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Reading and Riding

It's not rare to see people (occasionally even young ones) reading actual books in San Francisco. But I don't often get to capture two in the same line of vision.
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17 comments

Jaap van 't Veen said:

Well spotted and taken.
5 years ago

Marko Novosel said:

I remember once before 10 years,i was on a train and get into the coupe,there were 6 sits,people started filling in and one after another start pulling books and magazines out of bags..it was pretty surreal to see 6 people including me reading something.
5 years ago

John FitzGerald said:

There's this whole world around the readers and they're not looking at it. Rather live in someone else's world.

You were paying attention, though, and got this well-composed shot of people in their cage (I especially like the perspective).

I've given up reading, by the way. I broke down temporarily last week, though, and read Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. After close to three hundred pages of documenting every crooked thing Elizabeth Holmes did or may have done, buddy concludes that she lacked a moral compass. You could have knocked me down with a feather.. Nothing about how we prevent the next Elizabeth Holmes from getting people to invest $700 million in imaginary tech.

So I'm not reading again, except for the important things: traffic signs, instruction manuals, crosswords, and the like. And comments under photos.
5 years ago

Marko Novosel replied to John FitzGerald:

Waiting for this to come out.
www.imdb.com/title/tt8488126/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Watched recently "Fyre festival",really bizzare story about another liar from silicon valley.
5 years ago

John FitzGerald replied to Marko Novosel:

And there will be many more, I fear, Marko.
5 years ago

John FitzGerald said:

Sorry, Sarah -- I forgot you're a writer and that I did like the one story of yours I read. Why, I'd read it again.

And of course writing is important. I spent a couple of years on Goodreads, though, and that showed me how passive many readers are. They take a bath in a book rather than read it. They are deaf to howlers and blind to the specious; they read for the experience.

Perhaps, though, this is the conclusion of bitter old age. I spent most of my life reading everything I could get my hands on, failed to do much with what I read, and perhaps I responded by blaming the books.
5 years ago

Sarah P. replied to John FitzGerald:

One never knows which photo will provoke an unusual response or hit someone's sore spot. I hope you don't give up on books yet, John. And what's wrong with reading for experience, not expecting to "do" something with it? I'd rather read a book (or have it read to me by some skilled reader/actor via audible.com) than watch the latest drama on the stoopid-tube, as one writer called it.
And thanks BTW for the kind word about that old story of mine. I've written more interesting stuff since. Maybe I'll send you my latest oevre as a birthday present just so you can call it a specious howler, which it may very well be.
5 years ago

John FitzGerald replied to Sarah P.:

5 years ago ( translate )

Sylvain Wiart said:

a bus reserved for retired people :-)) ?
5 years ago ( translate )

John FitzGerald replied to Sylvain Wiart:

That's true in many places in North America, Sylvain. I don't know about San Francisco (the photo may not be representative), but in many places the bus service doesn't provide much of an alternative to the car, so the passengers tend to be young people and old people. I'm lucky to live in Toronto, where the transit, although far from exemplary, does provide a good alternative -- 25% of Torontonians never use a car.
5 years ago

Sarah P. replied to Sylvain Wiart:

As John said: our city buses are mostly populated by the old, the very young, and the poor. Depends a bit on the line, though, and the time of day. This was taken in the middle of the day, hence a preponderance of the retired (or freelancers like me.)

I should add that many in San Francisco don't own cars, because of the cost, traffic, and lack of parking, or they only use cars on weekend. Our public transit isn't bad, and there are many other options available to techies with money, including Uber/Lyft and similar app-based ride share services.

Plus, those who are athletically inclined use bikes ... once you've been up and down a few of the San Francisco hills, you don't need to go to the gym anymore ... :-)
5 years ago

Sarah P. replied to John FitzGerald:

I'm not on Goodreads but really appreciate it when good reviewers help other readers with information such as you posted.
I'm more of a fiction reader, but have been enjoying the quirky San Francisco history outlined in www.goodreads.com/book/show/16059425-cool-gray-city-of-love
5 years ago

John FitzGerald replied to Sarah P.:

That does sound interesting. Did you know many Torontonians consider Toronto to be San Francisco upside down? Lots of ravines, some of which rise to the status of valleys.
5 years ago

Sarah P. replied to John FitzGerald:

You may have mentioned this before. Maybe this spring/summer you'll do a photographic tour of Toronto ravines? Science has shown that exposure to nature is good for the brain :-)
5 years ago

E. Adam G. said:

and the driver is reading the road map?
4 years ago