seegod1
Member 
Mostly lurking these days, but enjoying everyone's input!
Posts: 164 
What I collect: Canada, Cats, Soccer, Religion, Royalty, Titanic, Stamps on Stamps, Number Ones
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Post by seegod1 on Feb 23, 2023 11:22:56 GMT
Hey all! As I mentioned in the Today's Mail thread, the other day I received my paper copy of Topical Time. They've also just sent out a member survey asking about our reading preferences. So in my case, I am quite happy reading the electronic version of a magazine, especially in PDF, since that allows me to download an archive copy for future reference (Yes, I have every copy of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada's magazine, since they - God bless 'em! - have made them available to members). This is because I'm a Microsoft Surface Pro user, which makes it very easy to use my computer as a reading or writing tablet. So in the survey, I was explaining to the American Topical Association that my preference is electronic, the only reason I get paper as well is that I made a mistake when I subscribed, which I will correct when I re-subscribe  I especially prefer electronic if it means my subscription is cheaper! :-) My one complaint about that is when a company uses some sort of proprietary environment. Stamp Magazine, which is my favourite magazine does this, and I really wish they'd switch to a PDF format too. But anyway... So, let's get the question out there as a poll. I'll leave it up for a month for those who don't log in that often. Aaaaaaaaand go.  |
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 226
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Feb 23, 2023 16:41:49 GMT
Electronic. I can't stand having all the "stuff" around. I can store a magazine a lot better on my computer and I can read it just as easy on my tablet.
I just joined the APS and went electronic for their magazine.
Mike
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renden
Member
Posts: 8,716 
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Feb 23, 2023 17:06:05 GMT
I used to like "paper" more but once familiar with E....better so I voted
René
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,643
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Feb 23, 2023 18:02:19 GMT
I like both. For general WW catalogues and short essays/papers digital is great, but for specialty catalogues I prefer paper.
Magazines- digital only *saves on recycle!)
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philatelia
Member
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,408
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Feb 23, 2023 18:07:19 GMT
Both - but depends on the material. Some that I like to keep for reference, such as my Eire Philatelic Association revealers I prefer in print.
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hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,608
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Feb 23, 2023 18:07:54 GMT
I voted for electronic for things like the magazines/catalogues from the original post. I am fine with on line newspapers as well. Funny but when it comes to reading books I still want paper. While stamping I still prefer paper catalogues even if all mine are over 20 years old.
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anglobob
Member
Posts: 2,425
What I collect: France and French Colonies,French cinderellas British Commonwealth QE2
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Post by anglobob on Feb 23, 2023 18:32:43 GMT
I have the electronic subscription to Stamp Magazine.I would rather have the actual magazine but since there is no mail service where I live,this is better than nothing.
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eggdog
Member
I want a new Harley!
Posts: 464
What I collect: It's complicated....
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Post by eggdog on Feb 24, 2023 1:29:54 GMT
I've moved over to electronic for most reading, books and periodicals alike. Yeah, seegod1 , I treated myself to a Surface Pro 8 last year and among its considerable virtues is that it's a terrific ebook reader. (My Surface Pro 3 can't quite keep up any more, but it's 9 years old, which is like Methuselah in electronic time; I use it as a music server now, and these may be the happiest years of its life.) I dislike those online readers that make you flip pages and pretend like they're "real" magazines. (Especially Linn's. You have to turn off the little whooshy page-turning sound every week; it won't hold the setting. How lame is that?) I just download them and read them at my leisure, such as it is.) PDF's are cool. Ebooks are even cooler. It's sort of conflictual for me. I grew up with books and I've always loved them, and I've always subscribed to a million magazines (anybody here remember Trouser Press?). But me 'n my wife are becoming more and more aware that things, well, kind of pile up, know what I'm sayin'? And more and more printed matter is in smaller and smaller print, which I agree saves paper and ink and costs in general, but it doesn't make it easy upon those of us of a, shall we say, certain age. And with my stupid arthritis, reading the Gutenberg version of Les Miserables is a lot easier than reading a 1,200-page book. |
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 546
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Feb 24, 2023 4:21:07 GMT
Paper, always. Few things concentrate my distractible mind so forcefully as that guilt-inducing stack of gotta-get-it-read on the coffee table.
(I recall an article about reading a long book--Proust's Remembrance--on the phone. Convenience be damned; weightlifting is part of the accomplishment.)
Maybe because my work is largely electronic, living anachronistically is everything.
