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Yes, but people didn't actually enjoy using the yellow pages :)

I always saw enjoyment as a practicall matter :)! But now we are getting into philosophy :)!

While some books benefit from print, my own preference is to use a Kindle. While able-bodied people can hold a book open with one hand, I normally need two hands to hold a book open, and I prefer the convenience and ergonomics of holding a Kindle with one hand. I also like not having to reorient my head from page to page and being able to read with a font and font-size I'm comfortable with. For books that benefit from more space for pictures or diagrams, I use a Kindle DX. Before ereaders came along, I was always dissatisfied with physical books, and I read comic books a lot because they stayed open more easily. Now I read books even more than I used to. I'm currently reading 1984, a book I originally tried to read in 1984, but the paperback copy I had used a small typeface, and I couldn't get into it then. With the Kindle, it has been easy to read. One book that has especially been made better with the Kindle is Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games by László Polgár.  The physical book is huge and bulky. I have this on my Kindle DX now, and it allows me to look at one problem at a time in a much larger size than the physical book does. When I have figured out a problem, I can quickly check my answer by following a hyperlink and then go back with the press of a button.

Boards using computer graphics have some of the same advantages. You can resize them or customize the board and piece images to your preferences without affecting what your opponent sees. But I do understand that people who have the option may still prefer to use physical boards. If I were playing a CV against someone in person, I expect I would prefer a physical set over computer graphics. But video games are so common these days, I could imagine people in the same room eventually playing CVs together on tablets or phones. Furthermore, it was thanks to having Chess variants available through computers that I actually made a hobby of playing them. So, I expect it will be more through computers than through physical sets that Chess variants will grow in popularity.

For books that benefit from more space for pictures or diagrams, I use a Kindle DX.

I loved my Kindle DX, but after about six years of heavy use it finally stopped working.  Sadly, Amazon no longer makes it, no doubt because it was not popular.  I ride the Metro to work on a daily basis, and, while I see lots of people reading Kindles, I have never once seen another DX.  Your the only other person I've ever even heard of having one.  There are a few other large format eReaders, but they are very expensive and not all that good (based on reviews.)

Regarding replacing or complimenting physical boards, it is within the realm of possibility that one day coffeetables or even regular tables for everyday use will have imbeded in them computer screens. Perhaps better yet would be physical board/screen size 3D holograms that are changeable by machine or manual control, a la Star Wars, which would allow them to be seen from a distance in the same room, thus making even decorative hologram chess variant boards a possibility in the home, besides perhaps in tournament halls even. All assuming the price and technical aspects can one day be managed. Then the matter of chess sets etc. may become like the debate about using Kindle vs. physical books.

@Aurelian

In this particular instance (my post on the 18th April) I had less in mind theparticular religious story and more in mind something even many atheists can possibly agree with: it's quite likely that among our world/industry/military leaders there will always be a sizeable number of snakes looking to take advantage in some way of any transition from humanhood to beyond. There are perils and ramifications aside from all that that may not be known until its too late, as well. Euthanasia and eugenics may come into play, as also the question of who is deserving of what fate according to the 'authorities' of the day (plus are we trying to imagine we'll establish a utopia of e.g. scientist or philosopher kings someday first?). In any case the question of transhumanism is quite an emotionally charged and even ugly debate at times. Also, a discussion of philosophy and/or religion along the way is something a lot of rational people would regard as perhaps unavoidable as an implication, as well. Much can be found with an internet search alone. Much too much to even begin to bring up all the issues on a chess [variants] board in anything but a superficial and passing way.

@ Kevin,

There will always be misinformed people, to some degree at least, in the end some with malitioous intent. It is everybody's job to stay informed and act with good reason. But this is scratching the surface. I'm not sure how euthanasia could come into play. About eugenics. I'm not sure, as I don't see anyway to define a "perfect" fitness function for the proposed next genome. The world is everchanging, and better always mean something else. Probably quite a few think along these lines but I'm pretty confident about my statement.  Abouy scientist king or maybe some form of oligarhy, it is probably the next step, as society badly needs more reason. But once again I believe that everything will eventually fail :)!

When I got up this morning, I wanted to play solitaire (specifically a game called Gaps) on my Kindle Fire, and this got me thinking about how computers have already taken over the playing of solitaire. I used to play solitaire card games with actual cards, but this requires making space available for the cards and manually placing them. It's so much easier to let my tablet or computer quickly arrange the cards, and it's more convenient to deal with cards on a computer screen than laid out on some surface. I'm also under the impression that many other people have taken to playing solitaire on computers instead of with actual cards.

A couple factors could explain why computerized solitaire games seem to have overtaken the physical game in popularity, whereas computerized Chess still lags in popularity behind Chess on a physical board. One is that cards are essentially two-dimensional in function, whereas Chess pieces tend to be be three-dimensional. So, less is lost of the physical experience of playing solitaire with cards when you play it on a computer screen instead of with actual cards. The other is that solitaire is something you play by yourself, but Chess is something you play with another person. When two people are playing a board game together, it is more convenient to use physical equipment. When playing Chess or a Chess variant, each player can see the board from his own perspective even while his opponent is thinking about his next move. Using a physical set also allows for more interaction between the players, and part of the reason for playing Chess or Chess variants may be social in nature.

I have previously read about coffee tables having computer screens, and I think that would be a great way for people to play Chess variants together. Hologram technology like seen in Star Wars would also help a lot. This would provide some of the same advantages a physical board still has over playing on a computer screen. If people could start playing 3D versions of the old MS-DOS computer game Battle Chess, in which pieces engage in holographic combat scenes, that could go a long way toward making computerized Chess a common way for two people to play the game together. That could then set the stage for people more frequently playing Chess variants together. After all, the technology for playing holographic Chess could also be used to play other Chess variants holographically. Not being limited to one set, people may be more interested in exploring Chess variants that use different equipment.

Regarding the Kindle DX, I bought mine on ebay a few months ago, because I really wanted it. I previously bought a regular Kindle DX, but a button broke, and fixing it with crazy glue made it worse. So I set my sights on a Kindle DX Graphite and eventually won an auction after losing several others. Actually, I returned one because it wouldn't charge, and then I bought another. The battery will drain quickly if I turn on wireless, but it works fine as long as I download books to my computer and copy them to the DX via USB. Since it's not my main Kindle, this is not much of an issue. When I had the one that wouldn't charge, I did look into videos on how to replace the battery, and I at least know they are out there. So, you could look into that and maybe refurbish your DX with a new battery.

I might also have mentioned that with any 3D hologram technology of the future, perhaps it could handle 3D (or maybe even 4D) chess variants, i.e. those with play being on a 'board' composed of a number of mini-boards, situated at multiple 'levels'. Such variants might then have a better chance of becoming more available and/or more popular.