Feb 13, 2010 09:40 AM
59598 Views
(Updated Feb 13, 2010 10:14 AM)
To me, this topic boils down to print media vs. digital media rather than book vs. e-book. Each kind of media has its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. Certainly preferring one for some purposes does not mean out with the other for all purposes.
The Crystal Goblet Any Day over the Steel Mug
Most people who support the "Up with paperbacks, down with ebooks" approach seem to be fiction lovers. Reading good fiction in a relaxed manner is a gripping experience that we like to enjoy again and again. That is what makes reading fiction a healthy addiction.
From the time I have been initiated to drinking champagne, it had been in cut crystal champagne glasses. If somebody offered me the same champagne in steel mugs, I think I will lose my urge to drink and refuse outright, - even though it was still the same champagne and my favorite brand too.
When it comes to drinking water, I would rather use the steel mug and save the crystal goblet for drinking champagne.
You save Trees When You Buy an E-Book and Save the Earth!
Balderdash! And very true!
The main thing is to strike a balance, there are more important things lost while making paper than trees, and of the things lost only trees are renewable in any form. The smart industry owners continually divert your attention to the saving of trees for they have a ready answer to that problem. If you are really environment conscious, then read the following:
“It takes two cords of wood to make one ton of a typical paper (one cord equals 128 cubic feet). The paper-making process also requires 55, 000 gallons (208, 000 liters) of water, 102 pounds (46 kilograms) of sulfur, 350 pounds (159 kilograms) of lime, 289 pounds (131 kilograms) of clay, 1.2 tons of coal, 112 kilowatt hours of power, 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of dye and pigments, and 108 pounds (49 kilograms) of starch. It uses smaller amounts of other ingredients.”
Source: Haygreen, John G. Forest Products and Wood Science, 2nd ed., pp. 410-12.
Personally, I am more worried about the other things like water, coal, power, dye and pigments. With water wars breaking out in many parts of the world and rules on spending water already passed by many urban and state authorities, it is right to be concerned about using water that could have been saved. Even if water is recyclable to a certain extent, coal lost is permanent fuel loss from the earth's limited stock. And the other compounds and chemicals used to make paper aren't exactly healthy and I am sure each of them leaves a trail of loss and wounds across mother earth in their process of manufacture.
It Only Takes A Bit of Management to Save the Earth's Future from Hell
Of course, there are alternatives like recyclable paper and waste wood chips, the use of which should be encouraged. Proper forest management can save the trees even with paper books continuing to be printed. The rest of what is lost in paper production is real loss that should concern us.
One ton of paper is sufficient to produce only about 3000 copies of paperbacks. Considering that each best seller has millions of copies in print, you can understand how much it hurts both the future generations and us if unmanaged paper production continues.
When to Use the Steel Mug over the Crystal Goblet
However, the unnecessary demand for paper and associated problems can be well addressed if we start accepting e-books for all purposes where they are quite suitable and do not detract from our enjoyment but actually serve our needs better. When it comes to instructional material and research media, I would prefer an e-book over a paper book any day simply for the search and navigation functionalities. That there are a myriad of other advantages of an e-book like being able to add notes and delete them and portability and storage and this and that and being a hero and save the earth in the process are secondary to me.
The digital search and navigation facilities in an e-book helps me to home in on my relevant passages instantly and effortlessly, saving me a huge lot of time and increasing my productivity. The steel mug has its utilities that are undeniable and I would use it wherever it suits me though I would still drink champagne only from crystal goblets.
E-Books Give Me Neck Aches and Hurt My Eyes So Much I Need Glasses
Stop giving false arguments while the main reason is that you fear change, any kind of change and are too slow to adapt. People have been using glasses for centuries before even the word e-book came into existence. Why blame the e-book?
The physical disadvantages of reading an e-book come from the reader you are using. If you are using a computer to read E-books, it is only natural that problems related with working long in front of a computer including eyestrain and neck aches will occur. The same problems will occur even if you are not reading an e-book but playing computer games or working on the computer for long time. However, if you are not using a computer but some hand held slim device like Kindle or the new Infibeam Pi that is friendly on the eye, you won't get those problems.
