Did anyone attend the first O'Reilly TOC (Tools of Change) for Publishing conference last month? Lots of great stuff about where the publishing industry is headed with regard to changes in technology. Print on demand, publishing online, gadgets, marketing -- they really ran the gamut on what is now available, and more importantly, what needs to be considered going forward.
One thing that caught my eye while reading through the TOC conference blogs (I was attending a local conference that weekend) was the paper e-book. This technology combines the printed page with the online convenience of related links. Reading something of interest and want to know more about a particular item? Need a dictionary reference for an obscure word? Just tap with your finger!
Manolis Kelaidis, a designer at the Royal College of Art in London, has found a way to make printed pages digitally interactive. His "blueBook" prototype is a paper book with circuits embedded in each page and with text printed with conductive ink. When you touch a "linked" word on the page and your finger completes a circuit, sending a signal to a processor in the back cover which communicates by Bluetooth with a nearby computer, bringing up information on the screen. (image from booktwo.org)
Cool stuff for fiction works - imagine having this technology while reading the Da Vinci Code. More importantly, this feature would exponentially expand the scope of non-fiction books. And consider the educational ramifications. You could read Catcher in the Rye during high school English and conduct all your research directly from the book.
Fascinating.
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