Slightly off-topic, but has anyone yet bought a book which is printed while-you-wait? I'm curious to know what the quality is like.

Here's a link to an article about the Random House Espresso Machine. I have heard that these machines are starting to appear in a few US bookshops.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6346866.html?pubdate=6%2F26%2F2006&display=archive

On a similar note, stone wheels don't deflate or need new tyres fitted every 25,000 miles, so why did we bother moving on?

Good point well made!

Personally I'm far too emotionally attached to books to even consider such a thing as an e-reader, especially in this world of Ebay and the like where I can generally get hold of a hard copy of any text I like for a reasonable price.

But reading the article, it sounds like the technology is moving on in leaps and bounds. I suspect that the real impact of e-readers and suchlike will come if and when we have a generation of kids who have grown used to them in school and move into adult life being more used to e-books than real ones.

That article is great:

And faster than you can say "Grande Caramel Macchiato," they will be able to be pick up the finished product at a nearby bookstore, coffee shop or copy shop.

don't bookshops already stock finished books?

don't bookshops already stock finished books?

Nah, that's just an optical illusion. They're actually empty boxes with a sensor hidden inside, so that when you pick one up to look at the back it sends a signal that registers your interest at the publisher's, who can then decide how much to bid for that author's next book. Nobody ever actually buys one.

Emma