Why Beatrix Potter Would Love a Digital Reader (wordpress.com) 98
destinyland writes "In 1906, children's book author Beatrix Potter tried creating her own new, non-book format for delivering her famous fairy tales. 'Intended for babies and tots, the story was originally published on a strip of paper that was folded into a wallet, closed with a flap, and tied with a ribbon.' While today there's hundreds of children's picture books, it's fun to look back over a century to actual images from one of Potter's original strange wallet-sized stories — 'The Story of A Fierce, Bad Rabbit' — plus an image showing you exactly what Beatrix Potter thought 'a fierce, bad rabbit' would look like!"
Re:huh? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:huh? (Score:5, Informative)
But I really don't see why anyone would choose a kindle or similar device over an iPad. Am I missing something?
E-ink. Really, its a lot nicer on the eyes than an LCD, yeah, some people can stare at text on an LCD with no problem, but for me, I tend to get headaches staring at an LCD for too long. I can handle short articles, videos, etc. just fine but when I read a large wall of text that takes more than 15 minutes to read, I tend to get a headache.
Plus, iPads are completely overpriced, you can get a cheap E-reader for $130 and a great one for $250, a cheap laptop for $350 and a great one for $500. With an iPad you have none of the benefits of E-ink nor the benefits of a real laptop.
Re:huh? (Score:2, Informative)
Exactly. Why would I buy a Sony Reader rather than an Ipad? $350 of beer.
Re:huh? (Score:5, Informative)
Reading a novel for hours on a backlit screen makes my eyes feel like they are bleeding. Even a half hour before bedtime will keep my head buzzing enough to where it is more difficult to get to sleep, and decrease the quality of the sleep.
E-Paper devices are perfect for reading because they are not backlit and reflect natural light almost like paper, so it is readable anywhere paper is readable (Try reading an iPad on a sunny day at the beach...)
Re:Epic Fail... (Score:2, Informative)
Respect for books(and electronics) is something that must be taught. Since young children are fantastic at mimicry the best way to teach them is by example. Read with them, flip the pages, encourage them to treat the book gently. If they want to throw something give them a ball. If they want to hit something give them a pot and a wooden spoon. If the child insists on treating the book badly then take it away and don't give it back until they finish crying. If you teach respect for books then your electronics are (mostly) safe as well.
Can someone lend me a kindle (/ipad/whatever) and a stopwatch? I have an experiment in mind...
It is the job of a parent to inhibit destructive behavior in their children. If an iPad or Kindle is introduced to them properly then there is little risk. Children have no concept of money but they do recognize value. If the device is seen as valuable to the child then it is not as likely to be destroyed.
See if you can corroborate this experiment:
If you give a young child a bucket of quarters and put them near a fountain I guarantee every single quarter will be thrown or dumped into the fountain. Give them something they like(candy, favorite toy) and it is extremely unlikely(not zero) they will throw this object away no matter how little its monetary value.