djehuti.com – The Armory

I recently mentioned on Twitter that it was somewhat ironic that Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which I’d like to read, was only available in “dead tree” editions (and thus not convenient for me).

I quickly got back two nearly identical responses telling me to go to a library. Obviously this doesn’t kill another tree, but what it does do is indirectly perpetuate demand for paper books over electronic publishing, and as I said, I want to vote with my wallet for electronic editions, which I prefer not only because of their convenience (I always have an iBooks- and Kindle-capable device on me, unless I expect to get wet), but also because I perceive them to be a more environmentally conscious choice.

Another response I got, though, calls that perception into question, linking to an article that maintains that electronic media are just as polluting as paper publishing, because of the environmental damage done by coal mining and other ingredients (such as toxic computer parts) of electronic publishing.

My reaction to this, though, is that these environmental impacts, though real now, reflect the infancy of the information-based age. While it may be true now that buying one Kindle or ePub book and reading it (and considering the amortized impact of it’s production) incurs environmental costs that may be on par with the incremental and amortized costs of a paper book (a point which I do not concede), I believe that the environmental costs of electronic publishing are falling faster than the costs of paper publishing are, and that my gut tells me this trend is likely to continue.

So, fortunately for me, this is a case where my convenience and my conscience are aligned.

What do you think? Tell me via Twitter or Facebook, or by a post on your own blog that links back here.

Musings ebooks, environment

My wife envies my ability to decide to go to sleep and then just do it without further ado.

But I am here to tell you that this is not a natural ability; it is an acquired skill, and you can learn it too.

Here is my secret for falling asleep at will:

1. Get comfortable, that is, get in a position and situation where you don’t need to shift around to stay comfy. You won’t fall asleep if you have to turn over every few minutes. This might require some body awareness.

2. Turn out the lights and close your eyes. Eye-closing is not optional.

3. Stop thinking.

Step 3 might be the hard part. Meditation might help to learn this. I just started reading Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power Of Now” and so far he’s doing a good job of talking about this.

Sweet Dreams.

Musings meditation, sleep