The Changing Function of an Object

Within my contexts seminar group, the changing function of an object was something that we explored. We looked at this mostly in terms of the objects physical positioning being the factor which effected the change in function. It is my intention to further explore the different physical and also non-physical factors which can alter the function of an object.

If we consider the life of an object within the context of a wider society an objects function changes in a fairly straightforward way. It begins life in production, is then sold in a shop, is used and then becomes waste. I intend to dig a little deeper into the root of these changes and to explore them on a more personal level. Throughout I will adopt Frondizi’s stance, which is to use both the objective and subjective rationales together. This is because it is not separation of the object and subject which I am interested in but the tension between them. Therefore exploring the concept of function whilst embracing both views is I hope a more meaning full way to make judgments.

Like Baudrillard I am interested not simply in the utilitarian function of an object, but by the processes by which people relate to them. It is the systems of human behaviour and relationships that are created in this interaction on which I am focusing. It is this fickle ‘system of objects’ as Baudrillard describes it, which allows for multiplicity of functions in an object to exist.

As the functions that we assign to objects are continually changed by our own inconsistent needs. An objects function can often comprise of an assortment of partial functions that are often irrelevant or antagonistic to each other and so it is a ‘natural’ process for objects to exhaust one function and acquire another.

First of all the way in which we first physically acquire an object can alter its function. Imagine a Rolex watch, an object that is just as likely to have been bought as a gift as it is to have been bought directly by its owner. As a gift the Rolex will always hold within it the memory of its giving. The object has become an expression of a relationship or perhaps a symbol of an occasion such as parting gift at a retirement party for example. In this way the initial relationship through which we interact with the object may vary. Even if the owner of the Rolex has bought it themselves, the reasons for doing so may differ, it may have been purchased as a reward for example as well as to simply tell the time.

Regardless of how it came into someone’s possession lets focus upon this utilitarian function for the moment, as it is this reason why most objects initially come into our possession. As a time-piece there is already a multitude of levels of function to be found within its utility. A watches utilitarian function is already highly symbolic. Having a watch shows that its possessor needs to know the time. Suggesting that its owner is a busy and important person, someone that needs to be on time and has people who demand their time. The time-piece also allows its owner to position themselves within time, allowing a sense of control within something that is in constant motion. Giving them a sense of place, a way in which to keep track of time or even to simply to know when they are killing time.

I’m sure there are many more ways in which we use the utility of the time-piece but counter to common sense this designed function of the object lasts for very little time. It is unlikely that the owner of a Rolex watch would keep it solely for its utilitarian function. In the case of our Rolex watch in particular there is also another obvious secondary, if not in some cases primary function. The Rolex watch has a high monetary value, and therefore is valuable as a status symbol. However even this function changes over time, for despite the strong branding of a Rolex and its subsequent resale value as a status symbol, the watch can still take on the very different function of the personal time-capsule.

OK, so imagine our Rolex has become valuable due to an emotional connection from owner. This Rolex could be provoking a memory or even defining a culture…

‘The woman sat among the doomed things, turning them over and looking past and back…How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?’

John Steinbeck – The Grapes of Wrath

This quote illustrates the emotional function of the objects in our lives. It is a function beyond utility, reaching into the way in which an object can illustrate our own identities. They can provide us with a connection to our past, and our ancestors. The quote on the slide from John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ it is a moment where the character who lives in the time of the Great Depression has had their home repossessed and has been forced to leave behind all that they cannot carry. Something, which has perhaps found a new resonance today.

This quote illustrates the emotional price we sometimes have to pay after investing symbolically in an object. When times are tough, which objects do we part with? At the moment we find ourselves even as a wider society facing this decision. With Town Halls considering whether to sell off their artwork for example. Here the decision becomes do we retain the object because of its symbolic function, or do we sell it as a commodity? And with its loss accept the negative consequences of appearing to sell out, and a loss of identity.

