Reading And Writing In The Air

Sometimes I feel a little old-fashioned. The consumer electronics that I am most enthused about these days are my VCR and my Nintendo 64, which ought to tell you plenty. Sometimes I would like to have more of the cutting edge stuff (although I have some), but one time when I am happy to go low-tech is on the plane. When other people are getting out their ebooks and other such items, I'm going another way.

If I'm reading, it's bound to be a paper book. I'm just not crazy about those ebooks. I don't know what it is exactly. I have to be able to rub the page with my thumb and forefinger. I have to see the fiber of the paper. I find it nice that there's no security hassle to it. I like that I can bring a totally disposable newspaper on board and toss it when I'm done. I like reading the inflight magazine sometimes, and the catalogs.

When I'm writing, I entertain the idea of getting out my laptop, but I seldom do. I might if I had wireless internet to use, but my airline charges for it, and so I don't see the point in getting the thing out for offline use. I prefer to write on a legal pad. I'll get it out along with a pen or pencil and turn on the little light. There's something pleasurable about intently ruminating and periodically writing something down. It's even a little stimulating to hand count the characters in a hand-written tweet.

I like that these things are not interrupted by the takeoff or the landing. I like that they are not imperiled by a spilled drink (which seems all too likely during turbulence with all the items that are stored on that tray). They don't malfunction or suffer a dead battery. Maybe they suggest me to be some kind of hipster, but as they're not affectations, I'm more like a Luddite- a heavily compromised one, perhaps, but some manner of airplane Luddite.