I find the last sentence of that blog entry is the most profound. The attachment to the smell, the feel, the obvious sentiment that comes from owning a book that was obvious in the 1HDC entries as well as throughout this thread. Its tough to let go.
And therein lies the rub. Until the next generation comes through growing up with only eBooks, or at the very least ebooks as their primary reading source, the switch is going to be painful.
This is a subject far different than computers, or mobile phones, or digital cameras coming in and changing the paradigm. Those technologies weren’t replacing something that is steeped in history. They aren’t replacing something that is the foundation of civilization. Think about that for a second.
It isn’t that eBooks can’t replace books. I believe they can and will. It is going to take a completely different mindset.