Chapter Three

Image loss is probably one of the biggest problems I personally have with electronic versions of books. I hate to read an article online and then find out that there were great graphics that went along with it originally! For example, I specialized in cartography (among other GIS subjects) for my geography degree. Color and design are a big part of mapmaking, and it was frustrating to read articles by people that were not accompanied by color copies of the diagrams. It would have been great to be able to look at the blues and the reds being discussed; I did, however, get a good idea of the color-blind suitability of many schemes!

Chapter Four

I found it interesting that Levy thinks that the idea of documents helping and hurting at the same time is a new (?) one. I think most people have a good grasp of the concept of "red tape," but also understand that it's beneficial and necessary to run the current bureaucratic world with lots of forms, memos, and documents. It allows for efficiency unheard-of two hundred years ago!

The idea that I thought was new was that of documents and policies co-evolving. I had always thought of policies shaping the documents, but I now can see how a particularly important document (not necessarily in content, but in shape, size, method of delivery, etc.) can also shape the way business is done and the way the office is designed (which is no small thing for the people who have to work there).

Chapter Five

I liked the idea of the greeting and postal card acceptance into society as a parallel to email. I definitely see the similarities between email and the postcard. Whether acceptance will be as universal for the email remains to be seen, I think; email requires actual new hardware, new equipment, whereas the postcard could go right in the same slot. Plus, even the postcard takes time and is personal in ways (handwriting, selection, addressing, delivery) that no email can be. They are saveable as souvenirs. Some thought should maybe go into making an email as approachable, as personal, as a postcard or greeting card at least, if it can never hope to reach the upper eschelons of singular belonging as a full-out letter can.