

The Book That Contains All Books - grellas
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704322004574475702229446462.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_tech

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TrevorJ
Form factor matters. It's not something you can just trivialize. There's a lot
of functionality that a paper book has going for it. The question can't be
boiled down to a simple matter of being against change or new technology.

You can use spacial memory to find previous passages in a paper book, you can
turn down the corners of the pages and write notes in the margins. You can
leave your favorite novel in the trunk of your car for 4 years through winter
and summer and then grab it for enjoyable reading at a moments notice. You can
pack books away in your attic and reasonably expect that your great-grand kids
will be able to read them in 50 years if they want.

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fnid
And when it gets cold, you can burn them for warmth.

Unfortunately, I realized this after renting my house to some freeloaders who
burned my library of college books, encyclopedias, work books, car repair
manuals, home remodeling books...

I was sick when I found out.

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jacquesm
Man, that just hurts.

That should be a crime.

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hristov
I am pretty sure it is a crime.

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olliesaunders
I think it was joke.

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Dilpil
I first read this headline as "The book that contains all books that do not
contain themselves."

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jacquesm
Someone has been way too busy with set theory lately.

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mgenzel
Also don't dismiss significant used books market. I hardly ever buy books over
$5. Right now, digital books are priced like brand new books, and you can't
resell them. There's some price discrimination in terms of how much time
elapsed since release and popularity, but, given that I can buy a brand new
book on eBay a few hours after it was published (or earlier), destruction of
such market would be quite painful for many people. And so far I haven't seen
even an inkling of a solution to this issue in any of digital goods
categories.

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hristov
Yeah, I think I am going to keep my paper book library as well. It is just
feels good to look at all the books you read and remember what each book was
about. In fact when I read a book online (usually on Gutenberg) and I like it,
I find myself wanting to buy it so that I can have it in my library.

It feels kind of crazy that I am already becoming a ludite at this young age
but there you have it.

~~~
TomOfTTB
_It feels kind of crazy that I am already becoming a ludite at this young age
but there you have it._

I don't think you are I think you're doing the smart thing. It's not a
foregone conclusion that purely digital media is the future. In fact, I still
think the smart money is on having physical copies and then using those for
digital copies (e.g. ripping CDs rather than just buying tracks).

Especially in books. There's an argument against full CDs because you might
only want 1 or 2 tracks. The same can't be said for most books (who would buy
Chapter 2 and 6 of a book individually)

Most technical book manufacturers are already starting to include free e-books
with their paper copies. I personally think that's the way to go (at least for
the next couple decades or so, who knows after that)

~~~
LogicHoleFlaw
I keep flipping back and forth on the digital vs. analog future of media.
Digital data can be cheaply propagated forever so long as the technology
continuously exists, but won't be easily recoverable from the physical
artifacts if the tech is lost. Human-readable analog recordings can remain
legible for thousands of years without special tools. But then you have the
great burning of the library of Alexandria...

We're in a strange transitional state right now, and the future will probably
lie somewhere between these extremes. (I realize that's a really weak stand to
take...)

Hell, maybe the Singularity hits and we put aside petty human concerns in
favor of figuring out how to escape this Universe which is going to end in the
Big Crunch. Or is it the Big Freeze? I forget which is the current prediction.

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yannis
I am in two minds. I have a small library and has the author's problem of
carting them around with every move. I also have hundreds of ebooks (mostly
downloaded for free and a few purchased).

For me an ebook is still a simulation, sort of like having sex with an
inflatable plastic doll :) Nothing can replace flipping through a real book in
a bookstore.

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randallsquared
_I mean the comparison absolutely as a compliment to Mr. Baker_

...but saying so is an insult to Mr. Baker.

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zandorg
Dan Simmons: Hyperion? Nope

Terry Brooks Shannara? Nope

What IS available on Kindle?

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nirmal
Helpful list. <http://tinyurl.com/yhecylm>

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zandorg
I know there's a list, but I still have to search it, and I couldn't find
anything I wanted. To browse by author or genre would be nice.

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nirmal
Author doesn't seem to be readily available but their is a breakdown by Genre
in the left-side menu.

