"Your time is up, publishers..."

[D_Davis]

I know, I wasn't making a direct statement, I just think that in general turning to digital is a much more practical solution than finding new ways to recycle paper and farm trees just for books. We just waste too much paper as it is.

The problem with this is that books can generally be recycled, while electronic stuff generally cannot be recycled (at least as thoroughly). And with digital things becoming cheaper and cheaper these days, digital storage mediums seem more disposable, and thus they are often discarded into landfills and not recycled.

Don't know which one is more environmentally sound.

Also, what uses more energy to produce? Paper products or digital ones? How long do you have to keep a Kindle for its energy cost to balance out with the paper-savings?

[Ezee E]

Kindle should bring back the "Choose Your Adventure" books.

[Derek]

I'm obsessed with the way books smell and feel and look. Having a book on Kindle or similar would be like getting brownies through an IV instead of being able to eat it. Technically, the end result is the same, but the journey is less enjoyable.

I am completely with you, though I like the print-on-demand idea. To me, it's like the difference between watching a movie on DVD and watching it at the theater. The images are the same, just as the words are no matter where you read them, but the aesthetic experience itself is completely different. It's not an attachment to paper and staples, just as watching a film in the theater is not an attachment to sticky floors and a blank screen, but the sensations associated with the smell and feel of a novel. When buying a book, I will most often go with a version that feels better even if it's a few bucks more. I do recognize the value of a Kindle, but personally, I don't want paperbacks to go away completely.

[Ezee E]

Wikibooks.com is already books on demand. I don't really advise printing Dickens out on paper though. Might as well buy the book and save yourself the ink.

[Mysterious Dude]

If I could download as many books as I wanted, I would probably never read them. I'm gonna stick with library books for now. They have due dates -- an incentive for me to finish them.

[lovejuice]

My main issue is with the amount of books that are produced but never read, and the paper used for daily publications which are then discarded. I'd love it if books on paper were produced only for those who'd enjoy them like you.

I, on the other hand, think that's precisely why books are such treasures. There are so many books printed each day, way beyond the consumption rate of anybody. So many books out there that you will love have gone under your radar, waiting to meet you one day in a bookshop or a second-hand store. But first, that book has to be out there, in print.

In short, "stumble upon" is a phenomena that is book-specific. I am actually not against e-book -- I find it a wonderful tool for critical reading -- but I'm with KF and believe that the technology doesn't quite answer the reading culture.

[number8]

In short, "stumble upon" is a phenomena that is book-specific.

Hey, now.

[Winston*]

Having had to lug around the Complete Works of Shakespeare the last few months, I can really see the benefits of digital media.

[number8]

I have all of Shakespeare's plays in my phone.

Bonus: search function.

[Winston*]

Problem is I can take my book into my exam but I doubt they'd let me take an e-book reader.

[[ETM]]

I, on the other hand, think that's precisely why books are such treasures. There are so many books printed each day, way beyond the consumption rate of anybody. So many books out there that you will love have gone under your radar, waiting to meet you one day in a bookshop or a second-hand store. But first, that book has to be out there, in print.

Oh, God.

[Derek]

[[ETM]]

I see what you did there. E-readers should have a much longer lifespan than average computers.

[Derek]

I see what you did there.

Respond with a provocative picture rather than actually addressing any point you made? I figured you'd catch that.

[[ETM]]

Respond with a provocative picture rather than actually addressing any point you made? I figured you'd catch that.

Is it something I said?