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I bought a couple old, second-hand, e-ink Kindles years ago. Specifically ones with firmware predating the agreement with Audible that resulted in Amazon removing the text-to-speech function. I got a lot of use out of that function back when I had to drive a lot for work. Now I'm finding them useful again for low-distraction reading. I've begun closing tabs by turning them into ebooks. Somehow reading on this sort of purpose-specific device *feels* faster. There are fewer background processes in my brain considering what else I should be doing than there are when I'm at a computer. And I can make the device read to me from where I left off when I need to do more physical work.
2 years ago · 👍 figbert, eye, aka_dude
@lykso a rock is general purpose because you can use it to pound in tent pegs, use it as a fishing weight, use it to hold down a picnic blanket, use a sharp edge to cut/tear things, use it to prop something up, use it to mark a trail (cairn). Only when you have nothing in an area where there are no rocks do you realize how awesome they are.
That said, you're probably right about the features vs generality not working in all cases. Sublime is incredibly multipurpose - linters, api-tooltops, document overview scrollbar etc. etc. Compared to dd which is single purpose - copy chunks of arbitrary data. Turns out that this is useful for a lot of things, but it is still a single purpose.
Hmm, but then a knife is the same - single purpose (to cut) wih a lot of applications.
IDK! · 2 years ago
Correction: it was the Authors Guild and opposition form publishers that got Amazon to remove the TTS function, not Audible. · 2 years ago
This generalization rubs me wrong, and I'm having some trouble figuring out why. On the one hand, a statue is both more complex than a rock and likewise more general purpose than a rock, which seems like a mechanical counter-example. And simple utilities like dd and ed seem more general than relatively complex utilities like Sublime Text. I don't know that "features add generalization" actually holds true in many cases. Features make certain tasks more ergonomic when done well, perhaps? 🤔
IDK, maybe I'm overthinking this. · 2 years ago
I often wonder at the 'multipurpose' vs 'singlepurpose' nature of technology:
Simple mechanical technology such as a rock, a hammer, or a knife is incredibly multipurpose, while complex mechanical technology such as a difference engine, a combine harvester, or an aircraft is pretty much single purpose. With mechanical tech features add specialization.
But for computing/electronics, simple technology is single-purpose: a microwave, a watch, or a phone, and complex technology is multipurpose: a cellphone, a computer, etc. With infotech features add generalization. · 2 years ago
I've got a couple Kindles myself. Last year I jailbroke one of them and now run KOReader on it: it's become one of my favorite devices by far. Simple, compact, purpose-built devices are a joy to use. · 2 years ago