Theory on paperbound books extinction

I'll always read paperbacks. Hell, you can find them at yard sales and second hand stores for like .50 to 3.00. Can't beat that! You can also trade with friends or donate them to the poor.

Originally posted by blupblup
Not only that.... but let's say all knowledge and all books and all art goes digital, nobody owns physical books or films or art or anything.

Then there is an outage or solar flare or some sort of accident whereby everything is wiped out and all books and knowledge are lost.


Maybe it's a long term plan to rid the masses of their knowledge and intelligence.

edit on 14/4/12 by blupblup because: (no reason given)

Just thing of all the data and information that there is no paper back up for. One good EMP and all of that is lost forever. The amount of media that has no paper back up is so much it unreal. Just thing of all that is on your computer or camera and the internet that is not backed up on paper. It is an accident just waiting to happen.

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD


I wouldn't want to live anymore.! I had the same theory, that in the near future paperbound books and literature would be virtually eliminated. I really can't stand reading E-books, unless I absolutely can't find it elsewhere.

reply to post by fixer1967


That's why I believe that we do not and possibly do not have records of civilizations maybe 10,000 years ago because if they got so techy and "everything" became electronic, everything is much easier to lose for the masses, yet we cannot rule out the possible chance that the Elite may have or hold these priceless artifacts to remain powerful. Good reply, thanks

personally, i cant read well, or for long, of a screen, i find paper much easier on the eye. Right now im half way through Huxley's Brave New World, its amazing. It cost me 8 quid, i can take it with me anywhere, it does not require a power source and for all those times you have nothing to do, like waiting on a bus, being on a train ect, it makes the time fly by

reply to post by CaptainNemo


I didn't think that there are so many on ATS that do not care for the E-crap, and stay old school for good reasons.

Thanks

I try to visit any and every library book sale, as well as out of the way antique/local-downtown America book shops and buy anything that I think might seem valuable. I don't do it for me or my kids, well partly, but mostly for my great- and great-great grandkids.

I have been collecting books since the 1970s. I find this e-books trend troubling for the reasons mentioned previously by other posters. Electronic media can be messed with, edited, or a good EMP could wipe out our electronics all together.

I have been purchasing books which document some of the crimes committed under the aegis of government. Some of them are now out-of-print. I have a good library built up (at least 500 books or so). My kids think I'm nuts. They use kindle and expound on its ease.

I tell them that, if there were no electronics due to an EMP, or somehow they lacked the ability to power up the batteries, then they have nothing. I can read my books with nothing but daylight or a candle, and they cannot be edited after print or deleted.

My favorite books are a set of the old classics like David Copperfield and Ivanhoe, which I picked up at a yard sale back in the 80s. The owner of the books long ago had written: This book is property of David McManus. July 20, 1932. The Hoover Depression is on. Here is a list of my friends.." and then he lists a bunch of boy's names. Every time I see the old writing, done with an old-style pen dipped in an inkwell, I'm taken back, imagining this boy, bored on a summer's day, writing in his books, which at that time were close to 30 years old.

Can't get that on kindle!

Originally posted by Germanicus
I have thought the same thing.

You have google going around the world scanning books. You have bookstores closing down all over. I think we are on the brink of a new dark age.

I also think we are in a semi-dark age right now. Nobody reads anymore,people are getting dumber. Most ATS users are evidence of that.

I read like a maniac. The only people i know that read more than I do are my family.

I only read ebooks off my kindle now though =). Although I have a nice collection of books still.

As for the hidden meaning if any .........I don't know, I guess it makes sense for Them to hide and fabricate the truth. Just the fact that they are desecrating the the sanctity of the paperback and hardcover book makes me feel so sad. Take the history books and lie all you want, but for all that is holy leave us the classics!!!

reply to post by itsallmaya


I want to go on record saying that it was ignorant of me to write, "Take the history books and lie all you want.."even in jest. ATS motto of Denying Ignorance means a great deal to me and I appreciate the dedicated members who uphold this high standard and the knowledge I have gained from them. So in closing I apologize and wish to recant that statement.

Thanks

Bookbinding and print is not going "extinct", but it has taken quite a blow..

The only people that say "books are going away man" are people who throw thousands at Apple products every year, at least in my experience. Disillusioned with their gratuitous amounts of charity to Apple, they've decided to construct a fallacy around themselves to legitimize their shame. "Print's dead man, trust me".

People who read books generally understand why going full "e-reader" is ignorant and unattractive (all points have been made), there have been a lot of books on the subject after all. Good ones.

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD


Its funny you posted this today, because I had the same kind of thought process when I put this thread up today as well:
Is our media being made intentionally confusing to keep us from understanding?

I have wondered about this with all forms of media. I would hate to think we are intentionally being dumbed down or forced into positions where we cannot make intelligently informed decisions on our own, but as far fetched as it may sound, these themes keep on repeating themselves. The basis of my arguement in the above thead is that it is impossible for anyone to make a truely informed decision given our current state in our media. I too have noticed the very rapidly increasing trend towards digital media, and not once that I can recall has there ever been a proposal to put in place any form of secured library or similar to assure our written works are protected should some form of "digital apocolypse" occur!

