# The "frugality" of tech in a tough economy



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

CNN.com had a lead article today in advance of this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Apparently, some industry analysts believe financial demands may keep more consumers at home with such high-tech devices such as Blu-Ray, video games, etc. as opposed to taking big family vacations. I didn't see any mention of e-readers or the Kindle, though! Is it just me or did the journalist miss one more high-tech device that saves us mucho money in the longrun _and_ has a significantly lower initial purchase price than the other high-tech gadgets highlighted?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/07/ces.2009.preview/?iref=mpstoryview


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

The basic problem for ereaders is that the demographics are a headwind for them for the rest of our lifetime, and beyond. By this I mean that the % of younger folks who read books for pleasure is significantly lower than past generations. I am 60 and I was brought up on books. The 30 year old generation was brought up on video games and constant cell phone usage as recreation. The younger kids today have even more distractions. These are demographics that effect many things. My wife works in musical theater and the audiences are definitely skewing older over time. 

To put it in stock market terms (I used to work on Wall Street), the Kindle is in a short term bull market which will probably last for 5 to 10 years as it gets more acceptance by the general population. But over the very long term, the next generation is simply not going to read as much as past generations.

Steve


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## Bonnie22 (Dec 12, 2008)

I agree. I'm 23 and I only have one friend who reads as much as I do. When I read books while waiting for a class to start, a lot of times people will ask if I'm reading for English Lit. and they look very confused when I tell them, "No, I'm reading for fun! Now leave me alone and let me get back to my book." It's as though they can't grasp the concept of reading because you_ like_ to instead of reading because you _have_ to. It's very sad. These people are really missing out.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Say it ain't so, Steve! Seriously, I sadly believe it's true. Our teens are multi-tasking all the time. I have to tell them to stop texting while talking to us. One hour of TV and you can see why so many young children are hyperactive. We raised our children on books and they loved them until they hit high school....then it was "required reading." They're starting to get a little love of reading back, but only during summer breaks. I've been exposed to both worlds and I still love books...the only way to truly escape. If I had to give up one, no doubt I'd give up high tech.....*except* the Kindle!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I think I have a little more faith in this generation that everyone else.  Yes, in high school there is "required reading" which doesn't appeal to teens and I don't blame them.  If we give them a choice of what to read, I think they'll read and enjoy.  

How many of us enjoyed the books we were required to read in high school and college?  Not many, according to what I've seen in other threads.  And yet today, we are all avid readers here.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Good point, Gertie. I know there is so much competition out there for students now that they barely have any time to do what they want to do when it comes to reading. If they have some free hours, of course they want to socialize and didn't we? So we can't blame them. Everyone is taking IB or AP courses, college test prep courses/tutors, taking college courses before they head off for college...let the poor kids off the express train! I feel so sorry for them. I'm constantly reminding our teens to pursue what they love as a career....they get so "caught up" in the greed and fast pace of today's society.


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

I think they don't read as much now, but I'm not sure they will still want to play video games etc. as much as they get older.  The carpel tunnel will set in and the vision and reflexes will start to go and their kids willwant the use the console all the time and reading will start to look good to them.  I work with a bunch of 20 and 30 somethings and the mid 30 crowd is already getting tired of some of it.  I have 2 that have bought Kindles and now say they are reading more.  So I think the pendulum will swing the other way.  Plus the cool factor of Kindle helps.  Now if we could just get schools to let them read cooler books that would help.


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## AlwaysHopeful (Jan 5, 2009)

I have a 14 year old daughter, H.S. freshman.
She READS.
She read the entire Twilight series (yes, all 4 books) in a week over Christmas break.
It seems many of her friends don't like to read though.  
For 2 of her friends, she picked out a book that she thought each of them might like 
and gave it to them.
About a month later, I was talking to one of the mom's and she THANKED me for my daughter.
HER daughter was reading like a crazy woman through the series.
If kids would encourage others, they could keep reading going!


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I'm the exception to my generation. I'm 36 and read more than most folks my age and younger do. But my folks refused to buy us another console after Dad got us the Atari 2600 (We had that why did we need a Nintendo?). But I'm also the only avid reader in my immediate family. My Dad's oldest sister reads a bunch but we rarely saw her. My parents have often questioned where I got my love of reading. Apparently, I'd also try to bring a book to the dinner table. LOL. They had to start grounding me by making me watch Sunday night TV with them, because if I was in my room, it wasn't a punishment. 

I loved working in a library so I could be exposed to so many books. When I started working circulation, I started taking an interest in the books I saw being checked out alot. And I picked up the HP series when I heard about the fights kids were getting in to read them. I just had to see what was getting kids interested in reading.

I was not interested in any of the "required reading" I had in school, with a few exceptions (Watership Down, Lord of the Flies). As I've gotten older, I realise that these are "classics" and am trying to read them now.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

The elementary schools here have the 100 book challenge.  That means in a school year they have to read 400-15 minute segments (steps).  The kids can pick their own chapter books.  They have crates of books in each classroom, plus what they can get in the library or at home.  

It took two years to get my grandson to enjoy reading, but it was just a matter of finding books he liked.  I just kept trying different things for him.  What finally got him going is the Jack Sparrow series.  He can't wait until the new ones come out.  Now he reads Star Wars, HP, Artemis Fowl and he frequently goes over the required time.  I even keep a book and book light in the car for him.  

He still plays his video games, of course, and has other interests, but he does read and talks to me about the books he likes.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I am 37. As a kid my parents restricted TV to 30 minutes a day. We could watch a bit more on the weekend but that normally meant sports. When we got a video game system, that was similarly limited. If we were in the house we were either in the basement playing or in another room doing something that was not too loud. Normally reading.

During the summer we had 1 hour of reading time every day. We had to be in our rooms reading a book that we got at the library. Granted, this time coincided with my Mother's soap operas but it was 1 hour a day were we had to be in our rooms reading.

My Mother and Fathers insistence that we not watch TV and read as well as their example by reading too us and around us helped us become readers. Now we are passing that on to our kids. Well, my brothers are, I don't have kids yet.

All four of us are readers. My two brothers are raising readers. The five nieces/nephews (ages 5-11) are happy to sit down with a book. The younger ones bring books to me to read to them when they can see that I don't want to have another tickle fight. We play video games and watch TV together but we also read together.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Always Hopeful, what a great story about your daughter and her friend.  In junior high my girlfriend and I read the Little House series books together.  We read them again in high school.  I bought us both a set a few years later and we both read them to our kids.  35 years later we're still best friends and we still have our set of Little House books.  

My grandsons were visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The 4-year old sleeps with me.  When we went to bed he seen my book on my nightstand (pre-kindle time) and promptly got back out of bed and went searching for a book he could read before going to sleep like Mimi (that's me).  He found a bible storybook with lots of pictures.  Climbed back in and bed and "read" for a few minutes with me.  I think he'll be a reader.  
debbie


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Yes, reading is contagious.  We had out-of-town family staying with us over the holidays and a younger niece was the first (and only) one to come up with New Year's resolutions on January 1.  One of her resolutions?  "Read an entire book."  She had shown an interest in what I was reading when she was here, heard me talking about the ending of a particular novel, and I would read her sections of the books if she asked.  I could tell she was intrigued by the idea of reading more and thought her resolution was sweet.  

We have a teen daughter who finished the entire Twilight series in a couple week's time after school each day.  I was concerned because she had an advanced course load at school, but she managed to fit in the Twilight series because she just eliminated wasted time like channel-surfing on TV. She would drift off to another room and leave the rest of us to our own pursuits....it was a nice change to see her truly interested in an author. When the series ended, she was actually upset that Stephenie Meyer didn't have another book out yet....and yes, she read The Host, too, snatching all she could from the author!  She had a similar experience....she and her friends were lending each other the Twilight series back and forth and her interest in it even turned a non-reading girlfriend on to the series, too.  The nice kind of peer pressure


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

libro said:


> Yes, reading is contagious.


It has infected quite a few in my family.  Both of my parents read. The house was filled with books and we went to the library nearly every week. My husband and I read. Our house is filled with books and my husband is a librarian. Our daughter reads. Her house is filled with books and her daughters, 7 and 11, read. (We always have to ask before buying them books as they have often read them already.) After hearing her older sister tell some of a story (_Leon and the Spitting Image_ by Allen Kurzweil) her teacher had read to her fourth grade class, my youngest granddaughter, the seven year old, had to read the book herself. When I asked my daughter what the youngest might want for Christmas, she mentioned a video game and the sequel to the book. In addition to the video game, we gave her _Leon and the Champion Chip_ and another book, _Harriet the Spy_ by Louise Fitzhugh. Our granddaughter was overjoyed with the Leon sequel and started reading the book immediately. (The grandparents are very proud of both of them. )

Anna


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## Knipfty (Jan 8, 2009)

I'm guessing my family is a bit different.  The other night, 4 out 5 of us were siting in the family room reading out books!  My wife & I along with my two daughters (ages 11 and 15).  The 15 year old just started getting into reading.  In the past two months she has ploughed her way thru  the twilight saga!

It was so pleasant not having the TV on.  If this keeps up, I might cancel cable!


