Tag Archives: library
Just Around the Corner
Christmas is just around the corner, and I’m enjoying the different pace of life that comes with the season; my husband’s work is winding down toward the end of the year, which means he can come home earlier than usual (he works 10+ hours a day, so early is 7:30 pm!); and people seem to relax around this time of the year, too – they’re less stressed, more genial, and become more aware of their fellow man – which is as it should be all year round.
It’s cold outside but still no sign of snow, though the sun coming through the windows and threatening to melt our chocolate Christmas tree ornaments doesn’t deter me from listening to Christmas music! My favourites this year are the new Pentatonix album, “That’s Christmas to Me”, and Idina Menzel’s “Holiday Wishes”, both on Spotify. I take more time to read, to watch films, to slow down, to do crafts, to simplify life. One thing I simplified recently is our CD collection; I eliminated several hundred (!), because I found them on Spotify (if you don’t know it and love music, welcome to “life just got grand”! Check it out on http://www.spotify.com); we have the premium version, which means no adverts, and the artists get paid for their work (which is important to us).
Being the crafter I am, I figured that that amount of CDs would come in handy for something; I’m using some to make coasters, but keep my eyes open for other up-cycling ideas. I sleep very little (I jokingly refer to myself as “half-vampire” as I only need about 4-5 hours a day), so I have a lot of time on my hands, which I enjoy as fully as possible in all of the above!
Below is a panorama of where I now sit; my work space is at the top of a short flight of stairs, and just behind my computer is a round window that looks out over our town and toward the international airport at the other side of the valley. Just behind the computer you’ll notice a cat hammock; it’s one of two on that railing, and it’s usually full… our cats enjoy watching the sunrise through the round window. To the right of my desk is a set of drawers, atop of which is a cat bed; it’s also usually full, with Allegra.
Whatever your circumstances, whether you’re alone, or with family or friends, my wish for you this season is that you can find time to enjoy your own company. If you’re alone I know it can be difficult at such times in the year; I’ve been there, and spent a fairly dismal Christmas alone in the middle of nowhere one year; but it can be a time of discovery, if you choose to let it be. Go somewhere out of the ordinary, even if it’s just a new corner of your own town; shake things up, or come to rest – whichever you need most. And whatever you do, wherever you are, remember the Reason for the Season.
Merry Christmas!
Our library, with my work space up in the “eagle’s nest”
Filed under Articles
The Debate: Online vs. Onscreen vs. Physical Reading
I came across an interesting article (click on the photo below to read it for yourself) on the Scientific American website; it compares e-reading to physical reading, and discusses the pros and cons, the questions as to whether our brains are adapting to deal with the new technological challenges, and whether or not we as a human race could risk losing certain cognitive functions by abandoning physical reading. I found the article informative; but I also observed myself while reading and I discovered a few things:
As I write (type) this, I’m sitting in my usual writing location – in our home library surrounded by well over a thousand books. I’ve collected antique books over the years, and have some nearly 200 years old, while I have my own latest books fresh off the press as well. Those books, old or new, aren’t for show – they’re for reading. I also have a Kindle, and often read books either on the Kindle or on my android Tab, or even my computer with the Kindle for PC app. But as I read the article I found myself getting impatient, and I realized that the article, while professing to be a neutral assessment of the two mediums, had broken a few unspoken criteria for Netiquette: When I read online my expectation is that the article is succinct (not rambling); 300-500 words is the optimal length (give or take a bit), and yet this SA article was over 3,900 words long, equivalent to 7 A4 typed pages (I copied the article to plain text for a quick check). As a comparison, a random chapter from a novel (taken from my Kindle) was at 3,200 words (5 A4 pages). Underlying assumptions are that a) a typical magazine or periodical article that works in a printed format should work equally as well for an online format and b) if it doesn’t it must mean that people reading online are less patient or (dare I say it?) less intelligent than our print readers. But some of the questions (and one assumes they are rhetorical) the article raises are, “As digital texts and technologies become more prevalent, we gain new and more mobile ways of reading—but are we still reading as attentively and thoroughly? How do our brains respond differently to onscreen text than to words on paper?” Had they looked at any resources for tips on writing articles online, they would have seen a tip at the top of most lists regarding length. Our brains do respond differently to online text because we have a different set of expectations or criteria.
Personally, I read a lot. A LOT. Both digital as well as printed formats. I would classify myself as, for want of a proper word, “Polyliterate”: I read equally thoroughly in a book and on my Kindle / computer. But criteria and expectations are different for online vs. onscreen, and I think the article misses that distinction. Onscreen, I’m thorough; online, I expect the text to get to the crux of the matter within the first screen-length (and conclude by the end of the second); I have no patience for those sites that force a reader to click through several screens to get to their point(s). Precisely because I work on the computer, my online time is more valuable; I want conciseness. And as to reading books, like any true bibliophile I love the feel of a good book in my hands, the tactile experience of knowing just where I am in the context of the whole story; but I also love taking an entire library with me in my Kindle, getting lost in the story either way (and not the format).
Just Curious:
If any of you take the time to read the entire article (by clicking on the photo) below, what are your thoughts? Or if you have given extensive thought to this issue yourself, what do you think? What are your reading habits and expectations of physical vs. onscreen vs. online matter?
Image Credit: Amazon
Filed under Articles
Stephanie Huesler 