Atoms vs Bits... sometimes I prefer atoms...or not?!

Andy Mills, my boss when I worked at Telkom SA, handed me a book in 1993 (?) written by Nicholas Negroponte - "Being Digital". It was way ahead of that time but the concept of atoms vs bits, or/and atoms integrated with bits, is still absolutely applicable today!

But...their are times I don't like the pure clarity of my iPod(s) tunes, or reading everything online, or simply typing away on my keyboard... Until the net figures out how to replicate the feel of a newspaper, the distinct smell of the ink inside my Parker Pen when scribing away on paper, that smell of the pages inside a book (see post below), or the comforting sounds of a vinyl record quietly crackling/popping/blotching when you've gently laid the needle arm down onto the starting edge track...the offline world will maintain "reality feel" that online just cannot do... OK, ENOUGH ALREADY!

But really...here's an example...why would you want to get this Amazon "Kindle"?The difference between a digital native and digital migrant...so obvious here! YET...I've just ordered one anyway... who can say no to the convenience aspects to it...? Look, it is pretty cool to purchase a book and have it downloaded wirelessly, and within a minute, to your Kindle! Here are some of the features mentioned on Amazon's site that I like;

• Sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
• Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
• Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
• More than 100,000 books available, including more than 90 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
• New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
• Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
• Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Holds over 200 titles.
• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
• No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
• Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
• Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

Wondering if the EVDO connectivity is supported by our GSM/GPRS networks? I'm blown away by the convenience features but I think we'll see some really cool collaborative capibilities in the future...and perhaps a business/enterprise version of Kindle...

...or...this may just be another one of those e-reader duds - I'll let you know when I get my hands one ;)

I know, I know...I've just COMPLETELY contradicted myself in this post :-/ But...like it's titled...it's a MASHED UP WORLD!