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

talk about setting limits. When I was a kid, my brothers and I argued about the T.V. one too many times. My mom's response - she sold the T.V.. now I have kids I don't find my self as strong but we have limits with my two (10 and 15) and always have. I read aloud to them starting the day they were born. First books were what ever I was reading - they want your voice and tone. We progressed to their stories. Now we are all readers. I also try my hardest to get them to read the book before movie comes out. it also helps that school population 43 we graduate 1-4 kids a year. no movie theaters, malls, fast food, or sadly book store.

book three of the Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel  is being advertised. the first thing my kids say is you better not get that on Kindle as that is not fair. (I don't let the kids use the kindle) they are starting the "who gets to read it first" discussion.

It is not out on kindle yet the first two are so I have hope. I will most likely get dtb and kindle copy 
so spoiled I am getting
Sylvia

hey I got to Lewis Carrol even being a bit off topic as usuall


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Knipfty said:


> It was so pleasant not having the TV on. If this keeps up, I might cancel cable!


In this economy not a bad idea. Now if I could get my husband into reading! LOL LOL

Nice to have you here knipfty - why don't you wander over to Into/Welcome and tell us about yourself.

Congratulations on your first post!!


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

stevene9 said:


> The 30 year old generation was brought up on video games and constant cell phone usage as recreation.


I would argue actually that the video game generation (which I'm part of) has a tendency to grow out of it somewhat. You can see this in the trend of "hardcore" massive multiplayer online games making their content easier, more able to complete for those of us with a small amount of time to devote to a video game.

Sure, 15-20 year olds on average aren't going to be terribly interested in an e-reader, but give them 5 years and they might not be as interested in video games and being "constantly connected" as they used to be.

To me reading has always been a passtime that hinges on maturity rather than age. It takes some people longer to grow up and realize the fun of a good book. Sadly some people never do, but I don't think my generation is any less likely to do so than the generation that grew up going to Sockhops, or the generation that grew up watching serialized stories in the movie theater


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Although I've seen a few really good movies during my life, none of them have stuck with me to the degree a "really good book" does. There isn't a good movie out there that has ever enlightened me on a subject or added to my vocabulary either. Sure, I still enjoy movies, keeping up with current events on TV, and have other pursuits, but reading has such *depth* to it!

The other night, I was at a really good part in a novel and my husband was listening to CNN. Now I love Anderson Cooper, but the show does repeat itself every hour or so. When I said I'd be reading in the other room, my DH said, "Why? You never did that before." (I have....he's just been asleep!) Anyway, I told him it was hard to listen to Anderson Cooper (talking mega-fast) and read a good novel at the same time. You would have thought I have having an affair  Yes, DH gets plenty of attention, but just doesn't understand books.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

When I am not reading, I tend to be playing video games. I love my Wii and have grown to appreciate the XBox 360. My fiancee does not read and has been in a bit of a funk because the XBox is out being repaired. While I read the Kindle wait thread, I hear him reporting on the return of the XBox.

(shrugs)

There is room for both.


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## Sherlock (Dec 17, 2008)

Technology is here to stay, no doubt about it.  Heck, we're here posting and our ages span a wide range.  I read Kindleboards for the company and support while I'm waiting for my Kindle to arrive and also to talk books with others afflicted with the disease.  I don't know a lot of folks in "real life" who are avid readers so you all are my reading friends.  My point is that I didn't grow up with this technology and sometimes I'm on the computer with you all when I would have used the time in the past to simply read!  I still get a lot of reading done and never go anywhere without a book, even if I don't think I will get a chance to read it, but technology is a part of our life now.  I think someone earlier hit the nail on the head when they said that it's a matter of maturity.  Video games and cell phones are a part of the culture, but kids need to mature to put it into perspective.  Their world right now is centered around technology.

Neither of my sons (25 and 2 are readers in spite of being read to every day when they were kids.  My DH is also not a reader.  Oh, they read car magazines and others related to their interests so it's not that they don't read at all, but they don't fall into the definition of what I call readers.  I still always get them books that interest them for Christmas and they seem to enjoy them.  There are books for everyone no matter what the topic of interest.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I bought my boyfriend a book of short stories on a subject he loves for Christmas.  It also does not have any pictures...LOL.  I've got my fingers crossed.  
debbie


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## Diana (Nov 9, 2008)

I agree there are a lot of kids playing video games but this is not the case in my home, nor in most of my friends'--so have  hope!  My kids are readers, they drive me crazy because they always want to stop by the bookstore and get a book.  I indulge them to keep them reading.  At Christmas for my niece and nephew, books are what they get.  Funny thing is my kids do have a Playstation2, they play it maybe once every two weeks, if that.  We did not let them have video games when they were younger, and we did not let them go on the computer either.  My children are 15, and 12--and don't appear to have picked up the habits of other kids.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Diana said:


> I agree there are a lot of kids playing video games but this is not the case in my home, nor in most of my friends'--so have hope! My kids are readers, they drive me crazy because they always want to stop by the bookstore and get a book. I indulge them to keep them reading. At Christmas for my niece and nephew, books are what they get. Funny thing is my kids do have a Playstation2, they play it maybe once every two weeks, if that. We did not let them have video games when they were younger, and we did not let them go on the computer either. My children are 15, and 12--and don't appear to have picked up the habits of other kids.


