Books or the internet?

[ladyofastolat]

skordh's heroic endeavours have reminded me of a recent semi-drunken debate Pellinor and I had - viz. what would we rather give up for life: books or the internet.


1. In both cases, books/internet access essential to work or study are allowed, up to a reasonable limit. You are not allowed to cheat by opting to give up books, then getting a job as an editor at a publisher that specialises in your favourite genre. (As a librarian, I would probably have to give up my job if I opted for the book ban.) You are also not allowed to embark on a constant stream of voluntary study merely in order to circumvent the ban.

2. "The Internet" includes email. You will not be allowed do anything at all that involves your computer - or any computer that you are using - connecting to the outside world. This also includes online gaming. I'll allow you LAN gaming, though. See how kind I am!

3. "Books" include physical, printed books. I will be harsh and also make you give up newspapers and magazines - pretty much any example of the printed, written word that runs to more than a few pages. (I wouldn't want to deprive you of the pleasure of reading junk mail, you see.) However, you are allowed to read newspapers online, or read the full text of any novel that happens to have found its way online, whether legally or illegally.

EDIT: Okay, if it makes it easier, what about limiting the question to a choice between giving up books for six months, or giving up the internet for six months. That might make it less traumatic.

[Poll #863274]

Feel free to add your reasonings in comments.

Comments

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Well, internet use (or book use) that is essential for your job is excluded from the ban, so you'd be okay.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Ah, but you did say that a librarian would not be able to keep working with the book ban - that was what I was going on.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I think that most librarians could probably keep on working. But in my case I happen to really like a lot of children's and young adult books. I can argue that I need to read them for work, since I need to know my stock in order to promote it to children, but I would also choose to read those books for pleasure, even if I wasn't a librarian. So, in my case, reading those books would count as cheating.