Agreed, there's a difference in the experiences. I guess for younger folks, the tactile experience is the button pushing and scrolling, which is as familiar to them as page turning and caressing the spine of a book is to us. I guess when those kids' children and grandchildren are reading, then those then-parents will complain about how you can enjoy reading a book when the comforting feeling of a keypad is replaced with swiping at holoimages in empty air.
----- Original Message ----- From: "B Smith" <daikaij...@yahoo.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:35:19 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust I miss that as well. I can't do the e-book thing. Comic books work for me in that format but I love the experience of holding and reading a printed book. The Kindle, Nook, I-pad, etc. can't seem to replicate it for me. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Martin Baxter <martinbaxt...@...> wrote: > > I admit to missing that as well, Charles, sitting around and chatting. > Didn't get to do it often, with the demands of work, though. > > On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Charles Sheehan-Miles < > char...@...> wrote: > > > > > > > I made the comment to my wife a couple weeks ago that I'd be screwed if we > > had any sort of apocalypse (or lengthy power outage for that matter). After > > three moves in one year (and another one coming up in a few weeks), we got > > tired of lugging around dozens of boxes of books from state to state. After > > the last move, I donated more than a 1000 books to the local library, and > > replaced most of them with ebooks. I carry my library around in my pocket > > now, which is great… but when the battery dies, it really sucks. > > > > I have mixed feelings about Barnes & Noble. I was a regular at Oxford > > Books in Atlanta for many years, met my wife there, got married in the > > coffee shop. Not long after B&N opened up in Buckhead, Oxford started > > careening toward bankruptcy, due to a combination of bad management, too > > much debt, and sudden intense competition from a national chain. B&N killed > > off many many independent bookstores, and now ironically is being killed > > off > > by virtual competition. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, because > > I'd give a lot to be able to sit in the coffee shop at Oxford again > > chatting > > with the other regulars late into the night. > > > > From: Martin Baxter <martinbaxt...@...> > > Reply-To: < scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > > Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:16:31 -0400 > > To: < scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust > > > > > > > > "My hunch is that B&N never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied > > as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores." > > > > Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like B&N so much. I'm > > not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, > > only > > because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're unavailable > > in > > print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be > > viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or computer, > > you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. > > > > On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn <ravena...@...> wrote: > > > >> > >> > >> > >> http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership > >> > >> > >> How did Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? > >> > >> The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the > >> hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale this > >> month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books it > >> sells at a discount. > >> > >> The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, but > >> to me there was an air of desperation about it. > >> > >> The simple explanation for Barnes & Noble's decline is the Internet, which > >> spawned Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), e-readers and digital books. But > >> that didn't have to be the end for B&N, which had a dominant market > >> position > >> and should have out-Amazoned Amazon, leveraging its brand and innovating > >> when it began marketing and selling books online. > >> > >> I know exactly when B&N lost me as a customer. Some years ago, to compete > >> with Amazon, B&N began offering free same-day delivery in Manhattan if you > >> placed your order over the Internet by 11 a.m. I did so several times -- > >> and > >> not once did the books arrive when promised. Everything I have ordered > >> from > >> Amazon has arrived on time or earlier. Then came Amazon's game-changing > >> Kindle, and instant delivery. Nothing I've read about B&N's belated rival > >> Nook has tempted me to try it. > >> > >> My hunch is that B&N never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied > >> as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. As B&N > >> focused on managing decline, a much more nimble Amazon could concentrate > >> exclusively on the new world it was forming. B&N needed to destroy its > >> business model to prevail. Now it is probably too late. There is a lesson > >> for all businesses here. > >> > >> > > > > > > -- > > "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell > > wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik > > > > > > > > > > -- > "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell > wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik >
