Re: environmental damage, yes, it is a known issue. And I’m sure technology will even solve that. Computers and mobiles leak more toxins than paper but we still prefer emails over snail mail because it is convenient. That said, there ought to be a concerted effort to reduce the environmental impact. Apple has already started moving toward such efforts and even chose to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; which is admirable (and it makes business sense too).

Any and all of it – depends on the day and the mood. :-)

“Often being seen with a book is a social signal about your tastes and preferences; almost a status symbol. Some like to display their books in their study/living room to indicate their choices or just simply because books make for good wall art (there might be solutions for that too).”

That equally – or even more – applies to Kindle and new tech gadgets. iPhone, for example.
Shelfari, What Books Am I Reading and other similar online applications are the digital equivalent of a book-shelf – though visible to all friends, and not just those who visit my home and happen to look at it. In a way, these online applications have even more bragging/status symbol quotient than books on a physical shelf. BTW, I don’t really care for applications like Shelfari though I’m sure others find it useful.

And how green are gadgets like Kindle and how would they compare to borrowing books from a library?
An old, outdated Kindle will likely end up in a third-world country in a landfill, leaching toxins into the land and water for centuries, though on the plus side, it will provide us bleeding heart greens with a new charitable mission. ;)

Is the controversy over Coltan settled yet? I’m assuming it’s used in the Kindle screen, unless an alternative has been found/used.

I’m not quite sold on the “e-gadgets to read books as the greener alternatives to books” theory as yet.

There are other reasons for paper-books. Often being seen with a book is a social signal about your tastes and preferences; almost a status symbol. Some like to display their books in their study/living room to indicate their choices or just simply because books make for good wall art (there might be solutions for that too).

Mind you, I’m a book lover and love buying, reading, and storing books and I’m just wondering…

Nope. The analogy doesn’t quite fit. :)

And why would I want to detach myself of the feelings of reading a paper book? That is part of the experience. Besides, I can’t just pick up my computer and go to the neighborhood park/pond if I want to spend some time reading a book under a tree – a paper book is much more convenient and suitable. If the issues are clutter/piles/space and environmental concerns, then libraries provide a solution to both.

One word: libraries.

That’s like saying, post offices when told about the virtues of email.

And yup, probably that dead-tree mention was uncalled for. But re: toilet paper, I’ll use a hose spray any day :)

And the “dead-tree book” guilt-trip works only if you’ve given up on using toilet paper and other paper products that use trees. ;)