It's refreshing to know there are parents who do not give in to constant TV watching and video game usage. When my kids were school age I had the cable disconnected every summer. They rode bikes, played outside with friends, explored, and of course read. We had movie night once a week. When the cable was on, MTV and other such channels were strictly forbidden. I'm happy to report that all three of my now adults are well rounded productive members of society. 
debbie


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

My parents never ordered cable so that was never an issue in our house.

My Brothers and Sisters-in_law limit the kids tv watching and video game playing. The kids are not allowed to  play video games during the week and can only play a few hours on the weekend. There are ways of balancing the video games and the books. One way might even to reward kids reading with video game time.


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

Diana said:


> Funny thing is my kids do have a Playstation2, they play it maybe once every two weeks, if that. We did not let them have video games when they were younger, and we did not let them go on the computer either.


What you need is a Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 - then you won't be able to keep them off the TV. 

My kids are readers. Two of them read all of the time - hiding under covers at night - I'm sure we all did this when we were younger. But one of them I just can't get interested. As a result he's not a very strong reader. I hope this changes one day but until I find something that really grabs him, it's a lost cause. He's 10. My 1st Grader reads better than he does but she is reading all of the time. He'd rather build lego stuff and read Guiness Book of Records type stuff. Sigh.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

> What you need is a Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 - then you won't be able to keep them off the TV.


I take the winking smiley to mean that you are kidding. Just in case...

My brothers have found that the gaming consoles are a great motivator. If the kids (especially my nephews) bring home notes from school saying they are misbehaving, they lose gaming privlages. If the kids argue about doing homework, bye bye Wii time. Talk back to an adult? There goes Mario Kart.

When I bought my Wii, I gave my eldest brother my old Gamecube. He and my SIL were not sure they wanted to introduce a game console into the house. The decided that it wouold be fine if they managed it properly. One month later my SIL says that my nephew has been practicing the piano more regularly and more seriously, he does his home work more willingly, and he is being a great deal more kind to his sister because he knew that his good behavior allowed him to play on the GameCube for an hour a day on the weekend. Mind you, my nephew is a well behaved kid who practiced his piano, with a bit of grumbling, was an A student who grumbled about doing homework, and used please and thank you on a regular basis.

And he still reads every day whenever he can.

I think gaming consoles get a bad rap. If they are properly used, they can be fun and not too much of a distraction.


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

ProfCrash said:


> I think gaming consoles get a bad rap. If they are properly used, they can be fun and not too much of a distraction.


I agree. And I _was _ kidding, in part. We have a Wii, Xbox 360 and four DS lites in our house. And a PS2 that doesn't get used anymore. We use them in the same way you described because it is a great bargaining chip. And another use that works in our house: Mr. KM runs every night on the treadmill while playing some crazy war game - Call of Duty or something - and will only play if he's exercising. Or it's Christmas Day. Or he had a huge day at work. Or the sky is blue.

Seriously, he mostly only plays when he's on that treadmill. I hear the "thumps" as he gets so caught up in the game he loses his balance.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

LOL I cannot imagine playing Call of Duty while on a treadmill. My fiancee plays that one and I have watched him play a few times. It strikes me as too involved.

I have some fine motor skills issues. When I was in elementary school the special ed teacher actually suggested that my parents let me play video games to help develop my fine motor skills. I did that, needle work, and caligrophy in order to help my motor skills. My hand writing still sucks but I was a varsity athlete. Who knows if they helped. All I know is that I got to play video games for part of the time when I was in the resource support room.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

ProfCrash said:


> ...
> I think gaming consoles get a bad rap. If they are properly used, they can be fun and not too much of a distraction.


I agree. Years ago my husband and I bought a Nintendo (original) for ourselves. We also had a Commodore 64. (Shows how long ago that was.  ) Therefore my daughter grew up playing video games on the Nintendo and playing computer games on the Commodore. (She learned her letters very quickly!) We all read, watched some TV (cable even existed back then), played some computer games, went hiking, etc. The video games were just a small part of our daughter's life. It certainly did not stop her from reading, homework, participating in Girl Scouts, etc. I do not remember using game time as a reward, but certainly all optional activities were not allowed when homework or chores were not done. My granddaughters are growing up in a home with multiple game machines (Wii, Xbox, their own Nintendo DS, etc.), , cable, computers with high speed Internet, etc. Both granddaughters play video games, participate in sports (softball, triathlons), play musical instruments (piano, cello), do well in school, and are avid readers. They are able to keep it all fairly well in balance.

