darkemeralds: Baby picture of DarkEm with title 'Interstellar Losers Club' and caption 'Proud Member' (Proud Member)
2011-03-20 07:22 pm
Entry tags:

When do you read? How do you read? How much do you read?

I'm at a crossroads. No, not the demon-summoning kind. I have almost completely lost the ability to sit and read, but I want to read.

For a few years it was just books, while I was still readily able to enjoy masses of fic, and ebooks, on a portable device. Regardless of format/medium, I still loved losing myself in a story.

Now it's everything. I can't seem to sit and read anymore.

The internet is largely to blame: I recognize its adverse impact on my attention span, and that impact seems to be extreme in my case. I also acknowledge that in swapping an hour's daily commute by bus for the same commute by bike, I've exchanged one of my best reading moments for an exercise moment.

But it's not just about time. I have more time, because I've cut television hours down to two or three a week; my day to day life is pretty orderly, and frankly I pay people to do the time-consuming stuff I don't like; I need the same amount of sleep I've always needed; and my social life has taken no extraordinary leaps.

So
  • Do you read books? In what formats?
  • How would you describe your relationship to reading?
  • How much do you read--hours per week, books per month, however you measure it?
  • When? Under what circumstances?
  • Is there something you specifically don't do to make time for reading?
  • Have you noticed a decline in attention--in the ability to sit and read? And if so, how do you deal with it?


I'd really like to know.
darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)
2009-06-16 10:09 pm
Entry tags:

Shirky explains it all

"Not to put too find a point on it, the moment our historical generation is living through is the largest increase in expressive capability in human history."

Well, we know that, but Clay Shirky says it in a fascinating and compelling talk at TED last month.

"The media that's good at creating conversations is no good at creating groups, and the media that's good at creating groups is no good at creating conversations." Until the internet.

I don't think he says anything that will surprise or amaze you, but it's a wonderful talk that has left me feeling (as I frequently do) that I live in the coolest time EVER.