EBooks - the 21st Century Medium from Its Babydays to Its Grownup Nowadays

In the nineties and perhaps more recently for some, downloading an eBook carried sophistication and luxury reserved only for the technically savvy, or zealous geeks with a reputation of being over the top and weird Nowadays it''s the preferred way to obtain books and information by millions of Americans

In the nineties and perhaps more recently for some, downloading an eBook carried sophistication and luxury reserved only for the technically savvy, or zealous geeks with a reputation of being over the top and weird.

Nowadays it''s the preferred way to obtain books and information by millions of Americans. Typically once something catches on like this, is really easy like the eBook is, it becomes a household word, and it is here to stay.

In the case of the eBook, there are many advantages people gain for purchasing eBooks. A core and instant benefit is instant depth of fact on most any subject after only a moment or two of internet research.

EBooks are faster than FedEx Overnight. No waiting until 10am the next day or worse, waiting for the UPS man or US Postman to come and deliver a book. Consumer like it lots better when they get their answers immediately versus waiting long after the thrill of interest and burning desire to know has cooled off.

Also spurring online book sales is the ecological awareness of the world today. The benefit gained when an eBook is delivered electronically instead of by traditional means is compelling all the more.

As we all know a regular book is printed on paper.

Also we all know that paper is made from a tree in a forest hopefully not nearby your house or a loved ones, and then moved miles and miles by diesel fuel burning trucks to a paper mill which then uses toxic chemicals to bleach the wood pulp white and then later add more toxic polymers to the pulp and slurry, to reconstitute it into sheets of paper.

These are only the initial steps to simply making the paper for the books. There is also the fuel to provide the energy at the plants which levy damage to the eco system that is incurred through the burden on local municipal water filtration plants surrounding the mills.

Ultimately almost all paper mills will leave residual contamination in the watershed surrounding it?s plant generations after it has left town and its jobs have moved on.

Without exception, all paper mills leave a residual contamination in the watershed surrounding its plant for generations after its gone and the jobs have migrated to the next forest and city or town.

It is with good intention that today''s soy based inks are produced, and while they are indeed an improvement to the health of end user, and also successfully improving the inks whereas we at least do not levy eco damages to create the lead based ink for writing the books anymore now we rely on the new bio engineered soybean mono culture or farm for this new safer ink and encourage the creation of freak crops suitable only for growing in soil so poisoned, it has become all but sterile to any crop other then the genetically altered strains used.

Regardless to these negative reasons to buy traditional books, the most intimidating threat eBooks pose to upset the status quo is flat-out speed in which information can be delivered to the end consumer.

Today''s world changes at the speed of light. Information that would become obsolete when published through traditional channels with necessary considerations to printing schedules at publishing companies and distribution lag times can now be ready to go public after editing to perfect formats for a laptop or even a cell phone!

Indeed, the publishing worlds "baby" the eBook has certainly grown up and now going head-up quite competitively with its counterparts, the traditional hardcover and paperback.

Phillip Juan McClore is a professional technologist living in the Memphis, Tennessee area with online expertise ranging back to the early 80''s and 90''s in the beginning days of the computer age as we know it today and the Internet. Club Membership: TopInternetMoney.com