My husband and I still have that original Nintendo and it was played occasionally up until we bought the Wii as our second video game machine. We saved a lot of money skipping all those game machine versions!

Anna


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

We also have our treadmill in the same room as the video games. While we do not have Call of Duty, I cannot imagine playing Zelda while on the treadmill. I will have to try that this weekend at the slowest speed and see what happens.   
Anna


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

ProfCrash said:


> LOL I cannot imagine playing Call of Duty while on a treadmill. My fiancee plays that one and I have watched him play a few times. It strikes me as too involved.
> 
> I have some fine motor skills issues. When I was in elementary school the special ed teacher actually suggested that my parents let me play video games to help develop my fine motor skills. I did that, needle work, and caligrophy in order to help my motor skills. My hand writing still sucks but I was a varsity athlete. Who knows if they helped. All I know is that I got to play video games for part of the time when I was in the resource support room.


How fun to play video games in school! My son would love that excuse. Sadly he has incredible fine motor skills and dexterity. He needs better reading skills however.

You should see Mr. KM.  He's fairly good at catching himself when he stumbles. I think he's only really fallen off the treadmill once. 

The game that really messes him up, and sorry I can't recall the name, but it's some racing car thing through different cities. He leans as he turns the car and that is dangerous. He doesn't play it so much.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Mario Kart on a treadmill would be deadly. Forget throwing the Wii Wheel at the TV, you would fall off and hurt yourself. 

Hey, my video games were meant to help a professionally diagnosed learning disability. I tried using it as an excuse to play more games at home but it never worked. Mom told me to work more on my reading (minor dyslexia) or handed me some needlework. (sigh)

Yeah, Zelda on the treadmill would not work. How would you ride the horse ond swing your sword without falling off?


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

ProfCrash said:


> ...
> Yeah, Zelda on the treadmill would not work. How would you ride the horse ond swing your sword without falling off?


I thought I would start with just smashing pumpkins and work up to traveling and buying equipment while on the treadmill.  Certainly fighting the Dark Knights would be impossible for me. (Wait, that is nearly impossible for me when I am staying still! )
Anna


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## MineKinder (Jan 5, 2009)

My son is 23, he does not EVER watch TV or play video games. He did play video games as a teenager. But now considers them a waste of time.
He does love to read, and loved the Kindle when I showed it to him online.
He likes the idea, of being able to summon a book in seconds.

I think he would read a lot more, with a Kindle. Because he is impatient with ordering books on Amazon.com.
He wants to try my Kindle, when it comes at the beginning of March. 
But I want to buy him one, and surprise him, because he is graduating UC Irvine at the end of March!!! What better gift for a college graduate, than a reading devise!


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

I usually go by the old axiom, "Everything in moderation."  That is, except reading


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## Guest (Jan 9, 2009)

gertiekindle said:


> How many of us enjoyed the books we were required to read in high school and college? Not many, according to what I've seen in other threads. And yet today, we are all avid readers here.


I guess I am way out of the norm here. I really did enjoy most of my high school "required" reading. Maybe it is just that it appealed to my tastes. I still pick up and read classics from time to time. Reading a good book is enjoyment for me, regardless of whether or not I am or was forced to read it.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> I guess I am way out of the norm here. I really did enjoy most of my high school "required" reading. Maybe it is just that it appealed to my tastes. I still pick up and read classics from time to time. Reading a good book is enjoyment for me, regardless of whether or not I am or was forced to read it.


I also enjoyed most of my high school 'required' reading. I can only remember one that I did not like. It was very depressing. I no longer remember the name but I think all but two of the characters in the book died. The two that didn't lived in adjoining apartments where the walls were very thin. I don't think they ever talked to each other; they just sat in their rooms listening to the noises the other person made (such as squeaking of rocking chairs).

When I was in junior high, I tried starting at the beginning of the "Great Books" set my parents had. My goal was to read through the set in order. I ended up skipping around. I did not finish because the print was tiny, the books were very heavy, and we were not allowed to take the books out of the living room. My new goal is to get all of those books on my Kindle and finish them that way instead.

Anna


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I hated Wuthering Heights. With a passion. Stupid fricking book. It was my teachers favorite book and we spent a semester on it to prepare for the AP Exam. Our first assignment was to argue whether we thought it was a classic or not. I was the only person who wrote it shouldn't be a classic because all the characters sucked and lacked any humanity. I failed said paper but aced the class and the AP exam.

