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Yeah, I hear you. Aemon Send a noteboard - 21/04/2011 06:16:24 PM
After all, regardless of how much the next generation likes eBooks, I am not part of that generation. And I am willing to trade all of the advantages of the ebook format for a physical book. The tactile physicality of them is important to me, and to the presence that a nice bookshelf has.


I'm one of the biggest proponents of ebooks around, but, like most people here, I grew up with physical books. From the Hardy Boys to Redwall to Shannara to Wheel of Time, I always had a book in my hands, back in the day. I've come to prefer the benefits of ebooks, but I'm not immune to the charm of physical books, and I still maintain a small-by-this-board's-standards bookshelf. I honestly hope that physical books always remain available for those who want them, I just don't like to see people fighting the move to superior technology solely for nostalgic reasons.

Oh, as to the bookshelf issue, though, I would point out that it's possible to display digital libraries in some pretty awesome ways. You should see my XBMC-based movie collection, for example. It's extremely slick, pops up instantly on any screen in the house, and looks WAY better than a shelf full of DVD cases. Bookshelves are obviously higher class than DVD shelves, but still, just because books become digital doesn't mean they have to be locked away in a directory of .txt files that no one ever looks at. :)
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Amazon to Launch Library Lending for Kindle Books - 20/04/2011 03:18:34 PM 1370 Views
Excellent news! - 20/04/2011 06:58:09 PM 736 Views
Paper books will not die for quite some time I'm sure. - 20/04/2011 07:44:39 PM 833 Views
I guess it depends on what you mean by "death." - 21/04/2011 05:04:40 PM 1065 Views
Re: I guess it depends on what you mean by "death." - 21/04/2011 05:40:28 PM 893 Views
Re: I guess it depends on what you mean by "death." - 21/04/2011 06:04:16 PM 1195 Views
Of course an online bookshop is going to sell more e-books than physical books. - 21/04/2011 06:14:51 PM 752 Views
That's exactly right. - 21/04/2011 06:34:28 PM 1038 Views
I'm talking about the "Amazon sold more e-books than physical books in 2010" argument. - 21/04/2011 06:39:45 PM 875 Views
I understand. - 21/04/2011 07:26:28 PM 979 Views
Amazon being so successful at controlling the ebook medium makes me uneasy. - 20/04/2011 07:13:02 PM 833 Views
Also: Terrible news. Another nail in the coffin of physical books. *NM* - 20/04/2011 07:13:32 PM 470 Views
Not so much. *NM* - 20/04/2011 07:39:17 PM 361 Views
I take perverse pleasure in watching the decline of physical books. - 21/04/2011 05:45:59 PM 1062 Views
You are right, of course. But all the rationalizing in the world doesn't make me happy about it. - 21/04/2011 05:57:12 PM 798 Views
Yeah, I hear you. - 21/04/2011 06:16:24 PM 1018 Views
Considering you can print out an ebook, your argument is silly. - 21/04/2011 01:09:18 AM 759 Views
I'm not sure I understand how this works... - 20/04/2011 07:30:51 PM 915 Views
Re: I'm not sure I understand how this works... - 20/04/2011 07:43:19 PM 825 Views
What Ghavrel said, but... - 21/04/2011 03:14:07 AM 955 Views
That's pretty cool then - 21/04/2011 06:25:03 AM 763 Views
Yes and no. - 21/04/2011 05:10:24 PM 1058 Views
Obviously none of you have used Overdrive. It's horrifically bad. - 21/04/2011 01:07:14 AM 762 Views
Never heard of it. *NM* - 21/04/2011 01:08:00 AM 374 Views
It's an already existing library ebook service, and it's terrible. *NM* - 21/04/2011 02:19:25 AM 358 Views
What makes it terrible? *NM* - 21/04/2011 02:20:12 AM 341 Views
The selection is awful, the interface is awkward, and it requires bizarre DRM installations. - 21/04/2011 02:40:55 AM 824 Views
I'm not a fan of the interface, either. - 21/04/2011 03:08:53 AM 889 Views
I agree. *NM* - 21/04/2011 01:35:12 AM 343 Views
Will a borrowed Kindle book have "fuck" underlined when it appears? - 22/04/2011 01:59:39 AM 818 Views
Better than it being written on the margins - 22/04/2011 05:27:12 AM 754 Views

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