But when you look up something on the Net, all you remember is where to look. It is frequently said that book reading is a dying art, which beggars the question that if that is the case why are so many of you, according to the media, out there investing in digital book reading equipment?

Hello everyone

It is frequently said that book reading is a dying art, which beggars the question that if that is the case why are so many of you, according to the media, out there investing in digital book reading equipment? You can’t all be minimalists wanting less paper and fewer bookshelves. You can’t all have stopped reading books neither. I still prefer to have the feel of paper in my hands and maybe it’s only psychological conditioning, but I remember far more what I’ve read that way than I do digitally. It’ll be interesting to see how well people remember books they’ve read digitally. Look at my caption above in italics. Does that apply to you as well? Mind you, if that’s the case then you might not remember reading this editorial but I’ll have to take my chances on that. That is, after last month’s editorial proving how limited the both the individual short-term and long-term memories are, does it apply to paper or digital? Does knowing where to look supersede the art of remembering obscure facts?



I commented a long time ago that with the Net, we adapt ourselves to scanning text than really read because we’re after information more than reading for pleasure and it becomes habit forming. Mind you, as the SFC is for the literate amongst you and we have some of the highest hit figures for our genre then maybe we aren’t all affected that way but does that only apply to our website and you actually remember what you’ve read here? You must remember something to come back regularly after all because there are more hits than the number of newsletters that are sent out notifying of the monthly update. I’m only looking in one direction doing this after all ie I’m typing and you’re reading and I do type a lot.

What is the grey factor is how reactive are you to what you read? After all, outside of the physical newspaper or magazine letter columns, we aren’t in a position to send replies in as we are with the Net, so we could be conditioned not to reply here as well. I also think there is a tendency for far too many to read rather than stick their neck out and write something outside of general chit-chat. Those who note what I say in the SFC Forum know I encourage reaction until the stellar cows come home but I also suspect that I can be intimidating as well which isn’t the intention. Most of the time I only point out misinformation but I think any of you would do so under similar conditions and I’m in that loose area called ‘expert’ after all. I’m a pussy cat really and just trying to see if there is any organic life out there and not avatars looking in. Communication is a two-way street not a cul-de-sac and opinions are always welcome. If you have your own expertise, so much the better. I have a habit of building up experts here after all. I make for a good training ground. Par for the course, really, if you think about it.

What is weird is that the ‘experts’ out there are agreeing with me when it comes to reading that because when it comes to research that there is a dependence on the Internet, fewer people are reading non-fiction purely for finding out more than the answer to specific questions. Mind you, whether they are SFC readers who notice that I ensure that there is a percentage of non-fiction books of interest in the reviews is hard to say. Depends whether or not any of you folk agree and check the books out. There’s rarely a time when I only have one comment to make on a non-fiction book, just some of the tit-bits of knowledge I come away from them with. I have a knack for learning information that can be pertinent to writing stories and if you get even an inkling of that, you’re doing better than me.

I think I mentioned some time back that I made a point of going beyond layman level on a new subject each year and prepping for this editorial realised it wasn’t something that I’d done in a while. It was only then that I realised that I was actually reading up on several new subjects a year and going way beyond my expected MO. I’d become an over-achiever without realising it. With the ‘Philosophy’ books a couple years back now, I came away with a fresh subject even if a little confused why they all depend so much on the same few sources with little fresh thought on modern interpretation.

The art of reading is also not to just read but to question the material you’re reading. I do that a lot, too. You might have noticed. After all, logistically, the more you read on a particular subject, the more diverse opinions you find, and oddly, the more you look for the actual facts and want to make sure the two match. If something is inconsistent, then you want to understand why or argue a contrary opinion. I do that a lot, too. Argue that is. Does that make me intimidating or just a hunter of truth? This, for me, does have a carry on to what research I do on the Net, looking not only at source but whether it agrees with what I know. If it doesn’t then there is a need to find out why. As you might guess, all that additional reading does not make me a passive reader. Yet, oddly, this is something that isn’t explained or encouraged on the Net. That in itself is odd, considering how many experts in the real world are on the Net. There are just too many people doing their own thing and no one daring to speak out as the definitive source or even point out where something is wrong or doesn’t make sense. Are people afraid to be opinionated in case they are wrong? I’d rather query something and be wrong than find I was right. Back when I was working, there was a problem that needed comparison to a mathematical proof which ended up with a red-faced mathematician when a maths encyclopaedia where I proved his example was wrong and he agreed I’d found a mistake. The lesson it taught me that no one is perfect and everything should be challenged. I do that a lot. Then again, I have an editor’s instinct to query things so that shouldn’t be too surprising. In that respect, it doesn’t make any difference whether the material is on paper or digital. You should actively read not passively soak things in.