Jugo, excuse me if that was wrong! suggests that ‘Even though permanence for all time is an impossibility, individuals and groups work with exacting care to recreate the past for the present so that what they do in the present affects the future.’And so with the treasuring and valuing of objects ‘reason builds on such irrationalities’ as as humans we ‘live in memory and by memory’

Objects are our way of securing permanence in a world that is always subject to loss and decay. The Houses of our childhood have a depth and resonance in memory with objects serving as boundary markers in the symbolic configuration we know as home. The reverence with which we treat some of our household objects almost recreates them as household gods. They become special incarnations of emotional bonds, symbolising the permanence of a family group. They seem immortal until the advent of a new generation, which may cast them aside. Sometimes our special objects become reinstated in up-to-date nostalgia for whatever is old. And so the object gets a second chance to exist.

Imagine that our Rolex has now been inherited by the son of its previous owner. The watch now holds a very powerful symbolic function as a representation of the bond between father and son, giving the watch a subjective value far above its monetary value. For a family, passing on objects to the next generation legitimises them, and so objects kept within the same family for generations have, with retention not movement, gained value’ The crown jewels offer a great example of this, with each generation the crown jewels lend the new Monarch a huge symbolic power.

The makers of the Rolex watch use this emotional or symbolic connection to sell their watches dubbing the Rolex as ‘The watches of achievers.’ Citing examples such as the men who successfully scaled Everest for the first time as wearers of the Rolex. The website also showcases numerous images of famous sportsmen and women wearing their watches. In some ways this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, I’m sure they wouldn’t be telling us about the people who did not succeed whilst wearing their Rolex watches. This however offers us an example, which is often more unique to items worn upon the body. The objects physical closeness to the body imbues within it more power. The power of association to person creates in it a value, as owning the watch once worn by a famous or powerful person can lend to its new owner a feeling of power, the watch becoming almost a talisman.

The symbolic function of an object does not have to be bestowed, it can also be appropriated by a new party. The Eg T’ang dynastyfor example used regalia from earlier times to fabricate genealogical connections to former rulers and so helping to legitimize their presence. And of course the reverse is true, by destroying the objects which hold symbolic power it is possible to undermine the another’s cause. The destruction of the Tsar bodies after the Russian Revolution offer an example of this. By exhuming the bodies of the Tsar family and destroyed them, then shooting the remaining living they had removed a rallying point for a counter revolution

An object doesn’t have to be carefully honoured throughout its existance, sometimes the fact the object has simply survived through time makes it valuable. In this way what was once a disposable object, as it is even more likely to have been lost, can become unique, rare and fragile. Durkheim describes that ‘In this way a rag achieves sanctity and a scrap of paper can become extremely precious.’ Showing an utter transformation of function for some objects.

One excellent example of this can be found in The Robert Opie Collection. Housed in the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, the collection is made up of 12,000 seemingly everyday objects gathered over 45 years. The collection bestows a new archival function to the objects within it. The museums website describing it to have ‘power to unlock memories’ as together the objects trace changes in social trends, style, design and fashion.

This placement of everyday objects from another time within the context of a collection has altered their function. This removal from its spatiotemporal context, can remove the objects utilitarian function altogether. Leaving instead to gain perhaps unexpected symbolic value or status as an exotic object. Lorrand author of ‘Aesthetic Order’ offers the example of Primitive drawings to illustrate this change in function. Found in prehistoric caves these drawings are now presented to us as ‘prehistoric art.’ However we can only guess at their original function. For one the people who created them surely did not view these drawings as primitive art.

As well as removing an object from time to another, the movement of one object from one culture to another can also radically change its function. Something which we discussed within our seminar groups, and was particularly focussed upon by Divya. Imagine now that our Rolex has been given to a traditional African tribe for example. Its original function as a time-piece is unlikely to be what they will use it as. Rather it is more likely to be used as an exotic object, a piece of art or an ornament. In the same way that if we were to take an African mask, sacred in their culture as a religious object into our own they are most often used as decorative objects. And have become a part of the industry which generates kitsch.

And so the final change in function I am going to outline is the life of an object once it has become obsolete. Lorrand suggests that ‘When a utility object becomes obsolete, our attention is free to focus upon its aesthetic order” Using my earlier example of a Rolex watch, we can see a case in point. With the advent of mobile phones we no longer need a separate timepiece. Leaving the watches function to one of aesthetic value, a Rolex being kept now as an ornament rather than a time-piece.

