Laptop alternatives

Well, the honeymoon is over. I'm back to work and now, and back to blogging. I'm catching up on all the active blogs like Wilf's, big melly, and fate's acquittal, etc. etc. All of which I was already behind on before I'd even left. It was nice to see that the forums were used somewhat while I was gone. Gotta build a community after all. I have to admit as much fun as the wedding and honeymoon were, I missed blogging somewhat. (didn't miss work one iota, however)

I did some reading while I was gone. I read the first half of the first book of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Novels. It is awesome and I can't believe that I ever posed as a scifi fan before reading it - Highly recommended. I also finished a novel that I'd started a while ago, Jack McDevit's Odyssey which is the penultimate novel in his Academy series of books. I don't think I'll be picking up any of the prequels or sequels - not recommended.

While reading blog fiction is fun, it's nice to once in a while take a break and read some dead tree published books. Betsy Friedrich mentioned the same thing in the conclusion of her thesis(pdf). After reading all that text on a screen it was a welcomed diversion to open up a book and read it on her bed. Reading all that text on screen can get wearing. Here are some other advantages books have over reading online with a laptop.

A book is more portable than a laptop
A book doesn't require a recharge
A book can go places a laptop cannot, like a beach or direct sunlight.
If on a flight, I can read a book during takeoff or landing. I'd get thrown off the flight if I left my laptop on.
A book is easier to hold than a laptop

I think one thing that might be holding back online fiction and blog fiction is a device to read it that's better than a laptop. Sure, if you want to leave comments and such, a laptop is more suitable, but if you're laying out on the beach, or sitting in bed, a laptop is not easy or convenient. While impressed with the leaps Amazon's Kindle has made, I'm not fully convinced that that is the device that people would use to read blog fiction - not when it's charging you monthly fees to read something you can get for free on your laptop. (although, I must admit that it's features could usher in the era of e-books)

A more suitable device for reading online fiction is something that is needed. Spending a week reading books instead of laptops has made this need obvious. I'll be searching the internet and watching the news reports. I'd also be interested in hearing some of your thoughts on laptop alternatives.

It's good to be back!