Wired Culture is moving over to WordPress.com
I haven't had much time to post lately but I'll be moving it over to WordPress and you should see more from me in the future.
See you there!
-Erica
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
The “Pretty” Side of the Kindle
Earlier this week I wrote my thoughts on the “ugly” side of the Kindle and what I personally didn’t like. As I noted, however, not everything about the Kindle is bad and the more I use the device, the more and more I like it. I find myself looking for books that I already own in paperback to download and I’m actually dismayed when I can’t get them.
Now, keep in mind, I’m still learning my way around this device and I’m learning new things on it all the time. There are features I’ve played with but not used to their fullest extent yet, but can see how they’ll fit in nicely with my reading needs. Just today I purchased a book on a whim of the recommendation from a friend (Thanks Mike!); a Choose Your Own Adventure Zombie book. I wasn’t going to buy it because how in the hell do you flip to page numbers when there are no page numbers? I dreaded electronically flipping page by page trying to figure out where to continue reading. Imagine my delight when I discover that the “where you should go” text was linked and all I needed to do was click it and it took me to the appropriate spot! Genius!
So, with that tangent out of the way, let’s get to what I like about the Kindle.
First, I am truly beginning to love this little portable library. I tend to read more than one book at a time; one for education and one for pleasure. Sometimes I hit up three at a time as I’m reading one for my PhD, one for my work and of course the all-important pleasure reading. There’s something really amazing about sitting at lunch somewhere and switching almost seamlessly between books at the touch of a button especially when all I need to carry is a slim device that fits in my purse. I do a lot of traveling for my PhD research, to give presentation, attend conferences and for other work activities and it’s extremely liberating to be able to take whatever books I want with me and not have to worry about the weight of my carry-on or checked luggage. As a prolific reader, I don’t need to worry about hurrying up to finish a book before I leave so I don’t have to carry that extra weight.
Second, the Kindle has a couple of really cool functions.
First, it has a built in dictionary (2 actually) which is surprisingly handy. I read books and if I don’t know a word I tend to just skip it (bad scholar I know) because let’s be honest, who has time to put down the book to look it up on the internet or grab a dictionary. What if you’re out at a café or driving (being the passenger of course!) and you don’t have access to a dictionary? Reading through Stephen Kind’s “Full Dark, No Stars” I actually used the dictionary for the first time and was fulfilled by how quickly and easily I could add something to my vocabulary.
Second, it has the ability to highlight and add notes. When I’m reading for my PhD I always have carried around a second notebook to take notes and write important pages to go back to. While I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever break the habit (I like the act of hand writing thoughts), it’s a really nice feature to have access to. You can also share these notes and highlights with other Kindle users and via Facebook or Twitter.
Third, you can get some amazing works for very little cost. HOWEVER, not everything is cheaper than its paper counterpart. No one said that eBooks would be cheaper, that was just an assumption on their part. I paid the same for Stephen Kind’s book for the digital addition as I would have for the hardback and I didn’t bat an eye. If there’s something I want to read, I’ll pay what’s asked of me for the author’s work. What I have found though, is that I’m picking up stuff I otherwise might not have read or purchased. The Choose Your Own Adventure book I mentioned earlier was only $2.99 so I was okay with the gamble of paying for it. In contrast, the paperback is $14.95 and I most likely wouldn’t have spent that had I come across it in the store.
Fourth, not only can you get books for very little cost, you can get some classics for free! I had a field day downloading free books, like the work of Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Darwin, The Brothers Grimm, Japanese Fairy Tales, Irish Fairy Tales, and various other works. Now, I don’t know if I’ll honestly ever read these…but it’s nice to have them there and to have the option of picking them up when I want. I tend to buy a ton of books at one time and slowly work my way through them.
Fifth, you get instant gratification. There’s nothing like browsing through book selections, finding something you want and having it to browse through only minutes later. I have the 3G Kindle so I’m connected wherever I go. No more waiting for delivery and having to worry about lost packages.
Finally, a few new items just announced for Kindle. First, they are putting in page numbers. HOORAY! So far there are 10,000 books that have these. I, of course, don’t have one book that supports page numbers so I can’t test this out yet. They aren’t statically displayed so you have to press the Menu key to get the page number. I also read today that you can now loan out certain Kindle books to other Kindle users for 14 days.
