“But you’re convinced that, to put it crudely, when you die, that’s it.”

“No,” Vidal replies. “I wouldn’t say: ‘When you die, that’s it.’ I’d say: ‘When you’re born, that’s it.’”

[From Gore Vidal: Literary feuds, his 'vicious' mother and rumours of a secret love child - Features, Books - The Independent]

You have to be pretty darned disciplined to not do everything.

My iPhone is a camera, a phone, an iPod, a movie player, an RSS reader, an ebook reader, gaming platform, and blogging device. The problem mostly being that it’s hard to not want to do all of these things at once. Listen to a song, play solitaire. Reading a book, quick, switch to look at Twitter. Oh! An email just arrived!

Instead of reading books, I tend to read wikipedia articles at night, or play solitaire in the bathroom. (No jokes about that! I swear! Literally the game of solitaire!)

So I’m seriously considering getting an iPod again. I have a digital camera. While lugging these things around is a pain, I also miss reading whole books in big chunks. I haven’t stayed up late to finish a book in quite a while, and I find I’m missing it.

It’s not a technology issue, it’s a usability issue. I read whole books on my old Sony Reader PRS-500. It was convenient to carry, and the interface was pretty nice. And that was pretty much it. No constantly checking the news.

I might get a cheap, refurbed netbook, more because I think they’re cute than anything else. Also, my computer collection demands it. Refurbs can be found for less than $200, so sale of the iPhone would probably cover it. And I’m thinking of getting a shuffle or something for music.

I thought the internet was killing my reading habits, and it is. I just hadn’t realized that it was my iPhone that was doing it.

Father Jack Hackett from the absolutely fantastic comedy series Father Ted.

[From Eclectic Micks: HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY FROM FATHER JACK HACKETT!]