E-books are becoming an increasingly popular trend in regards to reading and literature. Many books are making the movement to digital format, leaving physical books to eventually whither away. It makes sense, considering all the conveniences of E-books. The portability of an entire library, the reduced costs of each book, the ease of obtaining more books. As technology progressed, E-books even gained functions that were thought to still be unique to physical books. Highlighting text, writing notes, among others. This essentially leaves physical books with nostalgia as their strongest factor.

All of these changes however, should be expected. After all, the progression of books throughout history has been similar. Scrolls were replaced with the bound codex for increased portability and manageability. From papyrus to parchment to paper, for cheaper and more easily mass produced writing material. From writers to presses to printers for the same reason. Now E-books  cut down on ink for text, cut down on the materials needed for books,cut down on size for portability.

This natural (or I suppose mechanical) progression from books to E-books is just the modern take on past repeated processes. That being said, this stage of progression will be finalized when E-books are the primary form of literature, with things like the codex as artifacts of the previous generation. With the difficulty of managing security for E-books, that generation is still a ways away, but still bound to happen.

When we talked about Oprah’s book club and the idea of “who has the right to make recommendations?” I recall all the reviews and recommendations of anime I find. Most of the time, I can criticize and argue that some reviews are poorly written, or just plain wrong, based on the fact that I have watched the regarded series. Many people write many reviews every day, but the sad fact remains that they are almost always poorly done. And most people accept them anyway. When I look at a reviewer, I tend to check how many shows they’ve watched, just to see if they are remotely familiar with what they are talking about, and most of the time they aren’t.

On the other hand, with my reputation, I get pegged as the “Anime Guy” and people ask me for recommendations. Without knowing my anime background, they assume I can give them what they want. From my perspective, it is difficult to give a recommendation without knowing what they watch, what they like, or if they have ever watched an anime. Even from all that I have watched, I have trouble designating good gateway series.

Overall, it seems people have low standards when it comes to looking for recommendations in some areas of media. It comes down to “if anyone can give me a title, it must be good.”

The discussion with the Chinese knock-off of Harry Potter with the added bonus of Disney’s Maleficent reminded me of another case from a few years ago. That would be the Chinese knock-off Gundam statue. This article shows a comparative photo between the Gundam built in Japan and the copy statue built in China. It also states how the Chinese park officials DENIED the claims of similarity.

The number of digital reading devices is rapidly growing. People are turning away from printed books and towards eBooks, especially as eBooks become more functional. In this article, 77% of respondents said that computer and Internet access is very important and 53% said that libraries should offer larger eBook selections. As I said before, in a world where we value multi-tasking and are always in constant communication with others, or feel the need to be, eBooks can better provide us with the means to read while still immersed in our busy lives.  Libraries are noticing this and starting to move towards large eBook collections.  Will there ever be a time when the printed book is no longer being produced? I can’t remember where, but I read somewhere that one library, I think in Texas, is on its way to becoming the first public but bookless library in the US. However, I personally always print readings out when Professors only provide them in a web format. Won’t it cost libraries more money in printing (from people like me) than buying paperbacks?

“A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.”-Abraham Lincoln

As I began to do some research while brainstorming for my third portfolio, I came across this website that is filled with quotes on the importance of reading. A few that stuck out to me are:

“We read to know we are not alone.” – C.S. Lewis

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”- Victor Hugo

“I divide all readers into two classes: Those who read to remember and those who read to forget.”- William Phelps

As someone who is not a big fan of eBooks I’m considering looking at how they are important today and what benefits they have.  In today’s world where we are in constant communication with others and where multi-tasking has become the norm, eBooks allow us to read more easily, cheaply and quickly.  They allow us to divulge in multi-tasking while also promoting reading. Kids today are often more enthralled by the words on a screen than the words on a piece of paper.  eBooks provide an easier way to search within books and annotate as well. I am constantly seeing more and more people with eBooks and their importance is growing in our culture.

Here is the Lord of the Rings parody I brought up in class the other day.  I think that it is completely fine if people make parodies because it is not trying to change what the original work was. It should be an honor to have a parody made because that means someone or some people thought that a work of art was important enough and relevant enough in society to have a parody be entertainment for others.  This parody obviously is not the movie, but it follows the basis of the movie.  I think it is great marketing to have parodies made and they should continue.  It takes creativity to make a parody and some people are really good at it.

Here is my brainstorming for my essay:

CD’s, cassette tapes, etc..are a thing of the past. MP3‘s started in…..with the….and iTunes began the revolution of distributing individual songs to coincide with the release of the iPod. Since iTunes has been selling individual songs, the distribution of music has been different than it has been in the past, and it will never be the same again.

Past distribution: Full albums were sold, people listened to all of the songs on an album and artists were appreciated…..Stores were there to sell these things and now they are gone.

Apple then thought it would be a great idea to sell songs individually so people wouldn’t have to buy the full album. This reduced album sales, but was good for the music industry because then people could spend their money on a wider variety of music.

People are able to take their music places now. There are no Walkman’s and (%) of people have iTunes compatible iPods/iPhones. People can be more immersed in their music at all times. There is no such thing as portable record players…you don’t have to carry a bunch of tapes or CD’s around to listen to different things…