The GF book thread

[Numero Veinticinco]

Kindle Paperwhite. Audiobook. 

[Ian Sea]

I use the Kindle app on my iPad. While I agree that an actual physical book is the best format, digital books are much more convenient and better suited to my lifestyle. 

[Evelyn Tentions]

Kobi ereader.

Pisses all over kindle. Does everything kindle does but isn't tied to the proprietary format like kindle. Just stay away from mobilism.org to avoid getting all your books for free.

[Hades]

53 minutes ago, Evelyn Tentions said:

Kobi ereader.

Pisses all over kindle. Does everything kindle does but isn't tied to the proprietary format like kindle. Just stay away from mobilism.org to avoid getting all your books for free.

 

The Kobo devices' only advantage are the blue light filter to avoid nighttime eye strain. Kindles are supposed to have superior hardware and software. I would also recommend avoiding gen.lib.rus.ec while using a VPN if I were any of you.

[Rico1304]

I’ve just bought Stephen Pinker book, but the type is so small I can’t read it!  

[Aventus]

6 hours ago, Evelyn Tentions said:

Kobi ereader.

Pisses all over kindle. Does everything kindle does but isn't tied to the proprietary format like kindle. Just stay away from mobilism.org to avoid getting all your books for free.

There's not actually much difference between them. 

 

Kindles primarily use the mobi format, and the others like kobo use epub but can't use mobi. All the other formats like pdf and doc can be used by both. 

 

Free ebook websites usually have multiple file types for each book, so it's just a matter of clicking on the mobi one. And worst case scenario is that there's only a copy of the epub version, in which case I download it, run it through an epub to mobi converter on my phone, then the app sends it to the kindle, takes a minute at most. 

 

So there's not much tying you to the proprietary format really, it's easy to sidestep when needed, if anybody is looking at buying an ebook reader I wouldn't let that put you off. 

[Numero Veinticinco]

Yep. Plus, the uploaded app converts it anyway. I can throw just about whatever I like at the Kindle and it’ll upload and convert in a few seconds. 

[Sugar Ape]

Yeah, Calibre (which is free) will put anything on a Kindle. I much prefer the Kindle Paperwhite to any other reader. I was a late convert and held out for years by buying the physical copies but had to give in for the convenience and I’m glad I did.

 

Piece of piss to put any format of book on, light and easy to hold one handed, battery lasts for weeks, the backlight is great and better than using the Kindle app for a tablet or phone I find as it doesn’t strain your eyes and it’s easy to read even in bright daylight. I love you can just hold your finger over a word and the dictionary definition will appear or it will bring the Wikipedia entry up for places and people etc... 

 

The latest version is even waterproof so you can read it in the bath. Oh, and you can use it for Audiobooks too. 

 

I’ve got circa 1,100 physical books and for the first time in over a decade most of them are boxed up in the garage rather than driving my mrs mad by lining bookshelves all over the house.

 

I still but the occasional book that I can’t find anywhere to download, got those books on the troubles in Northern Ireland I mentioned the other day and Militand by Michael Crick on my bedside cabinet. 

 

Bought a book on Football club crests the other day as well which is really good, covers most major clubs in Europe and beyond and shows how the crest has evolved and what the imagery on it means. Was only a pound more for the hardback version compared to the Kindle so got that as thought it would be better to read that way and it’s really well made with glossy pages. Worth a look here https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472954254/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.PcvCbX34FK7W if anyone is interested.

 

Must say I always did prefer a good quality paperback to a hardback book. The hardback might look and feel better but it’s harder to hold and heavier.

[Numero Veinticinco]

Never been arsed with arguments of physical media either. People argue that records are better than lossless digital audio, people argue that they prefer TV over Netflix. Books over Kindle. Headphone jacks over Bluetooth. All sorts of stuff. I think it’s way more to do with a subjective familiarity and/or nostalgia than any real reflection about what’s better.

 

Nah, fuck it. Give me 500 HD shows and 1000 movies at my fingertips over rows of VHS, DVDs, and BR. Give me a library of 1000000 songs that fit in my pocket over racks and boxes of CDs and vinyl. Give me crisp, clear, high definition at an I stand. Give me a library of instantly obtainable, searchable books that I can take anywhere over shelves of books. If you enjoy physical stuff, more power to you. I fucked all that stuff off years ago. 

 

I like being out for a run (or more accurately, a ‘holding my knees 100m down the road’) and listening to an audiobook, then being able to play it anywhere in the house when I’m home. I like having my media anywhere I go, streamable and in high quality. I’m a digital man now. 

[Tony Moanero]

I like collecting and hoarding stuff. Books, VHS/DVDs, records, CDs and Casettes. I’ve had and still have dozens and dozens of books and VHS/DVDs that I’ve never read or watched, and probably never will do.

