One of the best times of my life was when I was a single mother, and the only techie things I owned were an old computer, landline, emergency-only crappy cell phone, and a TV/DVD player so we could watch movies. (No local TV channels, no cable.) I spent much of my time outside, doing my own projects, playing with my daughter, and moving at a much slower pace. My hubby is a techie glutton, so my desire to stay gizmo-free went down the tubes upon our marriage. I can do without it all just fine. So when I started hearing about the Kindles and iPads and other e-readers, I stubbornly dug in my heels and declared my undying love for REAL books in all their ink and paper glory. There is nothing like feeling the pages of quality paper, the rough untrimmed edges of some, and the smell of fresh ink, glue, and board. And a book well-read is a book well-loved. It just feels good in my hands. Our office dutifully purchased a Kindle and iPad because we all really do need to be up on the latest technology that will affect our company and industry. Inside I screamed, vowing I would never even touch them. But touch I did. Reluctantly. I didn’t like the Kindle much. Very “sterile.” The iPad provided many more possibilities even though it felt like a glorified iPhone at first. I take 3-5 books with me every time I travel. Instead of book poundage, I could cart the iPad with me and have all my reading material right on there. Plus, it could prove useful for tradeshows in showing our film trailers, catalog pages, press materials, website, and other marketing material. I could see the benefit of the device, even though I’m not rushing out to get one. I’d love to see stereo speakers in some way, or ones built into the front so you could hear better. And sorry, but the slime and fingerprints and smudges all over the screen gets irritating, as does the glare from whatever lights may be around. I could see my hands tiring with the weight and how it has to be held. But I do admit, I can see how useful it could be, and how much it could change our industry. I will still buy my books from indie bookstores, and keep my home library in abundance. I still prefer hard covers of my favorites and purchase separate loaner copies. I still want to sink into my reading chair with a paper and ink book instead of a computer screen. And so the compromise is made: I will hang on to my traditional books while having a healthy respect for the technology coming down the line.
