Instead of offering a complaint about others, this morning I look in the mirror...

I just spent about 30 seconds scrolling incessantly through a Road & Track online article for the 2026 performance car of the year. 30 seconds, for a feature article with artfully crafted photographs and words carefully chosen to fully describe experiences I'll never have.

Sure, I now know the winner. Yes, I am glad this winner was chosen. But that's all I received. From surely weeks of work by a dozen people.


Is my haste to scroll the byproduct of our present Instagram and YouTube "shorts?" 30 seconds of dopamine-inducing entertainment?

Is my rush based on a desire to confirm my biases, my hopes, my certainty that "my" choice is correct?

Is this speed-reading blur the result of a blazing fast MacBook Pro mentality -- more power, Scotty -- so I can do things faster and faster?

I need to be better. I need to be focused. I need to be immersed. I need to remove distractions, multiple windows, earbuds with YouTube TV Sportscenter background noise...

What is possible to do with our present technology is not always prudent.

For 30 years I was a voracious reader, I probably have 500 books. At 65 I can't concentrate and focus like I used to.
Sometimes I read ten pages and stop and can't remember what I read. Oh well, I have about 20 books I haven't read yet,
keeps me out of trouble.

I have been going through this the last few years. For me, I think it is several things. I'm 63 and, like Schmelby, I can't seem to concentrate and focus on something like a book anymore. I find that my eyes tire more easily, especially when reading online articles. I also think that a lot of it has to do with the way things are written these days. So much stuff on the internet is written so poorly; particularly when AI is used. A lot of articles seem to use AI and, for me, it just can't get to the point. AI writes the same thing over and over again, going in circles, much like the kids back in school who didn't study for the exam with essay questions. I can't bear to read any of it. Then there are YouTube videos that can't get to the point because they need you to watch X number of minutes in order to get some sort of monetization. YouTube has mostly ruined itself with that. I crave entertaining and/or informative videos that don't subscribe to that nonsense but they are few and far between. However, even good videos will lose me if they are more than an hour long.

It seems that age may play a role in all of this. I think it may be that "been there, done that" attitude or experience. I used to read car and stereo magazines when I was younger. I knew all of the specs of the latest and greatest models. However, life happened and I changed. I simply don't care about a lot of things anymore. I have thought about going back and reading some of my old Tom Clancy novels but I just don't have the interest. I used to throw movies in the dvd player or watch movies on tv but I rarely do that now. I don't have surround sound. In fact, I rarely listen to the stereo anymore. I listen to most of my music on small speakers while sitting at the computer or on a single Sonos speaker while riding the indoor bike trainer. I am a cyclist but I can't tell you all about the latest and greatest bikes and equipment. I don't watch any races nor do I know who all of the pros are other than Tadej Pogacar. I just like to ride and I simply don't care about the other stuff.

I used to love going to amusement parks and riding the coasters and whatnot. I haven't been in years. I don't care for the cost, the crowds, and the time spent just for a 2-minute ride. A fond memory of mine is about going to see Alien when it came out. My sister, B-I-L, and I wanted to see it. Our grandfather happened to be with us so he went along. The scary parts would hit and we would jump but my grandfather just sat there and chuckled. I didn't understand then but, over time, it became clear. Back then, he was just a few years older than I am now. If I were to watch a movie like that today, I would probably chuckle as well. I've seen and experienced a lot of things in life and I think it's the nature of the beast.

I don't read nearly as much as I used to, but when I do, I'm every bit as absorbed in the story as I ever was. It's like a movie playing in my head.

I'll very occasionally read a non-fiction book (I'm working on the story of the development/history of the P38 Lightning) but mostly I read for entertainment. Invariably, a 300+ page book will go into a LOT more detail and character development than a 90 minute movie.

I do find that Kindle is handy. I have it on my phone and can carry it anywhere. Very handy in waiting rooms...

At age 59, I just finished Lonesome Dove yesterday and could tell you about every character and every scene. It took about eight days to read 864 pages. I'm sure the extent of my memory about the details will fade in time, but it was quite easy to hold my interest because it was such an engaging story. Other than this forum, I am not on any social media, and I do my best not to fall down the "rabbit hole" watching YouTube shorts. Rather, I attempt to be purposeful in what I watch on streaming apps - deciding what I want to watch ahead of time and not binging or engaging on any other screens while watching a show or episode. Previously, my attention span was much shorter when I consumed more media, and particularly when I viewed more than one screen at a time. My goal this year is to read about 24 quality books of literature and watch fewer movies than that.

I try to read for about 1/2 hour to an hour every night. Kill the screens and read real paper.
Read somewhere years ago that it's supposed to help with sleep, getting the screen out of your face for a bit before actually going to sleep. Can't say if it's helped, I always sleep pretty well either way. But I've enjoyed just reading again.

I probably got through 25-30 books last year

I took a speed reading course in HS (the only really useful thing from my education) and can read a book that holds my interest in a couple of hours. I subscribe to numerous magazines and can go cover to cover in a half hour or so. I often read the magazines before bed. But I dont read books like I used to. Why? Cost. If you truly like reading, it gets expensive pretty quickly.
E- books, to me, are less enjoyable than an actual book. My local library has turned into a shelter for the "homeless" so I dont spend much time there either.

The internet has changed reading for sure, we are so used to looking at things online, I find it hard to sit down and read a book for a while like I used to. Used to be able to finish a book in a sitting and now it takes me a while.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I took a speed reading course in HS (the only really useful thing from my education) and can read a book that holds my interest in a couple of hours. I subscribe to numerous magazines and can go cover to cover in a half hour or so. I often read the magazines before bed. But I dont read books like I used to. Why? Cost. If you truly like reading, it gets expensive pretty quickly.
E- books, to me, are less enjoyable than an actual book. My local library has turned into a shelter for the "homeless" so I dont spend much time their either.

