mediating the modes
In a story straight out of a Matt Groening (Bart Simpson) Futurama Comics,
Terry Belanger reports the startling discovery that several of his undergraduate students have never learned to write by hand; ” they went straight from ball-and-stick lettering in the first or second grade to a computer keyboard.”
Which is not to say that they have neglected the writing mode, or communication between a particular sender and particular receiver. The change here is the degree of technological mediation used to achieve the transmission. Pen and paper and eMail texting are in the same reading mode, excepting their differences in terms of the “Man-Machine Brotherhood”.
future & past of ebooks
Future: Go to
Audible.com
Past: Go to
Obituaries
” A New Way To Enjoy A Great Book!
At Audible, you can download a bestselling book and listen to it on your commute, at the gym, or anywhere. Visit us now and get a free MP3 player and start listening today. Sample us first – you’ll love what you hear. Listen to a best seller, an online version of your favorite newspaper or magazine or exclusive entertainment from Robin Williams.” (from NYT ad)
BOOK DROP – second week
The
Book Drop vending machine is now averaging $110 per day (for the last 14 days). That even with empty slots and a number of items out of stock. Customers are extremely varied from upper adminstration to raggy undergraduates but all have been really enthusiastic. “It’s such a thrill to get books in a vending machine!” “It’s so post-digital!”
Thanks to
Andrea’s Weblog for the wonderful comments on the Book Drop project.