Digital vs Paper Is Complicated

Though we can intuit that reading on a tablet or e-reader is different than reading from a physical book, the factors involved are more complicated than we realize. The way the brain comprehends and stores information actually involves a physicality, a “mapping” of the content in the left/right format of the book. If as you read, you like to flip back to refresh in your mind what you previously read as it relates to the progress of the story, you may feel frustration using a digital book. A recent study describes some of the differences in the two types of reading.

 

Certainly, digital books are convenient and portable, and for something like a cookbook where video instructions might be included or a magazine with links to more facts, etc. you do get “more” than you would from a physical book. Probably some of the differences relate to our prior experiences of reading a physical book; so perhaps younger generations will approach and comprehend differently than older generations. Something to think about.

Proof or Presence

I have started reading Frederick Buechner’s Secrets in the Dark which is a collection of his sermons. My niece’s husband has often spoken of Buechner with great respect and admiration. Every time I visit Half-Price Books in Fort Wayne, I scour the shelves for one of his books. So far, this is the only one I have found, but it is a good starting point.

In “Message in the Stars”, Buechner postulates that even if God were to arrange the stars above us to blatantly spell out GOD IS, it would not be enough for us. We would say, so what? So God exists, what difference does that make to me? He is not part of my life. According to Buechner, what we really need is not proof of God, but the presence of God.

Of course we need both. The good news is that in Jesus we have both. In the incarnation and miracles of Jesus, in his crucifixion and resurrection, in the sending of the Holy Spirit, we have the evidence that God exists and that He wants a personal relationship with us.

Buechner and Ann Voskamp have a lot in common. They both want us to open our eyes to God’s presence in the mundane aspects of our lives; to see His goodness, to feel His presence.  God has been hammering me with this message in the past few years through writers like this. Why is it that churches design worship services to be loud and emotionally charged when really what we need is to  pause in silence throughout the ordinariness of our days and see and sense that God is with us.

Tecarta Bible

I very much wanted to have a Bible on my Nook Color for when I am away from home. However, until a few weeks ago I could not find a Bible with the features that I wanted. In the reviews for most Bibles for e-readers and devices, the same complaint appeared frequently. No way to easily “flip” from one book to another. I watched Donna who sits in front of me at church furiously swipe her Kindle page after page to reach the desired passage. No more. I shared with her about the Tecarta Bible I had loaded onto my Nook and which was also available for Kindles.

It has a bar tab at the top of the screen. One tap and all of the names of the books of the Bible appear in abbreviated form. Tap the book and all of the chapter numbers appear, then another tap and the verse numbers appear. It is pretty easy to go back and forth between passages and doesn’t take any longer than flipping thru pages of a physical Bible. It comes in many versions; the KJV is even free. The version I selected cost $1.99. Be aware that the NIV is the most recent version and not the older one which many people prefer. Other features are an underlining capability, note taking area, audio reading if connected to Wifi, and the ability to look at other versions for free if on Wifi.

 

You can find the Kindle versions at this link and the Nook versions at this link.

Too Many Choices?

If it weren’t for the strong wind, I would be sitting outside right now rather than in front of a computer screen. 70 degrees! We had rain this morning, but sun this afternoon. I puttered around the house changing some of my decorations around trying to get a more spring-like feel. I bought some pansies last weekend knowing they wouldn’t mind too much if the air got a little frosty.

 

Most of us enjoy having choices of how we decorate our home or dress or what we eat and so on. However, our culture, especially our consumer culture, overloads us with choices sometimes to the point of creating stress and anxiety. Barry Schwartz in his The Paradox of Choice presents two types of choosers: maximizers and satisficers.

 

Maximizers think they must make the “best” choice, and the way to do that is to seek out all of the choices and then decide. In a culture where there are loads of choices, that becomes impossible without creating distress. If a maximizer makes a choice without lots of research and shopping, she has regrets that there may be something better out there that she missed. She feels inadequate to the task of narrowing down the choices.

The satisficer seeks what is “good enough”. She had done enough research to set criteria and standards for her purchases and decisions, but as long as she finds something that is a good enough fit she drops the pursuit and makes the choice. Of course, nothing is perfect and one has to make trade-offs as to which criteria are essential and which are a bonus but unnecessary. The satisficer can compromise without regret. The maximizer cannot.

 

The interesting thing is that the most important factor in providing happiness is close social relations; but spending time making choices from a myriad of options actually decreases the time we have to spend on these relationships. A paradox is that though we think we want the freedom to make choices, it is actually making commitments (such as marriage which closes off options) that enhance our lives.

 

When people are presented with options involving trade-offs that create conflict, all choices start to look unappealing. Conflict induces people to avoid decisions. Counterfactual thinking (conjuring up an ideal scenario that doesn’t exist) leads to regret. We often choose the option that minimizes the chances of regret, even choosing not to act. Human beings are remarkably bad at predicting how various experiences will make them feel.

 

To lessen distress in making decisions, restrict the options under consideration by establishing rules-of-thumb or limits. Rely on habits, customs, norms to make decisions more automatic. Be realistic in one’s expectations. Don’t always be looking for the new and improved but stick with what works for you now. Practice an attitude of gratitude and appreciate the good in your life. Anticipate adaptation; the “thrill” will leave but learn to accept that the pleasure turns to comfort. Curtail social comparisons; focus on what makes you happy and gives meaning to your life. Learn to see boundaries and limits as ways to free time to explore opportunities within those limits to the fullest.

 

The good news is that as you grow older, the less likely you are to be a maximizer. Age and experience teach people to have realistic expectations and to be satisfied with “good enough”; to find happiness in social ties and not worry about choices in the other things of life.

 

Country Style

I have a variety of furniture purchased over time or made by my husband. There are some Arts and Craft style, Shaker influences, and a hodgepodge mostly tied together by color or motif. When I look at my pictures culled from magazines and books, however, much of it is cottage/country style. 

Better Homes and Gardens describes country style as not just a look, but often a way of life. “The one thread that connects them [the different visions of country] is a shared appreciation for the simple, unpretentious objects and attitudes of the past.”

“It  appeals to those who seek harmony with nature and take pleasure in the simple things of life. Going on picnics and walks through the woods; attending auctions, crafts festivals, and fairs; watching the sunrise [for me, more likely to be sunset—I am not a morning person]; finding fascination in folk art and handcrafted things; working in the garden; making quilts and weaving; or just sitting by the fireside with friends.” 

While I don’t do all of those things, don’t quilt or garden for example, that pretty much captures the essence of those pictures I have in my “decorating style” folder. Do you agree with these descriptions? How would you define the elements of country style decorating? Is this a style that appeals to you?