Friend of the Book

There are some things in this life that should remain timeless. In a social media fueled world, we live in a digital environment where a computer is the closest some of us come to human interaction. You can have a conversation with an art student in Japan, promote your business on a fan page and twitter to your heart's content but all of it lacks the charm of the tangible. Some could argue that wearing out the keys on your keyboard is as tangible as it should get, I disagree.

Don't for a second believe that I don't twitter, update my facebook status or skype a colleague instead of walking to their office, I'm guilty of partaking in the allure of having the world at my fingertips but I wonder if I'm missing out on the simple, more realistic times. Penguin, the publishing giant is concerned and in turn has made me concerned.

The iPad, a cross between a smart phone and a laptop, is helping foster a market for tablet computers that is expected to grow to some 50 million units by 2014, and with it, also expand the market for e-books. The term e-book makes my brow wrinkle. Books are one of life's true joys, curling up on the couch and reveling in a story that touches the imagination. There's a timeless romance connected to a book. Walking into a library or a quaint bookstore is a thrill in itself, rummaging through all the titles, taking in the silence and the smell that can only be described as that "old book smell".

In fact, a survey of 600 college students conducted by pollster Zogby International found that 43 percent of people identified smell, either a new or old smell, as the quality they most liked about books as physical objects.

I'm sure e-books are the way forward for us all, but I cant help but feel like we are missing out on something greater, better and a lot more appealing. Books are a timeless joy, let's not lose sight of that!

Keep the Change...

I think that for the most part, people are resistant to change. Now, everybody with a tattoo, a "wild" ambition and a few dusty drinking stories throw their arms in the air in response to that statement. "We love change," they declare. I wouldn't have as much doubt if they didn't have fear in their eyes, despite the defiance plastered on their faces. It softens the declaration some what, I'm sure you'll agree.

Word on the streets is that Google plans to digitalize and sell millions of copies of books online. Of course they are. Now, you can imagine that all the bookies out there are claiming that Google is endangering the cultural species even further by taking the romance right out of book buying. Sure, there will still be bookstores, like there will still be newspapers (we assume) but buying and selling online is the wave of the future. And why not books? First came digitalized music purchases, now books. (Do you think that Google is also feeling the effects of the recession? Talk about a long shot.)

I will admit, there is a certain convenience to buying digital copies of books and I think when it comes right down to it...whether you're a writer or a reader, books will live on. They are one of the only constants in the technological age. We'll never surpass the spoken and/or written word. Long live language. And travel. In the midst of the rush for technology, we haven't forgotten our motivation. What's our motivation again? Oh yes, knowledge.

On a recent trip to where ever, I sat in an over crowded airport and passed the time with a hilarious Bill Bryson novel and a complete disregard for the Internet access only metres away. The beckon of Facebook and Twitter and Myspace could not outshine the basic human truths I like to uphold...To laugh, to travel and to read something that will, in fact, impart some knowledge on me. Even if it is fiction.

Embrace the change? I don't know. That's up to you. Change is uncertain and certainly a little scary. Fear of the unknown might keep you from discovering a certain pleasant book that would have otherwise gone unnoticed on the shelf of a dusty second-hand book shop.

Just like Tourism Radio. Sure, you might think you need a private tour guide and you might be right. Just don't expect it to look the way you think it should look. it might just look like a device that is installed into your hire car that tells you all about the area that you're driving through and points out landmarks and highlights as you approach them. We're talking to the adventurous spirit at Tourism Radio. And if you couple that with a keen interest in exploring the world with nothing but your back pack and your cell phone than log on to www.hummba.com and share your experiences the new age way.

Oh, and...keep the change.