Week 11 Untextbook Feedback

For this week's Indian Epics untextbook feedback, I chose to read the story of The Giant Crab from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse (1897).

First thing, I really liked reading the book in the HTML version, it just seemed like I had to click through a few things before getting to the story so the link might need to be adjusted a little. The links for the other stories I read worked fine and took me directly to the story. Otherwise, I loved the pictures! I decided to review this book because the title jumped out at me and I knew I hadn't read the story before when I took Indian Epics. It just sounded like fun. This story was broken up really well, keeping it from getting boring or monotonous. It was also easy to read, and I felt like anyone could understand it. It would be an especially good choice for someone who planned to do a children's book themed storybook because it was written in that format to start. I would highly suggest including this in your untextbook for Indian Epics. I really enjoyed it and feel like it would be a refreshing change from some of the more difficult to read content associated with the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

I thought it was fun and silly to imagine a giant crab asking an elephant for a kiss. It made me smile. In fact, most of this story made had me grinning like a fool while I read it at an agency fair in Oklahoma City. I have to admit, I was a little sad that the crab died, but not too sad because that meant he couldn't kill anymore tigers (which are my favorite animal, I know, i'm biased).

I also read the Hypocritical Cat  which initially got me interested for two reasons:
1. Cats. Enough said.
2. Hypocritical?

I liked the amount of dialogue in this story. I also liked that it was really short. This unit's stories are short and fun which I really like. They don't contain large blocks of text and they aren't a trek to get through. It's really refreshing and felt like I was reading for fun, not just for class. Anyway, I liked the cat's character. He seemed kind of pompous and full of himself, much like how i'd like to imagine my cat would be if she could talk. I was surprised by the ending, but liked it because i've got a morbid sense of humor and enjoy strange, dark stories. Who'd ever think of rats eating cat meat? I love it.

The final story I read was The Crocodile and the Monkey. It was an interesting story, probably my least favorite of the three I read, but not bad. I liked that both characters actively engaged in trickery with the other. I'm not a fan of monkeys though, so I have to admit I was rooting for the crocodile. Plus, i'm a Crocodile Hunter fan, and always have been.

Indian Epic Untextbook

For this week's untextbook feedback, i chose to read The Bride of Yama which was taken from Sacred Tales of India by D. N. Neogi, with illustrations by P. Ghose (1916). The reading was opened from the archive on Open Library. I chose to read this story because it was starred and bolded, which I assumed meant it was one of the stories you really wanted us to look at. My initial thoughts upon opening this link are that I do not like how it's presented. The text on each page is too light and seems to almost blend in with the color of the paper on the screen. It is difficult to read and made my eyes strain which made me have to take multiple breaks while reading just one story. This was made a little better when I zoomed in, but I still really wish the text was darker so I could see it better. I liked that I could switch between pages with the arrow keys on my keyboard. I didn't like that because I zoomed in, I had to scroll up and down to see the whole page and could not use the arrow keys for this. It was a minor annoyance, but seemed silly that the arrow keys didn't work for moving up and down on the page. As for the story itself, I liked it. The beginning was a little strange and seemed kind of all over the place, but overall I thought it was a neat story that I enjoyed reading. I liked that this story involved Parvati, she's one of the most interesting females in Indian mythology (in my humble opinion).

Yama on Buffalo

found on The British Museum's online archives

UnTextbook Online Reading Options

1. Device. What kind of computer or table did you use to do this experiment? (i.e. desktop, laptop, iPad) 

 Desktop

2. Browser. What browser did you use? If you downloaded and read the PDF version, what PDF reader did you use, or did you just read the PDF in your browser?

 I used Google Chrome, and when I downloaded the PDF, it pulled up in Google Drive.

3. Best Option. Did one of the options — Hathi, Internet Archive, Google, PDF — appeal to you more than the others? What makes this one better?

 I think the internet archive and PDF options are your best bets. The format is easy to read and the navigation is simple. Plus, Hathi has to load each page which is obnoxious when you're trying to just continuously read. The other 3 options allow for the entire document to load at the start so you can scroll along as you read without interruption. 

4. Worst Option. Was any one of the three options  — Hathi, Internet Archive, Google, PDF — really undesirable for some reason? If so, what made it undesirable?

 Honestly, I just really cannot get down with the Hathi option. There seems like a lot going on with the page. Like, when you look at the screen on the PDF, all you see is a few navigational necessities and the text you're trying to read. With Hathi, there just seems like a lot of widgets, buttons, and navigational tools that are unneccessary for the short readings we do in this class. They take away from the experience. Plus, when you initially load the story, it loads SUPER magnified and hurts my eyes so I have to minimize it which means it has to reload. 

5. Reading Online. Do you do often read books or other long text documents on your computer? Please give details about what kinds of long texts you read on your computer and what program(s) you use to read them. Do you usually do your reading online or offline?

I have never been a big fan of reading books or long text documents on the computer. Reading that much text on a screen hurts my eyes. Plus, there isn't the action and satisfaction of turning the pages or dog-earring/putting a bookmark in the page when you left off. Also, I am really fidgety so reading on a screen and only being engaged physically when I have to scroll means i'm more susceptible to fidgeting or getting distracted. This brings up another point: when i'm reading a book, that is usually all I am doing or can do because it's a physical action; if i'm reading a book on a computer I can just open up a new tab and go to Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. and mess around. Generally I read books in print and if i'm doing research I will often try to print off my sources/articles and read them that way instead of just reading them on the screen (depending on how long they are).

6. Taking Notes Online. Do you have a good method for taking notes when you are reading online in a browser window? For example, I open a plain text file resize my browser window and text file so that they both appear on the screen, and I take notes while I read. What notetaking method do you use for material you are reading in your browser window?

When i'm reading and taking notes online, I just open up a seperate tab and flip between the two. I read for a bit then switch tabs and write my notes. This is one big advantage of reading online: the ability to have multiple tabs open at once. I will sometimes take notes on Blogger or Evernote. Otherwise, I have to open up word if I plan to take notes on the computer instead of on paper.

7. PDF Notetaking. Do you have a good method for taking notes when you are reading a PDF? For example, I prefer to read PDFs using GoodReader on my iPad, and I use the highlighter to mark notes, and then I type them up later on my desktop computer. What notetaking method do you use for PDFs?

I just open up a Word document while i'm reading and flip between the two, or I take notes on paper. 

8. Hard Copies. How often do you print reading materials out as hard copies? What are your reasons for choosing to print out a hard copy? Do you do your printing at home or on campus?

 I often print materials out as hard copies so I can make notes on them, highlight, add page flags, etc. Having a hard copy also means I can take it with me and work on my reading/assignment anywhere regardless of access to WiFi/internet. Also, reading materials as hard copies puts less strain on my eyes and keeps my hands engaged. I print mostly at work/practicum because they have an industrial printer that can print my articles out quickly and efficiently. Otherwise, I will print on campus if the document is long because, again, they have badass printers made for printing large jobs. If the document is short (under 15 pages usually) I will likely print it at home if for some reason I can't print it at work.

9. Other Comments. Do you have any other comments to share...? Please let me know! I'm really curious to learn more about people's reading practices and preferences online!

 I found that I preferred the texts that had cream pages if the background is white. It seemed to make the experience less stressful on my eyes, and therefore I was able to look at it longer. The only problem I have with the PDF is the back background with stark white paper. It can be a little harsh.