Likewise, considering the number of people who use the Net, you would have thought the number of people who write articles, stories and such would be going up but there’s nary a reaction of the media to that. Only the number of book readers allegedly going down. Anyone would think there would be a connection between the two? Then again, when was the last best-seller book derived from the material printed in Twitter or Facebook or any of the other social websites out there? I suspect they aren’t really seen as anything more than throwaway material. In that respect, it’s hardly likely to be a source for anyone developing their writing skills or to pass on their expert knowledge.

Does that mean that there will be fewer books being written to match the fewer people reading them? I hope not. Reading and writing needs to be encouraged, not discouraged whatever the format. The only real problem is the quality of the material from personal experience and how well informed it is, whether it is non-fiction or fiction. If we lose the ability to remember or distinguish real information, then we will have a problem so never be afraid to test yourself as to how much you do remember as well as its accuracy.

I don’t know what worries me the most. Fewer books and fewer quality writers coming up or no one being able to tell the difference with what they read. Whichever, it is something that needs to be dispelled and encourage those of you who want to cultivate a talent in writing to develop your talents and not be discouraged in the first steps. I’m here with open claws…er…hands…well, they aren’t tentacles. Being right, though, doesn’t mean you’re not afraid to also admit you can be wrong as well. You just don’t see my clangers.

Thank you, take care, good night and don’t forget to question whatever you read from whatever source…even me. It means your brain is still working and that ain’t a bad thing.

Geoff Willmetts
editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk

Something that will make you think:

Footage that never made the ‘Predator 2’ DVD, although I suspect for music rights: Predators love to dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnQjwRP-Kf4

If you live in a city, are you aware that you are part of a regular flash mob periodically throughout the day and year. Makes you wonder why the governments don’t stop this happening. Mind you, in this recession, maybe they are…

A Zen thought:No situation on the Net is totally unique…at least, not for very long.

Anyone interested in reviewing books for me, especially fantasy and military SF, as we have a surfeit of books, and lives in the UK should contact me through the normal channels in the contacts list at the top of on the opening page. I’m always recruiting and details are through a link on the top of the SFC main page and in the SFC Forum. If you’ve on a budget, a book for a review is a good bargain and I can teach the nervous how to do it by seeing what you do when you present a sample. It’s a good deal. We get books in a variety of formats these days so all things are possible to those with the knack for putting words into sentences.

PPS Don’t forget to join on in the new SFCrowsnest Forum. Join up and express your thoughts in leaving typed words that make sentences. I’ve noticed many of you are joining up but the Forum isn’t supposed to be a passive site. Remember the editorial above. I’m not advocating a vow of silence. Are you going to be a lurker or a typer??!! Remember the editorial above, passivity is for sheep not a sentient species. Write something and others will respond. Equally, you could just be a guest and look around but the more the merrier when you have something to say. We haven’t been spammed since inception with this new version now so you should feel safe to come and communicate on anything Science Fiction. I’m dying to see you people fill in the survey polls. They won’t bite y’know and are active when you sign in and you must be dying to find out why I consider Element Lad the most powerful Legionnaire.

Speaking of the Forum, if you want up-to-date info of book signings and such, have a peak. You don’t have to sign up to have a look as to when these things are happening and I’ve yet to hear of a flash crowd turning up for such things but there’s always the first time. We’re not libel if you do such a thing, just to keep my boss happy.

Don’t forget, I’m always on the lookout for new reviewers as well as articles, interviews and stories and after some recent changes, let’s see if the full details about that appears below. If they don’t then look in the new Forum or on the link line at the top of the main page. For potential book reviewers in the UK, it’s a good way to keep up your reading habit and show you can write. There are detail links scattered over the website and on the forum. If you don’t think you’re up to scratch, you’ll discover why I’m the dutch uncle.

Another real Zen thought but this time for potential writers: If you can express an opinion independently of others and aren’t likely to bend to the masses then you might show potential as a writer.