As the ebook wars begin to heat up with the announcement of Apples iPad now taking orders, Amazon has recently announced two new products that will allow users to download ebook’s directly to your computer. First they announced a Windows version several weeks ago and today they have announced a Mac version.
Xanluna! has been promoting the Amazon Kindle almost from the beginning as we were supposed to be showcased there. However we have never been able to confirm our existence. Never the less as a medium ebook’s are slowly coming in to light. We have a number of PDF version of ebook’s here on our web site available for free. We plan to add more in categories in the future as our library grows.
Personally I have mixed emotions when it comes to these readers. On the one hand being able to take your ebook with you like a book sounds appealing but I can already do that with my laptop. Albeit my laptop is not as small or compact as a iPad or Kindle I have the full power of my computer at my fingertips.
For die hard readers these devices certainly are the next step in books and other forms of print media. Needlessly cutting down or cultivating trees for harvest to make paper seams a reasonable argument. But not just to save the environment please! The transformation from books to ebook’s has been a long one because so many technologies are involved and thousands of jobs on both sides of the equation are at stake.
The paper industry for example not only produces paper for print, but also for other common household products like toilet paper etc. Our shipping industry also greatly depends on paper to allow the transport of goods in paper boxes. So in good terms ebook readers will not end the life of paper.
The argument that this is good for the environment doesn’t fly with me as these readers consume other resources like gold, palladium, cadmium silver, etc. that must be extracted from huge strip mines. When these devices just like full blown computers are end of life they have to be recycled or they pollute our landfills. Thus making a problem bigger.
The advantage to growing trees for paper that intern become books is it is renewable. Each tree puts much needed oxygen back in to our environment and the waist products help generate much needed electrical power.
Once you strip mine for the ore to extract gold, silver, and other minerals, etc. there is no more. The supply is fully consumed except for the amount that is returned trough expensive recycling efforts. So we live in a delicate balance of how much to produce of these devices. All electronic devices like computers, HDTV’s, stereo equipment, cell phones, printers and even your automobile and refrigerator utilize these minerals for construction. The modern electronic age as we know it would grind to a halt without them.
Again we turn back to paper. It is renewable where extracting precious metals is not really. So we are left in a quandary in what is best. For the sake of convenience and moving forward ebook’s work on both sides of the equation. It does reduce our consumption of paper but also adds increased energy needs as well as introduces new requirements in technology to manufacture. Again requiring a strain on our natural resources. So we come full circle with the argument.
Finally our society is ever growing more dependent on gadgets and the next cool thing. We produce for the sake of production because to generate these devices creates jobs and promote our species foreword. But the question you must answer is do we really need them? Is the trade off worth the cost?
Just a few things to ponder as your on your way to purchase your next piece of electronics. To download a copy of the Windows and Mac versions of Amazons new ebook reader hit the jump. Windows, or MAC.
Now I think I will go read a magazine!
