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…

After today’s brownbag, I decided to look up the court case our guest speakers mentioned, Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons.  According to Forbes.com, this ruling in favor of the student is a “major victory for American consumers because it allows them to shop worldwide for their copyrighted content” (Shapiro).  According to the article, the first-sale doctrine has been taken to court on a number of occasions, including one case in 1984 regarding the VCR.  As students who often purchase used textbooks online from unknown sources, it is important to be aware of the legalities of such actions.

For my third portfolio, I will be focusing on the impact that ebooks and the rise of digital technology have had on lending institutions, such as libraries.  (Today’s lunch talk was especially useful for me in this sense.)  I will use examples of libraries such as the University of Virginia, the New York Public Library, and Google Library to illustrate the positive and negative aspects that this technology has had on libraries.  I hope to incorporate Paul Goldstein’s concept of the celestial jukebox to demonstrate one possible solution/alternative to the lending of ebooks.

I will be looking at what Barthes and Foucault had to say about authorship and readership.  I will then evaluate within the context of the marriage and the 14th Amendment. The Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses in Section 1 have been interpreted differently throughout time. They read, “Nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” How is original intent applied to what is supposed to be a living document? How is legal text evaluated differently as society progresses.

The 14th amendment was established in 1868. Before Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage, conviction of interracial sex as a felony did not violate the 14^th Amendment. Courts did not see it as a violation of equal protection because both whites and non-whites were prosecuted equally for the charges. In 1967, the Warren Court found Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law unconstitutional because it violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Today, these clauses are being evaluated with regards to same-sex marriage. When Hollingsworth v. Perry went in front of the Ninth Circuit District Court, Judge Walker ruled that the ban of same-sex marriage violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case has been in front of the Supreme Court, and a decision is expected this summer. How will the Roberts Court read and apply the 14th Amendment? 

Overall, I am a pro-book person when it comes to the debate between books and e-books. But I can see that the e-book does offer some advantages over the book. I think it would be neat to set up a compare contrast essay while also maybe incorporating interviews into the essay, for the audio part. What I mean by that would be for example, recording a few of my professors’ view points on the debate between such. This topic is greatly relevant to today’s society because e-books are becoming more and more popular day by day, while the book is waning in its popularity. “No technology, not even one as elegant as the book, lasts forever”- Jeff Bezos