In a week of discussions on the future of publishing, I would be remiss to focus only on text on a screen. Because, while I believe that ebooks are not just a passing fad, I also believe that print books will never ever--at least not in my generation or the next--be replaced by ebooks.

How we buy print books? That's constantly changing. I am just old enough to remember when Amazon started, how people said it would never replace brick and mortar stores. And, as much as I hate to say it...Amazon is. At least for now. Because one bit of tech that's been developing mostly quietly is the POD machine that can print, bind, and distribute a book to a waiting customer in literally minutes. The Espresso Book Machine is a marvel, and even though I'd never seen one, I'd heard a lot about it.

Fortunately, I found a really cool video that shows how the machine works with the cover off, letting you see just how quickly a new book can be printed...