Paper publications also bring reassuring symmetry. My major hobby involves collecting small pieces of the stuff.
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seegod1
Member
Mostly lurking these days, but enjoying everyone's input!
Posts: 164
What I collect: Canada, Cats, Soccer, Religion, Royalty, Titanic, Stamps on Stamps, Number Ones
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Post by seegod1 on Feb 24, 2023 11:23:51 GMT
Wow, great feedback everyone, keep it coming! hdm1950 wrote: " Funny but when it comes to reading books I still want paper." Even there I have now gone mostly electronic because my phone is far more comfortable to read in bed, compared to bulky hardcovers (i.e. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for instance!) where I do most of my book reading, to wit, fiction every night before I go to sleep. The first thing I do when I get a new phone is a) turn off the blue light permanently, and b) set my reader background settings to Sepia. I sleep like a log and have NEVER had difficulties falling asleep due to "electronics before bed". Of course, I don't play computer games or anything like that. And like a lot of folks, the fact is that hubby and I are in our fifties and realizing that the Stuff has got to Start Going Out, not Keep Coming In. Can I have an Amen?!  |
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hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,608
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Feb 24, 2023 11:47:56 GMT
kasvik I love your line "Convenience be damned; weightlifting is part of the accomplishment." I rarely buy books anymore but the waiting list for John Irving's new book 'The Last Chairlift' at the Toronto Library system was going to be several months and then I would never finish it in the 3 week window so I bought it on my way home from the gym Wednesday. At almost 1000 pages the cashier and I both laughed when I put it in my gym bag realizing it was now part of my workout just getting it home. seegod1 I do read a bit in bed but only a few pages at night. The John Irving and other hard cover tomes like it never make it to bed time reading due to fear they will clunk me in the head as I doze off. In my 70's I am trying to reduce the number of books at home so have been dropping off books I know I will never read again at our condo reuse room. The challenge is to not bring back more than I drop off as many others in the complex are doing the same thing so there are lots of great books to add to my reading list. btw....the puzzle is back in the box and ready for when you visit Toronto.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,355
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Feb 24, 2023 12:05:44 GMT
One I got a 10-inch tablet so I could read in anywhere under any lighting conditions, I have been a voracious reader. Kindle and Play Books are best but I can deal with PDFs without much complaint.
When I get my digital stamp issues (APS. ATA. TSF newsletter, Gibbons) I just copy to the cloud and then download to read. My old eyes need light/
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philatelia
Member
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,408
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Feb 24, 2023 15:14:16 GMT
I held out for a long time before starting to use the kindle hubby bought me, shunning reading books on it, but I’ve developed allergies and old, musty books can trigger asthma so I’ve been forced to befriend that little device. And arthritis and wrists damaged from my job makes holding heavy, cumbersome books uncomfortable. Lol -take a look at my grippy strips that I use to prevent the slippery rascal ereader from sliding out of my fingers. These strips are designed for hangars to prevent clothes from sliding off and have a nice adhesive that allows the strips to be repositioned with zero tacky residue left behind. Doesn’t look very elegant, but they work.  |
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FDI
Member
Member of RPSC & BNAPS
Posts: 351
What I collect: Modern Canada (misperf, varieties, tagging errors), Canadian Cinderellas, EXUP & CAPEX & Dead Countries
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Post by FDI on Feb 24, 2023 17:06:27 GMT
Like many, I prefer paper for some specialize catalogues, but definitely electronic for magazines.
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,153
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Post by rex on Feb 24, 2023 18:12:57 GMT
I also use electronic, but I definitely prefer paper.
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eggdog
Member
I want a new Harley!
Posts: 464
What I collect: It's complicated....
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Post by eggdog on Feb 24, 2023 20:53:02 GMT
The John Irving and other hard cover tomes like it never make it to bed time reading due to fear they will clunk me in the head as I doze off. That sounds like something that would happen in one of Irving's novels! |
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 226
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Feb 25, 2023 0:15:31 GMT
I guess I should correct myself in one regard....
I prefer the Scott's catalog in the printed version over their so-called electronic version which is just a book version of their book. It wasn't a database like I was hoping.
So yeah...I have two big heavy Scott's catalogs on my desk whereas I would really love to have all of that on my tablet.
Mike
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,828
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Feb 25, 2023 9:44:26 GMT
Chiming in; both have their value, but like others, I too prefer paper.
