Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

We are learning that “working class” means “white” for way too many people.

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Reader Interactions

79Comments

  1. 1.

    Comrade Jake

    Apparently McCain and Lieberman are on CNN this morning, talking about foreign policy and health care. That should be full of win. You know, because we haven’t heard what those guys think about these issues for awhile.

  2. 2.

    eric

    I would like to add one more Manzi point as we enter the final days of the health insurance debate in Congress….one might be articulating a truly “conservative position” when requesting a sound and stable work force during the down times so that you can take advantage of the up times….certain, the captains fo industry will argue that this means the up times are not as “up” as they could be, even though the down times are not as “down” as they can be. Yet, the reason we should be legislating a social safety net is not so that we can take advantage of market upturns (even if we have to argue that in the MSM to satisfy the preening masters of capital), but because we are human, all to human.

    eric

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    The actual CBS Sunday Morning — you know, the TV program — is quite interesting today (well, when isn’t it?). Theme is American innovation and creativity. They just had a very cool segment about a guy who makes “paintings” using beautiful colourful beetles. Really interesting.

  5. 5.

    Demo Woman

    @The Grand Panjandrum: lol. Unfortunately, Lieberman lies so much that even if they were side by side, McCain would make a fool of himself. Lieberman is in Jerusalum.
    Don’t forget Liz Cheney.

  6. 6.

    Brian J

    @Comrade Jake:

    Forgive me for asking this if there’s some really obvious answer, but is there no Democrat who is actually a Democrat and not a Lieberman clone (i.e. not Mary Landrieu) who can appear on television as often as these guys? I understand that for various reasons, someone like Dennis Kucinich or Barbara Lee isn’t going to be called up, since they are not Awesome-Oh-Wow-Like-Totally-Freak-Me-Out-Maverick-Bipartisan-Centrist-Responsible-Deficit-Reducing-Great-American legislators. But is it really that hard for them to find someone else? Is it that they just don’t want anyone else, or is it that nobody else volunteers? If it’s more the latter than the former, they need to suck it up, have everyone chip in for a Starbucks card, and force someone to go on television at least twice a month.

  7. 7.

    asiangrrlMN

    I have an ‘exclusive’ interview with President McCain and Secretary of State Lieberman. They both say: Suck it, America! We’re grumpy old men who feel like we’ve gotten screwed over, and we aren’t gonna take it any longer!

    And, where are our Depends?

    /exclusive interview.

  8. 8.

    geg6

    This story on CBS Sunday Morning on e-books pisses me off. I have no desire to ever have a Kindle or its relatives. I can’t imagine that anyone who loves books would. If actual books are discontinued, I will never purchase an e-book. I will be haunting used book stores and re-reading my book collection over and over. Fully half of the pleasure I get from reading is the feel, smell, and look of the printed page. Technology is good for some things, but reading great or even good literature is NOT one of them. If this makes me an old fogey yelling “get off my lawn,” so be it. I am firmly against e-books.

  9. 9.

    A Mom Anon

    @The Grand Panjandrum:

    No teevee for me this morning,just so I don’t even accidentally surf near that channel. I get a totally”creepy old guy”vibe from alot of these men,but that’s probably just my own bias getting in the way. (((shudder,ick,blech)))

    Instead,the Teenager and I are going to go to the animal shelter and meet the puppy I’m bringing home Wednesday. A much better use of my time,I think. And then we’re going on a puppeh shopping spree,new collar,leash,toys,bowls,carrier/crate,the works.

  10. 10.

    R-Jud

    @geg6: This. A relative with a Kindle was trying to convert me. We have built-in bookshelves in every room of the house (except the bathroom): his pitch was that if I bought a Kindle, it would free all that space up. I like having all the bookshelves. Plus, you can’t sit down with your kid and snuggle around a Kindle the way you can with a nice big picture book.

  12. 12.

    A Mom Anon

    @geg6:

    I got my husband a Kindle for xmas. He loves it. But he doesn’t read non-fiction or lit of any sort. He reads spy novels and adventure stuff and ends up spending 30 bucks on a hard cover book he’ll never pick up again or even loan out to people. So for someone like him,a Kindle is a better deal. It will pay for itself in a year or so. He also reads Time and newspapers on it,which means a little less crap lying around here to recycle. It would be cool if textbooks went to e-readers,my kid carries lots of big,heavy books around and goes through a backpack every semester because of it.

