Gut reaction to the Kindle? Do you remember?
When I started using the Kindle for the first time, my imagination went into overdrive: this was the end of books, the end of magazines, the end of libraries, the end of paper. No paper!
So, maybe my intuitions aren't spot on, perhaps I have a tendency to exaggerate, but the Kindle does bring visions of Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World to the forefront of your mind.
The noteworthy aspect of the Kindle, however, is not necessarily the physical gadget created by Amazon, but rather the E-Ink technology behind it. The Cambridge, MA company is responsible for developing the ‘electronic paper' technology used not only in the Amazon Kindle, but also in the Sony e-reader. In the coming years, I think that this is the technology to watch out for: just think of the implications of such an invention, particularly when they are able to master the ‘paper' part of ‘electronic paper.' Imagine what you could do with something that was flexible and light like paper, but capable of transmitting endless amounts of information? Combine that with Google Latitude and you've got Harry Potter's magic map, but better.

So, while librarians probably don't have to start looking for a new profession just yet, perhaps the days of 20 pound text books are coming to a close.

Where can you see this technology going?