Katalepsis

This Christmas, I asked for a Kindle and my parents were kind enough to get it for me. I can remember reading about the original Kindle months before it was released. I watched its development closely and imagined a time when I could leave behind all of my philosophy books for the ease of an e-reader. The advantages were compelling: portability, text-searchable, notes, highlighting, et cetera. Essentially, it looked like we were standing on the verge of a movement potentially as big as the iPod.

But there were problems. The device was expensive, the screen lacked clarity, it was awkwardly designed, and its compatibility and offerings were terrible. I held back.

But after Amazon announced there Wifi-model for $139, I knew that the time was finally right to experiment with one. I am so glad that I did. For lack of a better phrase, I have fallen in love with my Kindle after using it for only a month. I currently have over two hundred books on my Kindle. When I travel back to Portland for breaks, I will no longer have to cart (literally) over 50 pounds of books with me. And that is “literally” in its literal sense and not the stupid hyperbole that is favored by most people these days.

Why do I love it? Let me count the ways:

1. It is lightweight and comfortable to use.
   One “annoying” thing about books is that you have to figure out a way to bend its spine, hold back pages, and work with the medium. This can make reading in bed, or reading one-handed, a challenge. With the Kindle, you just pick it up with either hand and you’re done.
2. Massive Library
   Just like owning an iPod, the Kindle allows you to take a library of books with you on the go. I took it on the plane with me coming back from Portland and read from two different books — all in a package that can fit in my jacket pocket. Pretty cool.
3. No bookmarks.
   The Kindle remembers where I left off in every book that I’m reading. No worries about losing a page ever again. No folding back the tips of pages. No shoving napkins into books.
4. Text-searchable.
   I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the Kindle and this feature really leapt out at me. If I wanted to look up a character’s name or a reference to a place or event, I could do so on the fly. Normally, I would be making all sorts of marks in the margins and front-flap in order to keep my own references. No more.
5. Non-destructive highlighting and notations.
   I’ve always felt bad about marking up my texts. Even if I’m the only one who’s ever going to read them, it affects all future reads. With the Kindle, you can highlight and mark up the pages without changing or altering the text. You can edit or delete them later if you like. And, of course, you can search them for content. Very cool
6. Dictionary
   I’ll admit it: I’m lazy. When I stumble across a new word while reading, I rarely take the time to get up and search for the word. The internet has changed this a bit, but I’m often not around a connection while reading a book. With the Kindle, you just flick the cursor and you get an instant definition. I’ve found myself looking up all sorts of words (many of the British-isms lately) that I never would have done before. It’s very handy.
7. It’s fast.

This last point deserves emphasizing. I have found that reading on the Kindle is incredibly fast. Perhaps it’s not having to turn pages and keep them pinned. Whatever it is, I find that I am drawn deeply into the text and am reading at an incredible rate. In the past month, this is a list of the books I have read on my Kindle:

• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R.
  Tolkien
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The “Dexter” Series by Jeff Lindsay
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter
• Dearly Devoted Dexter
• Dexter in the Dark
• Dexter by Design
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• Prince Caspian: the Return to Narnia
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair

I have to read a lot for work and I don’t get the chance to read fiction very often. But I think I’ve managed to read more fiction in the past month than in the past year. Ultimately, the success of e-books will rest on whether or not book lovers are able to read on them. In my case, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

At last, the Lord finally delivers on his promise to give Sarah a child, despite her advanced age. It has been years since Abraham was first promised a child. He is 100 years old at this time. They name the child Isaac and circumcise him when he is eight days old.

Sarah Has Abraham Kick His Baby Mama to the Curb

At this point, Sarah once again becomes jealous of Hagar, the slave-girl who Sarah pimped to her husband back in chapter sixteen. Despite the fact that it was her own idea for Abraham to sleep with the woman, she’s decided that there can only be one heir of Abraham’s in the roost.

[S]he said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (10)

While Abraham is a bit upset by this, God comes to him and tells him that he should do whatever Sarah tells him to do, but promises that he will make Ishmael’s offspring (the son of Hagar) into a nation as well. Abraham seems pleased with this arrangement and sends Hagar and his son, Ishmael, off into the desert with some food and a skin of water. He essentially leaves them to wander and die. Check out the artist’s depiction of this scene to the right.

When their water has run dry, Hagar places the boy under a bush and distances herself from because she cannot bear to watch him die. God hears her distress and comforts her, telling her that he will make Ishmael’s offspring into a great nation. When she stops crying, a well appears for her to fill her water skin. We are simply told that the boy was watched over by God, becoming an archer in the desert. His mother procures a wife for him from Egypt. How nice.