The Charms of the Medium (of communication)

So as most of you know, my new favorite gadget is Amazon's Kindle. I can't help but talk about it and how much it has changed the way I read, think and generally access literature. Good job Amazon... talk about creating a product that connects deeply with its user's turning them each into little marketers (that work for free).

One of the most common reactions I get to those who are skeptical of the Kindle is: "but there's just something special about the feel of the book." And I completely agree with them. Just as we form deep connections with the characters in the story, the medium through which the story is told also inserts itself into our experience. And so a "good book" has a feel, a smell, an aura to it. There's a certain kind of reverence we feel in a library, almost like walking into a church and a time machine at the same time. Standing in awe at the physical presence of centuries of human thought coded, categorized and set in type.

And I am sure there were plenty who thought that the essence of manuscripts might be degraded with the advent of the printing press. But as we know today - new charms arose with the new medium just as the old ones died (or changed). And so I don't think any of that actual essence is lost when books are converted to digital. The sensations are different, but the reverence is still very much present if not magnified.

Instead of pages, my fingers tread the brushed aluminum and plastic finish. Just like a good book, I feel a certain emotional attachment to my Kindle as my mind is whisked away through a good story. But in addition to this book-like love, there's also a bit of that library reverence.

Access to an entire library, from Socrates to Blink with one touch of that little gadget, is an incredible experience. And because of this I am also much more likely to actually read often. I can read multiple books at once (without lugging them around) and so best match the story with my current mood- and what I am most receptive to. A metro ride with Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days (in my case in French), or a waiting room with Dale Carnegie. I now can't wait to get "stuck" somewhere as I can now sit down and read. This completely mobile library then brings with it new charms. Try it out...I'm sure you'll be quite surprised.