Like I said, I’m sure there are many more features that I just haven’t discovered yet. The more I use it the more I like it. I still want my paperbacks though so in general I’ll probably be double buying until publishers get smart and start bundling. Overall, I’m glad I received a Kindle for my birthday. It helped me get over my anxiety about owning one. Now, I just need to somehow make more money to support my reading habit!
Now, keep in mind, I’m still learning my way around this device and I’m learning new things on it all the time. There are features I’ve played with but not used to their fullest extent yet, but can see how they’ll fit in nicely with my reading needs. Just today I purchased a book on a whim of the recommendation from a friend (Thanks Mike!); a Choose Your Own Adventure Zombie book. I wasn’t going to buy it because how in the hell do you flip to page numbers when there are no page numbers? I dreaded electronically flipping page by page trying to figure out where to continue reading. Imagine my delight when I discover that the “where you should go” text was linked and all I needed to do was click it and it took me to the appropriate spot! Genius!
So, with that tangent out of the way, let’s get to what I like about the Kindle.
First, I am truly beginning to love this little portable library. I tend to read more than one book at a time; one for education and one for pleasure. Sometimes I hit up three at a time as I’m reading one for my PhD, one for my work and of course the all-important pleasure reading. There’s something really amazing about sitting at lunch somewhere and switching almost seamlessly between books at the touch of a button especially when all I need to carry is a slim device that fits in my purse. I do a lot of traveling for my PhD research, to give presentation, attend conferences and for other work activities and it’s extremely liberating to be able to take whatever books I want with me and not have to worry about the weight of my carry-on or checked luggage. As a prolific reader, I don’t need to worry about hurrying up to finish a book before I leave so I don’t have to carry that extra weight.
Second, the Kindle has a couple of really cool functions.
First, it has a built in dictionary (2 actually) which is surprisingly handy. I read books and if I don’t know a word I tend to just skip it (bad scholar I know) because let’s be honest, who has time to put down the book to look it up on the internet or grab a dictionary. What if you’re out at a café or driving (being the passenger of course!) and you don’t have access to a dictionary? Reading through Stephen Kind’s “Full Dark, No Stars” I actually used the dictionary for the first time and was fulfilled by how quickly and easily I could add something to my vocabulary.
Second, it has the ability to highlight and add notes. When I’m reading for my PhD I always have carried around a second notebook to take notes and write important pages to go back to. While I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever break the habit (I like the act of hand writing thoughts), it’s a really nice feature to have access to. You can also share these notes and highlights with other Kindle users and via Facebook or Twitter.
Third, you can get some amazing works for very little cost. HOWEVER, not everything is cheaper than its paper counterpart. No one said that eBooks would be cheaper, that was just an assumption on their part. I paid the same for Stephen Kind’s book for the digital addition as I would have for the hardback and I didn’t bat an eye. If there’s something I want to read, I’ll pay what’s asked of me for the author’s work. What I have found though, is that I’m picking up stuff I otherwise might not have read or purchased. The Choose Your Own Adventure book I mentioned earlier was only $2.99 so I was okay with the gamble of paying for it. In contrast, the paperback is $14.95 and I most likely wouldn’t have spent that had I come across it in the store.
Fourth, not only can you get books for very little cost, you can get some classics for free! I had a field day downloading free books, like the work of Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Darwin, The Brothers Grimm, Japanese Fairy Tales, Irish Fairy Tales, and various other works. Now, I don’t know if I’ll honestly ever read these…but it’s nice to have them there and to have the option of picking them up when I want. I tend to buy a ton of books at one time and slowly work my way through them.
Fifth, you get instant gratification. There’s nothing like browsing through book selections, finding something you want and having it to browse through only minutes later. I have the 3G Kindle so I’m connected wherever I go. No more waiting for delivery and having to worry about lost packages.
Finally, a few new items just announced for Kindle. First, they are putting in page numbers. HOORAY! So far there are 10,000 books that have these. I, of course, don’t have one book that supports page numbers so I can’t test this out yet. They aren’t statically displayed so you have to press the Menu key to get the page number. I also read today that you can now loan out certain Kindle books to other Kindle users for 14 days.
