[MartinTheK (OP)]

I bought my kindle 2 because my hand is weak following my stroke.

Now I can carry 40 books - many free from Project Gutenberg - in my man bag (gotta have one if yer a gimp)

Now I can turn the page without putting down the book.

I once saw a complete collection of Scott's work in an antique store. People didn't buy them to read Rob Roy and Old Mortality. They were bought by disgusting people to decorate their bookshelves in the den. God forgive the benighted yuppie wretches.

Resistance is futile. You will all be assimilated.

Mark my words. The day will come when a book is something you jack into the port which has been surgically implanted in your mastoid process.

Books will be something for interior decorators.

[Karsten]

Mark my words. The day will come when a book is something you jack into the port which has been surgically implanted in your mastoid process.

Books will be something for interior decorators.

Unless our "civilization" collapses.
And hopefully some smart people will continue to make books of the material that is worth keeping accessible for a really long time.

[Karsten]

Oh no, my book's batteries died!

[Chemistry4me]

I thought it was solar powered! []

[Karsten]

Now my book fell of the table and I seem to not be able to "open" it any longer.

[lyner]

Don't be so clumsy then, you old Luddite!
It won't be long before they have plastic, bendy screens (even roll up ones). Then you'll have to shut up! But you'll be screaming cos you dropped 40 printed books on your foot.
I wouldn't mind betting that some people said reading and writing wouldn't catch on because they knew, off by heart, all the stories they would ever want to tell.
Do we really need to read, in any case? It may be just a passing fad.

[MartinTheK (OP)]

Could the naked scientist be made available in transcript form on my kindle ?

[JnA]

Once upon a time they siad that computers would take over the world and we would be able to have paperless offices. The first part is almost correct.. but I am yet to see a true paperless office.

So it seems that even with the ebook readers available books won't be going anywhere soon.

[Karsten]

I will wait and see. If I look at many of the modern communication devices and how they are used I wonder how useful they really are. Too many seem to be a curse rather than a blessing when it comes to becoming distracted or distracting others. And at times this includes even this website. I have heard impressive reports from relatives regarding e-readers. The books I am interested in though are not popular enough to be available in this form or are too old.

Do we really need to read, in any case? It may be just a passing fad.

Indeed, if the spelling and writing abilities of our younger generations deteriorate much further, reading may become rather unpopular because it is so difficult to understand what is written.

[chris]

Could the naked scientist be made available in transcript form on my kindle ?

That's a great idea, Martin, but what format would the material need to be in? How do you upload material to your kindle?

Chris

Chris

[RD]

Q. Will ebook readers replace traditional publishing ?

A. Have you ever tried swatting a wasp with a laptop ?   []

[Karsten]

Q. Will ebook readers replace traditional publishing ?

A. Have you ever tried swatting a wasp with a laptop ?   []

Or tried to make/fuel a fire with one?

[lyner]

If you swap a wasp with a paperback you will break BOTH their spines.
(And I realise that a wasp is an invertebrated but inaccuracy is necessary for the purposes of the joke).

About 25 (at least( years ago I saw a demo of a 'tablet' style of ruggedised computer which the man threw on the floor and it still worked. Wasps watch out.

[Bored chemist]

25 years ago it probably had less processing power than the wasp.

[lyner]

I think modern PCs are similar in that respect.

Ink on paper can only be a passing fashion, I'm sure. It's had a good few milennia and it's about time for a change.

[Madidus_Scientia]

A screen that seems just like a page of paper that you can just fold up and put in your pocket is what I look forward to

[chris]

Here's a question.

Would you be as happy with an autograph signed by your hero that was on an e-ink platform, or would you value more the handwritten equivalent on a piece of paper?

Chris

[lyner]

Chris

I have a CD full of the above.

I keep it under my pillow.

[MartinTheK (OP)]

Chris asked about what format would be used to upload the naked scientist to be made available on my kindle.

Amazon lets you upload files in several common text formats and for $0.10 they will convert it to Kindle speak and return it to your reader by wi-fi as if you had purchased it from the store. They also have newspapers and magazines available, but I haven'yt bought any.

I uploaded a big selection of Stephen Leacock books frrom Project Gutenberg, but amazon would not convert them because they were being prissy about the possible copyright of the illuustrations - even tthough Gutenberg had no problem.

Illustrations can be a problem. I just finished "The Steel Wave" by Jeff Shaara. You need better eyes than mine to appreciate the map of the Falaise pocket (for instance) in case they haen't made clear enough in the text that Montgomery was a ninny.

I am thinking of uploading some salacious texts to kindle and see what they would do if I tried to make it an e- dirty book reader

[chris]

...then that would be a "dirt-e-book" reader surely?