Blog on Paper #1

Sometimes I wish I grew up in a time before Television, movies, video games and all those things so that I could have been one of those kids always surrounded by Matilda-size stacks of books who did nothing but climb trees and read. Even as I reconcile myself with the growing place of technology in the world, good old paper books will always hold a unique place in my heart and head. What immediately comes to mind is a book vs DVD scenario. Don't get me wrong, I love movies and have a prodigious DVD collection myself, but consider this situation. If someone gives you a book, you can start reading it the moment it crosses your palm. Not very polite, but possible. If someone gives you a DVD, that gives you the opportunity to be a little more sociable because reading the back of the case isn't going to take long, and your not likely to open it and stare at the disc. To do what DVDs are meant to do, you need to go somewhere, find a DVD player and Television set, and electricity. Obviously, to have all of these things you must first have purchased them, and to do that you needed to have a substantial amount of money before you were even given the gift in question. Now while someone may give you a book, which you can enjoy even if you are homeless, the average-joe friend is not likely to buy you a home, an television, a DVD player, and pay your electricity bill in addition to a single DVD. At least books will have a future in economical gift options. Sad as it is, if books are to become novelties suitable only for present presenting in order to survive, I would take it, anything, over their total extinction.