    I love books myself,my library shelves are crammed full and I’ve been actually debating on where to put more shelves since all the built-ins are to capacity. I think there’s a good argument for both things,and I agree there’s nothing like a real live paper book for things you adore and want to keep.

  13. 13.

    Brian J

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Should I feel ashamed that I spoke so passionately about Gore-Lieberman in high school because I knew, for some reason, Al Gore was great and didn’t know, because I was young and naive, what a horrendous butthead Joe Lieberman was and is?

  15. 15.

    asiangrrlMN

    @geg6: Ditto this. I love the feel of the page between my grubby fingers. I love curling up with a book, cats in my lap and a cup of coffee at hand. I love the smell of the print, and I love the heft of the book in my hands. E-books simply cannot replace that experience.

  16. 16.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Brian J: No. Lieberman was not full-fledge ooky then, just as Nader was not full-fledge full-of-himself when he first ran.

    @Annie: Thanks. Currently, I have a cat standing on my stomach and rubbing his cold, wet nose all over my hand. Ahhhh, it’s good to be back.

  18. 18.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    Apparently McCain and Lieberman are on CNN this morning

    Wow, what a broad spectrum of discussion.

  22. 22.

    AhabTRuler

    @A Mom Anon:

    It would be cool if textbooks went to e-readers,

    More and more are, either as a kindle version or as a .pdf. My Spanish text from a year ago was available in the Adobe e-book format, while i have found several academic texts (Library binding; list price appx $120-180) available for about $30 in Kindle format.

    @asiangrrlMN: You’d be surprised how “hand friendly” the latest version of the Kindle is, and it is quite useful for those of us with back/neck problems that make holding a 900 page book a chore after a while.

    And in general, I love the dictionary/wikipedia/underlining functions that the Kindle brings to the table.

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Currently, I have a cat standing on my stomach and rubbing his cold, wet nose all over my hand.

    As the weather has gotten colder, Momo has taken to sleeping on my chest. ‘s lovely the way they let us know we are useful and loved.

  23. 23.

    geg6

    AhabTRuler: But why isn’t a book just as (if not more) wicked awesome on your commute? I can understand the Kindle for throwaway stuff like newspapers and magazines, but I simply cannot understand how a true book lover could read a book from one. I have a collection of great literature bound in lovely leather with beautiful paper for the pages. It thrills me every time I re-read them. Jane Austen as an e-book cannot possibly be a tenth as pleasurable.

  25. 25.

    A Mom Anon

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Oh,there will be pictures,once the pandamonium settles.

    I have a 6 yr old black and white kitty who is going to be very jealous and pissed at me for awhile. AND I just found out I will be sitting for a very gentle and sweet blue tick hound(10 yrs old,she’s been here many times)for the next couple of weeks too. So it will be Pet Central around here for awhile. Aleister(my cat)gets along fine with the hound doggie,but a puppy is a whole new level of energy so it’s gonna be an interesting week. I’ll either be insane and covered in pet hair or in pet heaven and covered in pet hair. (not to mention what comes with that whole housebreaking thing,yipes)

  26. 26.

    A Mom Anon

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Oh,there will be pictures,once the pandamonium settles.

    I have a 6 yr old black and white kitty who is going to be very jealous and pissed at me for awhile. AND I just found out I will be sitting for a very gentle and sweet blue tick hound(10 yrs old,she’s been here many times)for the next couple of weeks too. So it will be Pet Central around here for awhile. Aleister(my cat)gets along fine with the hound doggie,but a puppy is a whole new level of energy so it’s gonna be an interesting week. I’ll either be insane and covered in pet hair or in pet heaven and covered in pet hair. (not to mention what comes with that whole housebreaking thing,yipes)

  27. 27.

    asiangrrlMN

    @AhabTRuler: Please tell me you edited to add the last bit or else I’m really out of my mind (I’ve been up since midnight). Yeah, my boys really like to snuggle on me when it’s cold. My friends were saying my kittehs missed me while I was gone. My retort: They missed their 24/7 food service/treat dispenser/petter/pillow, etc.

    @A Mom Anon: Oooh, sounds like it’s gonna be llama drama at your place for awhile!

    @geg6: That’s a lot of pages. I try to stick to 600 or so.