[Numero Veinticinco]

4 minutes ago, Tony Moanero said:

I like collecting stuff. Books, VHS/DVDs, records, CDs and Casettes. I’ve had and still have dozens and dozens of books and VHS/DVDs that I’ve never read or watched and probably never will do.

I like collecting media too. My collection of TV shows and Movies is mental. All perfectly organised, with custom artwork, etc. It’s just a different type of collection. 

[Tony Moanero]

17 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I like collecting media too. My collection of TV shows and Movies is mental. All perfectly organised, with custom artwork, etc. It’s just a different type of collection. 

Yeah, of course. I do use digital media but prefer physical media. I love spending hours in book and record shops, especially second hand ones, trawling through shit, trying to find a needle in a haystack. I enjoy tracking stuff down, be it spending hours in shops or searching for (often on a daily, weekly and monthly basis) stuff on eBay. It’s the the frill of the chase. Often, I’ll finally get my hands on something that I’ve wanted for ages, then end up not even using it and just moving on to the next thing.

[Strontium]

37 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I think it’s way more to do with a subjective familiarity and/or nostalgia than any real reflection about what’s better.

 

Of course it's subjective. Your mistake is thinking that there is an objective "better". I simply prefer the feel and look of a book, and I personally value that higher than the convenience of having millions of titles on a single unit. Nostalgia doesn't enter into it.

[Sugar Ape]

41 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

Never been arsed with arguments of physical media either. People argue that records are better than lossless digital audio, people argue that they prefer TV over Netflix. Books over Kindle. Headphone jacks over Bluetooth. All sorts of stuff. I think it’s way more to do with a subjective familiarity and/or nostalgia than any real reflection about what’s better.

 

Nah, fuck it. Give me 500 HD shows and 1000 movies at my fingertips over rows of VHS, DVDs, and BR. Give me a library of 1000000 songs that fit in my pocket over racks and boxes of CDs and vinyl. Give me crisp, clear, high definition at an I stand. Give me a library of instantly obtainable, searchable books that I can take anywhere over shelves of books. If you enjoy physical stuff, more power to you. I fucked all that stuff off years ago. 

 

I like being out for a run (or more accurately, a ‘holding my knees 100m down the road’) and listening to an audiobook, then being able to play it anywhere in the house when I’m home. I like having my media anywhere I go, streamable and in high quality. I’m a digital man now. 

 

Agree on most of that but I do like collecting vinyl. 90% of my music listening is digital when I’m out or on the go but I’ve got a really good setup with the vinyl and it sounds great.

[Numero Veinticinco]

21 minutes ago, Strontium Dog said:

 

Of course it's subjective. Your mistake is thinking that there is an objective "better". I simply prefer the feel and look of a book, and I personally value that higher than the convenience of having millions of titles on a single unit. Nostalgia doesn't enter into it.

I think there’s an objective better in some cases. Preference enters in other areas. 

 

I mean, is there any argument that contradicts that 4K HDR on an OLED display isn’t an objectively better image than a VHS on a 362p CRT 14 inch TV? If this is a a mistake then it’s one I’m happy to make. Is there any argument that contradicts a lossless 24 bit/192Hz isn’t objectively better than CD (16 bit/44.1Hz)?

 

As for the feel and look of a book, that’s fair enough. But I’d wager it’d change pretty quickly if you were to do a lot of reading on a kindle. It doesn’t feel or look much different to a book, but is dramatically more convenient and less cumbersome. Don’t get me wrong, whatever you like is fine by me. But I think initial preference can lead to stubborn unwillingness to change to a - in many ways - better medium. Preferences change when you become used to something. I find a book a bit of a chore now. 

 

 

[Tony Moanero]

10 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I think there’s an objective better in some cases. Preference enters in other areas. 

 

I mean, is there any argument that contradicts that 4K HDR on an OLED display isn’t an objectively better image than a VHS on a 362p CRT 14 inch TV? If this is a a mistake then it’s one I’m happy to make. 

 

As for the feel and look of a book, that’s fair enough. But I’d wager it’d change pretty quickly if you were to do a lot of reading on a kindle. It doesn’t feel or look much different to a book, but is dramatically more convenient and less cumbersome. Don’t get me wrong, whatever you like is fine by me. But I think initial preference can lead to stubborn unwillingness to change to a - in many ways - better medium. Preferences change when you become used to something. I find a book a bit of a chore now. 

 

 

I’ve had a kindle paperwhite for four or five years. I understand why plenty of people prefer them to physical books, but I’ve never taken to mine and can’t remember ever having finished a book on it. 

