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by bobadams5 3971 days ago
One advantage to physical books is their lack of sleep-altering screen time. The blue light from screens is supposedly bad for sleep patterns (Recent freakonomics podcast: http://freakonomics.com/2015/07/06/the-economics-of-sleep-pa... )

That being said I still am a supporter of digital technical books. The information goes out of date too quickly for a physical book to be useful. However, if you want to read Homer's The Iliad, it may be better to have a physical copy you can read before bed and retain on your shelves for easy access.

3 comments

F.lux, redshift and similar software is supposed to help with the blue light problem, though I don't know if it's scientifically sound. I use them because I find it more pleasant, but I can't say I had trouble sleeping before.
Not for devices with e-ink.
What I've noticed is that so many people don't reduce their brightness. I usually always have my monitor at lowest brightness. Also adjusting the brightness with software (xgamma) can make monitors somewhat close to an experience like a newspaper with a lamp nearby.