Hellobee Boards

This was a fun section.

I sometimes think that people who have their entire identity wrapped up in a job are using it to replace something else in their life. Kat lets Google replace relationships in her life. There has to be a sense of balance. Instead of an all-consuming relationship with work, a passion for what you do can co-exist with a love of people.

I don't think we could live in a world without books because of all of the history they contain as well as the actual feel of books. A book lends a sense of timelessness and even legitimacy to a subject.

I already read it all and can't remember which sections are which so I won't discuss so I don't ruin anything. Loved the book though!

When Kat explains to Clay that he can't stop Penumbra from going to the library she tells him that this is Penumbra's whole life. Kat talks about how she feels about Google- how it's the most important part of her/her life. Clay finds this disconcerting because he's never felt that way about any job or really anything. Have you ever felt this way about a job?

Yah I felt that way about a business I started. I have a low attention span, so I am not very productive unless I enjoy the work.

The technician scanning the logbook at Google apologizes to Clay for putting bookstores out of business. Do you think that books will eventually be obsolete?

Barnes & Noble's bookstores are actually doing pretty well these days! It helps that Borders went out of business...

I do think that bookstores will be much less prevalent over time, unless they start printing books on demand in the stores themselves (or find other creative ways to hold more books). There's a small bookstore in DC that's tied to a restaurant, and it makes a popular date spot... if you get to your date early, you can browse the shelves and check out their carefully curated selection (at least, that's how it worked when I lived in DC!). Stuff like that will be popular for a while, I think. Used bookstores should be around in the future too... especially if they ever figure out a way for people to trade in or sell their used ebooks.

What would you have done if you were Clay when he showed up to the bookstore and found it closed?

I would get in touch with the various patrons and start trying to figure out what's going.

What do you think they mean when they say that Mr. Penumbra's book will be burned?

It sounded kind of like he was being excommunicated.

When Kat explains to Clay that he can't stop Penumbra from going to the library she tells him that this is Penumbra's whole life. Kat talks about how she feels about Google- how it's the most important part of her/her life. Clay finds this disconcerting because he's never felt that way about any job or really anything. Have you ever felt this way about a job?

I have never been very tied to any of my jobs. I'm very loyal to my employers (hate playing the job hopping games), but unless I was to start my own company, I seriously doubt there is any job that would ever be *that* important to me.

The technician scanning the logbook at Google apologizes to Clay for putting bookstores out of business. Do you think that books will eventually be obsolete?

I think in the distant future books will be very close to being obsolete. Similar to how VCR tapes, cassette tapes, records, floppy discs are - they're around, and people do still use them, but it's unusual. I can totally see classrooms using electronic reading devices for textbooks and such. It will be interesting to see how that develops...
I will be very sad if it happens in my lifetime. There's something to be said for a hard copy of a book.

What would you have done if you were Clay when he showed up to the bookstore and found it closed?

If were any other time, I would have gone home a little annoyed that I hadn't gotten a message from my boss telling me to not come!
However, if I knew that it was most likely because of my actions, I would have freaked out and began the mega-worrying. I probably would have done what he did and tracked down some of the involved people to see what they knew, and broke into the store to see what I could find out.
Anyone else find it weird that he did leave without saying anything to his employees? Is he in trouble?? Surely if he left voluntarily he would have thought to let people know to not worry... I'm a little worried for him. Whatever is going on in that bookstore sounds controlling. I don't want to say cult, but something strong like that?

What do you think they mean when they say that Mr. Penumbra's book will be burned?

Earlier in the book someone brought a new book to Penumbra - maybe when you finish the riddle you write your own book? So, maybe since Penumbra hired someone who ruined the sanctity of the riddle, he's going to be punished, and they're (Corvina??) going to burn the book that he wrote when he (IF he?) finished the riddle?
So many guesses in that scenario... haha
But, I don't know how burning the book would be a punishment... seeing your hard work burn up, I guess?

When Kat explains to Clay that he can't stop Penumbra from going to the library she tells him that this is Penumbra's whole life. Kat talks about how she feels about Google- how it's the most important part of her/her life. Clay finds this disconcerting because he's never felt that way about any job or really anything. Have you ever felt this way about a job?

Yes, working at the District Attorney's Office in the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit. The amount of passion I have for this kind of work truly completes me. I miss it terribly each and every day, and I hope to transition back into a *paying* ADA job. I just could not afford to continue working for free, and now I'm doing something completely different, yet I'm still serving an important part of our population. So, while I don't feel complete, I feel damn good about the services I provide!

The technician scanning the logbook at Google apologizes to Clay for putting bookstores out of business. Do you think that books will eventually be obsolete?

I don't think books will ever be obsolete. They've survived thousands of years of changes and the evolution of mankind. Yes, we are all reading on our ipads, kindles, and nooks etc but I truly believe the draw for actual books will still be there. Our senses crave it!

What would you have done if you were Clay when he showed up to the bookstore and found it closed?

Referred to Google for next steps lol.

What do you think they mean when they say that Mr. Penumbra's book will be burned?

I thought that it meant his "membership" would be burned.