tablet pad
A Columbian Press (1843) has been donated to the Center for the Book at the University of Iowa. This rare small size Columbian represents an early American contribution to world-wide printing technology. Loaded with ornate hubris of U.S. independence, it is well known for its dancing Eagle counter weight.
This innovative U.S. export product, introduced in the early 19th century, was destined to capture a huge market in England. That product success occurred at a time of outright war between the two countries and the ornate motifs of U.S. ascendance could hardly have been more distasteful to the English. But the allure of new technology was just irresistible.
The introduction of Apple tablet pad replays many of these themes. At a time of economic adversity an innovative media technology again attempts to succeed wildly.
Both technologies teeter on various ambiguities. The tablet slate book pad awaits more definition of the delivery products. The content delivery of the Columbian was paper and its many changing formats. In both cases the important function was not the technology of the device but the applications and their use. This is so because the Columbian and Apple iPad are both blank screens. The Columbian succeeded in a fabulous environment of type faces, illustration cuts, publication growth and increasing literacy. Likewise the Apple device emerges in its own environment of graphic richness, richness of connectivity and spread of new literacy.
electrophoric
As a counter point to multi-purpose mobile display there is an option of dedicated hand-held readers holding their own in niche sectors such as genre avid readers, children, seniors, and academics. But the most dedicated hand-held reader is the print book and it is especially dominant in such niche sectors. I was recently through a print on demand factory and the revolutions there are surprising. New papers, printers, the PUR binding adhesive, text trimming and color cover options are magnificent. All this plus the tracking and fulfillment services are digital technologies.
On the bittersweet front it will be appropriate for print book craft, book art and preservation activities for physical collections to watch for redefinitions arriving from outside these practices.
At the turn of the twentieth century the Amish farmer was not that different from any other Iowa farmer, but today this is not so. The weird contrast now is due exactly to the persistence of the Amish way and their notoriety now can sometimes be confused with a fringe of low-impact, organic growers with political agendas. Or as tangential, the Amish way can be viewed as Biblical fundamentalism that self-sanctions remnant believers regardless of how they behave in a larger society. Legacy book skills are admirable as is life-way of legacy devotional societies. But these enclaves must also keep their connectivity with wider society.
a new way to be
The iPad announcement presentation was a dream and fascinating in the way that watching a movie inside of a dream can be. Holding the wide web in your hands was a more kinetic and wide awake suggestion and side shots of the touch screen finger moves provided clues to a whole haptic interface. What a treat it would be to have access to the Apple inside analysis of manual intuition.