2024-08-14
I am burying (recycling) my Nook Simple Touch this month. I purchased it on sale from Barnes and Noble in May 2012. I continued to read books on it until August 2024, a useful life of just over 12 years. Aside from some simple hacks and rooting the first year (so I could test Android on it) for the first year or so, I ended up just using the thing as a basic e-reader. I only purchased a handful of books from Barnes and Noble through it since almost immediately I was downloading epubs on my computer and transferring them to the device from an external micro-SD card. I also wrote my own library (bookmobile) to download website articles, strip away cruft, and convert them to epub, which I then moved in bulk to the device to read on my commute or at home.
This summer I traveled a bit by bus and train, and have been camping, at the beach, pool, the park, etc. I've brought the device around by throwing it in my backpack. I only travel with a single bag, no matter how long I travel for, even when I traveled around the world for a year in 2011. But alas, over time the plastic of the Nook got weaker, then the buttons started to go. They got stuck down, causing the pages to auto-advance. There is a second button I can use instead, but that one is also getting weaker, brittle, and it's only a matter of time til the device fails entirely. Possibly this thing has another 6 months or year or more left in it maybe. But I'm feeling like it's time. I'm finding myself browsing ebook readers on ebay and reading reviews. A Kobo Clara? A Boox Nova?
Despite this thing lasting so long, it's still not as resilient as a physical pulp book, a well-cared for bicycle, or even a plastic milk crate. But it's definitely the longest-running computer device I've had and still regularly use, and it's low power, and it just gets the basic job done. I sat by the pool today and read from it, and it worked. It's a rare example of well-made, simple, affordable technology, and I'm sad to see it finally decaying.
As a final test, I will try to see if I can follow the steps to load Uxn and run some roms before this thing retires for good.
---To leave a comment email lettuce at ctrl-c.club and note the post and your preferred public handle.