How far is too far?

Consider this an addition to "What makes a book a book?" since I've been thinking along the same lines recently. When people start talking about "networked books" and text as "enhancement of cinema," I begin to wonder if they're even in the same business anymore. It's like MTV switching to reality shows and the history channel's obsession with alien documentaries. If the business model works for them, fine. But should they really still be calling themselves a music channel and a history channel?

Or Indigo's switchover to being a "lifestyle store for booklovers" rather than a bookstore. I see the economic logic - at least in the short term - but at what point does the identity stop stretching and start to disappear entirely?

As websites become more able to imitate books and books begin to imitate websites, what is the difference between them? Here's some of what I value in a book rather than a website:

1. I physically own it. It can't disappear, change, or become temporarily unavailable unless I am the one who loses, lends, or writes in it.

2. Reuse value. When I buy a book, my assumption is that I will open it more than once.

3. Wireless :-) That is, I don't need internet, electricity, or any kind of tech, just me and the book.

4. Relaxing. "Curl up with a good book" is a common phrase for a reason.

So now we have ebooks. Do I physically own them? Well... I have a copy of the file. Unless, of course, I decided to store it in the cloud. Reuse value? That's still there. Wireless? Well... getting more complicated, but this is perhaps balanced by the ability to carry 100 books instead of 1. Relaxing? Well, a good e-ink screen is still relaxing. So overall, I'm okay with ebooks.

Next step - networked and/or multimedia books. Can we physically own these, or will there be at least parts subject to the fast-paced changes of the internet? Reuse? Sure, that's still there. Wireless? Not really. Relaxing? Yeah, I think I'll go curl up with a good book... just me and 200 of my best friends... oh, don't mind the noise, it's got a soundtrack. And a video. And a link to an online database... is our internet working?

I know I probably sound like I'm whining. I'm not saying that some of these innovations don't have their uses. But they're not books anymore. Let Hollywood deal with text-enhanced cinema. And some social networking company can make a website for "networked books." Can't book publishing find a way to produce technology-enhanced text rather than losing its identity completely?