on the death of a Kindle

My days—and perhaps even my hours—are numbered. Remember this: in sorrow, seek happiness.— Father Zosima, The Brothers KaramazovMy Kindle is dying.Not dramatically. There will be no smoke, no sparks, no mournful electronic chime. It still turns on. It still holds a charge. It still opens books with the same quiet dignity it always has.It is simply becoming... obsolete.Fifteen years after Amazon released the Kindle Touch, the company decided that this generation had finally outlived its usefulness. No more software updates. No more shopping from the Kindle Store. No more support. A polite corporate farewell followed by a gentle shove into technological retirement.There was a time when this little slab of plastic felt impossibly futuristic. Before it arrived, e-readers were cluttered with physical keyboards and navigation buttons. The Kindle Touch swept all of that away, replacing it with the effortless tap-and-swipe gestures we now take for granted. It felt like reading had quietly…