Check every Nook and cranny for lost e-reader
By Rose Panieri rpanieri@stmedianetwork.com May 14, 2012 7:06PM
This Vietnam-era Army hat was found in Joliet. Rose Panieri~Sun-Times News Group
Updated: June 16, 2012 8:04AM
My brother gave me a Barnes & Noble Nook last Christmas. It’s a curious little device — a plastic little nothing with a screen. Call me a literary snob, but at first glance, the Nook had none of the appeal of a bona fide book.
That was my first impression.
Still, the Nook had a certain appeal, and it slowly grew on me. Now, I halfway love it. It occurs to me electronic books save trees. Another advantage is you can “carry” any number of books on a single Nook without throwing your spine out of alignment.
At the moment, I’m re-reading Stephen King’s “The Source” — a monster of a book, well over a thousand pages. On a Nook it weighs a few ounces.
Students love Nooks, too. I’m sure the day will come when backpacks filled with giant textbooks will be obsolete.
Nook at large
Still, there are a few problems with Nooks. Like cell phones, they’re small, portable and eminently losable. And let’s face it, it’s far easier to lose an itty-bitty Nook than an enormous algebra text.
However, when you lose a Nook, you’re not only out the hundred odd dollars you spent for the device, but whatever you’ve shelled out for each book downloaded.
On the subject, I got a note from Ada Martino of Joliet. Their son’s Nook disappeared during a soccer game at Thompson Field on Rowell Avenue in Joliet. Apparently, he put it down and forgot about it. When he finally remembered, and returned to the scene, the Nook was nowhere to be found.
Odds are, the Nook fell into a corner or crack somewhere and may eventually turn up. However, I suppose someone — convinced that the Nook was a gift from bountiful Mother Nature — may have taken it home.
“We would like to let the person that found it that it can’t be used as it was put on the Barnes & Nobles blacklist, so they can’t do anything with it,” Martino said. “They can drop it off to you, no questions asked! We are willing to give a $50 reward!”
Vietnam Army hat found
Kathy Dockendorf rescued a vintage military hat near Mitchell’s Food Mart on Raynor Avenue in Joliet. There’s something special about this hat. I knew it when I saw it, and Jean Edwards — an Army veteran and writer of the Over There column — confirmed it. This particular cap is a U.S. Army Vietnam-era Service cap, dress green.
How it ended up on the streets of Joliet in the pouring rain is anyone’s guess. We’d sure like to give it back to its owner. Give me a call if it belongs to you.
If you’ve lost —
or found — something,
call 815-773-7178 or email
rpanieri@stmedianetwork.com.
