We’ve all heard about ’em.  Seen ’em.  Some of us own more than one.

We’re talking about the latest and greatest in communication technology: iPhones, smart phones, iPads, texting.  Handy-dandy little items, these, especially when it comes to capturing creative genius on the fly.  Right?  Uh, right?

Put another way: what recording device does Her Momness use to lasso that creative blogging gem before it stales and staggers into the overcrowded corral of busy forgetfulness? What’s her preferred reading format – print or ebook?

Kindly keep your shirt on, Toots. We’ll get to all of that in a min. But first things first:

Don’t Tell Anyone

Regarding the first question: Mom uses paper and a pen.  No, really.  She does (don’t tell anyone).

Now, you’ll hear plenty of folks hawking the marvels of modern technology for jotting down their flashes of brilliance.  Mom and I aren’t among ’em.

Call Mom an old-fashioned stick in the mud. But she prefers cramming a pen and a 3″ x 4″ spiral bound notebook into her pocket for this purpose.  The items are small, portable, lightweight, easily accessible, require neither electricity nor batteries and are… inexpensive (in the case of an overturned canoe or sudden downpour out on the trail).  Added bonus: paper and pen are also low-tech, e.g., don’t require a Ph.D in computer software to operate. And they don’t need to be re-charged.

Dinosaurs Unite!

Another confession.  Mom prefers a good old-fashioned hard copy book that she can hold in her hands to any ebook, any day of the week.  (I know, I know.  Mom’s a dinosaur.  Know what?  We don’t care.)

There’s a lot to be said for opening a real book, the kind you have to touch, turn pages, feel texture, smell ink, creak covers open.  Return on time or risk the ire of your local librarian.  Call Mom a brontosaurus, but as far as she’s concerned, real books are paper-and-ink, not bytes and bits.  It’s like having lunch with a real flesh-and-blood friend vs.  a Facebook conversation or trying to cultivate an authentic “relationship” via 140 character tweet thingies.

Print vs. Ebook

Besides. Real (print) books are never in a hurry.  They’re meant to be savored, enjoyed over time like a long chat with an old friend. And they also don’t have to be re-charged.

Prints books are also easier on the eyes and less distracting than reading on a screen. That kinda matters when you’re older than dirt.

Besides again. There’s something inherently awry with “read on the fly” technology whose primary purpose is convenience. Yes, ebooks are lightweight and portable. So don’t care. Cuz there’s something about physically holding a book and turning real pages that’s lost on a Kindle.  Sure, the latter may be quick and convenient, but is that what reading is about?

Kindle-ing and the like strike us as trying to rush a sunset or telling Mozart to hurry up.  Real books pour their wit and winsomeness into our minds, seep into our souls, wrap around our hearts and woo us into their world over time, via the printed page.  You just can’t do that with the “microwave” ebook version.

Are we hopeless, or what?

Wait. Is that a brontosaurus?

Do you prefer ebook or hard copy? Why?

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