We're fortunate to have a pretty large library system here.
Cost was what kept me re-reading the books I have, which got massively downsized when we moved.
Nearly all of the books I read last year were from the local library.
My wife is a Kindle reader. I have a really old, first generation Kindle, and like it, but it isn't compatible with Kindle Unlimited nor Libby.

I don’t even want to read long “wall of text” posts on SIGforum.

I have a broad range of interests and reviews I run across online are a good source of information about books that might interest me. The Wall Street Journal regularly publishes good reviews, and I especially like them because they discuss the bad/weak as well as the good stuff. If someone does have any specific interests, asking the various online AI sources for recommended books can be a good way to find things we wouldn’t otherwise know about.

I have also gotten good recommendations from our own “What have you been reading” thread here (at least when the poster bothers to add a word or two to explain what the book is about ):

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/7300027024

Like so many things, I believe reading becomes a matter of habit, and I will say that age alone cannot explain stopping that one: Reason or excuse?

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
I don’t even want to read long “wall of text” posts on SIGforum.

Para cracks down on the worst of these, with no capitalization or punctuation, and they've pretty-much disappeared. I'm with you on this, 2Adefender, I try to avoid long posts, keep paragraphs short.

As to 4MUL8R's point, I'm the same. I used to read lots of books and magazines, everything from R&T, C&D, Flying, Shooting Times Guns & Ammo to Owen Wister and Zane Grey, James Michener, John LeCarre and Ian Fleming.

Not so now. Other than age, I don't understand it.

As an aside, I knew a friend of David E Davis and worked with a daughter-in-law of Zane Grey. It's a small world.

Similar, and find myself death scrolling and not really watching whats on the toob often, it's a bad habit but one that's common across all ages.

Used to read novels all the time, especially when flying, now, who wants to carry a book when the worlds under your scroll finger at a glance.

Joe Rogan and Matt Damon were discussing how Netflix has had to change how they film and edit for the new world which is engaged in scrolling while watching...

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2012595777831678142

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
who wants to carry a book when the worlds under your scroll finger at a glance.

Good point. Why would we want a steak, baked potato, and salad with a glass of Merlot when we could have the convenience and lower cost of a diet Coke and bowl of Froot Loops?

There is of course nothing more personal than what we eat, and we’re free to prefer a diet beverage and bowl of sugar in disguise, but many of us can think of reasons why we would like something else. Likewise, some prefer what we can get from a substantial treatment in a book rather than what our busy fingers will turn up among countless distractions.

My son bought me a Kindle a few years ago and I put one book on it and I just can't do it, a lit screen.
I want a heavy book made of paper, a soft chair with a bright light behind me and I fall asleep!

I also find it harder to concentrate and get into a book than I used to. I have to just push through a little and be somewhere comfortable. I tried reading on a kindle and through apps on phones, ipads and laptops, but other than short articles I just can't seem to do it. I have a stack of about 30 books in a pile to read. I'm getting through it a little slower than I would like. As far as the cost of paper vs online, to me it's worth it.

Although my previous post was somewhat contemptuous of scrolling rather than serious reading, if I were some sort of life counselor my question in response to the original question of this thread—i.e., “Why don’t I read?”—would be, “Why do you need to read?”

To return to the issue of how old we are and therefore our position in life, does that make a difference? It could. I just finished a book about the World War II battle for Stalingrad. If I were the President and I was dealing with a Russian autocrat rather than a real estate business rival, would it be important for me to understand how that battle and everything that led up to it affects events to this day? Yes. But I’m not the President or in a position in which it would matter, so it doesn’t matter what I understand.

I read that Stalingrad book for my entertainment, and really nothing more.

The same is true of the books I’ve read recently about religious history and doctrine. If I had to defend my beliefs before the Inquisition, my knowing those things might save my life (or probably condemn me even more), but that’s only slightly likely today, so do they make a difference? Not in any way except for a bit of personal satisfaction before I have to deal with my garage door opener not working. The knowledge I gain from reading such books certainly has no effect on the world at large or even on any other single person.

I often think of a discussion I had with an acquaintance some years ago. He was in his 70s and like most men his age he had become a cigarette smoker when the practice was considered harmless at worst, and possibly even beneficial. Shortly before our talk he’d asked his doctor about quitting, and her answer was basically, “Why quit?” I.e., quitting (more likely trying to quit) after having smoked for 50+ years would have done nothing but save him a little money while making his remaining years of life less enjoyable.

If we’re not getting any enjoyment from reading, why bother? To impress and convince a snob like me that you spend your later years doing something important—but that really doesn’t matter in any sense?

Old pictures of life decades ago often show elderly men and women sitting on a porch watching the world go by, and that’s because that was the best entertainment they could get at the time. We’re fortunate today that rather than sitting on a porch watching local traffic, I can sit in front of my computer to watch somewhat more interesting things, such as traffic in other parts of the world.

I still get 4 gun magazines although 2 are now online. I read 2 papers daily and my hometown weekly. I read a few books each year, not as many as I use to. I also spend a few hours reading here and other sites. I have always been a reader and enjoy it.

I will soon be 79 and still seem to remember most of it.

I probably read more than I used to. None of it is recreational in nature. I don't think I have done any fictional reading in years. Probably read five to six hours per day.

I still read a ton of books each year. I’ve been retired 11 years and have worn out 2 Kindles. Like a few previous posters, at 76 I lose track of characters, especially if I put a book down for over a couple days.