At the very least, its a really disturbing trend to see how very little we've done to assure the works survive the ages to come...

Excellent points you've brought up here OP! Star and Flag

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by AK907ICECOLD

 

This reminds me of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
(Highly recommend)

With electronic books, subtle changes can be made. Idelogy can be inserted or deleted.

With print publications, the message can be sent and traded and copied and is, in a sense immortal.

I can see to a conspiracy where print media is eliminated so memes can be inserted into the public group-think via electronic publication.

S&F!

Agreed, and there was another movie similar, more recent, which demonized everything personal and warm from a past era including books and perfumes and anything else people were attached to, and a corporation forced people to take a drug that kept them from desiring those things. People who hoarded them in secret were hunted down like wild animals and taken to jail to be executed.
It's all about control of the populace, which a certain segment of controllers enjoy.

reply to post by Bob Sholtz

We must be neighbors...He sounds familiar. I know a few teachers at westminster, I live just down the street from that school.

Regarding the OP, I think many have had these thoughts, between kindles and "the Cloud" and honestly, I don't think it's the best idea not to have hard copies. Sure, sure, because there might be some conspiracy where the elite are trying to hoard the information at the top and have the ease and power of whitewashing the publicly available literature via the digital format of e-books. Very Orwellian, in that the job of censoring news stories would be that much easier, even easier than the way they did it at the Minitrue.

HOwever, I think the greater danger would be that we face the possibility of losing our ability to scaffold on the information of the past if it might suddenly one day all fail, due to catastrophe or some major event - man-made or otherwise. Imagine losing everything, from the Bible and Koran all the way to the latest peer-reviewed studies from universities. It would be a complete set back...total as nothing would be left.

I suppose the only way to safeguard would be to de-centralize the storage of such e-materials, but then, what if the potential catastrophe completely took away any way to access the information (i.e., no more electricity for whatever reason).

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD


Interesting theory. But I think there will always be a market for physical books, and I don't think there is a conspiracy to make them obsolete.

After a lot of research I got a Nook, and with much excitement, began downloading old books to my Nook (free on the net). Much to my dismay, I discovered that even when reading EPUB formatted books, the type was either too small or too large, and that the small screen allowed only a couple of paragraphs at most to show. Charts, illustrations, etc. look terrible on the Nook (though they'd probably reproduce okay on an IPAD). Most distressing of all, I found that after an hour of ebook reading, my eyes were tired, and sort of burned a bit. So much for ease of reading.

Real books are typeset, with thought given to things like line spacing, kerning, choice of font, and even old fashioned things like "widows" and "orphans." With a real book, you can skim the pages in one fell swoop, and visually mark your progress. Illustrations are large enough to be read. The graphic design of the book comes through. I wouldn't give up paper books for anything.

It's really cool to see this thread because just last night, I had a dream about getting a paperback book. It was a novel of some kind . . . I think a Russian novel, and the idea of getting the book was imperative! When I awoke, I realized that I had stopped reading books like I used to because of the internet, and my addiction to it. So, back to books.

Long Live REAL BOOKS!

Originally posted by AK907ICECOLD
reply to post by reitze

 

Why on earth would libraries ban Sawyer and Finn books, are you sure?? Please elaborate that for me.

Thanks

Why was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn banned?

Basically it was because the boys used the word NIGGER. Oops so did I... hope I don't get banned for it... its a conspiracy ya know... BTW, I read those books and thought they were excellent.

Originally posted by kawika
reply to post by beezzer

 

Is it true, that a long time ago, firemen used to put fires out and not burn books?
We must burn the books Montag, all the books...
The fire engines are way cool.

edit on 15-4-2012 by kawika because: add video

Thanks for the tip on that movie. I'm watching it now. So far its GR8!

I just watched Equilibrium. Also good - though a bit too realistic for where we're heading while unrealistic about the way out of it.


Similarly gr8 also is Harison Bergerion

I have also thought about books becoming obsolete, so I've been preparing. I've gotten quite a few really good books off ebay, and then I find many online for free. I print them out and file them in order. E-books are ok, but if you've got no power or no pc to read them on, you're in trouble. I've got books for gardening, medicinal herbs, how to cure meats, build smokehouse, etc. All the old time stuff that has been replaced by modern ways.

I think I'm pretty set if I should need this kind of information.

reply to post by reitze


I think your safe on that because its no slander to a group or individual.

Okay, I have read the adventures, even loved the old Nintendo game system for the Tom and Sawyer game.

my response, wahhhhhh. you know that you can still purchase Nazi books that may say worse. Maybe the libraries won't allow those. but ehhh. thanks for the reply, been waiting for it!

Btw, I liked your comment to Beezzer! totally true IMHO!!

Large scale print will probably die out at some point. However, art and stories, ect, will always be around in some printed fashion. Small scale print solutions will most likely take off. But, it will be mostly within local markets to the producers.