I just had to comment on the incredibly cool birthday present that my wife Sheri gave me a few weeks ago. We are both voracious readers and I had been wondering about the new technology of the electronic books. Far different than audio books (which I love when driving long distances or on my Iphone for treadmill time) E books are downloadable from the internet and then read off of a new device like the “Kindle” or Sony “Ereader” which have the new “E Ink” technology. Well, the Sony Ereader was very cool in style and after I figured out how to charge the battery and download a book off their website, I was reading. The best thing about the sony product was also its downfall. There are little LED lights in the screen that you can turn on so you can read in the dark without a separate light; really cool but, drains the battery four times faster than without light. Really a bummer ’cause I read at night, alot. Last week the Ereader froze and locked up so, I returned it after doing a ton of research on other available products. I have since ordered, received and powered-up my 1st generation Kindle (there are already 2 more generations out, but this one has the items I value most for the best dollar) and have been reading away like crazy. All of that aside, this baby is a game changer! After having it in my hands and reading on it for the past week I am making some  bold assertions here: 1. This will dramatically alter the entire publishing industry (similar to what happened in photography with the advent of digital) with possibly the ultimate demise of large brick & mortar bookstores as we know them now. 2. Every child in school will have one of these with all their books for the year on it and tons of other material, as well as possibly taking all their tests and doing most of their assignments on it (which can all be immediately wired to their teacher when complete) 3. Newspapers and magazines will ultimately be subscribed and read this way (or on new laptop/Ereader hybrids) saving gazillions of trees… 4. I believe we will eventually be carrying one tablet device with us as an Ereader, minicomputer, phone (with bluetooth headset),  biomedical interface and credit card. This tablet could be wired into our doctors, banks, credit card companies and anything else we require. I can see the day when we walk into our doctors office and wireless transfer our medical records when we sign our name and carry all those records with us even for emergencies. I saw all this as I was holding this little plastic tablet in my hands and experiencing the technology for the first time! If you read anything for any legth of time you have to check this out! I decided on the simple 1st Kindle until the technology really improves with nightlights, low battery drain and better, all color screens for a reasonable price. Maybe I’ve just been reading too much science fiction lately…but I love this thing!