What Could Be a Better Gift?

What Could Be a Better Gift?
Originally uploaded by sgtret.

A friend gave me this acrylic painting a few years ago.  I thought
then, what could be a better gift than something made for me by
another's hand.  Then I got the Amazon Kindle for Christmas from my
Brother-in-law...

To justify this judgment call, I said, the painting's lovely, I will
certainly cherish it for as long as it and I exist on the same planet,
but, I am a geek after all, and a Reader.  The Kindle is Heroin for
readers.  A symptom of heavy drug use is its taking you away from human
company.  The Kindle certainly does this.

More than a book in its raw, non digital form?  Yes.  You have to at
least go somewhere to get the book.  Even if  you have it delivered,
there is a person who brings the brown wrapped item to your doorstep. 
That interaction is removed by the unattached download the Kindle
performs.

A question was asked last week about browsing.  In a book store you can
pick up the book, open the pages, and then decide.  There is nothing
stopping you from still doing this and then, opening your Kindle and
absorbing the book from the cyberfed ether. The virtual browsing can be
accomplished by downloading a sample of the book.  This is usually the
prologue, introduction and first chapter.  I did that with Brave
Companions by David McCullough.

When you get to the end of the sample, a simple click will buy the book
for you.  As I've said before, this is what drug dealers call "a
taste..."
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