Like I said, I’m sure there are many more features that I just haven’t discovered yet. The more I use it the more I like it. I still want my paperbacks though so in general I’ll probably be double buying until publishers get smart and start bundling. Overall, I’m glad I received a Kindle for my birthday. It helped me get over my anxiety about owning one. Now, I just need to somehow make more money to support my reading habit!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The "Ugly" Side of the Kindle
In February my mom purchased me a Kindle for my birthday. Up until that point I was extremely torn on whether or not I could ever take the plunge myself of going from paper media to completely electronic. Her gift was much like winning the lottery since I could try out the Kindle with no real investment on my part. I’ve received plenty of b-day gifts in the past that I never used so I figured if I didn’t like it this would be no different.
I agonized for over two days trying to decide which book would be my first book for my new eReader. The book had to have meaning, it had to be memorable and I wanted it to be good. After two day I settled on Stephen King’s “Full Dark, No Stars” and it didn’t disappoint (read my review in a future post).
Last night I finished that first book for my Kindle. It was a good, yet odd experience. In the interest of ease of reading, I’ve split this into two separate posts. If you’re a Kindle lover, I’ll have my likes coming up within the week. For now, let’s start with my issues.
First, I missed the physical tactile sensation of an actual book. I missed the weight, the texture of paper in my hands and oddly enough I missed the smell. I found myself on more than one occasion trying to flip the case I had it in only to realize it had no actual pages to flip.
I often judge on when I should stop as determined how many pages are left in a chapter. I also make a big push at the end of a book depending on how much is left. Okay, only 50 pages… I’ll stay up and finish this. I don’t get that feeling to push while reading on the Kindle; it’s so easy for me to pick up, read a minute or two and put it down. I would never do that with an actual paperback. My husband and daughter both noted that it took me much longer to read on the Kindle then it seems to normally take and I think they may be right.
Second, I found the lack of (understandable) page numbers disconcerting. The percentage bar at the bottom just doesn’t cut it for me. Okay, I’m 65% of the way through but what does that equate to in actual page numbers?
Third, and this is a biggy; you can’t share or showcase your book. Since being a kid we always passed books back and forth between family members, our own version of a long term book club. At the end of the cycle, the book would go back to its original owner where they would proudly display it among all their other treasure trove of books. I absolutely proud of my book collection. I can't hand over something I just read to my daughter or a friend... because handing it over means handing over my almost 200 dollar Kindle and then I'm out of luck for reading until I get it back. Just not going to happen.
I love being surrounded by books. I love displaying them and much to my husband’s dismay they often end up overrunning certain areas of the living room and bedroom. I have always dreamt that when I finally purchased my own home I would make an amazing and spectacular library; a place with a large overstuffed leather chair that I could sink into, a fireplace and of course a small end table with a light for reading. This is a place I could get lost in whether reading or not and even now I still want to see this dream become reality. However, with the advent of eReaders and my ownership of one, I have to wonder about this future. We already see book stores closing and more and more are reporting that their stores have become browsing warehouses for eReaders.
I find myself purchasing books I already own but haven’t read yet or ordering both the Kindle and physical addition. I need to be able to have that for prosperity… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully go digital. Publishers take note! Start selling bundles; people would pay slightly more for a Kindle and physical copy.
A problem for me, not so much the publisher, is that I find myself spending money on books without really thinking of it. I don't get a physical copy so it somehow doesn't feel like I've spent money (my poor bank account would beg to differ).
Fourth, I find it strange that people can’t see what you’re reading and you can’t see what they are reading. This is absolutely a double edged sword. You can read what you want without embarrassment. However, it’s just disturbing from my side that I can’t see what you’re reading; you can start conversations, ask about book titles but most importantly you can learn something about a person by the books they read.
Finally, while it’s a small and manageable issue, I’ve never had to worry about “losing” all my books (ie. My kindle wipes) and I’ve never had to worry about running out of power while reading a paperback.
Like I said, don’t fret! Look this week for my “likes” about this eReader. As a sneak peek, I’ll let you in on this: I’ve already downloaded 25 books…so all is not lost on this book lover.
I agonized for over two days trying to decide which book would be my first book for my new eReader. The book had to have meaning, it had to be memorable and I wanted it to be good. After two day I settled on Stephen King’s “Full Dark, No Stars” and it didn’t disappoint (read my review in a future post).
Last night I finished that first book for my Kindle. It was a good, yet odd experience. In the interest of ease of reading, I’ve split this into two separate posts. If you’re a Kindle lover, I’ll have my likes coming up within the week. For now, let’s start with my issues.
First, I missed the physical tactile sensation of an actual book. I missed the weight, the texture of paper in my hands and oddly enough I missed the smell. I found myself on more than one occasion trying to flip the case I had it in only to realize it had no actual pages to flip.
