"The times they are a changing."

Just read that Borders Bookstores is closing all of their nearly 400 stores, thus their 10,700 employees will then be unemployed...ugh....

This is distressing on many levels. Naturally it's sad that a company that big is going under, and all those people will be out of a job.

But on top of that, I am disturbed that books, physical books, are going the way of the train....

Yes, I know, I'm a Baby Boomer, and we've gotten to hold books and turn the pages and have bookshelves. But books are going the way of watches; they are becoming obsolete. Everything is electronic now. You see what time it is on your cell phone, iPad, or laptop. You read your books on your Kindle or iPad or whatever... I've heard in the very near future that, in order to save money, most colleges and private schools will have all text books online, and it won't be long until public schools will follow. What scares me is that history will be rewritten and no one will go back and check what was previously written. Or they will rewrite the Bible (which they are already trying to do) and change really important things or delete really important things, making the meaning totally different.

Gone will be the days when you could go into a bookstore and get to peruse what you'd like to buy and, if young, look at the pictures. It seems to me, that there is good and bad with the new e-books - good that anyone can get something published, but also bad.... With blogs and e-books, everyone is an author, and a vast number shouldn't be. I've already lamented in earlier blogs that magazines and newspapers (my lifelong career) have taken major hits, and the quality of writing has hit new lows. The customer is reticent to pay for news since quick news is even on people's cell phones, and most newspapers and magazines haven't made the on-line transition yet. And if the customer isn't willing to pay, then the quality of writing will be terrible. Not to mention the dumbing down of our schools systems, where high school graduates can't even write a term paper any more. Yes, the times they are a changing.

Just not sure if it's for the best...