Did you get rid of all your CDs and books??? Virtual versus real thing

[Helena D'Orville 33237]

I want to get rid of a few things at home, including some CDs and books. But sometimes we want to keep things that we like that have or even might not have a sentimental value. Often these things just stay on our shelves or in boxes and we do nothing with them! I have many CDs at home, and I have imported some of them in my iTunes library and in iPods. But I wonder if I should even keep my whole collection of CDs and just import all and make some room at home. And maybe to switch to virtual books only as well? (although I have more difficulty with this as I prefer to hold a book in my hands when I read).

 

What about you? Are you going for the "all digital", or do you still want the "real thing"?

 

I am looking forward to reading your answers!

[Nicolette Vaughn 294340]

I got rid of all my CDs but still love all my books. A kindle reader just isn't my thing.

[Grass_Hopper 18263]

I will always cherish a book in a good condition. Plus, electronic devices are creating blue light, which prevents your brain to shut-off in sleep mode. If you have problems falling asleep, I would look no further than tablets, phones, tv. A good book, with proper lightning won't damage your eyes, give you headaches, and the only reason you won't sleep is because the story is really good...

 

I'm a conventionnal reader.

[TashaTush 766]

I will always cherish a book in a good condition. Plus, electronic devices are creating blue light, which prevents your brain to shut-off in sleep mode. If you have problems falling asleep, I would look no further than tablets, phones, tv.

 

You should look into flux, it adjusts the screen so it no longer shines blue light at night. I've been using it for years! It's not perfect, but it helps.

 

I had a kindle for ages, but it has since stopped working. I found it was great for travelling or reading while in the bath or at the beach, places where a book in a ziploc bag would be a little unwieldy or heavy to carry. I use my tablet to read academic texts for highlighting and annotations. I own lots and lots of physical books, but they're usually graphic novels or poetry or experimental writing, formats that ebooks haven't really adapted to yet, or that publishers don't really pay the same sensitivity to when publishing them in ebook form.

 

Who says going digital has to be all or nothing, why not a little of both?

 

In terms of other media though ... I own maybe 5 CDs, and maybe 3 DVDs, and that's all I have ever owned. I was raised on the internet man, I went straight from cassettes to napster. I look forward to the day when music can be beamed from the air and conducted directly into my bones.

[Ice4fun 78396]

I have moved to digital for almost all my music but have kept most of the CD'S, albums, tapes and yes... 8-tracks but that's mainly because I am a pack rat. I guess I have more easily moved to digital for music as for the last year I have subscribed to a music streaming service... you really cannot beat having almost any music available to you at any time.

 

In terms of books I often download books but when I really appreciate a book I usually get the hard copy to keep. Digital is great for convenience but there really is something about that hard copy.

[Guest n*gu**6]

I have most of my music digital now, though I still have a rather large collection of cds and movies. I don't do e-books well... There is something soothing about having to feel the paper in your hands. Reading to me is somewhat tactile as well.

[Guest st*****ens**ors]

I used to swear I'd never give up physical books, having been conditioned by years in academics, and carefully developing my own home library. However, I discovered that 1. With kindle on my phone, I can read with the lights off 2. I can order sequels the second I'm done a book, 3. When I travel I can have access to a library without carting around a grocery bag of books. I read extremely fast; before kids my rate was about 5 books a week, and 120 pages an hour. That's a lot of paper to lug around. I don't mainline narrative at quite the same pace now, but I'm still, by every definition, an addict.

 

I pruned my library down from a couple of thousand volumes to about 500 several years ago, and have acquired an electronic library of several hundred since, along with memberships at a number of libraries that loan e-books.

 

Music is a little different. I still purchase physical cd's and convert to MP3 manually. I listen to a lot of music, but linger much longer with favourites, so my rate of consumption isn't nearly as high as it is for books.

