The Death of the Book

Today I did something that seems wrong. I bought a Nook. To someone who loves the feel of a book in her hands, it's like an adultery of sorts. An ereader. Is there nothing sacred anymore?? Perhaps I should be left out in the stocks for a day, or at least required to do 10 hours of community service.

Granted, I felt the same way when I switched from film to digital. The pixelization of our culture has just gone too far. And yet... there was a sense of giddiness as I hit the "Purchase Now" button on Ebay. Instant access to BOOKS! Yessssss.... Does it really get any better?? I like to think of it in the broader term of instant access to knowledge, but I think that might be stretching it just a bit too far. Though, I guess I can't really even call them books anymore. They're ebooks. Ya know, the infamous "e" that means you can't touch it, can't feel it, but its there in its pixeled glory. The McDonaldization of our society continues...

I have to admit that I was until recently a bit stupid about ereaders. Did you know that you can, wait for it... lend books. Well, at least with the Nook. Which, apparently, is superior to the Kindle on at least one level. Not only that, but you can borrow ebooks from the library. Seriously?? That's gold right there.

As I continue to feed my techie side with all of these fun toys (ya know, the ones destroying the good, old-fashioned-ness of life), I can't help but wonder what's next. It's almost like the Jetsons have come to life in the 21st century. Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but seriously. I'm waiting for Google's recent April Fool's joke to come to reality, along with a host of other things. Who knows, maybe in 20 years we won't even need to talk to each others (which some of us might not mind so much on certain days), and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" will come to reality in a city near you.

I do love keeping up with the latest techie trends. For obvious reasons, like, new toys. But also because I'm always intrigued by what new way someone has discovered to pixelize yet another formerly material object, or ways that we can have even less daily interaction with society.

It's intriguing, if nothing else. And, even though I have my sense of guilt, I will anxiously await my package of goodness that is set to arrive sometime in the next week and a half...