Having said that, electronic Society memberships and .pdfs of their journals is ideal. I can become a member of several organisations for the price of one when opting for electronic delivery.
Whilst I understand the reluctance of some societies not to offer this as an option (sharing can be a problem), it is likely remote and offering such an alternative membership is certainly a benefit for enticing new membership.
The latter, just thinking out loud...
Have fun and happy collecting
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hrdoktorx
Member
Posts: 6,616
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Feb 25, 2023 9:53:23 GMT
Paper, if it's anything that I have to look at for more than a few minutes. I can't stand to read long texts on a screen. Gives me migraines, too. I've actually cancelled subscriptions to magazines in the past when they switched to full electronic deliveries. I also do not use my phone for Internet access unless I really have to, and I am already in front of a screen often enough, so I prefer reading books and periodicals in paper form. Even scientific papers I always print out if I am going to read them in full.
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seegod1
Member
Mostly lurking these days, but enjoying everyone's input!
Posts: 164
What I collect: Canada, Cats, Soccer, Religion, Royalty, Titanic, Stamps on Stamps, Number Ones
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Post by seegod1 on Feb 25, 2023 10:48:21 GMT
philatelia wrote: "take a look at my grippy strips that I use to prevent the slippery rascal ereader from sliding out of my fingers."Hey where did you get those, or what's their brand name? Could be useful!
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seegod1
Member
Mostly lurking these days, but enjoying everyone's input!
Posts: 164
What I collect: Canada, Cats, Soccer, Religion, Royalty, Titanic, Stamps on Stamps, Number Ones
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Post by seegod1 on Feb 25, 2023 10:52:46 GMT
brookbam wrote: "I prefer the Scott's catalog in the printed version over their so-called electronic version which is just a book version of their book."That's one electronic resource I WOULD like, but I refuse to pay for it due to the (in my opinion anyway) outrageous pricing when I can simply buy an entire set a few years old for a few hundred dollars. Feel free to convince me otherwise, folks! And hrdoktorx, sorry to hear about your migraines. What a pain in this increasingly-electronic age!
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hrdoktorx
Member
Posts: 6,616
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Feb 25, 2023 11:06:15 GMT
The migraines are what remains of a bout I had with meningitis when I was a kid, of which I was lucky to get out alive. So a small price to pay. And my uneven vision in both eyes.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,355
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Feb 25, 2023 11:22:50 GMT
There is Colnect that I use often for identification. i do not believe the online Scott version is as searchable as Colnect since the online is more akin to the printed version (not in a searchable database) but maybe this has changed.
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philatelia
Member
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,408
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Feb 25, 2023 11:34:12 GMT
seegod1 Those grippy strips are on Amazon, brand Bettli, but I they are now listed as out of stock. Phooey.
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seegod1
Member
Mostly lurking these days, but enjoying everyone's input!
Posts: 164
What I collect: Canada, Cats, Soccer, Religion, Royalty, Titanic, Stamps on Stamps, Number Ones
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Post by seegod1 on Feb 26, 2023 11:54:48 GMT
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Post by nbstamper on Mar 7, 2023 16:59:40 GMT
Like others, my preference for specialized catalogues is paper. Everything else, electronic is fine.
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Post by dgdecker on Mar 7, 2023 18:41:55 GMT
I like the accessibility of electronic versions. I do still enjoy feeling paper in my hands but I do not have space to store. Less time wasted locating an item when using electronic version.
David
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,355
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Mar 9, 2023 11:09:31 GMT
The pivotal moment for me was when I discovered the large number of free publications at the Center of Military History and US Marine Corps University websites so had to get over my aversion. Also, poor vision does not help reading printed books.
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paulc
**Member** 
Posts: 33
What I collect: USA, Argentine, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, Venezuela
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Post by paulc on Apr 25, 2023 17:57:57 GMT
There is Colnect that I use often for identification. i do not believe the online Scott version is as searchable as Colnect since the online is more akin to the printed version (not in a searchable database) but maybe this has changed. I use the Scott pdf catalogs. Using Adobe Acrobat they are searchable. |
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alexcandy
**Member**
Posts: 13
What I collect: Postboxes, French & UK Stamps
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Post by alexcandy on Apr 27, 2023 6:01:00 GMT
I like having paper copies of Yvert & Tellier, Stanley Gibbons etc but I have to say the first place I go to is colnect. (WikiTimbres for France is also good)
Alex
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I especially prefer electronic if it means my subscription is cheaper! :-)
