HumanResources
Senior Member
I don't mean reading as a whole; I mean books. Hard-covers, paperbacks, overpriced University textbooks. . .books of all shapes and sizes. In the age of PDF files, e-books, audio-books, and other electronic media, are hard-copy books on their way to extinction?
My opinion is that, seeing as how the iPad has a bunch of downloadable books which actually read the text out loud for you, (not to mention the new iPad esque e-book thingamajjiger that's out now) it's sort of a sign of where we're headed. It's sad really -two years ago there was a Waldenbooks in the mall near my house, it was always crammed, and usually had folks lined up to learn, read and buy calenders. After walking by there the other day I saw that they were out of business, closed forever...
In all honesty I'm not so sure if standard books are "dying" per say, but they certainly aren't thriving either. I fear the end of pen and paper is nigh. On a moderately related note, I think a lot of people actually expand their crystallized intelligence through literature (most notably, their vocabulary). I don't think this is something kids can learn by just reading online or hearing it, they all near have to experience it via written literature. Seeing some teenagers nowadays not even using proper English half the time is rather sad, and goes to show how much reading they've done in their life (and likely drugs too). There have been some cases where I actually have to dumb my words down so that others can understand me.
Eh. The long and short of it is that I hope future generations don't become degraded vegetables, although with the way written "lit." is going down the tubes we're almost destined to devolve into a state of... at the least... national illiteracy.
Cuss and discuss.
My opinion is that, seeing as how the iPad has a bunch of downloadable books which actually read the text out loud for you, (not to mention the new iPad esque e-book thingamajjiger that's out now) it's sort of a sign of where we're headed. It's sad really -two years ago there was a Waldenbooks in the mall near my house, it was always crammed, and usually had folks lined up to learn, read and buy calenders. After walking by there the other day I saw that they were out of business, closed forever...
In all honesty I'm not so sure if standard books are "dying" per say, but they certainly aren't thriving either. I fear the end of pen and paper is nigh. On a moderately related note, I think a lot of people actually expand their crystallized intelligence through literature (most notably, their vocabulary). I don't think this is something kids can learn by just reading online or hearing it, they all near have to experience it via written literature. Seeing some teenagers nowadays not even using proper English half the time is rather sad, and goes to show how much reading they've done in their life (and likely drugs too). There have been some cases where I actually have to dumb my words down so that others can understand me.
Eh. The long and short of it is that I hope future generations don't become degraded vegetables, although with the way written "lit." is going down the tubes we're almost destined to devolve into a state of... at the least... national illiteracy.
Cuss and discuss.
