i was reading this should be clear that I haven’t entirely abandoned physical books. I nevertheless keep a little collection of gorgeous editions, signed copies, and books with particular sentimental value. I still enjoy browsing bookstores and adding to my physical library occasionally. But that bulk of my reading is now digital, and I’ve come to prefer it that way. It’s not an either/or proposition – it’s about using the right format for each purp
As I became more comfortable with digital reading, I found that I was really reading more than I had with physical books. That portability meant I consistently had something to peruse with me – waiting for appointments, riding buses, sitting in parks. I could carry hundreds of books in a device that weighed less than a single paperback. That convenience factor meant I took advantage of little reading opportunities throughout that
One particularly valuable aspect was being able to adjust the display for various lighting conditions. I could switch to dark mode for late-night reading that didn’t disturb my sleep. I could increase contrast in bright sunlight. I could use larger fonts when my eyes were tired. This flexibility to customize that reading experience for distinct situations and conditions made reading more comfortable in more circumstan
This difference in engagement was immediate and dramatic. Our next round of novel hires really examine this handbook – not merely skimmed, but genuinely read and understood it. I could advise because the repetitive questions discontinued practically entirely. When team members did have questions, they were more nuanced and specific, showing they’d grasped that basics and needed clarification on edge cases rather than fundamental polic
Managing a remote team comes with its own set of unique challenges, but one particular problem had been driving me crazy for months. Our employee handbook – a comprehensive fifty-page document that every fresh hire is supposed to peruse and understand – was essentially going unread. I’d been tracking the issue meticulously, noticing the matching questions coming up again and again from team members who’d technically already reviewed the handbook during their onboard
I decided to experiment with converting this handbook to a more mobile-friendly format. That transformation was eye-opening. Suddenly,, this similar fifty pages of content became accessible and navigable on any device. The text reflowed naturally on phone screens. This table of contents became interactive and searchable. Employees could tap on any section and jump directly to what they needed without endless scroll
I initiated documenting that pattern. Every time a new employee joined, I’d send them this handbook with instructions to review it thoroughly. Two weeks later, I’d receive questions about remote function policies, expense reimbursement procedures, or communication guidelines – all of which were covered explicitly in the handbook they’d supposedly study. It wasn’t that they were being careless or uninterested. That problem was completely format-related. The PDF was simply not designed for the way people actually consume information in today’s mobile-first wo
I’ve been trying to learn Spanish on and off for about three years now. It’s been a slow process with numerous starts and stops, periods of motivation followed by months of neglect. Like many language learners, I’ve collected a variety of resources over time – textbooks, audio courses, apps, and lots of digital materials that I’ve downloaded or created mys
I was annoyed with myself at initial for being so distracted. I assumed I’d have to redo that entire conversion process, and I didn’t genuinely have time for that with book club meeting coming up in a few days. But before I redid everything, I decided to speedily check if that HTML versions were at least usable.
This conversion process gave us an opportunity to improve this structure too.. I broke this eighty-page manual into smaller, focused sections with clear navigation. When this converted version was ready, the difference was immediate. The content was the similar, but now it was actually usa
What genuinely transformed my reading life was discovering EPUB format and reflowable text. Early experiments with PDFs on mobile devices were frustrating – tiny text, constant scrolling, awkward zooming. But EPUB files adapted to whatever device I was using and whatever display settings I preferred. I could make that text larger and more readable without losing content or context. I could adjust line spacing and margins to suit my eyes and reading conditi
A couple of months ago, I offered to help organize this materials for our upcoming book selection. We were reading a novel with lots of historical context, and there were several supplementary documents I needed to share with that group – author biographies, historical background articles, and discussion guides. I believed converting these PDFs to a more shareable format would make it easier for everyone to access that materials.