Yes! I love e-books!
I think e-books are fantastic. Not only because Erik Storm so far only exist as en e-book, but also because e-books are environmentally friendly, flexible and for many purposes much better suited than traditional books.
Tron Øgrim, a Norwegian radical, wrote his profetic blogs in the 90'ies. They were profetic in form since blog as a verb was still not invented, and in content because Tron understood very well how computer technology will change society. As he wrote early on it is not the technology which is the revolution, but the way humans will interact with the new technology.
Back to e-books. The technology is in our hands now. Most of us are frequent users of smart phones and tablets. Some of us use Kindles. And there will soon be a generation gap. Those of us who have learned to use tablets and smart phones, and those of us who has never known anything else.
E-books need no trees, uses no fossil fuel to travel and does not need to be stored warm and dry. As we change to e-books and e-papers our environment will be saved a huge burden. News papers and paper books will end. Sceptical? When did you last play an LP, or for that matter, a CD?
OK. It will take a little longer. CDs are still available (from online stores). Marketing people groups consumers in early adopters, early and late majority and laggards. If you still play LPs you are a laggard. Are you a Norwegian with a Kindle you are presumably amongst the early majority.
E-books offer a completely new way for teachers to convey knowledge, links directly to source material, illustrations to zoom into, vidoes and up to date information. Maybe future school books will resemble a subscription service. And they will have the opportunity to co-operate, share links and notes. This teaches the students new ways to co-operate and share. There will be challenges, but that is always the case.
As more readers embrace e-books I think the development will go fast. The offer will improve and the readers learns new expectations. E-books are cheaper, quickly delivered and you can easily carry a 1000 books on your tablet. And my kindle battery lasts for weeks.
And the publishers face a new challenge. Writers who has a story can pubish without a publishing company, or they can do as I did, find a publisher to work with and have the story published on my own terms.
There is really only one down side, at least to me, the future for book stores are bleak. And to me that is just sad.
(Originally posted 2014)
