# Miss about paper books?



## Tom Schreck (Dec 12, 2010)

What do you (if anything) miss about paper books? Will you get over it?


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

So far, the only thing I miss is the covers and the bookmarks. Particularly the bookmarks because the covers, although you don't get the texture of them, I see all the time on Goodreads. So I've kind of gotten over the covers but still miss the bookmarks.


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

That you can take them on the bath / beach / sauna / pool and not worry too much about them.

That you can read them during take off and landing on a plane.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I'm about 60/40 Kindle, still love owning certain authors and being able to store a "real" item to touch and hold. Don't think that's going to change soon.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

It's convenient to flip straight to different pages in a big hurry, but that's about it.


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## Holly B (Nov 15, 2010)

I haven't fully transitioned to the Kindle, either. I enjoy looking at our bookshelf full of books we've read - we buy our favorites in paper. It's like taking a trip down memory lane to see all the titles displayed on a bookshelf; I am reminded how much I enjoyed a particular book. For some reason I don't do this with the Kindle.

I also like to see what others are reading (in waiting rooms, etc.). Color me curious. 

Edited to add: I don't see myself getting over this anytime soon. Maybe never.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

TheRiddler said:


> That you can take them on the bath / beach / sauna / pool and not worry too much about them.


Just put it in a ziplock bag. Granted, the concern with a sauna would be the heat but where water and sand is concerned, a ziplock works fine. You can't really put a paper book in a ziplock so if you dropped that in water, it would get ruined. So in this way, I think Kindle actually has the upper hand.


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## sparklemotion (Jan 13, 2011)

The covers, the bookmarks, reading in the tub.


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## sparklemotion (Jan 13, 2011)

D. Nathan Hilliard said:


> It's convenient to flip straight to different pages in a big hurry, but that's about it.


I miss that a bit as well.


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## Kelly Haven (Jan 20, 2011)

I miss the smell of them. There's nothing like cracking open an old book that you found at the used book store, or a new one, and having that first whiff of paper hit your nostrils. Delightful!


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## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

TheRiddler said:


> That you can take them on the bath / beach / sauna / pool and not worry too much about them.
> 
> That you can read them during take off and landing on a plane.


if you want to read in the bath just pop the Kindle into a zip lock plastic baggie and there you go, works for the beach as well to keep sand off of the device. Been doing this for a while now and it's a cheap way of protecting it from minor water spills and sand.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

The covers! Then again, most modern covers don't do much for me. I miss the covers of my youth: Bama, Frazetta, Krenkel, Jones, etc.

And being able to flip through pages, I miss that, too. 

I'm almost 100% ebook now, though.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

I concur on the smell of an old book, but I have a lot of old books (including several collectible first-editions) so that's not something I'm going to miss.  As for new books?  Not missing anything by going Kindle.  Indeed, I've been known to purchase electronic versions of physical books I hadn't gotten around to reading yet.

Well, maybe one thing:  The look of the book on my library bookshelves once it goes from reading material to decorating accessory.


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## beckyj20 (Jun 12, 2010)

The covers and seeing them on my shelf. Im sold on the kindle though! I love that I can read for hours straight and my hands wont hurt from holding the stiff cover open. I read so much more with the kindle because its so easy to take it anywhere. Plus I love how no one else knows what Im reading.


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## spidermanfan (Dec 28, 2010)

Like everyone else it's the covers.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

The feel and the covers.  Being able to easily flip back to early chapters if I can't remember something (like who a character is that pops up again etc.)--it's clunky to do that with e-books.

For my work related reading (searching books and articles) I stick with paper books and printouts of PDFs.  E-books and pdfs on screen are just cumbersome to flip through and annotate and reference later when writing an article or teaching a graduate class etc.


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

It's funny, because the thought of actually HAVING physical books was the thing that kept me from going digital for a long time. But after getting my Kindle (and after buying ANOTHER friggin' bookshelf to store all the volumes that wouldn't fit in the old ones, and trying to find wall space for it), NOT having physical books is my favorite thing about the new paradigm.


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

crash86 said:


> if you want to read in the bath just pop the Kindle into a zip lock plastic baggie and there you go, works for the beach as well to keep sand off of the device. Been doing this for a while now and it's a cheap way of protecting it from minor water spills and sand.


Oh I know I could do that, but say I'm by the pool on holiday reading, and then fancy a swim in the pool. I'm not sure I'd be willing to leave my Kindle at the sun lounger whilst I have a dip. Whereas if a book gets stolen....oh well, no biggie.

