Thank you! I’m not quite ready for E-print, except for the current internet sources.
I am though, past the need for the daily ‘ink on my hands’ copy. It’s come to a re-adjustment of the time when I get my news (carrying a paper and reading it here/there or at home has gone by for me... sad, for a previous adolescent paper deliverer — and the lack of same for upcoming generations?).
The ‘net has an advantage in it’s ability to provide (more factual) news which is both timely and ‘fact checked’ (such as this site).
I hope that the principle can be applied to school textbooks (a bit off topic, but perhaps justified?)
You hit it right on the head. “Hard copy” may still be appropriate for magazines and books, but hardly for “news” which should now be timely and mobile (as formerly only in radio or later streaming / mobile video) especially for people who are not tied up to a mailbox at home or at work. Even advertisements and coupons are now available online, and sooner than in mailbox. It will come slower to some rural areas.
Another, not often thought of, use of e-books is their ability to adjust the font size / type, brightness and contrast, which make them a natural in dark environments and for people with eyesight impairments, who have trouble reading papers or the books without special large print editions.
School / college textbooks are not off topic or afterthought at all, it’s one of the best and natural uses one can imagine for e-reader / e-book, which can replace a tremendous number of books, manuals and other study / course materials, all in one light little package which can be used almost anywhere, may be password-protected (to prevent theft) and possibly even used to download homework and upload the completed tests to teacher’s computer for grading. It’s not a matter of technology anymore. It’s indispensable in college and there are already several schools that experiment with it, and I’d say it’s one of the best developments (and investments) in education in decades.