Within the art world however obsoletion is not necessarily a requirement for a change in function to the aesthetic. The context in which the objects has been placed, can create a sudden shift in function that is forced upon both the object and the observer. Take Duchamps ‘Urinal’ for example from a utilitarian perspective Duchamps urinal has nearly zero informative value, it is still a functional object and so there is no ‘natural’ reason or gradual development as to why it is now displayed as an aesthetic object. However put in a museum under its new title as a work of art it is (or is expected to be) highly informative. Lorrand explains that this is because in its new status, the particular shape of the urinal, its colour, its mode of placing and above all the drama created by its unexpected occurrence in a museum all serves to create for us a new alternative way of interacting with the object, and so a new function.

There are of course many more ways in which the function of an object changes. And it is my role as a designer to consider this within my work. This is particularly relevant to my current research into a comparison between analogue and digital books. Much like the Rolex the advent of digital books has altered the functions of its analogue counterpart. So when designing an analogue book perhaps I should be considering its function as a tactile artefact, more so than its original more content delivery or inforamtional focused function. Though of course within a books multitude of functions perhaps it is my role simply to discover how and why we are using our books.

Industry Survey July - Septmeber

This quarter sees less interest in the printed book but there a few things worth mentioning. ‘Everyman’ who produce cloth-bound, hand stitched books with a heavy cream paper have a feature in Bookseller. Reinforcing the idea that physical books will need to be beautiful and that the ugly paperback will die. There’s more mention of the physical book selling as a gift and an interesting idea that a free e-book should be given with every physical purchase. This would also solve the problems around DRM as all of the tablets would have to make their readers able to use these files.

Within the e-book world there was a great statement that sums up current feeling ‘you need a digital strategy – even if that strategy is not selling anything digital.’ This is further highlighted by this quarter being dubbed ‘the kindle simmer.’ There are more and more adverts for digital partners advertised in the pages of Bookseller, which is also interesting. There is a suggestion that children are platform agnostic and expect content across media. This content is expected to be of a good standard, with weak links or weak material quickly rejected.

There are a couple of issues raised in that mid-list authors are beginning to really struggle. Amazons 70/30 sales ratio again at the heart of the problem. The issue of discoverability is also raised; as you can’t browse the web in the way you would a shop for a book. One article suggests that this can be solved through SEO and the use of widgets.

The market sees the vast majority of focus in this quarter with a lot of column inches going to Amazons bid to take over the Book Depository. This is a move which is being met with great hostility from the rest of the trade as Amazon already control the majority of the market and have been using books as a loss-leading selling tool. All resulting in a call for an investigation to be conducted by the Office of Fair Trading -by the Society of Authors, The Publishers Association and The Independent Publishers Guild. In other legislative related moves the government has issued the Hargreaves’s Report which has found that there is a growing problem between what is the law about copyright and what people actually do.

Other than that online booksellers have realised that it is totally unsustainable for physical bookshops to continue acting as their showrooms. There is some suggestion that they will have to start paying the physical booksellers or that people will have to pay a subscription to use them like a museum. Both of which sound a tad half-baked to me as ideas. Waterstones have ended their 3 for 2 offer, which has been met with a lot of positivity as it had become very dominant in the market. Then finally more and more orgainisations are getting involved with digital Oxford and Cambridge being two of note. Overall the mood is a tad hysterical with a lot of doom mongering about Amazon, but behind that there are some great ideas and products getting off the ground.

Industry Survey June-July

In regards as to how to sell a print book this quarter has thrown up a few suggestions. With the high streets shrinking every day there are suggestions that retailers need to exploit the customers need for a community. They should be seeking to make their shop a social hot spot. Another positive for local shops is that books about the local area appear to still sell well and to be ‘Amazon and E-Reader proof.