I often judge on when I should stop as determined how many pages are left in a chapter. I also make a big push at the end of a book depending on how much is left. Okay, only 50 pages… I’ll stay up and finish this. I don’t get that feeling to push while reading on the Kindle; it’s so easy for me to pick up, read a minute or two and put it down. I would never do that with an actual paperback. My husband and daughter both noted that it took me much longer to read on the Kindle then it seems to normally take and I think they may be right.
Second, I found the lack of (understandable) page numbers disconcerting. The percentage bar at the bottom just doesn’t cut it for me. Okay, I’m 65% of the way through but what does that equate to in actual page numbers?
Third, and this is a biggy; you can’t share or showcase your book. Since being a kid we always passed books back and forth between family members, our own version of a long term book club. At the end of the cycle, the book would go back to its original owner where they would proudly display it among all their other treasure trove of books. I absolutely proud of my book collection. I can't hand over something I just read to my daughter or a friend... because handing it over means handing over my almost 200 dollar Kindle and then I'm out of luck for reading until I get it back. Just not going to happen.
I love being surrounded by books. I love displaying them and much to my husband’s dismay they often end up overrunning certain areas of the living room and bedroom. I have always dreamt that when I finally purchased my own home I would make an amazing and spectacular library; a place with a large overstuffed leather chair that I could sink into, a fireplace and of course a small end table with a light for reading. This is a place I could get lost in whether reading or not and even now I still want to see this dream become reality. However, with the advent of eReaders and my ownership of one, I have to wonder about this future. We already see book stores closing and more and more are reporting that their stores have become browsing warehouses for eReaders.
I find myself purchasing books I already own but haven’t read yet or ordering both the Kindle and physical addition. I need to be able to have that for prosperity… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully go digital. Publishers take note! Start selling bundles; people would pay slightly more for a Kindle and physical copy.
A problem for me, not so much the publisher, is that I find myself spending money on books without really thinking of it. I don't get a physical copy so it somehow doesn't feel like I've spent money (my poor bank account would beg to differ).
Fourth, I find it strange that people can’t see what you’re reading and you can’t see what they are reading. This is absolutely a double edged sword. You can read what you want without embarrassment. However, it’s just disturbing from my side that I can’t see what you’re reading; you can start conversations, ask about book titles but most importantly you can learn something about a person by the books they read.
Finally, while it’s a small and manageable issue, I’ve never had to worry about “losing” all my books (ie. My kindle wipes) and I’ve never had to worry about running out of power while reading a paperback.
Like I said, don’t fret! Look this week for my “likes” about this eReader. As a sneak peek, I’ll let you in on this: I’ve already downloaded 25 books…so all is not lost on this book lover.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Problem with American Horror Films
I am a huge (and huge is an understatement) lover of all thing horror. I eat breath and sleep horror. I turn the TV on and the first thing I go to is to browse what’s “On Demand” in the horror section. My love borders on obsession. Needless to say, I’ve seen thousands of horror movies from across the globe. I search endlessly for a great horror movie and those are so few and far in-between. There are few very good American horror films that are even worth watching.
If someone asks me for horror movie recommendations I always steer them towards Asian or even Spanish horror films. I do know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea though because they don’t follow the “American formula” for makes a horror movie good.
This point was really driven home to me while watching the SyFy series “Faceoff”. On a recent episode they had to create a horror movie villain in which they designed the concept, came up with a title and a tag line. The guest start that week was from Friday the 13th… and he spoke to me exactly what was wrong with American Horror. Horror villains, he said, need to be iconic. They need to have a great weapon and they need to be scary. Scary, is so subjective… and when you try to put a face on scary you fail. The worst part was “you have to have a scary” weapon. Why does scary need a “weapon”? Iconic horror movies from the 80s were great for this but we’re a long way off from the 80s.
Some of the best horror movies never show the face of the villain or what it is that’s haunting/stalking/scaring them. The hints, the glimpses, the sounds in the dark are so much scarier than the in your face CGI that we’ve come to associate with horror movies. So many American horror movies are really just slashers that turn to the grotesque to imitate that gut reaction that makes us turn our heads or moan. We may turn away but it’s not because we’re scared, it’s because we’re grossed out; I hardly need to tell you that these are not the same thing. A great in your face character, when done right is scary not simply for his looks but for what he can do or what he is capable of. One of my all time scary movies is Hellraiser. The original…none of the shitty remakes. That was pretty in your face but you turned it off and you wondered what your own personal hell would be and it scares the shit out of you. To this day I won’t watch any Hellraiser movies, not even the original for fear of tripping my own hell open by puzzling my way through movies.
