It is interesting to be sitting here, writing and reading articles from print books for my next class. Knu wat, I had to photocopy the pages (no plagarism though- just to let you see the dilema). reading the conversation btwn
multimedia and network , i cant help but wish this wud have come earlier. No one would bother about photocopies... you see, thats the other side of the story. Where will we take all the copiers...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
nway, to begin with, I think the whole business is 2 much a good idea (whatever that means), first making available resources (books) on public network (internet), and adding audios and videos. To add to it, making sure the readers are able to 'socialize' with the book. It is real transitional from the tradional way of doing things- whereby I add my tiny comments in pencil and when in worse moods by ink besides the printed word or sentences)))))) some of us go to the extreme, you know cancel the printed word and add your own? The point is, the e-book thing is a good idea. But which way should it go Multimedia,
networked or
multimedia networked. But first I draw it to the book I'm much familiar with- BIBLE
(blogging the bible) and other stuff that go with it like commentaries................
Take a bible commentary for instance, the way to go about it on the net depends much on the aim/ objective of the whole project. It is good enough to make the bible/commentaries available on the net but much depends on the motive? Is it because it is necessary or because it is the in thing///////Using multi-media, is it because we want to add audios and videos to it or just to make it free on the web? If making it free is the case, then no much difference with the print except for reduced cost mayb.
If it is for the purpose of making the book more interractional then the audios, videos are great like in the
Amos project but multimedia metworked would be much better. It is not a move away from the other but combining the 2 for a better
conversational scholarship. The multimedis bit helps with the pronuonciations, visual parts while the network part enables the interraction between academy,
collegues and the public. It allows readers to discuss, quote, make notes, make references and build upon online.
the conversation raises issues biblical scholars will have to deal with before we rejoice over the gift of digital culture.
- How then would we define a book..... for instance if the bible were to be exposed to such networked multimedia, will it be a book enimore?
- Who and how do we define the 'reader', 'author' when everyone seems to be an author and reader at the same time..... I guess these are the gifts! What about the issue of authority? i think this is a cool way to look at it...
- in the case of the bible, how would we define preaching- coming from the traditional way of one person doing it as the others speak? The coversation introduced through network makes everyone listen and preach at the same time.
but one thing for sure is that I think there is not an escape from depending on textual language to conduct interraction or 'worship at the altars of linear texts' at least for the time being. So that's not a question. We still get our ideas from how a book should look like out of the print culture. Given that we are talking about a ecommentary at least not going to be available in print maybe like GAM3R 7H30RY, it is any good to open it up to often anonymous critique? Another thing 4 sure is that silent voices, those kept away by hierarchies, class and status are definiately going to be heard.
I read the coversation with Bob and the others and these are some of the questions I think biblical studies ought to be begin to answer because digital culture will definately change the way peolple look at them.
