Friday, January 13, 2012

I don’t know whether you noticed, but...

Ever since November, I have been trying to publish a post every single day. I have not always succeeded, and there are some gaps, but I figured if I couldn’t impress you with my talent I would overwhelm you with my sheer verbosity.

The experiment is now at an end.

It is too much for a man of my age and limited brain capacity
to attempt such a feat. I hereby resolve to leave demonstrations of electronic strength and prowess to the younger, hipper crowd.

Besides, Mrs. RWP wants to use the computer.

We are a one-computer family.

We have entered the 21st century, but just barely. We do not text. We do not have an iPad or an iPhone, and we do not listen to iTunes. We do not own anything containing the words Bluetooth or Tivo. We have satellite TV, but we don’t subscribe to any any of the premium channels. We have a page on Facebook, but we don’t Twitter or Tweet or whatever it is the young folks do (I have a feeling they’re doing a lot more than Twittering and Tweeting, but that’s just me).

What I really like to do is curl up with a good book.

Not a Kindle or that other thing. A book.

You remember books. Here’s one printed in 1455:

(Photo by Kevin Eng, 28 May 2009, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.)

According to Wikipedia, “The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the first major book printed with movable type in the west and the first major book produced on a printing press anywhere in the world. It marked the start of the Gutenberg Revolution and the age of the printed book in the west. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status. It is an edition of the Vulgate, printed by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany, in the 1450s. Forty-eight copies, or substantial portions of copies, survive, and they are considered by many sources to be the most valuable books in the world.” The copy above has resided in the New York Public Library since 1847.

Compared to the Gutenberg Bible, all subsequently-printed publications are, to use a word Madonna Louise Ciccone used yesterday to describe Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, reductive.

Speaking of reductive, neither one of them will ever hold a candle to Norma Jean Baker (4:49).

6 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Bob,now that you intend to not write posts so enthusiastically, I think you might enjoy listening to Melvyn Bragg's 'In Our Time', in which he speaks about the development of the written word, including the Gutenberg Bible.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16442412 -


It's fascinating, but sadly not so fascinating as to have Marilyn Monroe in it, 'though there is a tenuous link in that there are several excellent photographs of her reading, including one in which she is reading 'Ulysses' by James Joyce, which was taken completely unposed - she really was reading it. She may have portrayed 'dumb blond' but she was 'brainy brunette' at heart.

In turn, Marilyn was married to Arthur Miller who, of course, was a master of words...

Connections...connections...connections... xx

rhymeswithplague said...

Elizabeth, the link in your comment is fascinating. I especially enjoyed the portion dealing with Sir Isaac Newton's notebooks. Thanks for dropping by.

Katherine said...

"Besides, Mrs. RWP wants to use the computer." - love it!

The post a day thing can become a burden. Quality over quantity. Although I never noticed you compromising Robert :-)

I've just read an old SF dis-topian novel 'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury. The connection? It's all about the importance of books. And, back in 1950, when it was written, predicted many things that are happening today. VERY interesting, albeit depressing.

rhymeswithplague said...

I remember Fahrenheit 451. For the uninformed among you, that is the temperature at which books burn.

Helsie said...

I'm with you, there's nothing like reading a good book. There are quite a few people out there who listen to books being read to them but I miss half the story because I'm concentrating on something else or go to sleep !!
I think it is important to keep up with all the new technology or we'll get left behind ( like my parents have). It's good for the brain to learn new things and we won't be bored when we can't get about when we're very old if we can use all this new stuff to communicate across the oceans.
I have 10 different games of "Words with Friends" going at the same time on my android phone so I watch TV and play scrabble at the same time seated in my comfy chair at night - and have nightly contact with my kids who live many miles away.
cheers

rhymeswithplague said...

Helsie, thanks for commenting! My grown daughter is now a "Words With Friends" fanatic also. We keep in touch by regular telephone. I do think audio books are a good thing to have while taking a long trip in an automobile.
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