  28. 28.

    geg6

    Text books are very available as e-books. But a couple of students have told me that one drawback is that if you have a book in a subject that requires them to pick out the important parts that you’d highlight in a real book, it’s not nearly as useful. And asiangrrlMN, I am never so happy as when I have a 900 page book.

  29. 29.

    AhabTRuler

    I simply cannot understand how a true book lover could read a book from one.

    DSDF. I love the knowledge, not the medium. And as for the ease on the commute, it is easier to hold one-handed and flip pages, underline, etc. You can carry more than one book with you without paying a weight penalty. I can throw .PDFs on for the ride home, etc. Like with an iPod, it enhances flexibility.

    I refuse to stand athwart the path of progress and yell ‘harumph.’ I am more a “what advantages accrue to me” sort.

    Now, bear in mind that I don’t have cable/teevee, a PDA, or a PS2/Xbox/etc. It’s not a newer, better, faster, more situation, and I was purposefully not an early adopter of Kindle.

  31. 31.

    AhabTRuler

    @geg6:

    But a couple of students have told me that one drawback is that if you have a book in a subject that requires them to pick out the important parts that you’d highlight in a real book, it’s not nearly as useful.

    Depends on the format. Adobe’s e-book format sucks nads (burnt, crispy ones, at that), but the Kindle will strip out your highlights/underlines and notes into a text file. I actually wish I had it during my recent educational experience. Oh well, just another reason to go to Grad School! :-)

  32. 32.

    asiangrrlMN

    @AhabTRuler: Ah. I get it. For me, the tactile aspect of a book is vital to the reading experience. To you, not so much. I agree, then, with DSDF. I don’t want to thwart progress so much as I don’t want my beloved books to completely disappear.

  33. 33.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @R-Jud: I love books, When I was 12-ish we lived in an area that had a library that was easily 100 years old. I loved wandering it, smelling the old books, opening one up and feeling the history in it. I love the look of a bookshelf in my house filled with books. Saying that, I can’t wait to own a Kindle or clone. The idea of travelling and having unlimited books at my disposal. Of carrying it in my bag and being able to read whenever I’m waiting for whatever reason (for an appointment or for transportation). This, for me, makes it a must-have.

  34. 34.

    HRA

    Moments ago I wrote a huge piece about how the electronic resources have affected my workplace. I am a cataloger for the libraries of a major university. I learned to love books at a very early age.

    My own experience with electronic resources began a few years ago when I entered Springer books on computer technology into our database. It has grown in splurts since that time. We purchase less books. Our staff has decreased from 70+ to 19. An annex was built to store older less used books from the stacks. Yet, the annex has a brisk daily business with requests for those books according to a relative who manages it. Donations are the bulk of the work along with special collections in poetry, graphic novels, etc.

    Recently, we have been reassigned in groups of 5 or less for new duties. I now belong to the group that oversees the work of the other groups with the knowledge of doing the same work I have always done.

  35. 35.

    geg6

    AhabTRuler: Well, I guess if you don’t like books for their own sakes, a Kindle works. Books, to me, are about both the content and the medium. I carry a book to work with me every day to read at lunch and have never found it unwieldy. But that’s me. I stand by my boycott, though. I would not take the same joy in reading from a device. And from my experiences with technology failure, I have no faith that e-books I’d purchase would last forever the way my real ones do. Something would happen and I’d end up having to pay and pay to replace the ones my technology lost.

  37. 37.

    Max

    Can I just say how much I LOVE how the PUMA’s are using some serious pretzel logic to blame Obama for the things coming out in the Halperin, etal book about WJC and HRC.

    Next week is going to be so much fun!

    Also, too. Did anyone see Donna Brazile “debate” Liz Cheney? Donna said on Twitter she was going to, but I’m in CA, so I didn’t see it.

  38. 38.

    AhabTRuler

    @asiangrrlMN: If the Kindle (and some of the other e-book readers) were simply another form of computer for reading docs, it would suck. Where I think Amazon has succeeded is in trying to make a product for book readers. The electronic ink screen is very easy to read (and is very book-like in appearance). While the lack of back-lighting is a little bit of a pain, the superbright LED booklights (which are such an improvement of the models that used inkys) are excellent, and the design saves on power draw significantly.

  39. 39.

    jeffreyw

    I would love to try a Kindle, but I live so far out in the sticks that connectivity issues loom large. That, and the DRM issues. If someone wished to buy me one I will happily post my impressions here. (with pics!!)

