the family. It would be like abandoning a beloved pet at the animal shelter.

Anyway, keep reading, everybody. Let's not all turn into technogenius ignoramuses!

Getting notified about comments is something you sign up for in your Xomba profile or when you create a post, I think. Have you been getting notified about your other posts?

E.g., I was emailed about your comment and a few others today, but I've noticed that I don't always get notified and never got emails about comments for this particular xombyte. Maybe I should say something to Nick about it. I don't want people to think I'm ignoring them.

Xomba sends me often twice my subscriptions:-) For my mailbox is too much...

I guess xomba still has some kinks to work out of the system. They also seem to go offline more than any other website I'm involved with.

I agree it has nothing to do with age. I am writing a series of articles now on vitamins, and I have learned that those of us who are reading alot online really need more vitamin A than those who do not. It really is unhealthy for any pair of eyes no matter what the age. But, I still love the feel of a book in my hands, and for me I can focus better when reading from a book verus online. But since I have started writing and reading online more you tend to get use to it.

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Goto your profile and click the edit tab. Now click the My Subscriptions tab. OR Click the My Subscriptions link in your menu block on the left.

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Good news: We're updating all our code on the site and I think that will take care of most of the little bugs. Hopefully, it will enable us to bring back related articles and reads if well. (If not we'll takle that issue next)

We hope to complete that by July, but we'll see.

Once we get it done on our test server I'll be able to share some stuff with you.

then we'll move forward with the redesign.

Just hang in there.

I just created a new entry in the FAQ that explains subscriptions. I'll also include this in our blog later today.

Please let us know anything else that needs better explanation.

Thanks.

I'll go see if I can fix my particular subscription problems.

I agree... books are the best read.... and are like old friends.... not to be discarded...

As to Xomba... it has had more problems than some other sites... but it has been growing so fast... I remember last July and August being so excited to see 200 or 300 guests online at a time... and within months it was not uncommon to see 2000 or 3000 online at a time..... That kind of growth is really hard to accommodate...

Getting related articles and page views back will be fantastic... I am so glad to know that they will be back soon....

Have a magical day.... maybe with a book...lol

Angel

angelskates, of the various websites I've been writing for, xomba is the most accessible as far as admin goes, even with all its rough spots. I was going to say it was the friendliest, but I've found a few difficult types here. But hey, that's OK. One of the advantages of getting old is that you care less and less about whether people like you or not!

Yeah, books are the best, and I'll never give them up. I do have a fear that I'll go blind someday and won't be able to read. I think that would make me suicidal very quickly.

Not to mention that Xomba is still around ... and going strong. I've heard of people writing for other sites that went bust.

Things have come a long way on Xomba. At the beginning, I think it took about six months for me to earn my first $10.

It feels like you've been with us since the beginning.

Personally, I don't even feel like we've launched Xomba yet.

mankind

Maybe I was so indoctrinated with 'reading=books' that books-on-'computers' (also text-reliant, at least popularly-so) didn't seem so weird to me.

I would probably say that the elimination of the gross matter allows the writing to be translated more effectively from text to thought.

But I get what you're saying: it's a different experience, like 'reading the music and causing the vibrations' versus 'popping-in the cassette and pushing play.'

With More Devotion to than Words Dare Express,
Uncle MythMan

Just curious! -veghead the A cup

At least you're a literate hooter lover.

Well, actually a C-cup; but even a pre-A-cup is a EEE to a baby.

I was always taught that clævage is the sign of 'angels' wings surrounding the heart of the woman and her husband.'

With More Devotion to than Words Dare Express,
Uncle MythMan

I actually collect (and read) old books... since no one wants them, they will probably be collectable in the future.

It's no picnic carrying those babies around, and I'm not talkin' infants: bra straps digging into shoulders, back pain as previously mentioned, cleavage that begins at the neck, the embarrassment of being stared at by drooling oglers such as yourself. Nope, not much fun for the oglee, especially when she gets old and they kind of empty out and hang down to her waist. Of course, your girl doesn't have to worry with the silicone and/or salt water implants to keep 'em perky well into her 80s.

Oh god! I just had a horrible thought! Carol Doda at 80 years old!

And yes, I imagine you'll be able to get some bucks for them, especially if they're first editions in mint condition (I think that's why collectors don't read the books they collect; they don't want to get them dirty or worn out).

Well most of the ones that I have are not collectible by today's standards. And they get used. They get quoted, especially when I find good nuggets of information that most people no longer remember...