Other then that, I enjoyed the books I read in school. My problem was that I had read them all several years before they were assigned in class and didn't want to re-read them. I enjoyed them more the first time around then the second. Not because they were not good the second time around but because I wanted to be reading something else.


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## TM (Nov 25, 2008)

My teenahger is not much of a fiction reader - right now. I think he will get back into more later. A few things have soured him some.

1) Right now, he wants to read more to learn something (I can't complain about that - so is more into non-fiction)
2) Required reading at school (the way it was presented totally turned him off)
3) he tends to get too involved in a book, and then wants to finish it. While some may not have an issue of that, he sometimes thinks it is wasting his time - ie, more productive things he could do (or more fun with friends also) then sopending hours reading). Basically - he doesn't like being drawn in so muich that he will soend hours reading - yet, doesn;t want to stop after a little while becuause he wants to know what is going to happen. he thinks I am nuts fo reading for hours at a time (fiction anyway).


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2009)

Annalog said:


> When I was in junior high, I tried starting at the beginning of the "Great Books" set my parents had. My goal was to read through the set in order. I ended up skipping around. I did not finish because the print was tiny, the books were very heavy, and we were not allowed to take the books out of the living room. My new goal is to get all of those books on my Kindle and finish them that way instead.
> 
> Anna


I found this...I clicked on the I want to read this on my Kindle. Man that's a lot of reading!


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Annalog said:


> When I was in junior high, I tried starting at the beginning of the "Great Books" set my parents had. My goal was to read through the set in order. I ended up skipping around. I did not finish because the print was tiny, the books were very heavy, and we were not allowed to take the books out of the living room. My new goal is to get all of those books on my Kindle and finish them that way instead.
> 
> Anna


I actually made it through all of them. I spent so much time reading from our school library that when I met the librarian two years after I graduated she said they had moved the library. When they were moving it she had reviewed all the books and she found only 35 books I hadn't checked out out. I was so stunned I didn't think to ask how many books they had, but it was a large library since we had 2,000 students in the school.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2009)

I wonder if that was any sort of Guennis(sp) Record?


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> I actually made it through all of them. I spent so much time reading from our school library that when I met the librarian two years after I graduated she said they had moved the library. When they were moving it she had reviewed all the books and she found only 35 books I hadn't checked out out. I was so stunned I didn't think to ask how many books they had, but it was a large library since we had 2,000 students in the school.


Wow! By your senior year, was it difficult to find new books to read in the school library? It would be interesting to see Guinness World Records based on reading.



Vampyre said:


> I found this...I clicked on the I want to read this on my Kindle. Man that's a lot of reading!


Vampyre, the photo you posted is of the second edition (1990) which is six volumes larger than the earlier edition. I believe that my parents bought the set sometime between 1961 and 1964. My current goal is to read all of the books in the second edition plus the four books from the first edition that were dropped from the second edition. There are also other lists of books that I am using when choosing books to download for my Kindle. I will probably be alternating between several books at one time.  I have quite a few ready to load on the Kindle when it finally arrives.

Anna


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Annalog said:


> Wow! By your senior year, was it difficult to find new books to read in the school library? It would be interesting to see Guinness World Records based on reading.
> 
> Vampyre, the photo you posted is of the second edition (1990) which is six volumes larger than the earlier edition. I believe that my parents bought the set sometime between 1961 and 1964. My current goal is to read all of the books in the second edition plus the four books from the first edition that were dropped from the second edition. There are also other lists of books that I am using when choosing books to download for my Kindle. I will probably be alternating between several books at one time.  I have quite a few ready to load on the Kindle when it finally arrives.
> 
> Anna


By my senior year I was buying books to read, and reserving all the new books as they came in. I worked in the library so that made it easy to get all new ones first. Fortunately my parents were willing to pay for my addiction they figured it was better then cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. My parents were both teachers so they encouraged me to read, so I told them it was their fault.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> I guess I am way out of the norm here. I really did enjoy most of my high school "required" reading. Maybe it is just that it appealed to my tastes. I still pick up and read classics from time to time. Reading a good book is enjoyment for me, regardless of whether or not I am or was forced to read it.


I set the top of the grade curve in my World Lit. class in high school (196. Part of the grade was number of pages read. The second place student in this category was about eight thousand pages behind me. The only book I did not finish was Conrad's _Lord Jim_. (counted against me, total pages of book subtracted from my total) Tried to read it three times since, just for the principle of finishing something I started, but haven't made it yet. When my Kindle arrives, I already have a copy ready to go. This time I'll get it, breaking it into smaller bites between other reading.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

libro said:


> I usually go by the old axiom, "Everything in moderation." That is, except reading





Gables Girl said:


> By my senior year I was buying books to read, and reserving all the new books as they came in. I worked in the library so that made it easy to get all new ones first. Fortunately my parents were willing to pay for my addiction they figured it was better then cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. My parents were both teachers so they encouraged me to read, so I told them it was their fault.