Having said that I usually take my ipod to the pool and leave that in my bag, so maybe I'd do the same with the Kindle....who knows.

Also, it's not a biggie, I still use it in the bath, but they were the only things I could think of that I prefer about DTB's


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Definitely the cover art.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I miss not being able to throw them at people.  

Mike


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I actually have not found anything that I miss about DTB's.  

-The smell has never been a factor for me
-While cover art is nice, it is not something I really miss. 
-I never used bookmarks in the first place, just random bits of paper. 
-In it's guardian case, my kindle is better protected from water and sand than if I was reading a DTB. I just make sure I put it in my bag before getting up so no one can become tempted by the sight of it.  

Add all this on top of the fact I have absolutely no room to store books (I re-read all my books at least 2-3 times so I can't give them away), the option to change font size and the built-in dictionary and the Kindle turned into the best thing I have bought for myself in a long, long time.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Absolutely nothing.

I had to purchase a hardcover to gain admission to an event this week; one bonus to that was I received the book hours ahead of when I could get the much anticipated ebook release. This is a book I've waited eighteen months for, and I desperately wanted to read. The cover's gorgeous, but whatever--I'm not buying a cover, I'm buying the _story_. Once I had the hardcover in hand, I rapidly rediscovered I really hated reading it on paper, and though I had it for about seven hours prior to the Kindle release, I made very little progress in it. I did everything possible to procrastinate on reading from it--the weight, size, even the noise and motion of turning the pages was a distraction.

The Kindle version landed on my K2 at 2 AM (was in New Orleans at the time). No issues with staying focused from that point forward. I finished the book three and a half hours later.

If I never have to read another book in paper format, I'll have no regrets.


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## KerylR (Dec 28, 2010)

Flipping around.  The ability to skip ahead and sample a bit here and there easily to see if things are going to perk up.

There's nothing else I miss about physical books.


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## K.C. Neal (Jan 5, 2011)

I just started reading ebooks about a month ago, after I got an iPad for Christmas. I really thought I'd miss the paper versions, but so far the novelty of the iPad and the ease of acquiring more reading material is enough to keep me from getting too sentimental.

My sister mentioned how she loves the smell of books, and I admit I love that, too. Maybe somebody will invent some accessory for e-readers that squirts out a little puff of "book smell" from time to time?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Being able to stack a bunch of books to press something flat...now I have to use my pots and pans.  Seriously, nothing.  I've never sniffed a book in my life so I have no idea what smell people are longing for...I guess I ought to smell a couple of mine before they are all gone.  

Betsy


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The smell of books doesn’t do much for me except trigger my allergies. Especially older books printed on cheap paper.

Long live the Kindle!


Mike


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I've never sniffed a book in my life so I have no idea what smell people are longing for...I guess I ought to smell a couple of mine before they are all gone.


Be careful, Betsy. Some books can really stink!


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## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

It's sort of like when LPs gave way to CDs (and now MP3s). The content is the same, but you miss that work of art—the cover. I recently visited friends who collect and play LPs. They even hang framed album covers on their walls. It was like walking into a museum. Someday soon it will be that way with paper books.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I don't really miss anything for 99% of "fun" reading (novels, most nonfiction), but it has problems for some of the technical reading I might need to do. Programming books do not always convert well, as the source code samples may not format well; plus when using them as a reference it's often useful to be able to quickly jump around to different parts of the book, have several pages tagged/marked, and so forth (much of which can be done in some manner on the Kindle, but not as quickly and nimbly as I can in a DTB).


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## Belita (Mar 20, 2010)

Like others, I miss being able to quickly and easily flip back and forth in a book. I also want to set up a reading corner at my boyfriend's house and we would like some physical books to make it more like a library. I miss seeing a bunch of books on shelves, but don't actually miss the space they take up.

I don't read professional books on my Kindle, or anything that I want to be able to use as a reference.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

The availability. I can find almost anything I'd want to read in a DTB. Good luck finding something not hugely popular written before 1990 as an ebook. It's getting better... but the holdouts (JK Rowling, for one) annoy me.

I'm fully transitioned to Kindle except for technical non-fiction -- and even that's about 25% there (cost is killer for tech books).


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## Lisa M. (Jun 15, 2010)

I don't miss anything. It kind of shocks me, I've only had a Kindle since July and I can't imagine my life without one now.


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## Oh2Read (Jan 10, 2011)

The only thing I find myself missing is being able to flip a book over and read the description. I don't have 3G, and use dial-up at home. I can go look it up in Caliber when I'm home, or look at Amazon..I guess I just miss the ease of picking one up and flipping it over.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

jmiked said:


> The smell of books doesn't do much for me except trigger my allergies. Especially older books printed on cheap paper.