  40. 40.

    Jim

    Can I just say how much I LOVE how the PUMA’s are using some serious pretzel logic to blame Obama for the things coming out in the Halperin, etal book about WJC and HRC.

    Like the verbatim transcript of the post-primary conversation between Hillary and Mark Penn, in which HRC laments that she “hates” the choice the American people are faced with? Damn those crafty Obamabots!!

  41. 41.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I’m really surprised at the binary nature of this books vs Kindle discussion. I’m one of those who loves the heft of an actual book, the look of ink on paper, and the anticipatory feel of holding a page just before turning it. I grew up in a bookstore (literally — my grandfather founded it and it was in the family for decades), there isn’t a room in my home that isn’t wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and my personal library numbers probably in excess of 10,000. If people have the unmitigated gall to suggest that I just get rid of my books, my usual retort is to suggest that they just give away their children.

    And yet . . . I am on the verge of ordering a Kindle. For one thing, I travel a lot and hauling books around (for airport, plane and hotel room reading) gets *heavy*. For another, I’m already a fan of reading newspapers and magazines on the BlackBerry, but a larger screen would be a great blessing.

    So I don’t see this as an “either-or” proposition. I see it as a “both-and.” The Kindle is no threat to my book-loving ways; in fact, I suspect it will only enhance them.

    Now, will somebody please lend me a hand so I can climb down from this soapbox?

  42. 42.

    jwb

    @geg6: Nice rant earlier. As to why people would prefer electronic copies, there is the issue of space (for storage), weight (for carrying) and cost. Though I generally prefer to work with paper, I love the fact that I can travel with much of my book collection on my laptop. On the other hand, I can’t imagine reading a novel on my laptop (though I have done a little fiction reading on my iPod Touch).

  43. 43.

    Mary

    @Max: Whenever I see a so-called Democrat or progressive go after another Democrat, such as Harry Reid or WJC, for racial comments, I get suspicious why such a person would want to contribute to the right wing’s longed-for race war.

    I notice that the Huffington Post is all about Harry Reid’s and WJC’s racial comments this morning, topped off, of course, with Michael Steele demanding Harry Reid’s resignation.

    Lookit. Harry Reid is a Democrat. I support him. I even sent him an email telling him he was a genius for threading the healthcare needle.

    Fuming here…

  44. 44.

    jeffreyw

    Kind of a bleg: Thawing some lobster tails for a surf n turf dinner today. Planning on sauteing them in butter to keep it simple, unless someone haz a killer recipe I should try?

  45. 45.

    Max

    @Jim: And this one too…

    “A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee,” – Bill Clinton, to Teddy Kennedy, referring to Barack Obama, while appealing to Kennedy to endorse Hillary for president in 2008.

    Damn you Barack! How dare you not know your place.

    ETA – @ Mary: Agreed to an extent. I mention Bill’s remark, not because I think he’s a racist, but because I think it illustrates his character.

  46. 46.

    AhabTRuler

    @geg6:

    Well, I guess if you don’t like books for their own sakes, a Kindle works.

    Well, I have no use for the physical construct as a meaningless totem, if that’s what you are asking.
    There will always be a place for physical books, especially for art books, image intensive works, etc. Shall I tell you of the several David Macauly books I got for Christmas, and he’s an other that will always be superior in paper format. But do I relish paying a publisher $20-120 for the dead tree when the information is more useful and more easily available otherwise?
    For me the question is value-added: does the change accrue actual value, or is it just a toy. At this point in e-book reader development, I feel that the Kindle (and likely other readers, too) does, most especially in the academic sense.

  47. 47.

    AhabTRuler

    @jeffreyw:

    That, and the DRM issues.

    DRM frustrates me intensely, but there is only so much that I will not do because of the issue.
    And bear in mind that even without DRM, record companies have gotten people to buy Dark Side of the Moon (as an example) 5+ (LP, 8-track, cassette, CD, 20th anniversery remaster, 5.1 version (I assume), &c.) times.

    The connectivity issue is a pain, tho.

  49. 49.

    RandomChick

    Put me in the pro-Kindle group. We moved several times in the last few years, and my husband is especially grateful that there will maybe not be more than my 50+ boxes of heavy books to move next time.

    For me, though, the biggest advantage of the Kindle is the access to new material.

