***long scroll
Sam Vaknin appears to have written on every aspect of the future of the book, at length. And that’s not all as his
web site indicates!
***echo
The current Umberto Eco inspired discussion at
text-e seems circular to me. Whether the filters, or tools of selection or processes of peer review are in place yet on the web and whether they mirror or depart from such mechanisms long established does not elucidate the fact that print and on-line reading are different acts.
(more)
***case closed
“Scientists are developing a device which will allow people to read a book without opening it. The team from Leeds University says terahertz waves are sensitive enough to see the writing on each page within a
closed book.”
(more)
(link from Kristin Baum)
This approach suggests an end to debates over choosing between a print vs. on-line library; we will suddenly have both. Perhaps then it will be apparent that print and screen reading are two different modes producing two different meanings from the same content.
***actually real
“Previous attempts to convert library collections into digital form have often resulted in flat,
two-dimensional images that leave out key elements, including paper texture and graphical information, he said. The
3-D digital library will enhance these components of rare books and historic documents, giving readers the sense
that they are actually handling the books.”
(more)
Link from
Acme Book News
***real artificial intelligence
“In a way, Google has become the Web’s brain, its synapses fired by 3 billion searchable
documents and 150 million queries daily. As with HAL in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Google’s
smarts can be scary. As the court of first resort for finding information on the Web, Google
could exert untold influence over how we think.”
(more)
Link from
Notes & Scriblings