Those are the ones with the best smell!  I am listening to Watership Down on audiobook and yesterday I just had to get my paperback copy (from the 70's) down off the shelf to look at it. The first thing I did was open it and take a deep whiff of that old musty smell. I love it! 
I love this idea:


KateNeal said:


> Maybe somebody will invent some accessory for e-readers that squirts out a little puff of "book smell" from time to time?


I would buy that in a heartbeat!

I also miss being able to flip through the pages of a book. When I read books with charts and illustrations, it's nice to be able to quickly look back at them, and to be able to quickly look at the index. I definitely would want reference books in paper form I think.

I absolutely love my Kindle though. I'm reading a p-book now and holding the thing is such a pain!


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Bookstores and bookshelves. Going into a bookstore or library is sort of like going into a temple. Having all those books around you on the shelves is a different way of selecting books, and searching on a computer is a little hollow. If I am at the bookstore, and looking for a book by John Doe, I can't help seeing the books by John Day. I wasn't looking for them, I wasn't considering them, but I just might take a look. But if I am searching for books by John Doe, I won't see John Day's books at all.

Perhaps this is petty, but one of the ways of telling who someone really is is by the books on their bookshelves. You can learn a lot about someone by the books they have. When I've been in a house with no books, it's a creepy experience, I'm probably not very compatible with such a person. But if all books are ebooks, then the house of the reader would look the same as the nonreader.

No one wants to steal your paper book. Leave your paper book out, and it will probably still be there. Leave your Kindle out, and someone is snagging it. It's just another thing to protect.

No one will ever rewrite my paper books.

It's easier to skim with a paper book. With a paper book, if I want to reference something which took place previously, I just hold my current place with my thumb, and rapidly flip back. Page turning is currently slow.

One of my concerns about ebooks is that it could turn reading from a very cheap activity to an exensive luxury.


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## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

jmiked said:


> I miss not being able to throw them at people.
> 
> Mike


Or throw them at the wall if they're bad. 

Today at the gym I saw a woman running a few laps, holding a paperback, then slowing to a walk for more laps while she read. I can't see me running with my Kindle in hand; too much danger of it breaking if it fell.


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## SneezyCharmed (Oct 13, 2010)

The physical book considering the price (I will still buy HB by my favourite authors so I hve the complete set or PB for the same reason)


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## musclehead (Dec 29, 2010)

I miss being able to quickly flip through pages, for numerous reasons: to skim ahead a little, to refresh my memory of something that happened earlier, to reference a chart or table or diagram.

And  I miss being able to prop up my wobbly coffee table.  Might have to buy another DTB just for that.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

I had given up reading for a bit before I found the kindle app, actually it was stanza first then the kindle app then a kindle itself.  I could no longer hold a book for more than a few minutes, no matter if it was a paper back or hard bound.  I had to read the last two Harry Potter books sitting at a table.  So, that is the very first thing I miss is HOLDING a book.  But since that would be the case even with out my kindle I'm not sure it applies!  LOL .  

I miss going to a library too, like others have mentioned.  And looking through the book shelves at Goodwill.  (though there isn't a goodwill within 30 miles of where I live anyway, lol).  

I don't miss the book smell.  I would put a book back on the shelf if it had that smell to heavily.  Makes me want to hold my breath while reading, lol.  Totally not conducive to a good reading experience.  

All this is just little, in perspective, to the what I LOVE about reading e-books.  I am able to read again, for long periods of time.  I do have trouble holding the kindle from time to time, but I can prop it up with out worry that my page is going to turn or the book will fall and I'll lose my place.  I wasn't much for bookmarks so would lose my place quite often in a DTB, but never....well unless I hit the next page over and over on accident like I did the other day... lose my place in my kindle books.  I'm smitten with my kindle, and hope the relationship lasts for a very long time!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Not.

A.

Thing.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I still read them, still use the Kindle, still listen to books on tape, so I've just readjusted a little. Heck, I still use the Kindle for PC for some things even though I have a handheld. It all depends on where I am. 

Scott


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

(From Matt)
I have an iPad, and I still read paperback books. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE ebooks, but I haven't completely digitized myself yet.  

Yes, I love the smell, feel, look of a book. I also love the fact that I can't get distracted by 729 other titles at my fingertips when I bring one book to work with me. They're also still quicker to flip through. Technology, however, seems to be closing the gap on speed of use.

What the heck, I love both!


