Is what you’re reading worth the paper it’s printed on?
Photo by jocke66 
I’m a pretty avid reader. I usually average about two or three books a month, mostly literary fiction peppered with the occasional biography or historical work. In line at the post office or riding on the subway, I’ve usually got my nosed buried in a book. And almost as much as reading, I love shopping for books. I can easily lose hours upon hours wandering used book stores and stalls for an interesting title. That being said, I’m pretty surprised by my current fascination with Amazon’s e-book reader, Kindle. It lives smack dab where nerdy bookworm intersects with gadget geek, and I’m finding it kind of irresistible.
When it was first released, I dismissed it outright. I usually read only one book at a time, so why do I need a whole library in my pocket? On top of that, I feel a physical attachment to my books. I figured that nothing could ever replace the experience of holding a tangible volume in my hands or looking at actual printed type on a page, so I never explored Kindle further. With the recent release of Kindle 2 and the subsequent uproar over its text-to-speech feature (which is a can of worms best saved for another blog), I revisited the device-and I’m more than a little intrigued.
The new design is sleeker and more refined than the clunky original, and the screen seems to accurately mimic the look of actual paper, even in bright sunlight. I like that downloadable books are generally less expensive than their physical counterparts, which is great if you are in the habit of buying new releases. More than anything else though, I love the fact that you can look up words on the fly. I wish I were disciplined enough to grab a dictionary every time I come across a word I don’t understand, but with Kindle it would always be right at my fingertips.
Of course, there are downsides. It would be nice if the screen supported color (book covers look so bland), and the device’s hefty price tag is a little hard to swallow. I’d really miss the feel of a dusty, weatherworn classic in my hand, but in exchange I would never have to deal with moving all those heavy boxes of books again. That sounds like a bargain to me.
The iPod and similar MP3 players have completely revolutionized the way we listen to and buy music. Do you think Kindle and other e-book readers will do the same for printed material?
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I still don’t care for it. Newspapers i can read online but not whole books. call me oldskool but theres a connection when you hold your book. looks like we’re at a turn in time here regarding books.
From what I’ve heard, the Kindle 2 is not all that it’s cracked up to be. First off, the reading feature may not be altogether legal. Authors and publishers have certain rights to audiobooks, and the Kindle 2 might be violating them.
And this is more a matter of taste, but I prefer paper. I really like the way new and old books feel, smell, etc. How can I use a Kindle for class? Would my professor really allow it? Even if he would, I don’t know, it’s not my personal preference.
I love Kindle but I still have an attachment to my hundreds of books that are now down to the core ones that I intend to keep. I will continue to move with the many heavy cartons of books but I may not buy anywhere near as many in the future. For me this will be a somewhat moderate revolution.
I can definitely see how the dictionary makes it tempting. Although, I recently discovered that you can text Google for free definitions. All you need to do is preface the word you want defined with a D ( ie; “D susurrus” ) and send it to 466453 (spells out “Google”). Since I pretty much always have my phone on me, I feel like this is a pretty good alternative.
The text to audio feature is a great breakthrough, and I think that the Kindle is going to do amazing things for those with visual or reading disabilities. However, to make it worthwhile for the average reader, the price is going to have to plummet quite a bit.
In response to Karolina:
Text to audio software is completely legal, and very different then an audio book. This feature allows the computer voice to read the text, it does not store a recording of a human voice reading the book. While this means that inflection is lost and some names and foreign languages have to be spelled out, it allows any text to be read allowed without a separate audio file. Text to audio software comes standard on Macs, and is available through numerous third parties for PCs, and is completely legal.
nothing can ever replace the feel,smell and noise of a book. i will never be converted.i adore holding a paperback book and read about 3-4 books a month and i keep them all!!
I’m too attached to books. I even spent 2 hours or so organizing my new bookshelf. And I can spend hours and hours looking for new books on amazon or, even better, in a bookshop. I love my books…
Hi, I’ve yet to try the Kindle (though I really want to; I prefer reading screens over a paper book, which is a difficult habit when you want to read on a trip or whatever), but I have a comment on you comparing it to the iPod changing music. Music formats have changed a lot over time. First, you could only hear it live. Then things like records came about, cassettes, and CDs, and now MP3 players. The major advancements in publishing have pretty much been walls, scrolls, books. If something as text-based as computers couldn’t shake it, I don’t think the Kindle will be as revolutionizing as the iPod was to music, though it may get close or maybe even replace it far from today.
If it was more affordable, I might be tempted to get one. I work in a library and it’s not necessary for me to buy any books. I just like the tech side of it and the fact that I can easily carry more than one book at a time. I read a lot and might finish one book, but not have the next book with me. This would solve that problem.
@karolina, amazon negotiates rights for the books, newspapers and blogs the kindle can access. they are not audiobooks, the are text you read in a screen. i i had money i would buy one, go to amazon and look at all its features here- http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83624371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1VY21QPM1N4Q79M5GRSH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469942651&pf_rd_i=507846
i like the feel of a book in my hand, but i also like the feel of a gadget in my palm. the hook for me is that i own hundreds of books, and i will not spend money on all of them again. if they came up with somw way to prove ownership and give it for free if you already own it, there would be no question about it.
The Kindle, I think, is a very great idea but unfortunately not for me. Call me old fashioned but I prefer holding a regular book!
I love the idea of Kindle, but, I doubt I will ever part with my books or stop buying books. I could see myself using Kindle to read a new bestseller if the price was at least half that of the book. I do get frustrated when a new book is out that everyone is after and then by the time I get it everyone else has already read it. It would be something I could see myself using to try a new author, to see if I like a series and that sort of thing. I don’t think it would ever replace the excitement I feel sniping an online auction for a favorite book or finding a new favorite at a yard sale or used book store. Books just have a special character to them from the texture of the pages to the colors,smells and the dog ears you left last time you read them through.
I have a Sony Book Reader and I love it, even sometimes forgetting its not an actual book and trying to turn pages. The problem is unless you read only new releases or very popular past books you can’t get quite everything. The price is about the same and you can save the books to an sd card. I still get books from the library and I still listen to audio books on my MP3 but I really enjoy my reader. Not sure about newspaper or magazines as my reader doesn’t have that.
I was also intrigued in the Kindle when the kindle 2 came out. I started researching it, and discovered a lot about it.
However, as many have already mentioned, to be able to hold a book in your hands, to smell the ink coming off the paper, and yes, even the awkwardness that sometimes comes when you start reading and get really involved, that’s something that the Kindle cannot replicate.
On top of that, I just love looking at my book shelf and seeing all my dog eared pages, bent spines, marks showing if and where I shoved the book into my back pocket or backpack. Nothing can replace that look.
Kindle is probably more for the person that has a minimalist lifestyle, wants to reduce “clutter”, or for the Student. Other than that, I would think, and would hope, that the book lover would see this device as a neat new technological advancement, but not something that will ever replace an honest to goodness book.
I’m happy to admit I’m a total bookworm. And no matter how amazing the Kindle might be, it could never replace the sight, feel, smell, even the sound of a page turning in a brand new book or a musty old favourite. And as I said when it came out, you would never bring the Kindle to the beach, or the park, or in a bath. I mean, bringing a trashy paperback is fine, just not an expensive piece of technology.
I certainly hope books aren’t on the way out. As another article I read pointed out, using electronic means to read a book has absolutely no resale value. And, although I don’t really resell my books often, because I read them time and time again, if I had to liquidate at a dollar each, I’d still have a lot of money lol. My question is this- we already know it’s not good for us to stare at screens all day, getting constant warnings and training tips to look away from the computer monitor for 5 minutes every hour, and only watch TV a few hours a day, so how is this screen any different? And an audio feature? who needs it, besides the blind? I, for one, narrate the books in my mind to my connotations, thus making them more entertaining. This kindle thing is a lazy man’s reader. And I can’t relax in the tub w/ a kindle, I’d be too afraid of dropping and electrocuting myself or shorting it out and having to shell out big books for a new one, not to mention if my books would carry to a new one or not. As mom to a toddler, my alone time in the bathtub with my favorite books is very valued to me.
I have a ebookwise ebook reader and I love it! I’m a big book reader and have tons of books I have to get to but since getting my ebook reader I prefer it over an actual book. The back light goes off automatically if you fall asleep – which I always do and it’s the perfect size to hold in your hand. I only have to charge it once every couple of weeks and it will read almost any type of file – not PDF but that is easily copied into word format and then read. I recommended it over a book.
I completely agree with Rob. There’s just something about holding the book in your hand that just isn’t worth giving up for anything. Bookstores are my favorite smell, as odd as that sounds–just the combination of the paper and the coffee that’s usually sold makes me really happy. I don’t just enjoy the material inside the book, I enjoy the experience I get from turning the pages and playing with the cover while deep in thought. I’d rather keep my paper books than read an electronic one, thank you.
Honestly, to all of you saying “I would never buy an electronic book” or “Call me old school” or “there’s nothing like cracking open a fresh new book”
Guess what, you are eventually going to be the old generation. The new generations of kids pretty soon won’t ever buy books of the shelf. It would be like saying, “There’s nothing like the sound of a phonograph I’ll never give it up”. And this is not to insult anyone, so please don’t take it as that.
The world is going digital; it’s faster, more efficient, streamlined (a little redundancy), and cheaper. The kindle might not be cheaper for you, but pushing out a book to your kindle costs nothing to the publisher.
Is this blog an ad for Kindle or a honest discussion.
todays business news says the iTouch device will read the amazon Kindle books. Now I am interested.
Also our local newpaper is going out of business due to costs. “kindleizing” it may be the only way to stay in business.
Would you want a paperless newspaper?
I think the Kindle is a great gadget, but it’s just not one for me. I just can’t get into it the same way I can a real paper book. For some reason I just feel like I’m not getting the real deal and it’s not as good as the old fashioned way is.
Well, even though everyone likes the feeling of a solid book in their hands, you have to think of the enviroment. You buy 10 books, that’s maybe 2500-7500 pieces of paper, that’s a lot if you think a bout it. You read maybe 200 or 300 books in a year, that adds up to 50,000-100,000 pages if you read 200 books, but if you read 300 books, that’s 75,000-150,000. Do you want that or just a small device.
I love “real” books and I have tons of them – but all the same, a Kindle would be great for me.
First, because I could have so many more books without taking up space.
Second, because I’m always looking for English-language books, and here in Argentina they’re expensive and not easy to find.
But I couldn’t afford a Kindle :’-(
*sobs a little*
I am an early adopter of both Kindle 1 and 2. I too love physical books – what the kindle allows me to do is have more books than i could ever have room for physically. I am reading more than ever – tons of free books available as well as the ease of getting a book instantly without having to wait for it.
Like others have said, nothing compares to actually holding a physical book. What I like about it, besides the smell and the sound of the pages flipping, is being able to see how far along in the book I am.
I don’t very much fancy reading a whole book off of a screen. It feels unnatural and it automatically makes me concerned about my eyes. Did they do any research into what kind of effect this screen has on eyes? I’m also very attached to my physical books. I love the idea of having shelves upon shelves full of volumes upon volumes stretching out in front of me. One little device would rather destroy my dream.
I am a gadget nut…I have 6 Laptops all under 2 years old for gods sake. But I like books more than gadgets…I have close to 6000 books. I just don’t want to blend the two. I don’t enjoy reading books on the computer, so I don’t think I will try the Kindle.
While I do not own a kindle yet, I started reading e-books on my PDA about 5 years ago. It is very convenient while traveling and I love being able to search, bookmark, save quotes, and write notes digitally. What I have ended up doing is reading e-books first and if I really enjoyed it, I’ll buy a hardback copy later and add it to my library.
Perhaps it is the perfect toy for the generation which cannot tell time without a digital clock, must have a screen to play games and would be lost without Velcro clasps on their shoes.
I have several books which are over 100 years old. How long will that ereader last? Designed for consumers, it is an expensive device (environmentally speaking) which has a limited lifespan, requires energy to use and will be more difficult to fix than to throw away and replace with ereader version 3.0.
What would David Foster Wallace thing of all this? Oh good grief! There’s no way technology can even get close to ‘feeling’ the same way as you do when you’re sitting there nose deep in A Tale Of Two Cities or the like. Like one other poster said before, I can read the news online but there’s no way I’m giving up my books. Technology has it’s ups and downs but as far as books, it don’t even come close my dear. Excellent blog though.
I’d like to say “no, never happen” but I’ve learned that technology has a way of sucking us in, morphing old habits into new, and replacing things we never thought could be replaced!
That being said, I think Kindle and related items have an enormous potential in the fields of education and disability access even more than for the common consumer!
I am old enough to enjoy the tactile aspects of words on “the page,” as well as getting some weird thrill out of reading the Sunday newspaper in print, in all it’s smeary inky glory! On weekdays, however, I read my news purely online and I like it just fine because it’s faster!
That being said, I hope that techno-marketers will advance development of e-literature to make reading easier for the visually-handicapped as well as lightening the load for higher education students. Textbook manufacturers will HATE that idea, but we must pursue every course to save the rain forests and other natural resources!! Digital is the way to go.