One of the biggest problems with American horror is that we have to have justice and we have to have an explanation. Many people don’t like Asian horror because no one ever really makes it out alive and there’s usually not an explanation. We want our heroes to win, good to triumph over evil and we want it all packaged up with a neat little bow at the end with all the I’s dotted and all our t’s crossed.
The truth is, life is not nearly as black and white. The scary part of life is not knowing…not having an explanation and knowing that evil does indeed often win over good. That is scary. Remember when we were kids and what scared us was what we “thought” was under the bed or that maybe mom and dad couldn’t save us after all. American horror writers have seem to forgotten what it is that scares us. It’s so much easier to hire someone to do CGI or to do special effects makeup then it is to really play to our fears as humans.
Speaking of being human, I think some of the scariest things made have to deal with us as human beings and what we’re truly capable off. Think of “The Walking Dead”… sure, the zombies are scary but if you’ve read the comic then you know they are nowhere near as scary as we are. The scariest part of the comic is delving into what we, as humans are capable of, when the machines stop turning and you can’t call 911 for help.
Over the next month or so, stay tuned for some looks at specific horror movies and my thoughts. If you have something you’d like to see me talk about, let me know!
If someone asks me for horror movie recommendations I always steer them towards Asian or even Spanish horror films. I do know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea though because they don’t follow the “American formula” for makes a horror movie good.
This point was really driven home to me while watching the SyFy series “Faceoff”. On a recent episode they had to create a horror movie villain in which they designed the concept, came up with a title and a tag line. The guest start that week was from Friday the 13th… and he spoke to me exactly what was wrong with American Horror. Horror villains, he said, need to be iconic. They need to have a great weapon and they need to be scary. Scary, is so subjective… and when you try to put a face on scary you fail. The worst part was “you have to have a scary” weapon. Why does scary need a “weapon”? Iconic horror movies from the 80s were great for this but we’re a long way off from the 80s.
Some of the best horror movies never show the face of the villain or what it is that’s haunting/stalking/scaring them. The hints, the glimpses, the sounds in the dark are so much scarier than the in your face CGI that we’ve come to associate with horror movies. So many American horror movies are really just slashers that turn to the grotesque to imitate that gut reaction that makes us turn our heads or moan. We may turn away but it’s not because we’re scared, it’s because we’re grossed out; I hardly need to tell you that these are not the same thing. A great in your face character, when done right is scary not simply for his looks but for what he can do or what he is capable of. One of my all time scary movies is Hellraiser. The original…none of the shitty remakes. That was pretty in your face but you turned it off and you wondered what your own personal hell would be and it scares the shit out of you. To this day I won’t watch any Hellraiser movies, not even the original for fear of tripping my own hell open by puzzling my way through movies.
One of the biggest problems with American horror is that we have to have justice and we have to have an explanation. Many people don’t like Asian horror because no one ever really makes it out alive and there’s usually not an explanation. We want our heroes to win, good to triumph over evil and we want it all packaged up with a neat little bow at the end with all the I’s dotted and all our t’s crossed.
The truth is, life is not nearly as black and white. The scary part of life is not knowing…not having an explanation and knowing that evil does indeed often win over good. That is scary. Remember when we were kids and what scared us was what we “thought” was under the bed or that maybe mom and dad couldn’t save us after all. American horror writers have seem to forgotten what it is that scares us. It’s so much easier to hire someone to do CGI or to do special effects makeup then it is to really play to our fears as humans.
Speaking of being human, I think some of the scariest things made have to deal with us as human beings and what we’re truly capable off. Think of “The Walking Dead”… sure, the zombies are scary but if you’ve read the comic then you know they are nowhere near as scary as we are. The scariest part of the comic is delving into what we, as humans are capable of, when the machines stop turning and you can’t call 911 for help.
Over the next month or so, stay tuned for some looks at specific horror movies and my thoughts. If you have something you’d like to see me talk about, let me know!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Dead Island
I don't need to say a lot here. But whether you're a gamer or a zombie lover or neither this trailer will be, by far, one of the most amazing trailers you're ever seen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