LOL - I have often said that I choose my addictions carefully; reading is my primary addiction.  When my husband became a librarian, it made supplying my addiction much easier. When my Kindle arrives, it will be even easier.



intinst said:


> I set the top of the grade curve in my World Lit. class in high school (196. Part of the grade was number of pages read. The second place student in this category was about eight thousand pages behind me. The only book I did not finish was Conrad's _Lord Jim_. (counted against me, total pages of book subtracted from my total) Tried to read it three times since, just for the principle of finishing something I started, but haven't made it yet. When my Kindle arrives, I already have a copy ready to go. This time I'll get it, breaking it into smaller bites between other reading.


That reminded me about writing a paper on Conrad's _Heart of Darkness_ my freshman year in college. Apparently my opinions at the time differed greatly from that of the professor so my grade on that paper was not good.  However I learned what that professor wanted so the remaining papers in that class received better grades.


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## Eclectic Reader (Oct 28, 2008)

TM said:


> My teenahger is not much of a fiction reader - right now. I think he will get back into more later. A few things have soured him some.
> 
> 1) Right now, he wants to read more to learn something (I can't complain about that - so is more into non-fiction)
> 2) Required reading at school (the way it was presented totally turned him off)


When I was a kid, I hung out at the local library and LOVED the Children's Fiction area. But in High School I got totally turned off to reading because of the Required Reading List. If I HAD to read things that had no meaning to me, then I simply wouldn't read. Period.

So....in college, what did I decide on for a career...LIBRARIANSHIP! But I only wanted to be a Children's Librarian--THAT was the literature that was fun to read!!

Just for the record: I DO read adult books as well--but rarely adult fiction. I read Children's Fiction and Adult Nonfiction. I'm like your son--I want to be LEARNING something, as well as reading.


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## Eclectic Reader (Oct 28, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> It took two years to get my grandson to enjoy reading, but it was just a matter of finding books he liked. I just kept trying different things for him. What finally got him going is the Jack Sparrow series. He can't wait until the new ones come out. Now he reads Star Wars, HP, Artemis Fowl and he frequently goes over the required time. I even keep a book and book light in the car for him.
> 
> He still plays his video games, of course, and has other interests, but he does read and talks to me about the books he likes.


My nephew is the son of 2 librarians, and the nephew of a Children's Librarian (me). There were *always* books *everywhere* in his house, and his parents were always reading. I gave him books for Christmas, birthdays, etc, but he wasn't really interested. Around the age of 10, my sister found the house very quiet one day and wondered where Tom was. She found him _reading_ in his bedroom! He had *finally* found a book that spoke to him! The book: _Sideways Stories from Wayside School_ by Louis Sachar. He started reading more and more, and then became a voracious reader. Shortly thereafter, I took him with me to my parents' house for a holiday weekend (giving sis and BIL the weekend to themselves). On the 3 hour trip down, and during the return trip, we talked books the whole way.

Fast forward a dozen years--nephew Tom hemmed and hawed his way thru college, unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. (Actually, I think he *did* know--he was just rather reluctant to go into "the family business". lol). After college, he got a tech job in a Medical College library, liked the atmosphere of the library, and went after his Masters in Library Science, and they hired him as a professional librarian after he got his degree. Unfortunately, their funding got cut, and so did his position. However, I recently found out that he's going to go back to school to get his teaching credential so that he can become a Children's librarian in an elementary/middle school.

And this is from a kid who was an obstinate nonreader the first 10 years of his life! lol I can't wait to talk Children's books with him later this year at a Family Reunion.


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## Eclectic Reader (Oct 28, 2008)

libro said:


> Yes, reading is contagious.


The Harry Potter phenomenon did not start because librarians and teachers were cramming the book down their student's throats. It started because _kids_ were telling _other kids_ about the story (this was waaaay before the movies). My coworkers and I caught wind of the phenomenon when kids were coming in droves to the library to put HP...Sorceror's Stone on reserve, and we didn't have near enough copies in our library system.

For that matter, copies of either Chamber of Secrets or Prisoner of Azkaban (I can't remember which one right now) were given out (free) at the American Library Association Conference in June prior to the September publishing/release of the book here in the United States. A coworker picked it up, and it was being passed around the staff. I took it out to Washington DC on a trip to visit family that August, and was getting the most envious looks from kids at the airport while I was reading. 