Not only do I think it’s overpriced for what it is I just want to point out that it’s not really cheaper than buying physical books. Firstly paper books are easily accessible through libraries, can be bought for 20p-£1 at charity shops and there’s obviously a massive range of publications not available in the electronic format which are still worth a read. Even if you are somebody who goes to shops to buy new prints all the time (something I only do rarely as second hand via charity shops and amazon are so so so much cheaper) physical copies often have sales and offers on them which aren’t reflected in the e-version. Even on holiday you won’t get through more than two or three books. So unless you move house a few times a year and don’t want to keep shifting your collection around, what possible advantage is there in carrying 50 books with you at all times? You can only read one at a time!
I would be open to trying an e-reader, although not necessarily the Kindle (I’m more in the mind of the Sony ereader). I like the idea of the e-reader over reading books on a computer screen because from what I hear the eye strain is less. However, I don’t think I would ever want to give up regular books. It would take a lot for me to change my mind.
I don’t think it should find its way into everyone’s hands. Books are a major part of our culture, and if all we had were ‘digital books’, we wouldn’t be able to pass them down to our children, or our friends. To me each book has its own character. The vibrant color and texture of the pages gives each book its own feel. Staring at an electric screen to read a book just sounds awful. I am in front of an piece of electricity enough during the day. Reading is a way for me to escape modern convienences and travel to mystic lands and stories. Reading off of a screen just wouldn’t be the same. Having a book to read while your snuggled up in a chair, by the fireplace, when it’s warm and cozy in the room just wouldn’t be the same holding a piece of electronical equipment.
It just wouldn’t be the same.
I was about to say no way! but I just checked the size of this new thing and now I might consider getting one.
I love real books, too, but since Im moving out of my parents house soon (and leaving tons of books behind), I guess it is a good option if you dont have a lot of space for keeping books. I just have to get used to reading 600+ pages on a screen.
I’ve been reading novels on my I-mate for years. It is a little different from the sensuous pleasure of a book in hand, but I adjusted to it pretty quickly. I love having the convenience of having several novels (and religious scripture) handy wherever I am, without having to lug the actual printed word along.
I can buy a lot of books for what the kindle2 cost.
I am somewhat of a techno-geek (or at least that’s what everyone tells me).
I don’t think that having a book that you truly enjoy on a memory card would compare to having the traditional paper book. The tactile sense of flipping the pages, the smell, etc.
As others pointed out. Staring at screens all day is not conducive to good eyesight. And this is coming from someone who still has 20/20 eyesight (with no glasses/lasic/contacts) after working on computers for 20+ years. Yes, I was working on them since the good ol’ days of Amber/Green monitors. About 98% of the people that I work with have glasses/contacts, or have had lasic (sp?) surgery, because they didn’t give their eyes a break from the computer screen.
The same can be said of pictures. Would Vincent Van Gogh’s painting provide the same effect if viewed on a computer screen as it would in seeing it in person?
We do have a couple digital cameras, but we also printout the pictures that we want to pass around to see later on.
when i first heard about the Kindle I was intrigued by what it could do, and its not a bad idea for those who dont mind missing out on certain “book experiences”. I love my books…i can go through 30-40 books a month and i have a BAD problem with getting rid of them afterword. I love sitting in the spare room, surrounded by my books, and reading…get this..a book lol! When it is time for a new book shelf, I can spend hours organizing it. Reading is an amazing stress relief for me, and when I walk into a used book store with its packed shelves and musty paper smell, i can feel the stress just kind of melt away. I dont think a book would be the same if it wasnt there in my hands for me to feel and smell. Hold that book is all part of the amazing experience a book can give you. I know, its cheesy, and I’m not saying Kindle is a bad idea, I just dont think it will ever be a replacement for books with people who love them as much as I do, or most of the others that have posted on here.
As much as I love the idea of instant gratification when it comes to buying a book, I enjoy the experience of shopping for books in book stores as much as I enjoy the reading of the book. I had a library custom built in my home to accommodate my book collection- I can run my hands over the books, smell them, look at the colorful and artful covers…. I can’t imagine getting the same satisfaction from my books if they were all stored on one tiny little techno gadget.
You can’t be comfortable reading an ‘ebook’ .. books aren’t going to go away. They predicted they would be gone in 50 years back in the 60s it didn’t happen then, its not going to happen now.