    It’s like having a Borders operating out of your spare room. I’ve found new authors and series I never would have given a shot through Amazon recommends. If its less than $10 and 2 minutes, I’ll give some random highly recommended novel a shot.

    I’ve found some amazing authors and novels I never would have read in another format. Some I will be forever grateful to Amazon for recommending.

    On the down side, I now have to add “new books” as an actual item in my monthly budget.

  50. 50.

    daryljfontaine

    Disclaimer: I don’t actually own a Kindle or other e-book reader. I’m a very late adopter of technology, often waiting until it’s been through many generations.

    Even as a book lover, I see the draw, for a variety of reasons. While I occasionally like shopping the remainder bin at a bookstore to pick up last year’s $35 hardcover for $5.99, it underscores the serious problem of overstock (and thus lack of readership) in publishing. An e-book doesn’t endure the sad reality of remainders, and on the flip side, won’t have to wait for another printing that may never come. If you’re a voracious reader with a small apartment dwelling, a Kindle will prevent your home from resembling some kind of book-walled labyrinth (“This week on Hoarders!”). As has been pointed out, if you have physical limitations that make manipulating an actual book difficult, the Kindle seems like it would be excellent. If you’re going on vacation and space in your carry-on luggage is already at a premium, one small device trumps 2-3 large books.

    And anything, ANYTHING which makes it easier or more desirable for someone to read more (or at all) is a good thing. Enough with the sub-literate “readin’s for queers” crowd.

    Yes, the tactile experience of a book’s pages; the ability to share a treasured reading moment with a child over a storybook; the thrill of reading a literal page-turner — all of these are excellent reasons to keep the printed word alive.

    But you can’t deny there are several positives to e-book devices.

    D

  51. 51.

    geg6

    Suibhan Duinne: It’s binary for me because I am a Luddite in this issue. There is no circumstance where I can imagine an e-book being better than a real book. I don’t travel much for work, but when I do, I have no problem sucking up the extra weight. And I can always make room for more books in my apartment. I’ll get rid of clothes and shoes and anything else to make room for books. There is not a room in my place without a bookshelf, even the kitchen and bathroom. I love them with all my heart and soul.

  52. 52.

    RandomChick

    I have to add that the Kindle is very “book-like”. I’ve often found myself absentmindedly reaching for the upper right corner of the device to turn the page.

    I literally forget that I’m not reading an actual book and have to remind myself – button, not corner!

  53. 53.

    Annie

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I agree with you — I love the feel of books. And, at work, I rarely edit papers on the computer. I always print and edit on hard copy…

    BUT, I got a Sony Reader for Christmas, and I have fallen in love with it. The way it is packaged, it even feels kinda “bookish” when I read in bed. I go through mystery novels quickly, and last week when I ran out, I just plugged her in, and within minutes, I had 3 new novels. Perfect for snowing days and for summer boating season. I am amazed at how quickly I adapted….

  54. 54.

    JK

    @asiangrrlMN:

    For me, the most disturbing part of the CBS Sunday Morning segment on ebook readers was the mention of the steady decline in the number of independent bookstores.

    As a New Yorker and a book lover, it’s very disappointing to see how many great NY independent bookstores have gone out of business in the last few years.

  55. 55.

    Janet Strange

    I’m surprised that when people get into the back-and-forth on the ebooks, no one brings up . . . the library!

    I read a lot of what I call my “junk reading” – mostly mysteries, that I have no need to keep in my bookshelf after I’m done with them. I used to spend a fortune on paperbacks feeding my habit, but then I remember this thing called the library where you can get them for free. Did amazing things for my budget.

    I could bring myself to spend the bucks for the device itself (and I think I’m one who would purely love it) but I’d bankrupt myself buying books for it. We have a limited supply of electronic books from our library, but you can only read them on a computer. When we can download books from the library for the Kindle, I’ll be first in line.

  56. 56.

    AhabTRuler

    @RandomChick:

    On the down side, I now have to add “new books” as an actual item in my monthly budget.

    On the upside, there are a huge number of classics in the PD available fer free. I already have a half-dozen or so of the Russian Authors in queue, along with the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

  58. 58.