Have the kids "continued" to read like they did in the "Harry Potter" days? Some have; some haven't. But if you can keep books in front of them that may particularly appeal to their interests (SciFi, Fantasy, Sports, Nonfiction, etc) they may come across that "particular" book that speaks to them, and then they're off and running.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2009)

> Vampyre, the photo you posted is of the second edition (1990) which is six volumes larger than the earlier edition. I believe that my parents bought the set sometime between 1961 and 1964. My current goal is to read all of the books in the second edition plus the four books from the first edition that were dropped from the second edition. There are also other lists of books that I am using when choosing books to download for my Kindle. I will probably be alternating between several books at one time. I have quite a few ready to load on the Kindle when it finally arrives.
> 
> Anna


That was the set Amazon sells for just under $1000.00. I hope the Kindler version is a little cheaper.  That picture is clickable and was made with lin maker 2.0.

It would take me a very long time to read all of those books, probably several years.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2009)

Annalog said:


> When I was in junior high, I tried starting at the beginning of the "Great Books" set my parents had. My goal was to read through the set in order. I ended up skipping around. I did not finish because the print was tiny, the books were very heavy, and we were not allowed to take the books out of the living room. My new goal is to get all of those books on my Kindle and finish them that way instead.


Have you checked out Feedbooks, Manybooks or Gutenberg Project? Since many of the books included are classics, you may be able to find them for free.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> Have you checked out Feedbooks, Manybooks or Gutenberg Project? Since many of the books included are classics, you may be able to find them for free.


Hi LuckyRainbow, That is exactly where I am getting the books. I was writing that when I saw there was a new post.  I am using the contents list from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_World to identify what I need to find. Since I only have a dial-up Internet connection at home, it is taking a while. Also, since I do not yet have my Kindle, I am not sure how the formatting on some of the versions will be. I am saving the files on the computer in folders by Source (Feedbooks, Manybooks, etc.) with subfolders Author so that I will know where else to look for a replacement file if there are any problems with a specific book. After I get the Kindle I plan to set up a directory structure similar to the DT volumes. It is also taking me a while as I keep getting sidetracked downloading other favorite classics, KindleBoards, work, etc. At least I can read DTB and download at the same time.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2009)

One other nice thing to remember, once you get your Kindle and you are in a Whispernet area, you can download feedbook and manybooks catalogs to your Kindle then get the books quickly with the Whispernet. It works almost like Amazon's site, search by author or book title and then 1-click on your choice.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> One other nice thing to remember, once you get your Kindle and you are in a Whispernet area, you can download feedbook and manybooks catalogs to your Kindle then get the books quickly with the Whispernet. It works almost like Amazon's site, search by author or book title and then 1-click on your choice.


I am looking forward to that. But in the meantime, downloading books keeps me from checking the Amazon Where is My Stuff? page every 10 minutes when at home. It feels as if I am doing something productive instead of just waiting.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

The other day I went to look up a particular "Penguin Classics" novel on Amazon. That's when I noticed they were selling a collection of 1,000 Penguin Classics (all paperback) for an Amazon discounted price of $ 7,989.50 (list price $13,413.30). I couldn't believe it! Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Classics-Library-Complete-Collection/dp/0147503078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231633137&sr=8-3


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

libro said:


> The other day I went to look up a particular "Penguin Classics" novel on Amazon. That's when I noticed they were selling a collection of 1,000 Penguin Classics (all paperback) for an Amazon discounted price of $ 7,989.50 (list price $13,413.30). I couldn't believe it! Here's the link:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Classics-Library-Complete-Collection/dp/0147503078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231633137&sr=8-3


I clicked that I want to see it on Kindle. . . shouldn't run more than $3000 

Ann


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

That would put it right up there with the Landolt-Bornstein books. It might knock the Nuclear Energy book off of the top.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> You never know, Ann. It might knock the Nuclear book off of the top.


Built from the instructions in the nuclear book:


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

Oops. My edit changed what Leslie quoted.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> Oops. My edit changed what Leslie quoted.


We're all on the same page...or wavelength...or whatever...

L


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

That Landolt-Bornstein book has almost made it to the list of "answers to every question" list.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> That Landolt-Bornstein book has almost made it to the list of "answers to every question" list.


Along with Hugh and Hibbing!


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Along with Hugh and Hibbing!


Perhaps we could get Hugh to do a reading from Landholt-Bornstein in Hibbing and cover all bases.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

Gables Girl said:


> Perhaps we could get Hugh to do a reading from Landholt-Bornstein in Hibbing and cover all bases.


That would probably cause some sort of apocalyptic event and destroy all life on this planet.


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Vampyre said:


> That would probably cause some sort of apocalyptic event and destroy all life on this planet.


ROFLMAO Hadn't thought of that. Forget I suggested it. Although Leslie may be willing to risk it.


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