Steve Jobs

[mariness]

This will date me, I know.

But back in junior high I was introduced to something a little different: the Apple computer. I'd seen computers, of course, even personal ones -- IBM was making heavyweight, in the fullest sense of that world, home computers that didn't even have hard drives (yes, yes, I'm old; let's move on now). But the Apple, we were told, would be a little bit different. And it was.

We could write programs on it.

My very first little programs. We learned how to type in words that would allow pictures to appear on the screen, and, if you were better at this than I was, even have the pictures move.

Shortly after this, we moved to Connecticut, where the high school had decided that we would be better off learning on IBM clones since IBM and DOS/Microsoft had cornered the business market. I learned, not well, to type in little Pascal and Fortran programs and even learned a tiny bit of COBOL. But somehow, those computers were -- I don't know -- just not as much fun. And the word processors were never quite as easy to use.

I still use Microsoft dependent products - a Sony laptop is before me as I type on quite another device. But a few years back, I was persuaded to give iTunes - and its ability to let me buy just one song, instead of the entire album a try. I was hooked. An iPod became inevitable.

It's safe tonsay that the iPod was inevitable. And that it was a transforming experience. I'd never really had the money to invest in CDs, so I always felt out of things musically, and never felt able to explore much. But now - I could and did sample all sorts of songs. My music library grew. I got a iTouch, which let me track email and twitter on the go.

I'm typing this on an iPad.

To be fair, I've also used the iTouch and the iPad for considerably less creative things -a certain game called collapse, for instance. But when I am on my trike, listening to songs shuffle through this tiny device in my pocket, not even half filled with it's 5000 + songs, and the joy that music brings me...

Also, of course, pixar.

And all of the art things that I am just beginning to explore on this device.

Thank you, Mr. Jobs.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

May his memory be for a blessing; his life certainly improved many others (while irritating quite a few).

Are you using the iPad's on-screen keyboard? Can you tell me more about why that's preferable to a regular laptop's? (The iPad is singing in my ear, and this is my last issue).

[mariness]

Generally, it isn't preferable at all; I just decided that typing it on an iPad would be more respectful for his memory.

The main problem I have with the iPad keyboard is that I keep hitting b and n instead of the space bar, but that's partly because the iPad encourages a sliding touch instead of the more pulsing touch I developed from piano days.

That said on very dizzy days the iPad is lightweight enough that I can use it in an entirely prone position or when curled up on my left side. Usually I'm too dizzy to look at the screen though so it's not that helpful, but I have thought of using it when very fatigued.

[jesse_the_k]

How about reading on dizzy days? How does it compare with print?

[mariness]

Well, that kinda depends upon a lot of factors:

1) The type of dizziness: when it's the swirly dizziness reading either screen or print is difficult because the letters move around; when it's the vertigo things keep tipping over dizziness I find the Nook or iPad easier because they are lighter. However, to counter that, both the Nook and the iPad can intensify the headaches that follow the fatigue that follows the vertigo. (The answer to why I have both vertigo and dizziness is "we aren't sure." Helpful!)

On days like Monday reading was out of the question on a reading device or print for me. On Tuesday when I was feeling better I found the Nook worked.

Another thing is that the iPad turns pages faster than the Nook does (and has a little system to make it look like a page is actually turning, which is kinda cool). The iPad also has a faster search feature which has been helpful when writing the Nesbit posts for Tor.

I find, however, that I'm more using the iPad for other purposes -- note taking, musical stuff, art, and watching golf than reading ebooks - then again, I've only put a couple of ebooks on there.

[jesse_the_k]

Interesting. Your Nook has e-ink, right?

Thanks so much for taking the time to teach me!

[mariness]

I don't know what it has. I have the Nook color. I got that one instead of the regular Nook because the letters were easier to read in Best Buy. Our local Best Buy allows you to try out the Kindles, Nooks and several other readers, and the Nook color was the easiest for me to read.

As a bonus, the Nook Color also has internet capability, and it's small and lightweight enough that I can take it around in a shoulder bag and pull it out and check email and stuff. I certainly wouldn't recommend the Nook for heavy internet use, and I don't think you can use Yahoo/Gmail chat and so on with it (the internet connection is not that fast) but it's good for a mobile internet device that's slightly larger than a phone but not as heavy/large as a notebook or iPad.

I did remember the two slight negatives about the Nook Color: one, although it's very easy to get library books on the Nook Color, the Nook really really wants you to buy books, not read them for free through the Orange County Library System, so first you have to get your books through the Adobe Digital Library, not one of the more user friendly systems, and second, unless you set up shelves, the Nook puts the library books under "Files" not "books" - easy enough to find once you know where they are but it was confusing at first.

I've been told that you can get library books directly on the iPad instead of my current method of putting the library books on my computer and then transferring them to the Nook, but I haven't tried that. I will say that the ability to check out library books at 1 am in the morning and start reading them immediately when insomnia hits is awesome.

[jesse_the_k]

Ha! I never imagined, when I was an 8-year-old with tight braids hiding out in the bathroom during recess reading Heinlein, that we'd have these wide pipes to literature in our houses!

I wonder if experiencing books in volumes, as opposed to iconized packages or files, is something we will miss for reasons other than pure nostalgia?

[mariness]

I still like the feel of real books and the way they feel heavy in my hands. I also like knowing that barring weather damage I have that book no matter what happens to my electronic device -- I can see having to replace the ebooks eventually if they are books I want to reread, and I tend to want to reread a lot.

I love the convenience of the Nook and the 1 am checking stuff out from libraries, and the fact that the Nook and other devices can help my groaning shelves and where exactly can we fit more books problem :)