This is the long-time-coming moment of a near total transformation of the distribution of news, information, entertainment and education. What we know of as books.
The book becomes virtual, fluid, a platonic ideal of book with the infinite perfection of its aspiration and immateriality. Weightless, portable; the contents commentable.
Now the book comes unbound, deconstructed (and reconstructed instantly over millions of criss-cross strands around the earth) Content is number sequences on ibooks, the Gutenberg Library and the myriad of libraries posting their holdings in the public domain, all now easily accessible on more and more gizmos.
How it will play out, with old infrastructures breaking down - bookstores disappearing - publishers wondering what they will do when their authors go direct on their own websites or to the likes of Amazon. Price point seems a petty issue with the entire future so uncertain but it seems likely that the big operators, Amazon, Apple and Google, will be even bigger; they will distribute everything - every e-thing.
Why I am so exhilarated by all this - other than awe at the vastness of the future? I believe that in the long run this will be a huge boost for education, civilization and humanity -- instant global access to all ‘the greats’ and ‘up-to-dates’. Let the great skimming begin.
“Gradually... and then suddenly.”
Gradually and then now.
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