Tomorrow will see my pal Paul Burman back on here and I’ll be over his place having a giggle about films. This was my guest blog on his site a couple of weeks ago,
TECHNOLOGY

Ebooks, emails, iphones, smart phones, not-so-smart phones, YouTube, blogs, bogs, ipads, video-phones…. Throw them all at me and I want to run a mile. Grab a newspaper or book, turn my back on all and everything and kick back on a park bench reading. Chilled out. Nice and easy. Leave the world and its gadgets behind and ride off into the sunset and be done with it all.
But I run this blog, so I can’t be against all technology. Then I have that iphone, the one I said I would never get because I’m a dinosaur when it comes to technology, but… it’s… so… good. I love it. I can’t get enough of the iphone. I check work emails, private emails, check on the books and websites I like, all so easily and the speed of it is amazing. Much better than that laptop t-mobile blagged me into buying at Christmas. You can nip down and stick the veg on and prepare the dessert while that’s getting into gear.
When e-books were first announced, or when they came to my attention, I was adamant, that me, and possibly my generation, my type of people, would not entertain them at all. How can a screen take the place of a nice book you can hold, bend the cover, shove in the beach bag?
I don’t think e-books will because ‘we’ the people before ipad and over thirty will always want to read the conventional way with a book in our hands. I know I will when I go on holiday and I’m chilling out on the beach. That’s when I like to have a book handy. That aside, I think there is room for e-books in my life along with the many other things that an ipad, or similar device, can give you.
Take the newspapers. The Times is nine quid a month as an app, or you can get it in paper form for thirty-five a month. Weather, golf gps – which is fantastic, by the way – dictionary, app to teach your kids how to tell the time, drawing app, it goes on and on, and the more I get into it, the more I like it.
If I buy an ipad, there’s a fair chance I’ll be seduced into e-books. If I buy an ipad. A year ago I would have burst out laughing. Now, I’m convincing myself, that despite not needing an ipad, because no one needs one, it just looks so much fun, I’m close to weighing over for one.
If I can be pulled up to speed with all this igear and find it fun, anyone can. And the reason being is that it is all so easy to use. And I can’t be the only one feeling like this as e-books, since the release of the ipad, have overtaken sales of normal books for the first time.
Verdict – If you enjoy doing something, do it. I’m in on this particular way of technology.
I’ve bought an ipad now and they’re nifty as hell. I’ll fill you in next week on what I’m up to with it.


Karen and me are flying down to London tomorrow for a meet with the paperbooks team.
With me giving up the old woodbines, 17 days and counting thanks to this here book, I’m reading more than normal.
…Paul Burman and my good self are still having an inter-blog carry on this week. This week -slash- this month. It’s the summer, kids are off, everything takes that bit longer.
What a laugh. Karen and me watched it the other night and it’s a right laugh.
How shit’s this weather? Warm and pissing down, doesn’t get any worse. Much more of this and I’ll be putting pictures up of women drinking water to cheer myself up.
If the Banker was an animal, this might be him. And he’s every right to be so confident having NEVER lost a footy bet to me in 5 or 6 years.