Counterfactuals
Mac Slocum at O'Reilly's Tools of Change with a great counterfactual:
"Let's say the world has only e-books, then someone introduces this technology called 'paper.'..."
Now, here's me with a far clunkier one: If an almost seamless and freely available network of trusted individuals served the function of examining, corroborating, ratifying, promoting, excoriating cultural content on behalf of the world at large, and then someone introduced the printed book review section, would the world's publicists denounce this development on the Huffington Post?
Here's Michael Cader's extended take on the whole drama, synthesizing some excellent responses, including his own.