Hardback’s have taken a bit of a slamming with a somewhat sneery comment that people only buy them if they are rich or don’t know how to work a computer. This is somewhat undermined by growing sales as e-books simply don’t sell in the gift market. This is further reinforced as people don’t collect e-books this particular function is being left for print to enjoy. One issue brought up a few times is about the rather sorry state of British Illustration. With suggestions that any new illustrators looking for interesting work end up over seas, as our market is becoming more and more conservative.

In regards to E-books the market hits a peak and then falls after Christmas - as people buy books for their new devices and then become a tad less giddy. Something that comes up time and time again is the concern of the lack of curation in e-books. Which partly because of the plethora of terrible free self-published work but also as Publishers are scrambling to justify their role. We reach a land mark this quarter as Random House hits the 2 million mark in e-book sales and more and more e-books are launched by the likes of Ladybird and Faber and Faber.

There is a lot of positivity and buzz around App’s this quarter as I think publishers are finally working out what they can do with them. They have the advantage of colour, moving image and sound allowing children’s books to move into digital. They also can avoid Amazons stranglehold on pricing as Apples allows you to publish for free. Though Magazines still wait for a device that they feel will do their product justice, size of readers and the restrictions of HTML citied as key problems.

Overall the market is less gloomy than previously despite the deepening recession. There is a feeling that we are in an in-between stage where people can see there is value in digital but don’t quite know how to realise it. There is also an interesting point raised about how markets will work digitally worldwide. It is expected that markets will become language based rather than region based. There is also an expectation that by selling digitally that we will be able to gather much more information about customers. This is seen to be a huge positive and a great selling tool.

There are a few thorny issues concerning the industry as a whole. Firstly the problem of e-lending at Libraries remains in total disarray. Secondly the industry feels that the current government is anti-book, particularly as libraries are directly targeted for closure. Then finally the issue of piracy is still a big concern - all of which means that despite the more optimistic feel there is still certainly a sense of urgency. A feeling described as ‘almost a moral battle’ as booksellers search for a path into our technological future.

Industry Survey March-May

There is continued focus upon how the industry can save money. As such the issues around distribution came under scrutiny in an extended section in Bookseller. The essence of which is that the majority or publishers have far too much warehouse space. There is also a growing trend for print on demand as opposed to printing in bulk in order to keep costs down.

Despite its usual position as a good performer academic books look set to be in decline. There is real animosity towards the government as funding cuts limit academic establishments and students spending power in this sector. As such Blackwells are trying out a new scheme where a student can rent a textbook instead of buying it outright. The final details have yet to be hammered out but in principal I think the idea could be a good one.

There is a lot of focus upon social media as a way for publishers to interact directly with their market. Which has leveled the playing field in some respects, as such there is a growing realization that smaller organizations can punch above their weight. With more are more success stories to show for it. Particularly as the agency model row continues and more authors begin to self publish. Penguin in particular has really taken up social media marketing, via twitter. The results of which have interestingly, now been published as a physical book. Perhaps pointing to the value of having something that perhaps feels more permanent? Twitter in particular has a fluid feel to it, which Penguin has tried to hold still and capture on paper.

There is a growing trend for publishers to team up with digital partners in order to fill the skills gaps. An interesting advert for a digital company offering such a service proffers ‘blended publishing’ as part of its package. A phrase I haven’t come across before but seems to refer to digital books being ‘much more than a digital version.’ They are however careful to stipulate that ‘they are cautious to ensure that interactivity is included for a purpose.’ Which is well in line with everyone else dipping his or her toe into digital. It is quite noticeable in the past few months that more of these digital partners are advertising in publishing magazines. It is probably something worth me following up in the next term in order to see what these partners are actually doing.

Now it seems that publishers have realized that apps can be good selling tools but they are wary to not push that too far. “How to be Brave in Business and Win” has just been promoted by a very nice looking app. This has led to them gaining a good amount of presales and is a good example of digital and analogue living in harmony. There are further examples dotted around of people using apps well. Ladybird has been particularly good at this with 14,000 of its first app having sold since January. However despite the good sales of Ladybirds app there are still some concerns that a book on a screen isn’t the same. With some people expressing concerns that the child would become too absorbed in pressing the buttons to truly be reading the book. On the other hand it is also soothing some parents, reading even on an electronic device is still a good thing. As such it is assuaging their guilt over their child spending so much time on electronic devices.

