Monday, March 28, 2011

Alas my tome, I knew you well!

What is society’s obsession with ruining their eyes? Technology has leapt and bounded itself into an inch wide screen to which we must squint at to see, and then we bewail the fact that our vision must be weakening since we cannot make out the letters. Why do we not just accept that which is factual and clamor for our technology savvy friends to expand our screens once again?



To be more specific, let us examine the electronic novel age. The written word has come a long way in its evolution. From being painstakingly penned by a chosen and knowledgeable scribe, to the early printing press that created widespread literature to all classes and races; the inked quill to the graphite pencil to the plastic keyboard; from individual thought to the right of being plagued by computer viruses. And now our beloved tomes are being attacked by a mindless evil: ebook.


Without naming outright the name of this little handheld wonder that allows you to port your novels from one place to the other without having to bother with the task of turning a page with your poor, callused, overused fingers, let me describe it to you: small, rectangular, soulless, industrialized, cold, flat, and did I mention small? Where is the papyrus which loves to slice into my stubby fingers? What happened to the sensation of filling my hands with a beloved story as I filled my mind with its images?


Gone.


Now it has been replaced with yet another small screen that allows us to peer at it each day so we may receive numerous headaches and keep our yearly vision appointments. More cost effective per story? Yes. More compact and easier to port around no matter what the destination? Yes. If you spill on it, will you exclaim in horror and utter words you are not supposed to know? Yes.


Hm, it is good to know that at least some things have not changed!




** Let me further add that it has taken over three days for this to post! Almost as if it knew I were condemning technology in some sort of fashion, my blog refused to let me post anything and instead gave me the loading circle of death! A dear friend found a suggestion to change to the old editor, and viola!! Here I am again! Take that, stupid technology that wished to censure my rant on ebooks, for I have been able to post after all!!

2 comments:

  1. Tell it, girl! :) I can't wait to read your A to Z challenge posts!!!

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  2. Sorry, but I love the various e-readers. It allows people to carry any number of books with them, making it easier than ever to read!
    Also, I think it's great that having e-readers gives authors the ability to easily self-publish. Quite a few authors are getting their works out, and making a living in the process, by selling their works for $0.99 in the Kindle store.
    Mark Brown

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