Should save a few trees too.
Yes, I just read Encyclopedia Britannica is publishing their last print edition. That is a bit sad.
I think printed textbooks will disappear, but I agree with techie it is nice to have a real book, if you drop it you don't care. Who knows, I have never seen a paper free office.
I would rather read a book on a printed page. Less eye strain. But no doubt everything will be digital before long, until a sun burst wipes everything out or a military attack.
You all do know that the military already had magnetic weapons that can wipe out all digital data. The US Navy is currently experimenting with a weapon that can totally shut down all computerized weaponry, steering, etc. of an enemy ship, making it a useless sitting piece of floating metal with no defense whatsoever.
Just think of the damage one of the weapons spikes could do. The US military is developing these weapons that could shut down entire militaries and nations. One big zap and everything digital you have is wiped clean and rendered useless.
But as long as that does not happen all text books on one device would be much more affordable and easier for students to carry around. Plus the convenience of having all information together in one source.
As for as the trees that paper is made from, newsprint is made from pine trees which are farmed in the southern USA. A very renewable resource that supplies jobs to a large portion of the economy. As soon as one crop is cut down, another is planted. Without the need for pine products the trees would be eliminated and another agricultural product grown in its place. The refuse from the pine trees is used to make biofuel. Most paper for books, stationary and other better paper products is not made from trees but cotton and other agricultural products. What really endangers trees here (which are usually more than plentiful here) is development, clear cutting to build big box stores & parking lots and more urban sprawl.
I am all for conserving as many trees as possible, especially the forests. Thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt and the National Park Service, along with much better agricultural policies, there is much more forested land in the USA than there was in the late 1800s and early 1900s (when deforestation was at its peak.)
I do agree that textbooks would be obsolete in the near future because electronic reader devices such as a Kindle, iPad, and Nook are replacing books. However, there is nothing like the feel and smell of a real book. Too bad, future generations will not experience holding a natural book in their hands.
There's a school on the Gulf coast here that's going book-less. What a shame. Then again I've seen young ones with a backpack stuffed with books that's almost more heavy than the child hauling it.
Being in and out of airports quite frequently I can say as much as I love a book, an e-reader (tablet) is really the way to go! I have enough stuff piled in my briefcase, I really don't have much room for a book on top of it.
Nicola mentioned a great point, can you imagine just how many trees can be saved worldwide if schools move to digital textbooks? Never mind the cost of replacing the old worn out books as well.
Welcome to the future folks!
i could never get my kid to read...he likes stories and is super smart but didnt like how the pages "felt" i got him a kindle and now he reads all the time. i too prefer a book over "e reading" but if it makes him read more then so be it. that and he doesnt have to haul it all around.
but encyclopedia britannica not printing....thats just, WOW.
littlemissbitch ~ professional face ripper offer, at your service..
I´m sure gonna miss the smell of a paperback... you know when you open the book and stick you face in between the pages, take a big wiff.... what? Am I the only one that did that?
The smell of textbooks not so much, they used to make me a little dizzy. But then again I think that was a reaction to studying overall.
To resume my rambling... I think its a great move. Im all for the digital age.
As long as it promotes reading, I'm for it. For those that prefer the hardback, start saving 'em now. I love saving old books from the pyre. Some day, we can get together and make our own library. Seems people do like things that are retro.
While I like the feel of a real book, when it comes to text-books this is definitely the way to go.
Textbooks are heavy to carry, they cost a fortune, and many of them have new editions put out every other year or two, so they are basically useless in terms of resale value unless you do it *right after* the semester is over.
I paid hundreds of dollars per semester on new textbooks, then started buying used ones, but if I didn't sell them within the year, a lot of them were already outdated/wrong edition.
And as someone already said - it saves so many trees.
Digital is definitely the way to go. If you can afford university, you can afford a laptop. In fact, it's pretty mandatory these days.
Thanks Forestry Commission Fred!
Great post SD, thank you.
textbooks included.
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