9.0008 R: E-Pubs and Books and ... (1/27)

Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Sun, 7 May 1995 14:22:02 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 9, No. 0008. Sunday, 7 May 1995.

Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 10:11:57 +0200
From: <viden@trubaduren.hum.gu.se>
Subject: Re. Willard McCarty's cautionary tales

Isn't that the flaw (? advantage?) of the human mind that we cannot grasp
new technologies in their complete newness? That we always compare them to
what was there before, that which they are supposed to replace? The first
automobiles were built to resemble wagons, were they not?

I, personally, find it hard to imagine a world without books. I can't
imagine myself taking out my little pocket computer and begin to
multimediate in the corner of my train compartment, the way I take out my
pocket book and begin to read today. Computers for work, maybe for active
leisure, but books for the quiet moments in bed, tub, busrides. Books still
have one vast advantage: you don't have to turn them on before you can
begin to use them (not to mention finding out that the battery has run
down!) But is that just me/us, the generation that was brought up with
books? What about the younger ones, the TV- and computer generation? Will
they bring about the development of the tub-proof mini computer, the
ergonomic bed computer?

Gunhild Viden

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Gunhild Viden
University of Goteborg, Sweden
Tel: +46 31 7734691
Fax: +46 31 138030