As I ponder over the DL descriptors that could well influence the life of Singaporeans in the near and not-too-distant future, as usual, my mind drew a blank.
Previously when I had not signed up for this DL module, I would not have given the question a second thought, let alone, cause the demise of some more brain cells from its prematurely depleted bank (I reckon) in my brain.
Then, I thought of the possibility of having to face Dr T and/or Dr N over the sparingly scattered (blog) postings to date and that thought alone was sufficient to spur me to scan the past few days' copies of The Straits Times...
The following posting is adapted from 2 articles in The Straits Times dated 10 Feb 2010; one on page 23 and the other on page 28.
By the way, have you heard of Project Gutenberg? Do you know that you can download for free, yes, for free close to 30,000 e-books to your PC, iPhone or most portable devices. Check out www.gutenberg.org
The above paragraph sets the 'backdrop' for me to predict that very soon, in Singapore, there will be the 'advent of the e-reader' craze. Already, there are ways to circumvent the system if you know someone who has an American credit card (immediately, Dr N comes to mind).
Things like packing half a dozen novels for a weekend gateaway and lugging around three pocketbooks to read on a 15-minute train ride will very soon be a thing of the past. The e-book reader iRiver Story, now retailing at SGD 499 at Popular bookstores in Singapore, with its 2 GB of internal memory and weighs just 284g, can actually store 8,000 e-books.
Undeniably, the battle of the e-reader between digital heavyweight Sony and book giants Amazon and Barnes & Noble is in full swing, with the e-book skeptics watching somewhat curiously from the sidelines...to be continued.
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Hi Wilson, I don't thnk many will buy in the 'e-book' thing. Yea...I agree it's light and can carry 'many' books 'inside. But what if it drops from your hand and there... 'crash' all the 'stories' within are gone with the wind. Haha! I'd rather have a book in my hand that I can read anywhere (on the bed, in the toilet- no fear of water seeping in) and anytime, no worries for batteries going flat. And I believe.. the author of 'Silicon Snake' agrees with me :)
ReplyDeleteDear Sitzac
ReplyDeleteTo each his own.
Looks like you will have a transitional problem from DI (Digital Immigrant) to DN (Digital Native) status.
Off the records, you have my full understanding and support as we are in the 'same category'.