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mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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Rock, Paper, Paperwhite

December 11, 2013 — 1 Comment

I am a recovering reading addict. I will probably be an over-reader for the rest of my days, so the question is where why and how to read. I received my Kindle Paperwhite yesterday and am very pleased with it.  It has a very adjustable screen that allows you to fine tune the font and the backlight to suit all situations.  It is light and I find it is much easier to hold than an iPad, where my first Kindle books resided.  There has been much thought and design work put into this creation.  It is for reading, without distraction.  It is a noticeable upgrade from paper.

People used to hold newspapers up to read, and some still do.  This is a kind of space divider that lets others know (or think) that we are busy reading, learning and becoming more informed.  I used to read the Wall Street Journal almost every day with the small print and big ads.  If you hold that paper up to read at the Starbucks you are making a statement about your interests.  I used to read Architectural Digest and Yoga Journal all the time.  I still have  subscription to The Week  magazine which I am much more likely to read in the digital version, while the paper one sits around unopened.  I just cleared out years of them from my magazine rack, most with almost no pages read.  I bought a 5 year subscription, and I do love the reporting/curation because it features articles from journalists around the world rather than an American only perspective. While Newsweek is returning to print for subscribers only, my involvement with paper publications is dwindling. If I have a burning news question I ask twitter what is happening. My conversion to digital makes my life easier and better because:

  • The Paperwhite and it’s cover fit nicely into my purse
  • The entire Amazon Prime lending library is available to me on it
  • The advanced comfort and ease of the adjustable settings is stellar
  • I can store books in it for reading with no Wi-Fi
  • I have nothing to return to the library or eliminate if I don’t like the book
  • The screen stays on for recipe use, which is a problem with iPad
  • It has a super long better life so I can read for days without recharging

In the kitchen or on the go, the Paperwhite is the tiny portable but unlimited library I always wanted.  I am sure I will return some day to the Pima County Library, but for now I am perfectly happy to have my library in the cloud.

Library in the Sky and the 3BD

November 10, 2012 — 3 Comments

Library St Gallen

When I recently visited a friend in New York who uses the internet, but not social media, I explained to her why I am a fan of both. I told her that I always liked physically hanging out in libraries, and now there is no need to go anywhere to do so. During the 3 years that I have done research on my family tree ancestry.com has constantly improved, providing a never-ending adventure into history with more data than anyone can handle. I am in tribes with many fun food bloggers who replace my cookbook habit with exciting new ideas. It is easier to find a zillion recipes by Google than it is to hunt in a physical library. The first of November I began a library fast that will last for a year. At first I freaked out and felt very attached to the liberal use of my public library as a primary need in my life. After a while I heard my own words come back to me as I encouraged my friend to experiment …”Now the library is all around us.”

The three book diet is the most ingenious of diets proposed by Chris Brogan to all within the sound of his voice ( digital power sphere).  Such a clever little minx, he released a book and at the same time started a group dedicated to reading no more that three books all year.  The idea is to saturate oneself and reflect on the content of the books rather than speed read and move to the next conquest.  I already own all the books I have chosen, Chris’ Impact Equation having been zapped into the Kindle on the iPad the day it was released.  I also have How to think Like Leonardo da Vinci on the ibooks in the iPad.  The Sacred Contracts book came in the form of an audio CD, but I have since bought the hardback because it is useful for reference all the time.  On my long drive next week I will listen to the Sacred Contract book again, just to be immersed.  I think I shall also buy the Impact and Leonardo books on audio.  I believe that hearing things is a different form of learning than reading, and hits the mind in a different way each time.  I used to listen to the same Deepak Chopra book every time I worked out on the Pilates reformer.  I have portions memorized to the point that they will never leave my brain. The audio version of Impact Equation will be out in a few weeks, and I will buy it to back up the written one.

I have met a few other participants on the twitter feed #3bd, the most interesting of whom is actually a librarian.  I picture her in the middle of it all, and sticking to her diet.  I may plan to go to the library in St Gallen, or some other fabulous old library at the end of my restriction year. I once went to see the one in St Gall, but found it closed for restoration when I visited.  Who knows what kind of rebound this may cause.  It looks like I am collecting my own little library by owning every format of my three books to start.  This will be an interesting voyage. I can see the merits.