Pallavi . Talks

Friday, April 04, 2008

"Give it a read! - eBooks, audiobooks or good old paperbacks?" @ 9:09:00 pm writes:

Give it a read! - eBooks, audiobooks or good old paperbacks?

Reading is, I proclaim at the risk of sounding highly cliched, a healthy way to kill time. Books have that uncanny ability to, well, practically grab us into their own worlds, where things actually happen in more exciting ways than they do in real life. In books, events happen which are touted by the characters as their destinies to witness, their fates to experience.

But in real life, not all events that happen in our life has a purpose. For example, the author of a mystery novel would never mention a seemingly casual drive around the city unless she or he meant for the character to face with an accident, or maybe pick out a clue along the drive, or something. But real life people do just go out on drives just for the fun of it, without anything eventful actually happening to them.

Well, you may say that the author does not include matter irrelevent to her plot, but readers most often don't think of that. They are too caught up in the characters' fascinating adventures, or miserably wondering why their lives weren't so eventful, to delve deep inside the author's mind.

Like a couple of hours back, when I started on this mystery novel borrowed from my friend , I completely devoured the whole book (between which my extremely annoying brother tried to read aloud the ending to the novel, but not before I snatched the book away and locked myself up in another room to peacefully continue reading, waiting patiently for the bad guy to reveal himself) in a couple of hours, in a whole sitting. I was so absorbed, so...well...intrigued by the storyline that I was, in typical American book-review lingo, 'hooked' to the book.

I recently downloaded 'Emma' by Jane Austen in the form of a legal, free e-book, from www.gutenburg.org. It showed up in Adobe Acrobat Reader, the printed words all laid out in front of me, on the LCD screen of my laptop, ready to be comprehended and read. But you know what? I don't think I survived through the first page of it.

Why, you may ask.

Because it just isn't fun. It just doesn't provide that right atmosphere, that familiar, comforting smell of new(or old) paper, or folding the corners of the pages as bookmarks( yes, I still do that, due to the sad fact that out of the dozens of bookmarks I tried to make, most of them either get misplaced or lost), or getting the actual feeling of holding the rectangular thing in your hands and flipping to the next page using your fingers to touch the paper, not to click the mouse.

Audiobooks prove to be another annoying example. I don't know about people, but I personally find it excruciatingly long and boring to actually listen to some random guy reading out the words of a book into your ears. How annoying is that! You can't even turn back the pages for rereading(okay, there's the rewind button, but I think flipping is better than rewinding). Plus, like in the case of ebooks, you can't get that feel of reading a real book.

I'm not saying ebooks or audiobooks are bad, or anything, because they do tend to save an awful lot of money when going for classics or non-fiction (newly released fiction books cannot be legally downloaded as they have copyright protection). I merely fear that they are actually replacing the actual paperbacks and hardbacks found in your corner bookstore. I know there are hundreds out there who are hard-core 'real book' fans, who detest ebooks and audiobooks, or those who haven't even heard of the before-mentioned terms. To them , I salute wholeheartedly.

And to those who still think the age-old notion 'reading is boring', then please give the Xth std CBSE History textbook a read.

Finally. Let me get back, my stomach is screaming for dinner...after which I intend to curl up comfortably with yet another book in my hand, hoping to finish it tonight itself.

Until then,
Keep imagining.

Toodles.

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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

"" @ 1:45:00 pm writes:

OK right, I'm back (two posts in a day-whoa!) with a new list, which is slightly different from the rest. It has all sorts of crazy and unanswered questions...some may be familiar to you, some may not. So go ahead, read them and enjoy....

Life's Mysteries (courtsey of www.crazythoughts.com) (Handpicked by me)

