The "Evils" of Technology

For the past four days I have been seriously jones-ing for a Kindle. If you're unaware, Kindles are Amazon.com's most recent entrant into the eBook industry--it's a little hand-held device that allows you to read high-quality electronic versions of books. (That little Kindle pictured above went for a cruise... what a lucky little Kindle.)

When I first heard of the Kindle I was like, "No way would I ever buy that, I want the feeling of the book in my hands while I'm reading; the satisfaction of turning the pages and getting to see my bookshelves grow as I accumulate more and more books into my library."

Also, I'm one of those people who has deluded themselves into thinking they'll go back and re-read books. I've only re-read a handful of books in my life, most never get touched again unless it's to loan it to someone else. The short list of books that have been good enough (or I've had a passing obsession with) to warrant a second read were:

• Go Down to Silence (G.K. Belliveau)
• Pride & Prejudice (Jane Austen)
• Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) [This definitely falls under the "Passing Obsession" category]

I have a number of books I read back in high school that are on my shelf to re-read, such as:

• Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
• Animal Farm (George Orwell)
• The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

All that being said, I had to come to grips with the fact that my misapprehension that I like to re-read books is not a legitimate argument against the Kindle. [Also, my bookshelves are already full and my sister keeps telling me I need to stop buying books because there's nowhere else to put them.]

So, I did a little online research (i.e., I watched the video and read reviews of the Kindle on Amazon's website). Check out the video by clicking this link. Now I totally want one in the "I don't know how I've been able to exist for all these years without one" kind of way. I love the idea that for a mere 10 ounces (a size that can easily fit inside my purse) I can have loads of books at my fingertips. That is a huge selling point for me because I always love to have a book on me to read in any spare time (riding in the car, waiting in line, whatever), but sometimes the book I'm reading is too big or too weighty to carry around in my pursue. Problem solved with the Kindle!

(Does this sound like an infomercial yet?)

On the flip side, there's a blog that I get delievered via email from Nathan Bransford (a literary agent in San Francisco) and, although I'm not an author, I like to read tid-bits about the publishing industry, thinking it will make me a more wise conniseur of literature. He does a weekly bit on the end of the publishing industry as we know it. The latest link was to an article in New York Magazine about this issue (and other things plaguing the publishing industry). I read the article (all right, it's long, I only skimmed it) and I wonder to myself if my purchase of the Kindle is good or bad? Am I putting people out of a job in the publishing industry? Should I care about the publishing industry workers?

My question for you is this, "Kindle: Would you buy one? Why?" Please answer in the comments section. (By the way, I think I've decided to buy one when the price comes down... I love the idea of it, but not for $360.)