[Numero Veinticinco]

1 minute ago, Tony Moanero said:

I’ve had a kindle paperwhite for four or five years. I understand why plenty of people like them, but I’ve never taken to mine can’t remember ever having finished a book on it. 

Sounds like something Tony Moanero would say.

[Tony Moanero]

10 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

Sounds like something Tony Moanero would say.

What does that mean, mate? I do most of my reading at home and enjoy collecting physical books, so a kindle isn’t really more convenient.

[Numero Veinticinco]

2 minutes ago, Tony Moanero said:

What does that mean, mate? I do most of my reading at home and enjoy collecting physical books, so a kindle isn’t really more convenient.

I was calling you an old man, mate. 

[Tony Moanero]

2 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

Yeah, Calibre (which is free) will put anything on a Kindle. I much prefer the Kindle Paperwhite to any other reader. I was a late convert and held out for years by buying the physical copies but had to give in for the convenience and I’m glad I did.

 

Piece of piss to put any format of book on, light and easy to hold one handed, battery lasts for weeks, the backlight is great and better than using the Kindle app for a tablet or phone I find as it doesn’t strain your eyes and it’s easy to read even in bright daylight. I love you can just hold your finger over a word and the dictionary definition will appear or it will bring the Wikipedia entry up for places and people etc... 

 

The latest version is even waterproof so you can read it in the bath. Oh, and you can use it for Audiobooks too. 

 

I’ve got circa 1,100 physical books and for the first time in over a decade most of them are boxed up in the garage rather than driving my mrs mad by lining bookshelves all over the house.

 

I still but the occasional book that I can’t find anywhere to download, got those books on the troubles in Northern Ireland I mentioned the other day and Militand by Michael Crick on my bedside cabinet. 

 

Bought a book on Football club crests the other day as well which is really good, covers most major clubs in Europe and beyond and shows how the crest has evolved and what the imagery on it means. Was only a pound more for the hardback version compared to the Kindle so got that as thought it would be better to read that way and it’s really well made with glossy pages. Worth a look here https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472954254/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.PcvCbX34FK7W if anyone is interested.

 

Must say I always did prefer a good quality paperback to a hardback book. The hardback might look and feel better but it’s harder to hold and heavier.

Really nice book, in my opinion.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Badge-Stories-Behind-Football/dp/1785313924/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549028597&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=football+badges+book&dpPl=1&dpID=51hUsxKL-dL&ref=plSrch

 

This is very good, too, if you’re interested in the history of footy kits.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/International-Football-Kits-True-Colours/dp/147295629X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549028740&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=football+kits+book&dpPl=1&dpID=51yNHpI6jOL&ref=plSrch

[Tony Moanero]

4 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I was calling you an old man, mate. 

Oh, right. Thank you, kind sir.

[SasaS]

Digital is great for  hoarding collecting though. I have so much stuff that there is no way I will go trough it all in this life once, let alone watch or read twice what I keep like a treasured possession.

And all that choice and accessibility is not always a good thing.

[Numero Veinticinco]

8 minutes ago, SasaS said:

Digital is great for  hoarding collecting though. I have so much stuff that there is no way I will go trough it all in this life once, let alone watch or read twice what I keep like a treasured possession.

And all that choice and accessibility is not always a good thing.

Well, it being a choice is a good thing. You can choose whether or not to access it. As many times as you like or not at all. 

[SasaS]

24 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

Well, it being a choice is a good thing. You can choose whether or not to access it. As many times as you like or not at all. 

 

It is.

If you are choosing from your own vast collection, sometimes it's difficult to commit, or you tend to be less patient with something. If you are searching elsewhere, you would tend to appreciate it more if it was not so easy to get stuff, not only the thrill of the chase, you lose that excitement when you finally hold something hard to get in your hands. I used to skip meals to be able to afford records, travel abroad or buy second hand, that feeling that there is a record you are dreaming of and you finally get it is priceless. What is easily obtainable always loses some of its value.

On the other hand, you then play it and it does not quite live up to all the feverish expectations, that's the other side of the coin.

[Numero Veinticinco]

13 minutes ago, SasaS said:

 

It is.

If you are choosing from your own vast collection, sometimes it's difficult to commit, or you tend to be less patient with something. If you are searching elsewhere, you would tend to appreciate it more if it was not so easy to get stuff, not only the thrill of the chase, you lose that excitement when you finally hold something hard to get in your hands. I used to skip meals to be able to afford records, travel abroad or buy second hand, that feeling that there is a record you are dreaming of and you finally get it is priceless. What is easily obtainable always loses some of its value.

 

 

On the other hand, you then play it and it does not quite live up to all the feverish expectations, that's the other side of the coin.

 

 

That’s all true, but is a bit of a different thing to what I was saying. 

 

Fuck it, I want it all!