If someone owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way to the center of the earth?
How old are you before it can be said you died of old age?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
How come people tell you not to stand in front of an emergency exit when if there was an emergency surely you would run through it?
Why did Sally sell seashells on the seashore when you can just pick them up anyway?
If you pamper a cow, do you get spoiled milk?
Do they call a fortune teller who cant see a "blind seer"?
If a doctor suddenly died while doing surgery, would the other doctors work on the doctor or the patient?
Why do we sing "Rock a bye baby" to lull our little ones to sleep when the song is about putting your baby in a tree and letting the wind crash the cradle to the ground?
If the Wicked Witch of the West melts in water... how did she ever bathe?
Why do sleeping pills have warning labels that state :'Caution: May Cause Drowsiness?
Do people who use sign language see little hands in their head when they think about what somebody said, or do they hear the words in their head?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do they call someone "late" if they died early?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why are the adjectives 'fast as' and 'slow as' often used in conjunction with hell, is hell slow or fast?
How is chess considered a sport?
If a king is gay and marries another guy what is that guy to the royal family?
Why is it when your sleeping it`s called drool but when your awake its called spit?
How come people tell you to stay a kid for as long as you can, yet the moment you do anything childish or immature they tell you to grow up.
If you dig a hole through the center of the earth, come out on the other side, and then let go, would you be falling down or floating up?
If ketchup is good on french fries, how come it isn't good on mashed potatoes?
Why when people ask you "what three things would you bring with you on a desert island?" no one ever replies, "A BOAT"??
Why are elderly people often called "old people" but children are never called "new people"?
What would happen if you found a four-leaf-clover under a ladder?
Can a cross-eyed teacher control his pupils?
If winnie the pooh was civilized enough to keep his honey in jars, why did he eat it off his hands? Surely he had spoons?
Why does it say "shake well" on ketchup bottles, but not ketchup packets?
Is eating a mermaid considered cannibalism?
Why is it written "May contain traces of peanuts or other kind of nuts" on peanut butter jars. Are people stupid enough not to realize it themselves?
If you only have one eye...are you blinking or winking?
If you have a gun and you ask, "can I ask you a question?" and they say "fire away" should you shoot them?
What is a chickpea if it is neither a chick nor a pea?
Whenever an adult is kidnapped why isn't it called adultnapped??
Did Yankee Doodle name the feather, hat, town, or his pony Macaroni?
Why is it that people duck in the rain, do they really think the rain won't hit them?
How come the Bible is the most stolen book, and one of the ten comandments is "thou shall not steal"?
If there's a hole straight through the earth, from the south pole to the north pole, and you jump through it what would happen? Would you keep falling forever, or fall back down when you get to the middle, or is it physically impossible?
If someone with a nostril ring takes it out, then blows their nose, do they have to cover that hole as well as their nostril holes so that snot does'nt blow out everywere?
How come whenever you start to sing, you automatically sing in a higher voice than you talk?
Why is there no pine or apple in pineapple?
Why do water bottles have a "best if used by" date?
Why do they put holes in crackers?
Why can the saying "it's all downhill from here." mean both that it will be easy and that it is going to get worse?
Why do "cool" and "hot" mean the same thing?
Why does triangularly cut bread taste better than square bread?
Is it legal to name your kid "Anonymous"?
If you have a pet with 2 heads do you have to name both heads?
How come they don't add the time that we are in our mom's stomach to our age?
Why do people squint their eyes when they can't see? Wouldn't that just make it less space to see out of?
Who was in the kitchen with Dina?
Can a school teacher give a homeless child homework?
How come French fries are not considered a vegetable, they are just deep fried potatoes?
If conjoined twins participate in sports, do they count as one or two players?
Why do mattresses have designs on them when they're always covered with sheets?
If a person suffered from amnesia and then was cured would they remember that they forgot?
Can someone have their head in the clouds and be down-to-earth at the same time?
Why is Joey short for Joe, when Joey has more letters?
If you were a pastor, and you were getting married, would you hire a pastor, or would you do the wedding yourself?
How come toy hippos are always blue, or purple, when real hippos are brown?
You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
You know how most packages say "Open here". What is the protocol if the package says, "Open somewhere else"?
Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
Why isn't "palindrome" spelled the same way backwards?
Why is there an expiration date on SOUR cream?
Why is the word "abbreviate" so long?
Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
Why is Mickey Mouse bigger than his dog Pluto?
Why is it, whether you sit up or sit down, the result is the same?
Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
Why is it when a door is open it's ajar, but when a jar is open it's not adoor?
Why is it called 'after dark', when it is really after light?
Why is it called a TV "set" when you only get one?
Why is it called a "building" when it is already built?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?
Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?
Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?
Why do we play in recitals and recite in plays?
Why do we have hot water heaters?
Why do they report power outages on TV?
Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?
Why do they call them "apartments" when they are all stuck together?
How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike?
Does the Postmaster General need a stamp of approval?
Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
Did Adam and Eve have navels?
Can I get arrested for running into a Fire House yelling Movie! Movie!?
Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?
If a cow laughed real hard, would milk come out her nose?
What should one call a male ladybird?
What would you use to dilute water?
If you take an oriental person and spin him around a few times, does he become disoriented?
Why does Donald Duck wear a towel when he comes out of the shower, when he doesn't usually wear any pants?
If Barbie is so popular, then why do you have to buy her friends?
What would Cheese say if they got their picture taken?
If you're in hell, and are mad at someone, where do you tell them to go?
How does Santa get into a house that doesn't have a chimney?
Why do the ABC song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Baa Baa Black Sheep all have the same tune?
