Actually reading actual books

(From a sffnet discussion about reading -- )

I think there's an aspect of the encroachment of computers into our intellectual and emotional lives that is so basic and self-evident we don't bother to examine it: Communicating is too easy. There's a first-draft quality to everything, from political commentary to love letters.

I do it myself, here. When I write something of importance, though, the first stage is always away from the computer, alone with pen and paper. When you write down every...