Heh - someday, Chinese computer novices are going to be griping about always getting connected to tech support reps who barely speak any Chinese!

I think this is a very cool idea, and am interested to see how well it works. I already participate in Bookcrossing, which is similar but way less focused.

I'm curious, though, why it would necessarily follow that a tip jar would put you at odds with your publisher. Surely you could come up with an equitable agreement to split any proceeds from the tip jar, yes?

I'm all about paying for the music, books, etc. that I consume - I'm very aware that there's a lot going on behind the scenes to bring these products to us consumers. So I think it's essential that we all work together to find a fair way to reciprocate when authors and artists produce materials for our consumption. It seems that the current trend is moving away from _direct_ reciprocation, and moving more toward a what-comes-around-goes-around type of thing.

Really? I mean, really?!
Tell you what: send me half that, and I'll make you the exact same thing, but with diamond-plate aluminum. WAY cooler.

Surely there must be a way to pit Blackwater against the Scientologists. Maybe they'll take each other out.

Flying Spaghetti Monster help us if they ever form an alliance...!

Do you suppose there's any correlation to people who learned to type on manual typewriters? I'd imagine those folks would be pretty hard on keyboards...

@ EH (#14) Yet at the end of the day, spraying paint on a wall, garbage can, or mirror does not in fact "destroy" those objects.

Perhaps by your definition the object isn't destroyed. What if the value I place on it includes its visual appearance? In that case, you have indeed destroyed it.

@MONUMENT: You, as an artist, are not in total control of peoples' perceptions of your art. An individual will see your art through the filters of his or her experience, worldview, taste, physical differences (i.e. colorblindness) to name a few. To say that you should be the one who decides whether they should be angered by your art is the height of arrogance, not to mention the ignorance of which you accuse them.

Myself, I find beauty in a well-executed piece of "street art." However, I also get angry at kids who run around spray-bombing everything in sight, just so they can achieve some sort of misguided fame.

Who are you to tell me how I should feel about either one?

[Yukon Cornelius]

"Didn't I ever tell you about Bumbles?

Bumbles bounce!"

[/Yukon Cornelius]

I got the Sony PRS 505 for Christmas. I knew I'd like it in a gadget-loving kind of way, but I thought it would remain more of a novelty than anything else. Boy, was I wrong!

Portability: I've got close to 90 books stored in it, thanks to a 2GB SD card, and it isn't anywhere close to being full. It's small, thin, and light.

Tactile, uh, -ness: I find that subconsciously running my fingers over the various buttons is a perfectly acceptable substitute for the feel of the page. And, since it's so lightweight, I don't get nearly as much cramping in my hand as when I hold a thick paperback open for hours on end. A minor shift in the pressure of my thumb "turns" the page, which makes it easier to read one-handed.

Display: e-ink rocks. Just as good as paper. I've tried reading on a laptop and a PDA. Too much eye strain, and not enough text on one page. I know the same would be true of my cell phone.

Battery: my reader already goes for days without a charge, and that's with moderate to heavy use. I've a notion to try hacking some solar panels onto the back, though, to see if I can make it self-charging...

Extras: I can also load pictures, pdfs, word (rtf) documents, etc. on it. It's also an MP3 player - admittedly, at the expense of battery life.

Also, like others have mentioned, I've downloaded several free books that I wouldn't ordinarily have picked up in the bookstore. Very low-risk way to try out a new author. If I like, I'll be buying more of their stuff.

I love my paper books, and won't be giving them up any time soon, but I wouldn't bet any money on the e-book readers going away any time soon.

Hah! The War on Rugs!

@ #25: Or maybe it's Chuck Norris e-mailing people...!

All this is assuming that "the terr'ists" are actually going to be frightened or feeling guilty at the security line. If they feel like they're doing a good thing for their cause, and they've been promised a glorious afterlife replete with heaps o' virgins at their disposal, they might be more on the happy and excited end of things, doncha think?