If you dont’ want to move with your books, donate them to the libray, hospitals and schools.
I have always been frustrated by my inability read while simultaneously doing such things as knitting, washing the dishes, and driving. I love the idea that a book could read itself to me if I wanted. And with the Kindle, I wouldn’t have to stand in front of my bookshelves trying to pick which book to bring just seconds before dashing out the door. The price has been enough to keep me from getting one until now, but with the new audio feature, I just might reconsider.
I am cutting edge on most things but I still like the feel, haft, and permanacy of books. I’ve been an avid reader all of my life. Kindle might be good maybe for travelling – say you are on a long flight overseas (been there, done that) and because of weight and space considerations you can only bring one or two of your favorite books. I can see where taking this with you in your carry-on stuff would be great – you could then read like a dozen different books – read one for a while, then go to another one for a while etc. Here at home I’ll still stick with books though. Yeah, I agree – having to lug around those heavy boxes of books every time you move sucks, but that’s a price you pay when you are a reader and lover of books like I am. A lot of my books are actually in storage now because I don’t have a good place to put them all in – we had to downsize and move to a smaller apartment so we have limited bookshelf space but oh well. Maybe someday when times are better I’ll live in a place where we can have a den or study with all our books and a cozy place to curl up and read them
hey brother
it is cool
Kindle is *so* limited with the books they offer compared to the probable millions there are in text. I own over a hundred books and less then ten of them are offered on Kindle or as eBooks peroid. I stop at every used book store I pass to search for old books that haven’t been re-published in decades. Kindle only caters to the brand new and those popular enough to become ebooks. And why should I pay for books again when I already bought it as a physical copy? Not even my school text books are on Kindle.
I’ve wanted one since they first began making them, but it is just too expensive–for now. But I have been concerned for years, as I get older and my health gets worse, about how I was going to get my 30,000+ books in the small space one gets in a nursing home. Now I don’t have to worry about that quite so much. When I have to move into a smaller space, I will have to get an electronic reader of some sort. Those of you who have friends or family who enjoy reading but are in nursing homes might want to consider one of these as a gift. That will also solve all your gift issues for such folks for a long time, as they will always need new books to add to ebook collection. Sadly, I could not do that for my mother–she forgot how to read. I am losing my mind to VM now, but pray for me that I do not forget how to read. But I digress; please pardon me.
It doesn’t matter how revolutionary Kindle or any other e-book reader is, they are no substitute for a real book. Part of the joy of reading a book is being able to sit down and physically turn the pages, something you can not do with an e-book no matter how advanced the programming that goes with it is. Yes, I have seen e-books online where you grab the corner or the edge of the “page” with the cursor and you supposedly turn it. But this is not physically turning the page, this is dragging an elment of the program meant to simulate a page turning. When the mouse is actually turning the “page” it does not have the comforting feel of actually doing it yourself.
Aside from the loss of comfort one gets with curling up with a real book, there also the problem of power. Last year I went on vacation and before leaving one of my big problems was what to do in the hotel room besides read, watch TV, or listen to music. Needless to say I never did solve that before going on vacation, but afterward I picked up a PSP both because I’d wanted to get one for a while and because it would give me more options. Some time after getting some games and movies for it we ended up having a blackout. So I eneded up using the PSP during the blackout for entertainment.
How does this pertain to e-book readers? I was only able to use my PSP as long as I had power in the battery, and the blackout lasted longer than the charge did. And that’s the point, e-book readers are like my PSP, they run off electricity. Either you plug them into a wall or you run them off a battery. Obviously if you’re not experncing a power failure the reader will run until you shut it off when plugged into a wall. But when you’re forced to run off a battery, you can only keep reading as long as your battery has a charge to it. As long as you have plenty of charge, or plenty of fully charged spare batteries, you’ve got no problems. Yet with a reall book all you need is a light source. If forced to you can read by candlelight, you’re not reliant on having to have electricity to read the book.
Definetly, Animal Farm is one of my favorite books of all time.
Is there an eLibrary out there that has a good number of recent/popular/current titles of books? I love the idea of Kindle, but I don’t love buying a $400 piece of equipment AND purchasing every book I want to read. I, too, read 2-3 books per month; that would be up to $30 if I used a Kindle, whereas now it’s free at my local library (which will order titles for you if they don’t have it yet).
