Thing 20

eBooks are great, just ask my wife! She really enjoys her Kindle, but I am not sure if I completely understand the fascination. Luckily, by waiting so long to purchase one, she has the second generation device. Apparently, the first version suffered from poor battery life. The current unit can go three weeks on a charge. The books we have downloaded have been free (so far) because many of them are "classics". Does that mean buying the Kindle has saved us money? As far as eBooks in general, I can remember attending a conference at MIT many years ago where the researchers claimed no one would read books on a computer screen until the resolution reached about 2,500 dots per inch, which is the same as a printed page. Computer screens are still nowhere near that, but the Kindle uses a new technology which is effectively electronically deposited ink. That makes it easier on the eyes than any computer screen, but still not as good as a book.
I checked out some of the sites to obtain eBooks and chose manybooks.net to explore more fully. It has an easy to use search feature and contains over 26,000 free books. I downloaded Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum, the first person to accomplish that feat. You can download the books in 25 different formats! Of course, I picked the Kindle format. I then tried some of the NHS eBooks and found a title on Alternative Energy. Did you know that polar bear fur converts 95% of the sun's UV rays into heat? I also checked out the British Library and had it read me some of a book. The reader had a nice accent!
This is a technology that has far reaching implications for education. Just think, no more visits to the Chiropractor for all those students carrying heavy backpacks! It should also save money and trees. I am not sure if we are quite there yet, however. The devices will need to be improved in three main areas: increased battery life, more robust construction, and color screens. Finally, all the publishers will need to come on board to make this transition possible.