If you get cheated by the Consumer Protection Council, who do you complain to?
Is Disney world the only people trap operated by a mouse?
How can something be new and improved? if it's new, what was it improving on?
Why is it good to be a Daddy's girl, but bad to be a Mommy's boy?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
If Americans throw rice at weddings, do the Chinese(or Indians) throw hamburgers?
Why do banks leave the door wide open but the pens chained to the counter?
What happens if someone loses a lost and found box?
Why do we leave expensive cars in the driveway, when we keep worthless junk in the garage?
Aren't you tired of people asking you rhetorical questions and you don't know if they are rhetorical questions or not?
If when people freak out they are said to be "having a cow", when cows freak out are they said to be "having a person?"
Why is it called lipstick when it always comes off?
Why do most cars have speedometers that go up to at least 130 when you legally can't go that fast on any road?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why do you click on start to exit Microsoft Windows?
If there's an exception to every rule, is there an exception to that rule?
Can blind people see their dreams?
What came first, the fruit or the color orange?
Are zebras black with white stripes, or white with black stripes?
Did they have antiques in the olden days?
What do you call male ballerinas?
Why is the blackboard green?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
If you try to fail and succeed, what did you just do?
If Practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?
What's the opposite of opposite?
Why is it when you are almost dead you're on death's doorstep, but when you're actually dead you're not in death's house?
If you accidentally ate your own tongue, what would it taste like?
If love is blind, how can we believe in love at first sight?
Why is an electrical outlet called an outlet when you plug things into it? Shouldn't it be called an inlet.
If somebody vanished without a trace, how do people know they are missing?
Why do people say "You scared the living daylights out of me" when daylight is not living?
Does a postman deliver his own mail?
If feathers tickle people, do they tickle birds?
Can you sentence a homeless man to house arrest?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why can magicians make things disappear into thin air, but not thick air?
Why are they called goose bumps? Do geese get people bumps?
Why does mineral water that has "trickled through mountains for centuries" go out of date next year?
In France do people just ask for toast and get French toast? or do they have to ask for American toast?
Do they have the word "dictionary" in the dictionary?
Don't you find it worrying that doctors call treating you their "practice" ?
If an ambulance is on its way to save someone, and it runs someone over, does it stop to help them?
If Dracula has no reflection, how comes he always had such a straight parting in his hair?
Why do they put "for indoor or outdoor use only" on Christmas lights?
If it's zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?
If someone can't see, they're blind and if someone cant hear, they're deaf, so what do you call people who can't smell?
Why is the name of the phobia for the fear of long words Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?
Why do they call it a RUNNING BACK when he is running forward?
Why does everyone speak different languages and have different accents if we all originally came from the same place?
Why is it we have the weight of the world on our shoulders but have to get it off our chests?
How do you handcuff a one-armed man?
Why do we say "bye bye" but not "hi hi"?
If you're caught "between a rock and a hard place", is the rock not hard?
If your born at exactly midnight is your birthday on both those days?
If you were on a plane going the speed of sound and walked from the back of the plane to the front, would you be walking faster than the speed of sound?
In some books, why do they have blank pages at the very end?
If it is a 50 mph per hour wind and you drive your car at 50mph downwind, if you stick your head outside would you feel the wind?
If you have x-ray vision, and you can see through anything, wouldn't you see through everything and actually see nothing?
Have you ever thought what life would be like if your name was Anonymous? You'd get credit for everything nobody wanted credit for?
If you had x-ray vision, but closed your eyes, could you still see?
Do siamese twins pay for one ticket or two tickets when they go to movies and concerts?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
If you drink Pepsi at work in the Coca Cola factory, will they fire you?
If someone crashes his or her car on purpose, why is it still a car accident?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
When lightning strikes the ocean why don't all the fish die?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
If London Bridge is standing why is there a song about it falling down?
If a criminal turns himself in shouldn't he get the reward money?
When a car is for sale and it has a balloon on it, does the balloon come with it?
Why are there pictures of the sun wearing sunglasses when the purpose of sunglasses is to protect your eyes from the sun?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
If the day before a holiday is called Christmas Eve, is the day after Christmas Adam?
Why is it when we laugh in school the teachers say do you find something funny? When obviously we do?
Do movie producers still say lights, camera, and action when it is a dark scene?
Why do people say, "You can't have your cake and eat it too"? Why would someone get cake if they can't eat it?
If you were a genie and a person asked you this wish, "I wish you would not grant me this wish" what would you do?
If mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?
Why do companies offer you "free gifts?" Since when has a gift NOT been free?

Well....whew, that was like, the longest list ever, and I had to personally copy and paste each and everything in the list!!!! My fingers hurt....so....I depart, hoping you all enjoyed(if you could bear to go through the whole list) reading them....

While you puzzle your brains over these questions, I take a break from typing...

Ciao.

1 comments

"" @ 11:38:00 am writes:

Sometimes I really wonder - why do people blog? What is the ultimate purpose of blogging? Is it to vent out our feelings into an unkown, vast, complex web of information? Is it because we have something to tell which needs to be heard? If the latter's the reason, who's going to hear it? What are the odds that people just google in 'thoughts' and they stumble upon our blog?

The truth is, this world called the net is so huge, so limitless that our blog is no more than a drop in the ocean. What with so many websites offering free blog hosting or web page hosting, do you really think people are going to listen to you? I don't.

Well, after this absolutely insane and seemingly absurd post, I sign off. I hope I update the next post with more 'lists'.

And oh yeah, how do y'all like my new template?

Until next time.
Toodles.

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