In-der-Blog-sein

if:book on the ontological problems with the Kindle.

The Kindle may feel, at present, isolated and bereft of context, but this is because its readiness-to-hand is concealed by a lack. Something is missing, or, to use Heidegger's jargon, "obtruding." Birkerts maintains that the issue is one of context, but this is perhaps irrelevant. What matters is not the nature of what's missing but that something is missing at all. In Heidegger's philosophy, people will resist imperfect equipment, especially when its faults obtrude upon their interactions with the world.

Bumped: More discussion of the matter on Snarkmarket. And Terry Winograd's chart of library vs. information-retrieval cultures.  ¶ 9:03 AM