Film, literature and music on your shelf - thing of the past?

[Martinus]

I will preface that I am one of these people who enjoy "hoarding". I like buying books, CDs and DVDs and putting them on my shelves - an ever growing collection gives something of a sense of accomplishment, and it serves as a sort of vanity mirror into your soul, when you can show your guests around and graciously lend them some film or book they always wanted to see or read.

That being said, I am beginning to think this is becoming more and more pointless, with things like iTunes, kindle store and whatnot essentially fulfilling the same role, storing every thing you ever bought on a cloud somewhere. With high speed internet, any movie, album or book is just a few clicks away, not to mention I can now carry them all when going on vacation, without having to fill half a suitcase with books and DVD cases.

So what do you think? Are "physical" collections like this a thing of the past, a mere thing of vanity?

[Zanza]

Yes.

What's the point of having a physical medium clogging up space.

[Josquius]

No.  People like filling space with cool stuff.
And libraries have been around for ages, people still bought books.

[Martinus]

No.  People like filling space with cool stuff.
And libraries have been around for ages, people still bought books.

Worst. Analogy. Ever.

[Josquius]

No.  People like filling space with cool stuff.
And libraries have been around for ages, people still bought books.

Worst. Analogy. Ever.

Worst reply ever. Why?
Its not really an analogy anyway, its talking about the same thing.

[CountDeMoney]

With the exception of some mass paperbacks, I've pretty much kept every book I've ever bought since my first year of college.
Which is why, whenever I move, approximately 40% of the total tonnage is books.

And there are some things for which digital media is simply not worth using, and never will be.

[mongers]

......

That being said, I am beginning to think this is becoming more and more pointless, with things like iTunes, kindle store and whatnot essentially fulfilling the same role, storing every thing you ever bought on a cloud somewhere. With high speed internet, any movie, album or book is just a few clicks away, not to mention I can now carry them all when going on vacation, without having to fill half a suitcase with books and DVD cases.
.....

So Marty, you'd be happy to end up just effectively not owning anything, but 'licensing' from some large internet monopoly, who'll have ultimate say on if you should continue to have access to ' your' media ? 

[CountDeMoney]

So Marty, you'd be happy to end up just effectively not owning anything, but 'licensing' from some large internet monopoly, who'll have ultimate say on if you should continue to have access to ' your' media ?

Martin believes in cloud technology, what with being so light in the loafers.

[Ed Anger]

How utterly plebian. Expected of a future pug owner.

[Admiral Yi]

So Marty, you'd be happy to end up just effectively not owning anything, but 'licensing' from some large internet monopoly, who'll have ultimate say on if you should continue to have access to ' your' media ?

Presumably the courts would have ultimate say.

And monopoly doesn't mean what you seem to think it does.

[Phillip V]

......

That being said, I am beginning to think this is becoming more and more pointless, with things like iTunes, kindle store and whatnot essentially fulfilling the same role, storing every thing you ever bought on a cloud somewhere. With high speed internet, any movie, album or book is just a few clicks away, not to mention I can now carry them all when going on vacation, without having to fill half a suitcase with books and DVD cases.
.....

So Marty, you'd be happy to end up just effectively not owning anything, but 'licensing' from some large internet monopoly, who'll have ultimate say on if you should continue to have access to ' your' media ? 

Trust society and be happy.

[The Minsky Moment]

I don't have romantic feelings for piles of pressed dead trees filled with chemical inks and glue.  Nor do I have an interest in a "vanity mirror to the soul"  (good line BTW) - if I want to feel culturally smug and superior, I just have to check in to the languish drinks thread.  The ability to carry entire libraries worth of music of books in a small hand-held device cannot be underestimated.

[The Minsky Moment]

So Marty, you'd be happy to end up just effectively not owning anything, but 'licensing' from some large internet monopoly, who'll have ultimate say on if you should continue to have access to ' your' media ?

Not just the "gun nuts" who are paranoid . . .

[Martinus]

I am broadly with the progressive crowd here. That being said, I seduced at least one guy by showing him my Gore Vidal books and Derek Jarman DVDs shelf so this cannot be underestimated either.

Of course later on he left me for a chick. 

[Martinus]

......

That being said, I am beginning to think this is becoming more and more pointless, with things like iTunes, kindle store and whatnot essentially fulfilling the same role, storing every thing you ever bought on a cloud somewhere. With high speed internet, any movie, album or book is just a few clicks away, not to mention I can now carry them all when going on vacation, without having to fill half a suitcase with books and DVD cases.
.....

So Marty, you'd be happy to end up just effectively not owning anything, but 'licensing' from some large internet monopoly, who'll have ultimate say on if you should continue to have access to ' your' media ?