As Jason Epstein puts it, we are reaching the end of the Gutenberg era...

Is the technology merely shaking the business model or will it fundamentally alter the reading experience? If you enjoy this topic this is a great radio program that first aired on WNPR  on April 9. 

Note the links at the bottom of the page. In particular that of the Institute For the Future of the Book, which we've mentioned before. They are true pioneers in that field. 

Short story is: Marksaid hates the "The Kindle Cannot Do" series.

No, he does not beat around the bush...and I quote: "You are embarrassing yourself and patronising your user base."

Mark, we are flattered by your enthusiasm for Titlepage. Yes, we do need you....but Mark this mini series is meant to be lighthearted. (I could see how you are failing to see that since you are under a lot of stress having a family member dying and all...) What is indeed pathetic is how long it has taken us to come up with 10 things that the Kindle can't do. But that's our problem.

FYI and since you mention it, based on our statistics, I thought the only people reading these entries were the Russian pill salesmen who keep on registering to our site.

Mark, I want to be on the record here: Not only do we do believe in the Kindle and the likes -- we LOVE it! Send me a list of 10 things the Sony e-reader can do and I promise to put it up for you. In the meantime, I stumbled on this Wall Street Journal review and thought you might find it interesting and may want to comment or post about it...

No...the Kindle will never be the next Fakebook!

                                          from secretstoragebooks.com

While traveling in Brazil last summer I stayed for a couple of days in an eco lodge a few hundred miles from Manaus. When I left, I abandoned a copy of a book I'd been carrying with me - don't ask me for its title - not only for the benefit of a lighter load, but, also because the owner of the lodge encouraged us to do so.

Other guests would definitely appreciate stumbling on a good book, in the middle of nowhere, he said, they could pick it up without any  preconceived notion, and it would take them places they'd never been before. Surprise them: an unexpected gift from one jungle visitor to another.

That my friends, you can't do with the Kindle. You cannot pass it on to a stranger...no you can't "Bookcross" a Kindle.

My friend Peter had his Kindle 1 stolen last week. So first thing he did, as instructed, was to de-register it. Great!

Second, he asked Amazon to stop whoever had stolen his Kindle from  using it. That should be simple enough since each machine is electronically registered with a unique serial number. In other words, Amazon need only deny any new registration for a device that has been officially reported as stolen.

Turns out Amazon does not do that. Yes, they will insure that as a victim you don't get charged for more books, but they will also make sure that the dishonest owner becomes a new customer! 

For the now Kindle-less owner, Amazon has only one suggestion: Buy a new Kindle!

There is nothing wrong with wanting to sell more books and more devices, but, to allow that an illegally acquired Kindle be re-used in all impunity is uncool. 

Can't Amazon do anything about this?

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