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So I just read the full review that prompted this thread, and I have to say that I believe many people approach the issue of e-books incorrectly. The author was discussing the high cost of e-books relative to their...corporeality.
The thing I love about e-text is that I do *not* need a shelf, or a room to hold them; I just need some space on an 80 gb hard drive. The ephemerality of e-books should be a selling point, not a sadly admitted limitation! How cool is it to have the collected works of Shakespeare take up one electronice file folder rather than a box that's 8.5"x11"x24"?
The crux of the matter is the perception of who owns data or intellectual property, and who gets to use it, for how much money. Limitations to ownership, such as DRM software, are what point up the un-physicality of this data, and the model needs to be adapted.
I will admit that there is something nice about gazing upon a shelf of treasured books, arranged like so many trophies of my reading skill; there is a pleasantness of having texts arranged willy-nilly that allows for random access and increased brain function. But in my little house, and on my little boat, I'd much rather use that space for something else.
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