Comments on: Paper or Digital? http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/2009/09/23/paper-or-digital/ through my eyes. between my ears. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:45:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Shaylon http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/2009/09/23/paper-or-digital/comment-page-1/#comment-1896 Shaylon Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:45:35 +0000 http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/?p=1466#comment-1896 I love the convenience of having E-books. I love having my bible on my iPhone and and even have my Greek & Hebrew Bibles on my cell. What's the drawback? Well...when I get a text it pops up in front of God's Word, when I get a call it digitally alters the screen, when my battery is low a notification superimposes itself over the text. Further, my phone is also dedicated as an address book, contact list, GPS device, camera, video game console, etc. It is very... impermanent, changing function every few minutes. Maybe it's just me, but that feels empty at times. When I hold my Bible in print, is has texture, smell, memories, and it's unchangeable. If I'm reading Jesus' conversation on the Road to Emmaus, the words on the page don't change. No phone call, no voice from the other room, no text message can impose itself on those pages...they remain as they have been. And I need that permanence, I need to tangibly hold and read God's Word knowing it is alive, yet concrete and in this fixed form. God's Word is still God's Word on my iPhone, but that device serves so many other purposes it's often hard to give precedence to Scripture...it becomes an app among apps. I think we need to ask questions such as: "What does it do to us subconsciously when we can see what we call Divine Speech appear & disappear before us? Are the things that replace or impose themselves upon it taking away from the aspect of holy revelation? Does technological impermanence create compartmentalization in our Christian lives?" There are many more questions to ask, and I think they're worthy. That being said, I am very much in favor of technology that enables carrying God's Word with us & reading it by any means possible. I've started asking some of the people at my church, to bring their Bibles as an act of devotion & spiritual discipline. I bring my English Bible, and follow along in Greek/Hebrew on my iPhone. Sometimes, I read from that in sermons. Great Blog Lynse :) -Shaylon I love the convenience of having E-books. I love having my bible on my iPhone and and even have my Greek & Hebrew Bibles on my cell. What's the drawback? Well…when I get a text it pops up in front of God's Word, when I get a call it digitally alters the screen, when my battery is low a notification superimposes itself over the text. Further, my phone is also dedicated as an address book, contact list, GPS device, camera, video game console, etc. It is very… impermanent, changing function every few minutes. Maybe it's just me, but that feels empty at times. When I hold my Bible in print, is has texture, smell, memories, and it's unchangeable. If I'm reading Jesus' conversation on the Road to Emmaus, the words on the page don't change. No phone call, no voice from the other room, no text message can impose itself on those pages…they remain as they have been. And I need that permanence, I need to tangibly hold and read God's Word knowing it is alive, yet concrete and in this fixed form. God's Word is still God's Word on my iPhone, but that device serves so many other purposes it's often hard to give precedence to Scripture…it becomes an app among apps. I think we need to ask questions such as: "What does it do to us subconsciously when we can see what we call Divine Speech appear & disappear before us? Are the things that replace or impose themselves upon it taking away from the aspect of holy revelation? Does technological impermanence create compartmentalization in our Christian lives?"

There are many more questions to ask, and I think they're worthy. That being said, I am very much in favor of technology that enables carrying God's Word with us & reading it by any means possible. I've started asking some of the people at my church, to bring their Bibles as an act of devotion & spiritual discipline. I bring my English Bible, and follow along in Greek/Hebrew on my iPhone. Sometimes, I read from that in sermons. Great Blog Lynse :)

-Shaylon

]]> By: Melinda http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/2009/09/23/paper-or-digital/comment-page-1/#comment-1891 Melinda Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:58:12 +0000 http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/?p=1466#comment-1891 First off, NPR rocks! I'm a fan of Fresh Air and Science Friday, to name a couple of their programs. Second, I think the convenience of e-books and the like is thrilling. My high school son has several versions of the Bible, as you mentioned, and he uses them frequently. Some of his textbooks are e-versions. I think they are a great option, since they can be so interactive, budget friendly for the schools, lighter on the backpack, etc. However, I am genuinely concerned about adding even more to the dumps in the form of defunct e-ware. The volume of cell phones, computers, iPods, PDAs, and now Kindle related wares is staggering. We may save trees, but we are creating a toxic hazard. First off, NPR rocks! I'm a fan of Fresh Air and Science Friday, to name a couple of their programs.

Second, I think the convenience of e-books and the like is thrilling. My high school son has several versions of the Bible, as you mentioned, and he uses them frequently. Some of his textbooks are e-versions. I think they are a great option, since they can be so interactive, budget friendly for the schools, lighter on the backpack, etc. However, I am genuinely concerned about adding even more to the dumps in the form of defunct e-ware. The volume of cell phones, computers, iPods, PDAs, and now Kindle related wares is staggering. We may save trees, but we are creating a toxic hazard.

]]> By: Allen http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/2009/09/23/paper-or-digital/comment-page-1/#comment-1890 Allen Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:02:27 +0000 http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/?p=1466#comment-1890 Personally, I think that the eBooks need to come down in cost. The readers should be no more than $150 and should come with a few books installed. The books should also come down in cost. If the bulk of the printing and distribution overhead is no longer applicable, the product should reflect that cost difference. It is the same as MP3s as opposed to CDs. The price HAS to be lower for the market to grow. Personally, I think that the eBooks need to come down in cost. The readers should be no more than $150 and should come with a few books installed. The books should also come down in cost. If the bulk of the printing and distribution overhead is no longer applicable, the product should reflect that cost difference. It is the same as MP3s as opposed to CDs. The price HAS to be lower for the market to grow.

]]> By: David http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/2009/09/23/paper-or-digital/comment-page-1/#comment-1887 David Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:03:27 +0000 http://www.lynseleanne.com/blog/?p=1466#comment-1887 I'm not especially nostalgic, but I do treasure the books I had as a child. However, I'm really excited about the Apple Tablet that's coming 'soon', as then I likely won't need to buy a book again. I don't miss CDs at all, so the >1500 of them now "rot" in my back room. We sell some of them on MusicStack, but the vast majority just sit there because they're all now on iTunes. Real v virtual is an ongoing argument that will continue for a while I reckon. Back to the specifics of the schools stuff though...why not use e-readers for new purchases, but keep the existing paper books for use as well. A real-life transition to the virtual. I'm not especially nostalgic, but I do treasure the books I had as a child. However, I'm really excited about the Apple Tablet that's coming 'soon', as then I likely won't need to buy a book again.

I don't miss CDs at all, so the >1500 of them now "rot" in my back room. We sell some of them on MusicStack, but the vast majority just sit there because they're all now on iTunes.

Real v virtual is an ongoing argument that will continue for a while I reckon.

Back to the specifics of the schools stuff though…why not use e-readers for new purchases, but keep the existing paper books for use as well. A real-life transition to the virtual.

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