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## Reena Jacobs (Jan 14, 2011)

I still buy more print books than eReads. What I like about books is having the ability to show them off on a bookshelf. I love running my fingers along the spines. I think what keeps me in print is the price of most eBooks don't differ much from the price of a print book. Given that, I put more value in my print books since I have something substantial to hold on to. However, I do purchase indie works in eFormat. I really find I get a bang for my buck or $2.99 as a lot of the cases may be. And many authors are parallel to the traditional authors. Sample, sample, sample.


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

I miss the smell, but not the way my other half used to leave them open and spoil the spines.

Mel


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## no_caffiene (Jan 14, 2011)

Papercuts. Girls think scars are sexy and a scar from a intellegent activity are even sexier!


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

The thing I like about paper books is that you can take it to an author reading/signing and get it inscribed and signed. But I can still do that if I want - just because I love my Kindle doesn't mean I'm not allowed in the DTB bookstores!


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## MeloniePhillips (Jan 13, 2011)

Being able to share them with my mother, I loved it when she would come over looking for a book to read and then love one that I loved.  I can't talk her into trying out a Kindle or a Nook lol.


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## tsrapp (Jan 3, 2011)

*looks over at her shelves and shelves of books*  I'll have to agree with the group that enjoy looking at the trip down reading memory lane or books as a decorating accessory.

So I'll still likely get some of my favorites in paperback.

But on the other side of the coin, I've discovered a bunch of new authors that I never would have tried were it not for ebooks (whether because of the cost or just exposure to them).


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Tom Schreck said:


> What do you (if anything) miss about paper books? Will you get over it?


Nothing. Because I still use paper books for some things.


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## markbeyer (Jan 9, 2011)

My TOP-3 "misses":

3. Writing in the margins

2. Underlining unfamiliar words

1. Using the end-papers to scribble paragraphs and ideas for my own novels D


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## Gerald (Dec 11, 2010)

I _will_ miss going to a friend's house, and looking at their bookshelves. It's lovely to see what other people have bought, and to ask their opinions on things we've both read. And also to get pointers to new authors I might have missed. It's just such a social thing to do. We always invite people to look at our shelves. We have lots of shelves, and lots of tree books still


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

Honestly, the only thing I truly miss is the cover art its the one reason I wish at times the K had a color screen.  I miss absolutely nothing else about books.  I'm not even real sure I can hold a paper book anymore with my hand problems.  I guess we'll find out soon since my next few books are in paper form


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

I miss the accomplishment of turning pages...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

R. Doug said:


> Be careful, Betsy. Some books can really stink!


 

I'll take genteel, delicate sniffs...

Betsy


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## TerryB (Jan 5, 2011)

Being able to use a pretty bookmark to hold my place.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I'm still reading print books because authors send them to me or I occasionally win one from a blog contest. And I admit, I still enjoy the print experience. When they're gone, I'll miss the sentimental memories they trigger of my childhood and its happiest moments, which were spent reading. 
L.J.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

We have a Kindle and an Ipad in the house.  First, it was shocking to me how quickly I fell in love with each of them for different reasons.  

What I still miss, page numbers.  I'm getting used to thinking about books in percentages, but still wish I knew what page I was on.  Also, if a book has long chapters, it's not easy to flip ahead just to see how much more you have to go if you are on chapter-night-schedule.

The Ipad helps with the cover art because the display is awesome.  But you still can't see the wrap-around to the back cover.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Ah, the aroma of a brand new book...


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Gerald said:


> I _will_ miss going to a friend's house, and looking at their bookshelves. It's lovely to see what other people have bought, and to ask their opinions on things we've both read. And also to get pointers to new authors I might have missed. It's just such a social thing to do. We always invite people to look at our shelves. We have lots of shelves, and lots of tree books still


The first thing this tells you is that they read. That's not an insignificant thing to know about a person. And what people read tells a lot about them, and with a bookshelf, you get an a glace look at what they read.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

QuantumIguana said:


> The first thing this tells you is that they read. That's not an insignificant thing to know about a person. And what people read tells a lot about them, and with a bookshelf, you get an a glace look at what they read.


I've never much cared about that type of stuff. Even with movies which I'm more into that books (I'm probably into film like most here are into reading) I've never had much interest in looking through peoples DVD racks and seeing what movies they own.

It always seemed a bit shallow to put any judgment on someone based on their hobbies vs. how they treat their friends and family, how they approach their career and trying to do something meaningful with their lives and so forth. But I suppose in that way I'm just being judgmental in my own way, so that's probably no better!


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