the perfect technology

i love books. the characteristic smell of specific publishers. the crisp feel of a tight binding. the heft of a volume in your hand. good books are like friends, well, at least like good friends. they're reliable, loyal, and encouraging--even when they tell you things you don't want to hear.
also, i love technology. the click of the keyboard. the quiet hum of a fan. the spin of a harddrive. face it, i am a gadget-freak. i go few places without my ibook and ipod. i am accessing the net at this moment using an inspiring concoction of cable and cellphone. i long for apple to revive the newton. good gadgets are also like good friends. they're reliable, loyal, and encouraging--as long as the batteries are charged at least.
one might think (like wendell berry implies in his delightful essay, "why i will not buy a computer") that books and technology are incompatible. one might even be right in holding such convictions. that said, i think there is more to it than that. yes, there was a time when printed books were the ultimate technology. to a certain extent, it is true, such a time has passed. then again, however, i agree with stephen wrinn, the director of the university press of kentucky, who said, "Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I think the book is the perfect technology." perhaps that explains my affinity for tomes and technologies, things which seem so incompatible. or maybe my simple mind cannot shake its hobgoblin.