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I grew up in a house with lots of stuff and share Derek's aversion to clutter. My solution is to aim for quality over quantity. I think there's still a case fo

I grew up in a house with lots of stuff and share Derek's aversion to clutter. My solution is to aim for quality over quantity. I think there's still a case for keeping a good set of tools around. For us software engineers, most tools are virtual with the exception of our computers and / or writing utensils. I don't view it as any different from someone mechanically inclined keeping their physical tools around. Same deal with hiking or camping gear. I still find it hard to dispose of books. Not so much because I want to keep the physical book but because the book is a physical manifestation of an idea I respect and want to keep a physical record of it in my life. (I even own both physical and electronic versions of some of my favorites to re-read when traveling.)

cfallin 11y ago
Books and tools are my two vices as well. Books especially -- there's something to be said for the user-interface both of an individual paper book, and of a whole bookshelf, in terms of ease of navigation. PDFs allow you to grep but spatial memory is much better suited to physical things. And I'm much more likely to pick up a paperback from my bookshelf when I'm looking for something to read than I am to go find a PDF and sit in front of my laptop/tablet. And finally I really like the social aspect of physical books. "Hey, we were just talking about X, and you might like this book!" works way better with paper than with a PDF.