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Topic: Amused, yet irritated
s1owhand's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:23 AM

Was talking to someone on instant messenger about books. I was amused at his comment regarding the amount of books I have, and read, but it irritated me, as it's something I seem to get frequently.

"I just couldn't imagine reading that much, much less having all of those books"

I get that most people truly don't read any more, but really, I don't say that about people's movie collections, doll collections, or anything like that.

Do people like to give the impression that they love their ignorance?

I jokingly and with love blame my parents for my addiction, and while I grew up knowing dad had a reading dyslexia, I also knew he bought books that he could get in and out of fairly, like nature, history, and geography. He only recently has gotten into some seriously impressive reading (for him) and it's now an ongoing joke that I can't keep up with his reading.

But really, is it that big of a deal?


laugh

Well that depends...

HOW MANY books do you really HAVE? scared

j/k flowerforyou

EquusDancer's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:23 AM

One of the most memorable for me was a book I have read back in 1990 or 1991...with the title "Jurassic Park".

I had no idea who Michael Crichton was....the book was quite long and mesmerizing. I was 15 at the time..I was reading my usual 5-6 books a month, but I got this book for my B-day.

At the last page there was a litte note from Steven Spielberg "I'm gonna make a movie out of this"

When he finally came out with the movie, I was like "this movie completely sucks, compared to the original book".


I still have the book, I'm looking at it right now and now I feel an urge to re-read it for about the 5th time. It would be perfect because I need to scrub my Hungarian after 2 English books.


If it had been labeled differently, then the movie would have been just fine. I enjoyed the movie for the effects, and loved the book for what it was. Congo was another one of his that pissed me off.

Ruth34611's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:24 AM
There's no such thing as too many books! drinker

EquusDancer's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:26 AM


Was talking to someone on instant messenger about books. I was amused at his comment regarding the amount of books I have, and read, but it irritated me, as it's something I seem to get frequently.

"I just couldn't imagine reading that much, much less having all of those books"

I get that most people truly don't read any more, but really, I don't say that about people's movie collections, doll collections, or anything like that.

Do people like to give the impression that they love their ignorance?

I jokingly and with love blame my parents for my addiction, and while I grew up knowing dad had a reading dyslexia, I also knew he bought books that he could get in and out of fairly, like nature, history, and geography. He only recently has gotten into some seriously impressive reading (for him) and it's now an ongoing joke that I can't keep up with his reading.

But really, is it that big of a deal?



Equss, perhaps it is a compliment?

"I just couldn't imagine reading that much, much less having all of those books"


just as I couldnt imagine running a five mile marathon(I hate running but I think those who do it are awesome).


Possibly, and with internet it is hard to say. But I've had it in person, and it wasn't meant as a compliment.

EquusDancer's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:28 AM

Recently watched a documentary on Netflix called "Stupidity" in which they did a bit of exploring into how our society is proud of and even promotes stupidity and ignorance. I think we should promote intelligence and learning a bit more, but as for people like that, we don't really have much of a choice but to let them fall victims to society. As for their rude comments such as that trying to make you seem like a nerd for reading, I'd just blow them off as ignorance and possibly unacceptance.


Marking that in my Netflix list!

EquusDancer's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:29 AM



I guess I will be the lone dissenter. Sitting down to read just is of zero interest to me. I'm busy. If I've got some free time I would rather do something outside my school work, or my garage/business. Most of the reading I do is technical articles or patents. So in my free time I would much rather go have fun in the race car I just built, or go to a baseball game, go snowboarding, go see my old college roommate, ride my motorcycle, see a play, et al.

I actually resent the implication that if I don't read for leisure that I couldn't be as smart as you book worms. I guarantee that's not the case.

I would challenge anyone in this thread explain and do the engineering of a wankel rotary engine, a laminar flow air to water intercooler, correctly size a turbo - compressor wheel, turbine wheel, a housing A/R for both sides to turn a 180bhp bhp hyundai engine to a 600 hp engine. Then apply that which you just read to make it work in reality.


hey, kudos for standing up and saying it - I'll never be able to do half the stuff you say, and I'm guilty of putting across a feeling of "if you don't read lots, you're not as smart as you could be".

However, reading is just one of those things that makes or breaks my life - if I'm reading a great book I'll read it every second I get and I'll be in paraxisms about it for weeks.

Hands up who's gone to bed with a -really- good book and been interrupted my the alarm going off in the morning? oops I guess we could include people who started and finished a book in the same night :p


*Puts hand up in the air*




Snickers! :banana:

EquusDancer's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:33 AM


Was talking to someone on instant messenger about books. I was amused at his comment regarding the amount of books I have, and read, but it irritated me, as it's something I seem to get frequently.

"I just couldn't imagine reading that much, much less having all of those books"

I get that most people truly don't read any more, but really, I don't say that about people's movie collections, doll collections, or anything like that.

