This is from an article about book trailers, which I'm not sure is the best idea, but it's a neat picture.

I love to read. I am often indifferent about whether I am reading paper or words on a screen. If I am reading a book, it often doesn’t matter to me whether the book is on paper or on a screen.

For some people this distinction is important. They may only want a paper book or an electronic book. Lots of smart people are seeing a future where more people will want to read electronic books instead of paper books.

But the thing to remember is that books, whether they are printed as pixels or ink or even cuneiform on stone, are still something people want to read. We like to read. As a species, we are wired and cultured to read. More on that in another blog post.

So, people still want to read books. Books will still need to be published. People will keep writing and reading them. Books, as a cultural information format, aren’t going anywhere.

The question isn’t whether books, or the publishing of books, will disappear. The question is what format the manufacture and distribution of books will take in the coming years.

Or, to put it another way, what would have gotten me to purchase the book I just bought on O’Reily’s website at the bookstore?
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The article that this picture originally comes from has more footnotes than mine, check it out

I was working on an update to this site recently, and found myself stuck on a php problem. When you get stuck on a problem, if you’re anything like me you want an answer sooner rather than later.

I started with google. After some searching there, I went to wordpress to find a plugin, or maybe something in the codex to help me solve the issue. From there, I went broader and looked for php and mysql issues that could help me explain what was happening. Finally, I decided that I needed expertise beyond the unstrucured answers I was finding. I was also ready to pay for an answer.

Some people might turn to experts exchange, or a trusted friend to find the answer. I have a DIY personality, so my next stop was Amazon.com to look for books on the subject in which I was interested.
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