Thoughtless Acts

The focus of the next few entries will be upon objects, how we observe them and our relationships with them. I will consider questions like: Why do we value the handmade? Why is an object built a certain way? As understanding these values can help me with my own design work. One way of answering these questions is through close observation. This should be done without preconceptions in order to find out how we are really using an object. Often this involves the consideration of affordances. An affordance is when an object is used often alongside another unrelated object in a way that it was not initially designed for. An example of this would be a coaster used to balance a table leg.

These affordances have been studied by different people, in the essay 'Parallel Universes' by Kevin Henry the way in which we perceive these affordances is considered. Henry looks at the differences and similarities between a designers (Suri) perspective and that of an artists (Wentworth). The affordances the two practices consider are done through a photographic documentation. The photographs are not intended as pieces in their own right but simply as a record.

Suri considers the affordances to be evidence of our subconscious interaction with objects. She sees them as reletively thoughtless acts. This differs greatly to Wentworth as he sees them as much more conscious. He sees them as warnings, reminders and repairs, as things that require some conscious thought. Interestingly however there is more ambiguity to Wentworth's images, he leaves much more up to the viewers interpretation. However in some ways this is not surprising, unlike designers who most often create work which conveys a clear message, artists thrive on uncertainty. Wentworth's photos are often drawn to the poetry of the image as much as the reality of the objects in them.

Wentworth sees his photos as documenting coincidence whereas Suri sees her images as a way of validating coincidence. However both of them discover their insights in the space between taking the images and collating them into narratives. Though the way in which they are collated into narratives again differs greatly. Suri's in a book and Wentworth in a slideshow which he presents in a random order. Both of them however are using photography to expand the narratives. Unlike moving image they demand more from the audience. You can't help when you are looking at them thinking I wonder whats happening just off frame. This interaction with the photographs helps to build a personalised vision of the affordances. Whilst the images themselves create memories and trap feelings within them.

The way in which the designer interacts with the subject is also the way in which I approach a subject, with a more structured eye and a definite message to convey. Whilst looking around for affordances I have already been dismissing some as they don't say what I want. Perhaps I should consider taking a more fine art approach to things and try and push my own boundaries. Try to document coincidence like Wentworth rather than find images to suit my own narratives. This could provide a more organic and perhaps more interesting result.

Physical Objects

The lecture from Ian Roberts centred upon objects and how they are a part of everything that we do. He begins by discussing the notion of an archetype, that we like to take the archetype and create our own version. He offers the example of chairs and table lamps and that their design never differs greatly. These objects unlike mobile phones with their quick moving generations are more static in their design. Wether this implies that they have a greater value? Or that they have reached their limit is something I would like to explore further.

He suggests that objects all have certain rules, language and vocabulary that they follow. Apple offers a good example of how by limiting the vocabulary of an object you can create excellent design. This vocabulary as I touched upon in my summary of Janet's lecture is something undeveloped in e-book design. The layout of e-books is yet unmapped. It lacks a consistent language which is creating the state of flux in industry and the anxiety which comes with that. Once a language has been established for the e-reader it will become much stabler an easier to use. For me this will happen only once someone has made the right sort of reader. The i-pad doesn't quite work as a reader and the kindle still feels quite slow and clunky.

Ian goes on to discuss the difference between craft and mass production. The notion of a value being added by being able to see the makers hand. This is something I have already been considering, along with the idea of authenticity as being valuable. Ian also considers the value of one persons a mundane object to another culture. He offers the example of lightbulbs being collected in India simply as the collector considers them a beautiful object.

Ian also looks at Baudrillard's system of objects. Something that has already been a strong influence on my research. He begins to touch upon collecting and our motivations behind it. He offers the Freudian theory that childhoods latency period and for middle-aged man collecting has the most importance. As the collection acts a replacement for their sexuality. He considers the object as an insentient dog. Something that reflects back the owners feelings, giving them pleasure.

