I made my last trip yesterday to what used to be our local Barnes & Noble bookstore. There was still a small cluster of fiction, war history, foreign language and diet books in the center of the store, along with some bestsellers on display. But the front of the store had been taken over by a simulacrum of an Apple Store pushing the "Nook," and the rest of the store seemed largely devoted to toys for small children. Even the music section had been gutted and turned over to video sales. The incredible shrinking book selection is so limited that it no longer presents a credible alternative to shopping on line. My prediction: within five years, Barnes and Noble, if it exists, will be a virtual operation: the brick and mortar stores will have gone the way of Borders.