Spotlight

The Tablet: It’s Bigger on the Inside

If you’re like me, you may be tired of the flood of Facebook shares and status updates. Similarly, the same set of blogs and internet feeds all start to blend together. There is so much info and so many updates, it quickly becomes overwhelming!

It’s time to tune in to something different.

Switch off the videogames, mute the e-mail notifications, save that “one more episode” for another day, and ditch your social media itch. Instead, try going for a brisk fall walk with a free downloadable audiobook. Or warm up with some hot cider, a comfy chair, and some distraction-free reading.

It only takes a minute to surf the generous collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks the library has available for free. If you already use the library, eBooks are an incredible way to save time and space in your life. Access our ebooks through the catalog, dppl.org/ebooks-more/ or by going straight to mymediamall.net.

What’s on my list? The first two titles glimpse back into the history of videogames on console and personal computer. For reading about information overload and the internet, try some of the other titles below.

If I only had a time machine I might catch up on all my reading...

Console Wars by Harris, Blake J.

Console Wars

Harris, Blake J.

Available in Ebook and Print

"A mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the videogame industry."

Masters of Doom by David Kushner

Masters of Doom

David Kushner

Print book

"Tells the rags to riches story of John Carmack and John Romero, creators of the Doom and Quake video games, describing the development of the game programs, and discussing the controversy that arose over the popularity of the violent game action."

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

The Shallows

Nicholas Carr

Available in eAudiobook and Print

"Expanding on his ATLANTIC MONTHLY cover story, Nicholas Carr debates whether our Internet use is sacrificing both our ability to read long, complex material and to think deeply, with reflection."

The Organized Mind 
by Daniel Levitin

The Organized Mind

Daniel Levitin

Print book

"Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how people with "organized" minds excel--and how readers can use their methods to regain a sense of mastery over the way they organize their homes, workplaces, and lives."

 The Blind Giant by
Nick Harkaway

The Blind Giant

Nick Harkaway

Available in eBook

"Some say our devices will lead us to ruin: isolating us from our neighbors, warping communication, delivering an unregulated flood of information that will destroy our humanity. Some say they will be our salvation: enabling global communication and social engagement, putting all the world’s facts at our fingertips, and erasing the barriers that divide us, bringing out the best qualities of humanity. In The Blind Giant, novelist and blogger Nick Harkaway takes us on a lucid, insightful and personal tour of how we live our lives in our technology-obsessed culture."

The Information: a history, a theory, a flood 
 By James Gleick

The Information: a history, a theory, a flood

James Gleik

Print book

“...a thoughtful and provocative exploration of the big ideas of the modern era: Information, communication, and information theory. Acclaimed science writer James Gleick presents an eye-opening vision of how our relationship to information has transformed the very nature of human consciousness.”