I like books, but I basically agree with the idea that the traditional front-to-back text narrative format is hugely inefficient. I think a lot of people interp

I like books, but I basically agree with the idea that the traditional front-to-back text narrative format is hugely inefficient. I think a lot of people interpret technological developments as some of natural process, and therefore the omnipresence and long existence of books implies that they are a great learning method. In reality, though, the format of a book itself is probably just more "evolutionarily fit" compared to alternatives. If a device that could record and replay audio was somehow invented prior to the printing press, it seems highly likely to me that we'd live in a audio-based world, not a text one. After all, societies spent thousands of years using only spoken language, with writing as a fairly recent phenomenon. A more efficient book system, IMO, would incorporate spaced repetition more directly, whether by highlighting the key points at the bottom of each page, or even by deliberately including "reminder" paragraphs throughout the book.