These are all themes that I have begun to touch upon in my strategies of thought essay as well as in my wider research. As there is so much correlation between Ian's lecture and my subject I think that being part of his seminar group will be a great way to deepen my understanding of the topics.

Techno-poiesis

After listening to the various contexts lectures it was Janet Bezzants on Techno-poesis and Ian Roberts on Objects that held the most relevance to my own research. I was however very interested in Millers lecture on Politics in Art as it focused upon feminist themes which I often work with outside of the MA.

Janets lecture focused upon the quest to discover the poetics in material computing. She is concerned with how technology impacts upon our perception of the world. Something that bears relevance to the digital aspect of my research into how we read e-books. She considers the way in which we interact with technology and how this effects the way we understand the world. During the lecture the theme of technology almost becoming invisible emerges. Beginning with a prediction made in the 80's that 'technology will disappear into the woodwork'. Something that I agree with fundamentally, technology is becoming invisible with wi-fi internet being an obvious example. Tech based objects continually become smaller, sleeker and less intrusive. This is true of e-readers in particular, they are becoming less boxy and more intuitive as they progress.

Janet introduces the concept of affordance. That technology has a way of telling us how to interact with it. We recognise signs such as a 'play' symbol for a film. Affordance is something that still needs work in e-publishing. It is often confusing to navigate an e-reader at first. She also considers the 'tacit dimension' a new concept for me. This is the notion that 'we know more than we can tell'. She offers the example of riding a bike. That we can explain the mechanics of riding a bike but not how it feels. This feeling is something you have to experience for yourself. She suggests that the body has its own tacit understanding of something. This is a concept that has implications for reading and objects. Can we really explain the pleasure of holding a book? its weight, scent and the individuality of each copy?

Industry Survey Dec-Feb

Overall there is more optimism in the air. Christmas proved to be good for both analogue and digital. Though sales in physical bookshops were badly affected by the snow. Hardback non-fiction sold well as gifts as well as other more ‘novelty’ books. This ties into a general feeling that the books are being valued as a gift. Even if they are not read, as we value them as the object and the feelings they represent. On the digital side of things Amazon sold an incredible amount of Kindles. This led to some of the more savvy publishers out there timing there books to be available as people unwrapped their devices and looked for something to download.

There are predictions that devices like the I-pad will become more common, as like the I-phone, people will become used to them and what they offer. This will lead to more single use devices dying out as people expect more from their technology. The I-pad remains the toy of young affluent males whereas the Kindle picks up the silver surfer end of the market. Possibly a good place to be as at the moment they are the only ones with any money!

Apple has also released i-books1.2 and with that some illustrated art books. Suggesting that Apps are perhaps not the future of book formats. As such, in terms of e-books themselves developers are finding that it’s best not to create too much functionality within a book. As this had led to too much competition with games, something a book is not and fails to compete with. However inroads are being made into digital illustrated books as the new e-pub format enables text and image to work better together. There are also rising concerns about English becoming a universal language as more books get released via the Internet.

The V&A sets a good example of high quality publishing. With a new set of high-end art books being made to each stand out individually. Special attention has been paid to the physical aspect of the design with delicate detailing along each spine. They also have digital plans as they are now developing app guide books for the museum.

In terms of libraries there is a feeling that digital lending is being misinterpreted as a problem. However the pace of change is making it difficult for them to plan for the future.

With this year being the first that the Children’s Bookseller conference discuses digital it is interesting to note that it may also be the last for the pop-up book. New health and safety legislation due to come in by 2013 looks to make pop-up too expensive as a project.

The rate of decline has slowed in the market overall and on the whole it is the same people buying e-books as print books. Both of which are selling mostly from the bestseller list. This has interesting implications for the industry, as despite the change in format they are still yet to attract new customers and revenue streams. Furthermore there is some stagnation in the way in which selling is going to work as an ongoing court case drags out concerning the use of the Agency model.

