Power Usage
I’m not sure why
this is, but people tend to be in two states when it comes to
powering modern technology. They completely ignore the fact that this
stuff relies on the flow of electricity
until said flow is removed. Then, as if they’re surprised, they run
around shouting “low battery, oh no!” and their world slowly
crumbles.
If you organize a
game which needs an S, we can assume your session is taking place
fairly near to a power socket, and not, for instance, in the middle
of Sherwood
forest. After finding a power socket, the next
consideration is does anyone have a suitable charger? If not, the
game/reading/this is the thing that killed you session will come to a
sudden end, much like your character.
It’s at this point
those who’re using a B grin smugly and continue on with their
campaign.
B takes the first
point with little effort.
Portability
With respect to any
power considerations, today’s technology is extremely portable,
whether it’s a laptop, a tablet, or a phone. And with such huge
storage capacity, you can take literally thousands of books and other
items, and even download new ones, if you can get a connection to
that infinite library called the internet.
B are also portable
in all their forms, but any more than a few hundred pages and things
start to get a bit hefty. Yes, you can get transportation devices,
called cases,
but it’s not as quick or convenient as slipping a phone or tablet
into a pocket.
S takes the point to
equalise.
Use As A
Weapon/Armour/Anti-wobble Device
Using something for
which it wasn’t designed is not a good idea. You could break the
item, nullify any warranty, and in some cases spread
glass/metal/magic smoke around. But people still do such things,
using shoes/phones/small children as hammers/doorstops/bottle
openers.
When it comes to
such ad hoc uses, it all comes down to size. A small S or a B might
protect the heart, but aren’t much good as a weapon. Larger Bs and
Ss make moderate shields as well as good weapons. In an emergency
wobbly table situation it’s all about thickness, and in this
category a B can be adjusted by opening a few pages, an S either fits
or doesn’t, proving B superior. When it comes to desire, very few
people are willing to sacrifice their S for the common good of all
table users. B users are much more willing to use their possessions
in such a away, particularly if it’s only poetry (joking!) or
Shakespeare
(Not joking!)
I think B just edges
the point on this one.
Flexibility
I’m talking here
about the flexibility of function, not material, although people are
working on flexible
screens. (I’m not sure why, a screen you can roll up
would be useful, but we all know you’ll have to carry four cans of
beans around to keep the thing flat.)
As already
mentioned, if you have internet access the world is pretty much your
fusarium
(like oyster, but suitable for vegetarians.) You can download new
material whenever you like, for instance when the smart-arse player
cracks the code you thought would take hours in five minutes. You can
use an S to keep track of stats and check rules, make notes and edit
character sheets, and store it all for the next session.
A B is pretty
static, in that they don’t change, unless you write in it, which is
usually frowned upon, unless it’s a notebook.
S takes the point,
I’d say.
Financial Impact
When it comes to S,
the financial outlay is all
up front, with only tiny amounts of cost for
electricity, and downloads
are either cheap or often free. The hardware will need replacing at
some point, and taking backups (always take backups, no matter what
people say) can be an inconvenience as well as an added expense.
B are the opposite,
in that once purchased they can be re-read over and over, employing
sellotape when the integrity of the spine is compromised. B can also
be arranged in a pleasing juxtaposition, with other B or objet
d’art in order to impress your boss/partner/fellow
geek. This could lead to increased wealth/coitus/smugness, although
I’m not guaranteeing any of those effects will occur.
I’m going to call
this one a draw.
Aqueous Intrusion
As you should all
know by now, electricity
and water are dangerous to all concerned. As we’ve
already mentioned, your devices have this electrical potential inside
them, running around and making stuff happen. So adding water or
water based liquids, (yes, that includes beer) to the aforementioned
devices will result in them entering a non-functional state, or
‘breaking’ to those not of a technical nature. Unless you have a
device that specifically says it’s water
resistant, assume it isn’t. There are things you can
try to rescue the device if the worst happens, but it’s probably
best to avoid the whole water-electricity situation at all times.
When it comes to B,
small spillages are usually only a minor inconvenience, particularly
if the water is removed quickly. A more generous dousing might
require a few days on a suitable radiator, and after the pages might
look like a rhino’s lips, but it will still be legible.
A point to B, I say.
Geek Index
This is a tricky
one. S scores highly on the geek index due to it being awesome
technology and having lots of gigabytes and version numbers, as well
as being shiny black/red/pink and playing the GoT
theme tune when it rings.
But B are
old-school, retro and cool, dude, and thus also awesome. The drawback
is B are only cool to people who think they’re cool, and an adult
reading Batman
comic books on public transport is liable to be the target of
derision and, in the UK at least, a very quiet ‘tut’. Of course,
it’s no one else’s business what you read, so you should ignore
such things, or answer with a jaunty, “at least I can read,” if
safe to do so.
With S, what you’re
reading remains private for the most part, unless someone is looking
over your shoulder, which is very rude anyway. There are certain
times when you want to show off what you have, and times to hide it
all away, and so neither side is a winner in this category.
In conclusion, and
after an exhaustive consideration of all the evidence, B takes the
victory by a single point. So there you have it, conclusive proof
that books are better than screens, who would have thought it?
If you would like to
make any comments or ask any questions about the above, or indeed anything really, please contact me.