Bytemarks
Carrying around a digital book

By Burt Lum

Probably the two most important computer prep classes I took were typing and reading. I remember the day at Pearl City Highlands Intermediate when my typing teacher, Mrs. Kono, made me type, "I will not talk in class," one hundred times. That was a turning point for me. I could type pretty fast after that.

Reading is another key skill not to be ignored. If it weren't for reading, writers like me would have a very lonely existence. Thankfully, readers abound. While many of us in the information technology field spend long hours behind the computer, much of that time is spent reading.

Recently, H. Doug Matsuoka sent me an e-mail about his online novel, "Immortal Khan," which got me thinking a lot about online books. You can find info on "Immortal Khan" at Doug's personal Web site (home.hawaii.rr.com/dougwords). The book is a frenetic romp through the desert, as Taoist master Chung Li looks for his student, Khan. For a closet Taoist like me, this is enjoyable reading on various levels.

Aside from offering a glimpse of the book itself, Doug's message made me ponder the transition from printed books to their online counterparts.

The eBook format is Microsoft Reader, and you will need to go to www.microsoft.com/reader for the application download.

When the concept of online books was first introduced in the late '90s, I thought the biggest downside was having to read a book while tethered to a computer. Part of the fun of reading a book is carrying it around and reading it wherever.

Well, hello. Since the eBook concept was introduced, there are now such things as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). You can download a version of MS Reader for your Window PC or your Pocket PC. Depending on how much memory your PDA has, you can carry around several books, all in a device that fits in the palm of your hand. Now that's the Tao of eBooks. ;-)

Burt Lum, cyber-citizen and self-anointed tour guide to the Internet frontier, is one click away at burt@brouhaha.net.