    AhabTRuler

    @Janet Strange: There is actually an astoundingly large amount of free content available for any e-book reader, especially if it can handle .PDFs. Given, you might start to feel like you’re fiction is coming from your Grandmother’s summer cottage, but there are also academic/professional works available. Plus, there is a crude browser that you can use to access the web. It’s kinda crappy, but that’s mostly a result of the Kindle’s ‘book-like’ emphasis. The blog access is kinda of shitty, b/c the ‘official’ subscription (I’ve only done BJ at present) doesn’t allow you to view/post comments, and back-dooring through the browser is too much of a PIA at present to be really useful.

  59. 59.

    RandomChick

    @AhabTRuler:
    Can I get them on my Kindle? I thought Amazon had some kind of restrictions or exclusive access rights. There are a few free Amazon downloads, but they all appear to be Christian novels or to suck in other ways.

  60. 60.

    SIA

    @25 Mom anon,when we introduced an adult male cat from a shelter to our 3 dogs and 1 cat, someone suggested we take a couple towels and rub over the pets we had and the new cat, then leave the towels in each of their sleeping areas so they could get accustomed to the others’ scent. During the first few days we kept the new cat segregated from the others and then introduced them one at a time. It seemed to help.

  61. 61.

    asiangrrlMN

    @geg6: I’m with you on this one. I hauled five books to Taiwan and four books back (lost one along the way), and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I tend to be a Luddite to begin with, and in this area, I am unreasonable. I will fully admit it. I have no logical reason for me to be so adamant against a Kindle or a Kindle-clone.

    @JK: Yeah, I hear ya. My favorite part about living in the Bay Are was all the independent/used bookstores around. Here in MN, we have some, but they are closing with distressing frequency.

  62. 62.

    JD Rhoades

    @geg6:

    It’s binary for me because I am a Luddite in this issue. There is no circumstance where I can imagine an e-book being better than a real book.

    It doesn’t have to be better. Just equivalent, or, for a lot of people, nearly so.

    Hey, Iike paper books too, but I can surely see the attraction of the Kindle, especially for people who travel a lot. I used to have a Palm Pilot with a crude e-reader app and I’d downloaded a lot of public domain stuff onto it (Hammett, Twain, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur Conan Doyle). Even on that tiny screen, I happily whiled away a lot of airport hours.

    I read a lot of what I call my “junk reading” – mostly mysteries

    Ahem.

  64. 64.

    geg6

    JD Rhodes: Well, for me, e-books can never be equivalent. No smell, no feel of the paper and leather, and no pretty paper or the visual texture of paper. And that, for me, makes them absolutely worthless. Like I said, that’s me. Others can do as they wish, but authors and publishers will lose an excellent customer should they get out of the printing biz.

  65. 65.

    gogol's wife

    @geg6:
    AhabTRuler said, “There will always be a place for physical books, especially for art books, image intensive works, etc.” Perhaps, but if everyone stops buying books, there will be no publishers who can afford to publish art books.

  66. 66.

    HRA

    @geg6:

    It’s really fascinating to read the pros and cons of the e-books. I truly understand both sides and still, am on the side of having the book in hand.
    I really do not see the printing/publishing business leaving any time soon. I still see our campus bookstore jammed with students buying books for classes. I process many orders for profs/TAs requests for older books. Then considering the building of special collections in the libraries on a daily basis gives me hope.

  67. 67.

    Mnemosyne

    @geg6:

    There is no circumstance where I can imagine an e-book being better than a real book.

    I’m almost a third of the way through Nixonland but I had to take a break from it because the book is so physically huge it actually hurts my wrists to read it.

    Now that I bought myself an iPod Touch for Christmas, I’m tempted to buy the electronic version through either B&N or Amazon (they both have readers for iPhone/iPod Touch) just so I can actually enjoy it and not keep thinking, “Jeez, my arms hurt.” I started reading an excerpt from Wolf Hall on the iPod and it’s very readable that way.

    There’s no point in getting mass market paperbacks electronically right now because they’re basically the same price as the printed book, but I can get Nixonland and Wolf Hall for under 9 dollars apiece, which seems to be a pretty good price for 896 pages and 560 pages, respectively.

  68. 68.

    jnfr

    The Kindle for PC software works nicely on my netbook. I don’t need a single-purpose standalone device. I have too many things with chips in my house already.

  69. 69.