Do people like to give the impression that they love their ignorance?

I jokingly and with love blame my parents for my addiction, and while I grew up knowing dad had a reading dyslexia, I also knew he bought books that he could get in and out of fairly, like nature, history, and geography. He only recently has gotten into some seriously impressive reading (for him) and it's now an ongoing joke that I can't keep up with his reading.

But really, is it that big of a deal?


laugh

Well that depends...

HOW MANY books do you really HAVE? scared

j/k flowerforyou


Well.... my GoodReads website says 1,820, as of this morning. But I'd say over 2,100, since I have a bunch that I can't match up the titles with to enter in, and then several with no ISBN numbers to even put in the system. A bookstore owner friend said that the ones with no ISBN numbers are put out privately.


s1owhand's photo
Sat 01/30/10 10:36 AM
well that sounds just fine. it is good to love books.
that is a lot of books though!

drinker

Mikebert4's photo
Sat 01/30/10 11:05 AM


Well.... my GoodReads website says 1,820, as of this morning. But I'd say over 2,100, since I have a bunch that I can't match up the titles with to enter in, and then several with no ISBN numbers to even put in the system. A bookstore owner friend said that the ones with no ISBN numbers are put out privately.



Fantastic :) The more the Merrier!

EquusDancer's photo
Sat 01/30/10 11:09 AM

well that sounds just fine. it is good to love books.
that is a lot of books though!

drinker


laugh I'll end up with another 4,00+ when my parents pass on, and they're still young enough to buy more books. LOL!

It's a real bad addiction! LMAO!

BonnyMiss's photo
Sat 01/30/10 12:47 PM



Nope I have no interest in the Kindles or other versions of the ebooks. I've politely returned the 2 that family has tried gifting me. I want the feel and smell of the book, thank you very much. :heart:



Nothing stopping you buying a bottle of 'Eau de Essence of Leatherbound' and liberally spraying it on your e-books bigsmile

TriangleMac's photo
Sat 01/30/10 01:22 PM
Edited by TriangleMac on Sat 01/30/10 01:36 PM



Well, that is way out of my experience. I am a total idiot when it comes to motors of any kind. But, may I ask you if you know anything of trolling for salmon? Or how to direct aircraft on radar? The fishing is more instinct, I will give you that one. But, do you have a clue how to operate any radar unit?

Do you know how to fall a boomer? That is a big tree if you don't know.

And, I love primitive poetry too.


Everything you mentioned is can be learned without the help of "pleasure" reading. Which was my point exactly. Thank you for helping me demonstrate that.

TriangleMac's photo
Sat 01/30/10 01:26 PM



you're just talking about a different taste in reading material

you can't learn engineering without reading about it


I never said I don't read. I said I don't read for pleasure. Big difference. It's the reading for pleasure that set the tone of this thread and what my comments were specifically about.

I do have to disagree on the point about having to read engineering philosophy to learn it. But I have no way to prove that as I'm sure the person who invented the wheel and the fulcrum/lever system were MIT engineering students.

TriangleMac's photo
Sat 01/30/10 01:31 PM



ah, your own statements betray you -- you obviously read "technical articles or patents"... were you born with this knowledge or did you read to gain this knowledge... people who can read and write are enlightened to facts beyond what they can direcly observe for themselves... I do not think this can be disputed...

As far as reading for entertainment - some enjoye it, some do not...

$.02 drinker


Your own reading ability betrays you. I only ever said I don't read for pleasure and I think it is unfair to look down upon someones intelligence strictly on the amount of pleasure reading they do.

But to answer your question, a lot of the ability I have in the technical realm I have learned from practical hands on experience. I have designed and built forced induction systems for various vehicles, I have created an internal engine part and am the first outside of a major automaker to bring this product to market since the original patents in the '20, I have built a top of it's field road race car....all in my garage. This is the first semester I am going back to school for Mechanical Engineering. My first degree is Computer Science which has zilch to do with any of that.

TriangleMac's photo
Sat 01/30/10 01:34 PM


No, no! I meant reading in general! Regular books and technical books! The person I was talking to doesn't even read a newspaper, much less a regular novel or even the technical stuff.

Certain technical books I can do just fine with, like dad's carpentry books, but I fully admit I'm lost with car, or mechanical stuff.



I guess I misunderstood that then. It sure sounded like the conversation was strictly speaking of pleasure reading. And in my defense, that is how the conversation has always gone in my past.

my apologies for the misunderstanding.


I guess I should have put all my replys into 1...oops.

janeh's photo
Sat 01/30/10 01:38 PM
I love reading books.I too have quite a few of them. You can find me in the summer out in the sun reading. I am not a fan of the e-books. Just not the same if you are at the beach and trying to read.

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