[EmilyRushton 253346]

Cd's yes, books no - there is nothing better than the feeling of paper between your fingers especially a good hard cover. I spend enough time on a computer, no way am i moving my books onto an reading anything.

[Guest N***he**Ont**y]

Over the past few months have been getting rid of 1980s and 1990 s collectionsof paper backs except for some favorites and actually found an out of print treasure that I think a certain lady might be interested in as it is an autobiography of someone who was in the life shall we say. It was published in the eighties but is in excellent condition . Now I am a bit of a pack rat and have to make trip to the recycle center with a carload of old Free To Air boxes from another hobby and oh yes a lot of research papers I did for my former occupation in HR. So when the warm weather comes I will have a couple of car loads of stuff I guess.

[Kathryn Bardot 99339]

I have an e-reader for books that I'll only read once, or when I go on vacation, instead of lugging a bunch of books around.

 

Otherwise, I have quite the collection of books and textbooks that I'll never part with... Nothing like the feel and smell of paper!

I still have a collection of CDs, records, and DVDs, but I find myself buying digital copies unless it is something I really enjoy, especially album artwork from my favourite artists.

[Guest *Ste***cque**]

I have an e-reader and have used it when I can't find a paper book but otherwise I prefer the real thing. There is something about holding a book in my hand, turning a page, the quiet contemplation of silent reading that I don't get from an electronic device. Not to mention the added benefit of getting away from electronic devices which pervade our waking, working lives so much already. Reading an "old-fashioned" book is a welcome relief in an all too hectic computerized world. It's like a breath of fresh air to be away from electronic devices for a few silent hours, but that may just be me.

 

I download music to my ipod and mostly listen to it when working out or in my car, not too much at home. I do like the convenience of building my own playlist and wearing a small device on my arm when working out. I got rid of my CD's a while ago but then again, I never had all that many.

[Guest st*****ens**ors]

I still buy physical cd's partly as a means of supporting the artists, but they mostly gather dust once I've transferred tracks to my phone.

 

I've heard there's this thing called iTunes though...

 

I'm such a techno-dinosaur.

[Guest p**sg**d]

I have plenty of space available and have kept and display pretty much every vinyl album (yep, I'm very "mature"), cd, and hardcover book/text I have ever acquired. I think of them as collectibles and enjoy having them around.

All new music purchased is by download and I have my complete music library on my desktop, tablet and smartphone (although I'm approaching the storage limit on the phone.)

Most books are now purchased by download to my iPad and I also have several magazine subscriptions on the tablet as well. I can do some reading in bed with the tablet without affecting my sleep. Didn't think I needed a tablet, but now that I've had one for a couple of years it seems indispensable.

[Lexy Grace 103696]

I will never give up my books or buying them, I need something in my hands and I see a screen enough daily. As for CD's I still buy them, I like the cover of the cases and to take my small CD player and listen to music while in the bubble bath reading a book but I will transfer the music from the CD to my laptop and other electronics. If they were to stop selling them in stores, I guess I would have no choice but to adapt but I believe that would be a very sad day for the entire world. Technology is good but you can't let it take over and consume your entire life and unfortunately, that is what I see it doing.

[knight1112 110]

Books to the core. But thinking of going digital all the way now. Embrace technology. :)

[Madison Midnight 120]

it's great when moving, I used to have bookshelves and bookshelves of books, but now they are all in a cloud somewhere. I like being able to use most media from one item!

[Mister T 45020]

I haven't gone wholly digital. While i have gotten rid of several books i knew i'd no longer read, i've kept several textbooks and interesting editions (including now copies that are no longer printed) of books i like to read and re-read on my bookshelf. I did go digital for music - i've had several hundred cps i've gotten rid of in the past, save for a few good recordings and hard to find copies. The same applied for movies; i've only kept movies i know i'm not likely to find on mediums like iTunes or on demand tv.

