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Incredible piece. I gave away my copy of UM to a friend in college after being blown away and this is inspiring me to either find a new one or go questing to find the old one with my notes inside.

Have you read The Guttenberg Galaxy? Also a very interesting read

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Yes I have! It’s been a while, though. I’ve always enjoyed McLuhan ever since I discovered him

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no comments. eh.

everybody just trying to process

part of me still wonders about writing books and getting them hard published

the other side says just go completely digital

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I’ve always been a fan of physical books over digital. But physical is more expensive to produce, and you need space for all of them.

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I agree there, but I guess I’m wondering, if as a writer I could write books or publish digital blogs/substacks - whether the digital writing, because it has the tech behind it, will be able to permeate the “ noosphere” much more easily than books…

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My thought is that a two-pronged approach is best - build an audience digitally, then once you’ve built one start publishing physically. You could also publish a book both physically and digitally

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Interesting.

I am offering a friendly counter: I can employ tools for other purposes, is that the result of the function of the tool or just a physical property? For example, I can turn a hatchet around and use it as a hammer, or I can put it in the doorway as a doorstop. And a phonebook, for that matter, makes a good doorstop, or can press fallen leaves.

I'm taking a quasi Heidegger / Dasein approach, if that makes sense.

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