chrisframpton: I just bought a Kindle. I’ve wanted one for a while but just found out they’re available in Canada. It’s amazing. The “e-paper” screen is actually displaying ink — ink thats particles are being organized, displayed and rearranged electronically. Science!

I know what you’re thinking: “But I love how a book feels in my hands! I love the smell of a book!” Yeah, I get it; I like those things too. But you know what? Those aren’t really the main reasons I like books (and presumably they’re not your main reasons either). What I really love about books is the intellectual and emotional immersion of reading. I associate that experience with physical books, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same thing.

The Kindle is awesome to read. I really didn’t think it would be, but it is. And even though it doesn’t smell like a book or leave ink smudges on my fingers, it completely succeeds in the important ways a book needs to succeed — intellectually and emotionally it’s as immersive and pleasurable to read as a real book.

Plus it’s actually easier to hold than a book. It’s lighter and much thinner. It has a built-in dictionary that actually works like you’d want it to. And I can (and will) still walk into a bookstore and browse books. At least for as long as we’re printing them on dead trees.