A parting of the ways?

I like the line from Jacob Weisberg's Newsweek piece about the new Kindle 2 that says,"The Kindle 2 signals that after a happy 550-year union, reading and printing are getting separated."

It seems a parting of the ways that we ought to be able to survive.

He goes on to say:

"The notion that physical books are ending their life cycle is upsetting to people who hold them to be synonymous with literature, and terrifying to those who make their living within the existing structures of publishing. As an editor and a lover of books, I sympathize. But why should a civilization that reads electronically be any less literate than one that harvests trees to do so? And why should a transition away from the printed page lessen our appreciation and love for printed books?"

Sounds reasonable.

He says:

What we should worry about is that the current system supports the creation of literature, if grudgingly. There's a risk that what replaces it won't allow as many writers to make as good a living. But there's also a chance it could allow more writers make a better living.

I like the sound of that, too.