Losing the Trail

I had bought an ebook and downloaded at least ten classics: Tolstoy, Dickens, Homer. I was excited about making this little gizmo a part of my life. But where am I now? I have to admit: the iPad did not have a significant effect on my life. I think the main reason is that in my off-campus apartment I do not have access to the internet (and my iPad for some reason cannot pick up on the linksys account that my roommate and I piggyback). Without the internet, the iPad is a decent e-reader and a bad word processor. I'm not much for the games so that's it for that (I get bored about fifteen minutes into them), and most applications were so complicated that they threw me off. And, again, since they required extensive use of the internet, it was difficult to use them consistently so that they became a "part of me."

So what about the e-reading part? Why didn't I do that? Well, I did, in the case of Roger Darnton's book. But outside of that... I just liked books better. It happened around halfway through the semester, when I was having trouble reading War and Peace. I was in my room and I saw the print copy, just lying there, and I decided to pick it up--and what happened--the magic came back. And there it was, the book miracle: reading the first chapter of Harry Potter in the bathroom and feeling sucked into it. I just decided: it wasn't worth it. I was not converted into a digital man. Ebooks just aren't as good as actual books. Yes, I will use the dichotomy. Why? Because by trying to imitate books so much, the ebook has forced us to make the dichotomy. Until ebooks become unique subjects of their own, I will remain a book-man.

Plus, I was also heavily disappointed when I tried downloading a "museum" app that had very bad paintings (even though they were from the best painters). Knowing that I spent ten dollars on a bad program just about did it for me.

It was like having a pet that I couldn't take care of. Such that it is cosmically fitting that at the end of the year, when I most needed my iPad for the presentation, it, like a neglected puppy, faded into non-existence, becoming just a black screen and not much else.

But perhaps that's the iPad giving me a chance of renewal for next semester--oh! next semester! To have 15 hours again! To have time again! ... Next semester, baby iPad, you are mine!