Comments for Sage Adams http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage Instructional Designer and Teacher Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:59:05 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on Review of Sony Reader by sage http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2009/06/29/review-of-sony-reader/comment-page-1/#comment-97 sage Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:59:05 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/?p=34#comment-97 The search is probably my favorite feature of these tools so far - that's a huge advantage over books, obviously. And as you said it IS a lot lighter than carrying around even just 2-3 textbooks. Imagine how cool it would be to take your entire book collection with you when you move and it's just a Kindle or Sony Reader - that's WAY easier than moving 18 boxes of books! SO yes I agree portability is another great feature. I am optimistic about the future of these instruments which didn't exactly come through in my post. I do agree there is a lot of potential there especially with, as you noted, the possibility of making connections and seeing the larger picture in fiction (and I would even venture to say nonfiction). I would like to have a digital archive of all my favorite world war II books and see what kinds of conclusions that aren't obvious that perhaps the technology could help me make. Having said all that the Sony Reader still sucks, haha. The search is probably my favorite feature of these tools so far – that’s a huge advantage over books, obviously. And as you said it IS a lot lighter than carrying around even just 2-3 textbooks. Imagine how cool it would be to take your entire book collection with you when you move and it’s just a Kindle or Sony Reader – that’s WAY easier than moving 18 boxes of books! SO yes I agree portability is another great feature.

I am optimistic about the future of these instruments which didn’t exactly come through in my post. I do agree there is a lot of potential there especially with, as you noted, the possibility of making connections and seeing the larger picture in fiction (and I would even venture to say nonfiction). I would like to have a digital archive of all my favorite world war II books and see what kinds of conclusions that aren’t obvious that perhaps the technology could help me make.

Having said all that the Sony Reader still sucks, haha.

]]> Comment on Review of Sony Reader by Chris Lott http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2009/06/29/review-of-sony-reader/comment-page-1/#comment-96 Chris Lott Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:20:49 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/?p=34#comment-96 The Kindle makes the black-screen flash too, which really annoyed me for a while but once I'd read for a while I don't even see it anymore. But overall about the only thing that I like about the Kindle is: it's small and a lot lighter than carrying books when traveling, and even the primitive search capabilities are incredibly useful. The sweet spot for me is for reference works and "work" kinds of books, which I don't necessarily even care to own in the physical form and in which the search is useful. If/when the search becomes more sophisticated (including proximity searching and regular expression-- or the like-- searching, for example) then it could also be useful for literary research. Vernor Vinge's idea in _Rainbows End_ that there would be a brief time when there was enough digitized material available that there would be a spate of new discoveries possible, to the point that whoever controlled the access could sell temporary rights to such information claims, feels very real to me. Imagine having the bulk of contemporary fiction digitized and available... what power there would be to discover new connections and parallels, and get such an improved view of the big picture which is impossible at this point even for those with a prodigious or even eidetic memory... The Kindle makes the black-screen flash too, which really annoyed me for a while but once I’d read for a while I don’t even see it anymore. But overall about the only thing that I like about the Kindle is: it’s small and a lot lighter than carrying books when traveling, and even the primitive search capabilities are incredibly useful.

The sweet spot for me is for reference works and “work” kinds of books, which I don’t necessarily even care to own in the physical form and in which the search is useful. If/when the search becomes more sophisticated (including proximity searching and regular expression– or the like– searching, for example) then it could also be useful for literary research.

Vernor Vinge’s idea in _Rainbows End_ that there would be a brief time when there was enough digitized material available that there would be a spate of new discoveries possible, to the point that whoever controlled the access could sell temporary rights to such information claims, feels very real to me. Imagine having the bulk of contemporary fiction digitized and available… what power there would be to discover new connections and parallels, and get such an improved view of the big picture which is impossible at this point even for those with a prodigious or even eidetic memory…

]]> Comment on Ferocious Hippos by Carol http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2009/04/13/ferocious-hippos/comment-page-1/#comment-91 Carol Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:22:58 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/?p=14#comment-91 Now you've done it... I'll be having hippo nightmares! Now you’ve done it…
I’ll be having hippo nightmares!

]]> Comment on The Future is Now: Internet Navigation and Browsing Gets a Facelift by Richard X. Thripp http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/06/19/the-future-is-now-internet-navigation-and-browsing-gets-a-facelift/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Richard X. Thripp Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:38:33 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/06/19/the-future-is-now-internet-navigation-and-browsing-gets-a-facelift/#comment-32 The pop-up previews are already being done by snap.com and you can see them at LiveJournal. I don't like them. You see a thumbnail of the site, but they pop up when you hover over a link and obscure the text. In Firefox, I can just click the scroll wheel to open the link, so I don't find it useful. The pop-up previews are already being done by snap.com and you can see them at LiveJournal. I don’t like them. You see a thumbnail of the site, but they pop up when you hover over a link and obscure the text. In Firefox, I can just click the scroll wheel to open the link, so I don’t find it useful.

]]> Comment on Elluminate 8 promises some exciting new tools for synchronous learning by sage http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/03/10/elluminate-8-promises-some-exciting-new-tools-for-synchronous-learning/comment-page-1/#comment-9 sage Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:26:25 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/03/10/elluminate-8-promises-some-exciting-new-tools-for-synchronous-learning/#comment-9 thanks Susan. Sure, yes, absolutely! :) thanks Susan. Sure, yes, absolutely! :)

]]> Comment on Elluminate 8 promises some exciting new tools for synchronous learning by Susan http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/03/10/elluminate-8-promises-some-exciting-new-tools-for-synchronous-learning/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Susan Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:36:24 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/03/10/elluminate-8-promises-some-exciting-new-tools-for-synchronous-learning/#comment-8 Hi, Sage. Good summary of eLive version 8 new features. Mind if I copy this post into the eLive community site we are building? Thanks. Hi, Sage.
Good summary of eLive version 8 new features.
Mind if I copy this post into the eLive community site we are building?
Thanks.

]]> Comment on Wikipedia: 2 Diverging Paths by heidi http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/03/20/wikipedia-2-diverging-paths/comment-page-1/#comment-2 heidi Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:35:47 +0000 http://rhetorica.uaf.edu/sage/2008/03/20/wikipedia-2-diverging-paths/#comment-2 Wkikpedia itself even gives a warning about using the content for research purposes: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use" rel="nofollow">disclaimer</a> and recommends, as with any encyclopedia, that it should be used as a starting point, not as a sole source for research. Wkikpedia itself even gives a warning about using the content for research purposes: disclaimer and recommends, as with any encyclopedia, that it should be used as a starting point, not as a sole source for research.

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