Amazon Kindle

In the interest of fairness I read work by Oscar Wilde as my road test of the Amazon Kindle as I had done so on the kindle app for I-phone. Overall, I am pleased with the way in which the Kindle works. I found it easy to get books onto it and the whole thing was intuitive. I really like the way the screen looks in comparison to using it on an I-phone. The e-ink makes it feel much more like a book and it has more of a sense of being a 'page' as it looks m0re permanent. This is also reinforced, as you have to press a button to turn the page rather than swipe the screen. This makes turning the page a more deliberate action, you are much less likely to skip ahead by accident.

As a physical reading experience it's not bad, it's light and so no real effort to hold. You can balance it on a table or lap to read unlike the I-phone which is a real plus. However it's slimness works against in some ways as I often feel like it could easily break. As the books I read travel with me wherever I go they have to put up with quite a beating inside my satchel. It is with some trepidation I have been carrying it around. However it being so light means it is winning the battle with a large tome of a book that I am also reading. I have rattled through Wilde whilst on the go on the kindle.

I also like how I can alter the line length on the screen. Reading from line to line is something I struggle with in large bodies of text. Often I find myself lost within a text so being able to narrow the text made it much easier to read longer passages. This is problem common for dyslexic people so I think the kindle has great scope as a tool for dyslexic students with long texts to read. I know I would have appreciated being able to do that with some of my readings. Also being able to have all of the texts you need in one place in light weight form will also increase its selling points for students.

The fact that you can very easily put your own work onto the Kindle is also a great plus. Something which is much more difficult with apple products. This is very useful for presenting my work for assessment. Using the hack 'Calibre' also has great potential. This is a programme which allows you to turn any online content into an e-book. For example a blog. This means I can put these blog entries straight onto my Kindle for assessment in an organised way, without time consuming reformatting.

I find the internet usability on the kindle quite cumbersome, however this is an e-reader primarily so for the function of finding books to download it's fine. This differs to the I-pad which for me is an internet using device primarily and an e-book second. This is also reflected in the way things can be laid out on the different devices. The PDF version I have of my ‘zine on the kindle looks pretty terrible. The text is hard to read as it becomes very small on the screen. The layouts also no longer work as it was designed as double page spreads. The kindle also has an irritating habit of trimming the white space on a PDF. This means that some of my designs are suddenly closely cropped and look very different to how I intended it. I am looking into other ways of coding my work in order to overcome these problems. Ideally I would like to find a way of having the books user editable but still in an attractive layout.

Oscar Wilde - On The i-phone

Reading 'The picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde turned out to be a surprisingly useful in many ways. Firstly for my SOT essay and the concept I am developing of becoming-book. However I initially only got Dorian Gray as it was free on the kindle app on my i-phone. I got it as an experiment to see how reading on my phone would work and wether I could read a whole book on it.

As it turns out yes I did read the entire book on my i-phone but it wasn't a smooth experience. It was great for occasions when I stranded somewhere (usually waiting for some form of public transport) and I needed entertaining for an hour. But as it operated as a touch screen turning the page fast became irritating. Particularly as sat on a very cold platform my finger quickly became an icicle as I could not turn the page with a glove on! Also the small size of the screen meant that turning the page was frequently necessary, and as the the screen would go dark if you didn't read the page fast enough it lead to a very hands on experience. I also found the way in which you hold it to read was quite difficult, it almost always required two hands. Unlike a book you couldn't prop it up on your knee or table as its smaller size makes it illegible on a flat surface and too small to balance on a knee. Of course as your other hand is almost constantly engaged in turning the page this leads to rather awkward reading positions. Therefore shorter reading sessions as you end up rather cramped. The other obvious problem with reading on an i-phone is that it's a light source. This leaves you with strained eyes and a blossoming headache after a while. The other problem with it being a light source is that it saps the battery very quickly. So even if you can put up with the other irritations of reading it the phone rapidly runs out of battery.

However despite all of these problems I did manage to read the whole book. The convenience of it always being on me outweighing the other problems. Though I think that the excellent writing of Oscar Wilde was undoubtedly a factor. As it is unusual for me to not have a book with me and on occasions I would leave the other book behind in favour of the i-phone. But ultimately given the option to read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' in a paperback or on an i-phone the paperback would definitely still come out the winner.