    AhabTRuler

    @RandomChick: Anything .rtf, .txt, .doc, or .pdf, can be read directly on the kindle. And with the ability to print out to .pdf (and given that more and more documents are being issued as such it has reached industry standard level, it would seem). I would imagine that if you have other formats of e-text files, they probably won’t work directly, although I am sure that some enterprising soul has created a converter. I dunno, not too worried because I don’t have any files that can’t be converted to a kindle readable format.

  70. 70.

    AhabTRuler

    @gogol’s wife: I don’t think that Taschen is going anywhere, but I could be wrong. Print-on-demand technology makes it easier and cheaper to publish, and keeps titles permanently in print. The market for all media is changing, but don’t worry too much.

    A hallmark is that as counter-intuitive as it is, LP sales have grown in recent years.

  71. 71.

    gogol's wife

    @AhabTRuler:
    Academic publishers are in terrible shape. Serious, peer-reviewed scholarship in all fields, including art history, is in danger of disappearing.

  72. 72.

    AhabTRuler

    Academic publishers are in terrible shape.

    I would make the argument that it reflects the overall health of Academia in general. The question is: What is to be done? Certainly there is a degree to which academia and academic publishing are going to have to continue to adapt to modern technologies, but I would argue that the greatest part is that unless the we place a higher priority on all levels of the educational system (including publication), we (as a country and society) are kinda done (which we may well be anyway).

  73. 73.

    Emma

    Gerg: Perhaps that is because you don’t have any physical disabilities? I have developed severe arthritis in my hands, and I travel both on business and pleasure several times a year. Hauling several extra pounds of print is basically impossible. The Kindle would allow me to read several new books while the equivalent of half a large one.

    It’s the same reason why I am scaling back my other electronic “must travels.” I used to automatically reach for my large camera bag with the DSRL and the three lenses. Now, unless I’m going specifically on a photo trip, I prefer to load up with my nice Kodak EasyShare Megazoom. Good enough prints (I’m never going to be doing murals) and very good web display.

    Having said that, I don’t own a Kindle. I own a Creative Zen MP3 player and a subscription to Audible.com. I bought it because I was sick and tired of listening to CNN in airports and to other people’s “private” conversations. At this moment it has about 300 songs, 6 audiobooks, and a collection of language studies tapes in Portuguese, Italian, French, and Scots Gaelic. Sometimes low tech is best!

    And Audible.com rocks! Also, the Gutenberg Project has started doing audio files of their books. Yummy.

  74. 74.

    Ivan Ivanovich Renko

    I read books on my BlackBerry. Why? Because no matter where I am, I have a book (actually several) with me. So, standing in line at the supermarket– whip it out, read a few more pages. Stuck in traffic on the bust? Back to Cryptonomicon. Everyone else is watching the NFL?

    I’ve been reading books on my phones for years now; and the simple advantage that it’s always with me outweighs the disadvantages.

    Those of you who carry purses have more options, of course.

  75. 75.

    licensed to kill time

    I love the way this CBS Sunday Morning thread has a sprinkling of comments about the teevee aspect and then makes a u-turn into a debate about books vs. Kindle ;-)

    It’s almost like there was nothing of value to discuss on the teevee, amirite?

  76. 76.

    henqiguai

    @asiangrrlMN (#61):

    Here in MN, we have some, but they are closing with distressing frequency.

    Hey, asiangrrlMN ! Uncle Hugo’s – how’s it doin ? 1000 miles distance notwithstanding, Uncle Hugo’s closing would be personal loss. I no longer get the paper version of their newsletter, so I’m completely out of touch with Uncle Hugo’s and the happenings around Lake and Hiawatha.

  77. 77.

    Jules

    @geg6:
    Hmmm, I guess I’m not a book lover as much a person who loves to read.
    Love. To. Read.
    Books are nice and all, but the pleasure I get from them is the act of reading, not the book itself….and I normally just give the books away of trade them in at a used bookstore for something new to read.
    I have not bought a Kindle (or one of the other readers) but as soon as the price dips below $150ish I’ll have one.
    Plus I have carpal tunnel and now have to wear my braces while reading for any length of time my hands begin to hurt so much.

  78. 78.

    Lurker

    @daryljfontaine: You nailed the reason I turned to a Sony Reader – my tiny apartment could not hold all of the books I wanted to keep. Whenever possible, I use my Reader or the library. I still have a mix of art books, graphic novels and hard-to-find titles on my shelves, but it’s a more manageable collection now.

    For those interested in DRM-free classics:

    http://www.manybooks.net

    ^_^

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