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In anticipation of spring, I have scheduled a couple weeks of clean-up of my environment. I plan to discard a bunch of materials that I have not used in over a decade.
Among these is my treasured copy of Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary of 1983 vintage, the dust of which started me sneezing when I picked it off the shelf just now. I think i have referred to it once since 2010.
It wasn't always that way. It used to be I would refer to it several times a week to check the spelling or etymology of a word, or to compare shades of meaning of synonymous terms to find the best one to employ in my compositions. It used to be the only reference I allowed myself to use while solving the Sunday crossword.
Alas, now I can barely discern the fine print of it, and it takes ever-so-long to thumb to the proper page. Now I have a hot link to Webster.com on my browser home page, and any word I am curious about is but a middle-click and a nearly-correct spelling away. Now the Sunday crosswords (both NYTiimes and LATimes) seems so simple that I allow myself no reference at all, digital or hard copy, while solving it. Of course I always seem to get a letter or two wrong - but how else can one learn.
Still, recalling how faithfully it served me "back in the day", I am loath - (looked that one up just now) - to part with it. It doesn't cost anything to leave it on the shelf, and it works even when the power is out, but if I keep it, it is simply a bit of clutter anymore.
Does anyone here still use a hard-copy dictionary anymore? Has anyone else discarded their beloved reference and found that there is still erudition in the world?
--
Does anybody really know what time it is?
Does anybody really care?
If so I can't imagine why
We've all got time enough to die
-Chicago
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday February 13, @10:26PM
In general, hard copy easy reference material is unused. While it may be useful to have a hard copy of a dictionary. You will not use it. Why? Wikipedia, Google, DDG, Bing, *insert free online dictionary*, or even a scan of an actual hard copy from Project Gutenberg https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=dictionary&submit_search=Search [gutenberg.org] is more likely to be used.
In the event that you need to reference a dictionary for your job, because you write articles or whatever for a living. You're likely going to have an easier to access resource on the device you're using to create said article. In the event that you need to reference a dictionary, very rarely. It makes no sense to purchase a dictionary, when you can just search for it on the internet. Which is where everyone goes to find "what does x word mean?". There are even services such as Grammarly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammarly [wikipedia.org] that make a lot more sense for a professional writer.
Then again, your hard copy dictionary isn't actively siphoning your data.
In the event that you want unfettered access to something, you want it in hard copy. That way you don't end up in some stupid licensing hell. You can get DRM-Free content, which is at least not stupid. One vendor that has been fairly forward thinking in this regard is Tor Books https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_Books [wikipedia.org] though, they some-what recently had people in an uproar with regard to their limiting new releases that are available on Overdrive (popular e-book service for public libraries). Public Domain items are also fairly reasonable, but in the event that you absolutely love *insert favorite book(s)*. There's nothing like hard copy.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"