Comments on: Did Dem think-tanker steal the TeleRead idea? Probably not deliberately—but a little credit wouldn’t hurt

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:11:21 +0000

Mike, keep posting! I love both paper and electronic books and am awesomely POed at Amazon for hiding the trade paperback version of my novel. Casual shoppers will see only the listing for the Kindle edition. Outrageous.

Of course, I disagree with you on the national digital library issue—most kids thrive on choice—but it’s fun to hear your side. I’m sure with you about paper books. Let’s keep them around, too!

Thanks,
David

By: Mike Perry

Mike Perry — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:58:42 +0000

“Every” sorts of schemes are almost always an indication that the advocate is a policy wonk cut off from the real world. His “scaled up” claims don’t alter that fact. He thinks he knows the “Truth,” and merely wants studies to confirm the brilliance of his insight and leave the skeptical masses without excuse. Note the title, “A Kindle in Every Backpack.” That’s not someone afflicted with undue modesty. He thinks he knows what is right for every school kid. He even knows that they ought to have to lug the blasted thing around everywhere they go, much as he does with his laptop when he flies to a DLC conference.

This particular idea makes as much sense as the now-dying OLPC scheme did. Rich execs and MIT professors, who’d grown up in hi-tech communities as the PC was born, thought “every” child on the planet should duplicate their unusual experience. Over and over again, I’ve tried to point out to them that kids need good teachers not imported gadgets. I’ve also stressed that, if you’re going to put a computer in the hands of the poor, put one into the hands of parents along with the tools to better their lives and that of their children. Don’t try to mold the entire world to be like the Silicon Valley or Brookline in the late 1970s. It won’t work.

To give but one example, grade school children don’t need access to some vast digital library. They read slowly and need to spend a lot of time outside playing. A modest and well-chosen library of printed books will benefit them the most. Buying kids a Kindle or something similarly pricey wouldn’t teach them to love reading. It’d teach them to hate an activity that has to be rigorously regulated by adults lest that valuable gadget get damaged or stolen. Any good parent knows that.

I read a lot as a kid and enjoyed it. Why? Because books are so cheap and rugged, the sorts of abuse and neglect kids routinely deal out didn’t upset adults. That’s not true of the Kindle and its not true of many of the silly ideas that come from our “we know best” chattering classes.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:23:07 +0000

Hi, Bob. Stay tuned in the next day or so by a high school student with serious vision problems who’ll be recommending a PDF reader. I couldn’t agree with you more!

Best,
David

By: Bob Martinengo

Bob Martinengo — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:18:15 +0000

… and as the recent lawsuit would emphasize, when you say ‘every backpack’, you better not exclude backpacks on blind students backs…

By: Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:26:40 +0000

I personally would find it hard to believe that TeleRead would not have come up in Mr. Freedman’s research, as well… although it is also possible that much of his research ended up on aggregate sites that often result in bypassing notice of the original sources. At any rate, Be It Noted that TR was indeed promoting this idea, long before Freedman (and everybody else) had even heard of a Kindle.

I also disagree with the placing of the Kindle into the scanario, as if it is the only possible device to use… it is not, and the idea of tying the idea to the device would only serve to add undue complexity to those who already have perfectly serviceable devices. A common format like ePub or Mobi, readable on any device, would be much smarter. Freedman was clearly pandering to the Kindle “buzz” when he singled it out, most likely just to get the added eyeballs… if he had done thorough research, he would know a standardized format makes more sense than a specific device. It’s the difference between providing computer-ready files to every student, and recommending every college student buy a Toshiba laptop.