Isn’t there some sort of coding on movies that makes them “expire” after a certain date so theaters can’t show them past that date? Couldn’t they do that with downloaded books? It would be like a “due date” with a real book; three weeks from downloaded date, the file is automatically erased from your Kindle (or made so you can’t open it anymore). I’m no computer genius, but comparing that idea with all the other stuff they can do with technology these days, an expiration date on a file doesn’t seem too extreme.
Two or three books a MONTH?
I read more than that in a DAY!
I read 4-7 books a week, so even at low prices, kindle is no match for the library
I don’t think my house would look the same with one kindle sitting on the bookshelves…I guess it would be a lot more room though. On Star Trek, books were rare and precious things preserved under glass, and everybody walked around with kindle like appliances. Will kindle be part of the future? Most likely, but not likely part of my immediate future. The kids will no doubt grow up used to them though, and wonder why us oldsters insist on books. Imagine issuing one kindle per child in school, instead of 30 pounds of textbooks to lug around. Then the kindles get collected at the end of the year and refurbished for the next year’s class. Now I could get behind that. When they go to do a book report, go to the library, go to a terminal, load it on the kindle, and the library system is cheaper to use, and could store much more material. Or even if each child had their textbooks on cd rom, only had to bring a laptop instead of a bunch of books, and could even do their homework in the laptop too. That sounds cool. I find it likely I will leave it for the kiddies though.
Sounds good to me, If computers would give me the same info as my daily local paper count me in. It would be nice to not have your lawn trashed every time you get your paper. oh, by the way we now get our paper delivered with the other mail in our mailbox, but that must be a lot of extra work for the postman. to have to deliver the paper to the exact address even though all are the same.
When I miss the paper which isn’t often, I’m pretty sure the newspaper is printing lies about me again.
i think that you are smart person
Avid reader my ass! I read at least five books a week, whoever wrote this doesn’t come halfway close to being allowed to call themselves an avid reader!!!!!
Just don’t read anything by Bill O’reilly. What a piece of work!
I was unsure until I recieved my kindle 2. I am glad I waited and received the K2, I LOVE it. I thought I would miss the feel of a book, paper pages to turn etc. Nope. I love the whispernet feature with it’s instant gratification. This has been a great investment. And to those who do not have a Kindle or other ereader, How can you review what you have no first hand knowledge of. You are as bad as those folks that review movies without ever seeing them. Just because “you heard…” Doesn’t cut it.
I just can’t get into reading whole books online. I guess it’s because I am on a computer all day long at work, reading an actual book is my way of unplugging.
http://www.paperbackswap.com is a great site where you sign up, post books and trade with other members. It’s actually a great site. I’ve gotten several books from there so far and it’s much cheaper than buying from a bookstore or even a secondhand book store.
The deal is when you sign up, post 10 books, you get 3 credits for free. The credits allow you to request a book from other members. You also receive a credit each time you ship a book that has been requested from another a member. The membership to the site is free and the only thing that has to be paid is the postage costs when someone requests a book from you and if you choose to buy credits on the site instead of waiting for member to request one of your books. The site had hardcover, paperpbacks, large prints and audio books.
Just a thought. I happen to love it and find it easy to find what i need.
Yes, because I’m reading a $100.00 bill. It is worth the paper it’s printed on.
and your point is….
I read usually 3-4 books a week, since I don’t sleep well at night. But that doesn’t mean that your any less of an avid book lover than I am or anyone else, you just might have less time to read. It doesn’t matter what the subject is if it looks interesting I want to read it. I have read a lot of books, even listened to a few on tape that I thought should never have been published. I never understand if there isn’t a point to the book why they would spend the money on publishing it.
Cool Whip: $100 bill is not on paper. The dollar bill in use today was designed in 1957. This “paper money” is made from a blend of cotton and linen.
“in exchange I would never have to deal with moving all those heavy boxes of books again.” – Umm, that’s why I use a Library. I still get the real book and don’t have to shell out huge amounts of money for a machine that’s not going to be supported in 2 years anyway.
Yeah, I love reading and on occasion I have read an ebook but it gets tedious reading it on the small screen of my iPod or sitting in front of my computer reading. I still prefer having the tangible book, feeling it, smelling it, etc. The only downside of buying tangible books to me is that it costs SO MUCH more. I must have spent enough money on books to buy a new car..
The dictionary feature on Kindle sounds great though!
I haven’t really looked at the technology itself. But the idea is sound. The only question is how are we going to tranfer everything to a readable format like this, and how do we keep from loosing material to time. 00(infinity symbol) whatch out for this paper.
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