Only four years ago, I first heard book industry folks talking about how great it would be to have an ATM for books. Just walk up, pick the book you want from the electronic archives, or enter your own, pay $3, and push Print. A book pops out, and you take it home.
This book ATM is now available, believe it or not, for a mere half million dollars. It's called the Espresso Book Machine, and Time magazine has named it one of the best inventions of the year.
Read Time's blurb here and more about it at On Demand Books.
My question is this: Will this system of electronically storing and printing only when asked for save our natural resources, or will the cheap access to books will make them seem more dispensable and in the long run waste more resources?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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