Comments on: How Amazon’s eBabel pollutes the earth, not just the e-book market http://www.teleread.com/drm/how-amazons-ebabel-pollutes-the-earth-not-just-the-e-book-market/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:35:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.com/drm/how-amazons-ebabel-pollutes-the-earth-not-just-the-e-book-market/comment-page-1/#comment-771123 David Rothman Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:25:28 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/20/how-amazons-ebabel-pollutes-the-earth-not-just-the-e-book-market/#comment-771123 Thanks for your lively post, Jack, but didn't I address your concerns---when I wrote the words below? "I’m not saying that consumers are wicked just because they currently buy a dedicated e-book reader rather than use a multifunction device. Remember, E Ink is currently available only for dedicated readers, not general-purpose devices. But long term, Jeff’s eBabel will artificially create the need for separate gizmos." I'm just saying that Jeff's eBabel, yes, will cause people to create more e-waste than if they could use their PDAs to read e-books. That is an objective fact. If people still want separate devices, fine. But at least it will be for THEIR own logical reasons, as opposed to ARTIFICIAL, eBabel-related ones. David Thanks for your lively post, Jack, but didn’t I address your concerns—when I wrote the words below?

“I’m not saying that consumers are wicked just because they currently buy a dedicated e-book reader rather than use a multifunction device. Remember, E Ink is currently available only for dedicated readers, not general-purpose devices. But long term, Jeff’s eBabel will artificially create the need for separate gizmos.”

I’m just saying that Jeff’s eBabel, yes, will cause people to create more e-waste than if they could use their PDAs to read e-books.

That is an objective fact.

If people still want separate devices, fine. But at least it will be for THEIR own logical reasons, as opposed to ARTIFICIAL, eBabel-related ones.

David

]]> By: Jack http://www.teleread.com/drm/how-amazons-ebabel-pollutes-the-earth-not-just-the-e-book-market/comment-page-1/#comment-771108 Jack Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:56 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/20/how-amazons-ebabel-pollutes-the-earth-not-just-the-e-book-market/#comment-771108 Wow... So basically anything that does not run on a cell phone is promoting ecological disaster? Or just any device optimized for a specific purpose, like the kindle, and all the other ebook readers? What cash registers? Shouldn't we just use standard desktops? Really, anything with a barcode scanner, like those self-checkout machines at the library, should just be standard desktops, and we'll just type in all the info! And watches! What a waste of batteries! Anyone with a watch is obviously an eco-terrorist. Don't those people know that a cell phone can tell the time? And that PDA? And the desktop? One laptop can do most of the things a desktop will do, and still be portable! Why all the extra machines? Sound ridiculous? No less so than your argument. I agree the extra format is a pain, and it is one of the reasons I have not purchased a kindle. Still, editorials like this just make me long for a way to sift out the news from the noise on an RSS feed. Wow… So basically anything that does not run on a cell phone is promoting ecological disaster? Or just any device optimized for a specific purpose, like the kindle, and all the other ebook readers? What cash registers? Shouldn’t we just use standard desktops? Really, anything with a barcode scanner, like those self-checkout machines at the library, should just be standard desktops, and we’ll just type in all the info!

And watches! What a waste of batteries! Anyone with a watch is obviously an eco-terrorist. Don’t those people know that a cell phone can tell the time? And that PDA? And the desktop? One laptop can do most of the things a desktop will do, and still be portable! Why all the extra machines?

Sound ridiculous? No less so than your argument.

I agree the extra format is a pain, and it is one of the reasons I have not purchased a kindle. Still, editorials like this just make me long for a way to sift out the news from the noise on an RSS feed.

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