[Comrade Tulayev]

Quote Originally Posted by Fenris Technique

eReaders open up a vast wealth of literature to the third world and encourage *more* reading among owners worldwide. Clearly, on this particular forum, I'm in the minority. I'm the guy in the hipster vinyl shop singing the praises of MP3's to the flannel shirts. I get it. But if you look at the impact eReaders have across the globe it's hard to argue that they've been anything but a net gain for writers and readers alike.

I really like your metaphor about being in the vinyl shop. Its definitely one thing to sing the praises of mp3, and its a whole other thing to be chucking vinyl around the store like a frisbee to see it gleefully shatter against the wall. I make this point because, I wonder if there is a view by some on this thread that in praising mp3/e-readers, proponents are perceived as also taking glee in destroying vinyl/ or doing away with physical books. I really don't see it that way... the two can co-exist.

Is there a concern that physical books will disappear altogether with the advent of e-readers?

I think the advancement of this kind of technology really opens up vistas for many folks who wouldn't otherwise be drawn to actual reading.
That being said, I'm still not touching the blasted thing...

I'm definitely sensing a converging of sentiment and theme in both this thread and the "science says stop complaining" thread.