[Icebreaker 3938]

Like most others I have not gone completely digital. I am a bit of a collector of books so I think it will be a while before I go for books as I enjoy having a good hardcover book to read. In terms of music I have gone mostly digital since I don't want to carry a CD player when I'm out and my current car doesn't have a CD player in it - the assumption seems to be music will be streamed over Bluetooth (I like the fact it clears up the clutter from having CD's in the car). I still buy DVD's and BluRay again as a bit of a collector there are many movies and TV shows I'd prefer to keep on a physical medium since steaming services remove content. However with iTunes and Netflix I am definitely buying fewer DVD's and BluRay (often I would buy if I though they'd be interesting but seeing that I only watched some discs only periodically I've been gravitating to streaming if I felt it was only an occasional watch.

 

The bonus I find with digital is that there is more content that is more easily obtained.

[capitalCforcougar 16766]

My music is now largely all digital.. on my phone, laptop et al...

but, as a writer and an avid fan of reading (most times daily since I learned how.. a habit instilled to me by my father..and one I have passed to my children) and one who understands the sheer volume (HA!) of work and effort that goes into producing a book from thoughts/research alone.... I adore the feel of an actual book in my paws... the texture of the paper.. the smell of it.. that oddly satisfying 'creak' when one first spreads out a new book...whether for entertainment (true crime.. or things that play with my always-busy mind are my favorrrrites) or for research purrrrposes.. I always turn to my books before falling to the 'seduction' of google searches ;)

 

Some of my books for research are actual second printings from 1918.. 1932.. with English/grammar soooo horrendous I cannot, with my penchant for such things.. bare to read them straight through (the oldest one I have was written by, believe it or not.. a 16 year old medicine man 'student' who did not, by any stretch have a good command of English hehe) but the information... facts, in it have prrroven invaluable to me over the years and I would never part with it :)

 

I have parted with some novels over the years, that which I had no need/desire to read again.. but some.. I figure will remain with me until I am done breathing :)

[Amanda-Lee 11094]

What I really want because I had them as a child and it was my favorite childrens show, Franklin. I want all the colourful books. They were my favorite books and shows, I learned so much from Franklin that any child should read and watch, good values.

 

I don't have them, but it's something I've been wanting to collect at some point.

 

Another one is DVDs, some I am okay to part with, others I refuse to give away. For instance, I love Tim Burton, I refuse to get rid of his movies he is such a creative person. I also have those old shows in DVD form, like Felix. That stuff should be stored forever and never broken, classics.

[JessyCeleste 14070]

CDs? Yes..well sort of..I keep the hard copies I have in a booklet somewhere. Books? Never ever ever! Its just not remotely the same. I will never get rid of those I have nor will I not always opt for a hard copy of a book I want. Its just not the same.

[Kilt Boy 29352]

Get rid of my books? That's crazy talk. When I buy books, I usually buy 2 copies: one signed to keep (or to get signed), one to read.

 

Don't get me wrong. I have hundreds of 60's SciFi books on my phone for when I have some downtime and just need to crush some old pulp fiction, but those are books that it would be impossible to find, and am reading for pure pleasure. I couldn't get by without my phone.

[Guest ****emb******n]

I still have my cd's and books. Will probably keep them I have space.

[nntsci 11075]

I still buy books, and CDs... I don't read virtual books and I really don't enjoy the experience... I get enough screen time at work... I find reading a book easier on the eyes. As for music... I bought 7 CD in the past month which were promptly ripped on to computer and my car's hard drive and then I put the music on my phone. The CDs are about the same price (and perhaps cheaper) as downloading the songs one at a time, and I have the option of re-loading them in a higher quality (frac) when I have more memory space.

[shymale 10234]

At one time I owned over 1000 cd's took up lots of space, so I decided to download them all on an external hard drive and sold them all. Now a year or two later I really miss having to physical cd and not seeing my collection in my music room. so I started buying cd's again.

 

 

As for books I own both digital copy's and hard cover.