It has been said you could tell a lot about a man by the books in his library. Well, I wouldn't say I have a library but I do have some books. I admit they are mostly novels and not real scholarly in nature. I do have a few historical novels and some reference materials. I'm not certain what a stranger would make out of my collection. Could they tell a lot ? I don't really think they could. At least not a very accurate compilation of my interests.
I believe in todays world we would have to look at the persons online presence to determine the same thing. The Internet is slowly replacing books. You have to admit that. Who still has a set of encyclopedias in their home ? Up to date ? Who has a set of any books ? I did have sets when I was young. I'm sure you folks remember them, they came with the encyclopedias when Mom bought those. They were a collection of the classics and children's tales. Ours had a medical reference book and one that was all about science. All those books have long since gone to the landfill. Disposable books, who would have thought ? Books, good books, used to stay in families for generations. Now, they are more for decoration.
I still enjoy reading a good book on a rainy day. Strange how it is a nostalgic feeling. It really should be an old familiar feeling more than a novelty. Some books are like an old movie to me, I read them again, and each time they are new. Even when you know the plot, you even know the next line, you read it with anticipation. Is it really the story or the holding of the book ? I do get lost in that world when I'm reading, almost to the exclusion of all else. Immersed, as they say, in the story.
There is something about the printed word. It we read it, we tend to believe it. I wonder why that is. It is just as true online, as in a book. The big difference is the ease of finding a contradictory text online. I wonder why so many fail to search for that though ? Is it because when we read something that we already have formed an opinion on we readily accept supporting " evidence " without verifying that evidence ? Is the proliferation of this " fake " news a direct result of the ease of posting it ? What I mean is, it is so much easier to just post a text online and have it read by thousands of people than to print a book or pamphlet and distribute that. The proof of that is this blog. If it weren't for the internet how many would have even read one piece I have written ? Truth is, I probably wouldn't have written these in the first place. In my case it is of little consequence due to my social status. If I were extremely wealthy or famous in some fashion all that would change. Then, I would be quoted, cited as evidence of proof. Funny how that works isn't it ?
That is being called out more frequently these days however and I think that is a good thing. You may be a great singer, or an actor, but that doesn't mean your political views are more or less valid than mine. Being rich and/or famous doesn't make you an expert on everything.
I wonder too if the ease of availability of every type of literature and photograph is proving to be too much of a temptation for some. These sort of things can now be obtained in private and far more discretely. Used to be the best you could hope for was a plain brown wrapper, but everyone knew what that meant anyway. Could this be a contributing factor to the decline in, how should I say this, a less pious approach to life ? It isn't without hazards though. Your online presence is always there and can be accessed and exposed at any time. Then your own words and choices can be used against you. Ask any politician about that. The internet is your permanent record ! A book may be burned, the internet not so much. It has been said the pen is mightier than the sword. I would say the Internet can be a dagger ! In Moby Dick Ahab says, from deaths door I stab at thee ! Yeah I know Khan said it in the movie the wrath of Khan, but Melville wrote it first. The internet can stab at thee even after your death. It just never goes away.
Books have been lost. What knowledge did they contain ? When the great library at Alexandria was put to the torch much was destroyed. Shame it wasn't digitized back then. What more would we know about historical figures and events ? What secrets have been lost and await rediscovery ? The internet as we know it today started in the late 1960's but I'd say it wasn't until the late 70's that it really came online. Almost everything from then on is out there somewhere. If you know how to find it that is. Fortunately we have Google and not the Dewey Decimal System ! But, I suppose you could Google that if you wanted too.
I believe in todays world we would have to look at the persons online presence to determine the same thing. The Internet is slowly replacing books. You have to admit that. Who still has a set of encyclopedias in their home ? Up to date ? Who has a set of any books ? I did have sets when I was young. I'm sure you folks remember them, they came with the encyclopedias when Mom bought those. They were a collection of the classics and children's tales. Ours had a medical reference book and one that was all about science. All those books have long since gone to the landfill. Disposable books, who would have thought ? Books, good books, used to stay in families for generations. Now, they are more for decoration.
I still enjoy reading a good book on a rainy day. Strange how it is a nostalgic feeling. It really should be an old familiar feeling more than a novelty. Some books are like an old movie to me, I read them again, and each time they are new. Even when you know the plot, you even know the next line, you read it with anticipation. Is it really the story or the holding of the book ? I do get lost in that world when I'm reading, almost to the exclusion of all else. Immersed, as they say, in the story.
There is something about the printed word. It we read it, we tend to believe it. I wonder why that is. It is just as true online, as in a book. The big difference is the ease of finding a contradictory text online. I wonder why so many fail to search for that though ? Is it because when we read something that we already have formed an opinion on we readily accept supporting " evidence " without verifying that evidence ? Is the proliferation of this " fake " news a direct result of the ease of posting it ? What I mean is, it is so much easier to just post a text online and have it read by thousands of people than to print a book or pamphlet and distribute that. The proof of that is this blog. If it weren't for the internet how many would have even read one piece I have written ? Truth is, I probably wouldn't have written these in the first place. In my case it is of little consequence due to my social status. If I were extremely wealthy or famous in some fashion all that would change. Then, I would be quoted, cited as evidence of proof. Funny how that works isn't it ?
That is being called out more frequently these days however and I think that is a good thing. You may be a great singer, or an actor, but that doesn't mean your political views are more or less valid than mine. Being rich and/or famous doesn't make you an expert on everything.
I wonder too if the ease of availability of every type of literature and photograph is proving to be too much of a temptation for some. These sort of things can now be obtained in private and far more discretely. Used to be the best you could hope for was a plain brown wrapper, but everyone knew what that meant anyway. Could this be a contributing factor to the decline in, how should I say this, a less pious approach to life ? It isn't without hazards though. Your online presence is always there and can be accessed and exposed at any time. Then your own words and choices can be used against you. Ask any politician about that. The internet is your permanent record ! A book may be burned, the internet not so much. It has been said the pen is mightier than the sword. I would say the Internet can be a dagger ! In Moby Dick Ahab says, from deaths door I stab at thee ! Yeah I know Khan said it in the movie the wrath of Khan, but Melville wrote it first. The internet can stab at thee even after your death. It just never goes away.
Books have been lost. What knowledge did they contain ? When the great library at Alexandria was put to the torch much was destroyed. Shame it wasn't digitized back then. What more would we know about historical figures and events ? What secrets have been lost and await rediscovery ? The internet as we know it today started in the late 1960's but I'd say it wasn't until the late 70's that it really came online. Almost everything from then on is out there somewhere. If you know how to find it that is. Fortunately we have Google and not the Dewey Decimal System ! But, I suppose you could Google that if you wanted too.
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