From: Hartmut Krech <kr538@zfn.uni-bremen.de> (8)
Subject: Re: Update
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 10:22:17 -0400 (EDT)
I cannot help but share the following with the list. It was
originally posted on the mailing list of the International
Society for the History of Medicine, so a quote may not be
inappropriate for a list such as Humanist. (Excuses for any
duplication).
Greetings from a sunny Bremen, Germany.
Dr. Hartmut Krech
> Major Technological Breakthrough!!!
> Announcing the new Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge device
> called BOOK.
> The BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: No wires, no
> electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on.
> It's so easy to use even a child can operate it. Just lift its
> cover!
>
> Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere-even sitting in an
> armchair by the fire-yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information
> as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works...
> Each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper
> (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information.
> These pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder
> which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque PaperTechnology
> (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the
> information density and cutting costs in half. Experts are divided on the
> prospects for further increases in information density; for now BOOKs with
> more information simply use more pages. This makes them thicker and harder
> to carry, and has drawn some criticism from the mobile computing crowd.
>
> Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly
> into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. The
> BOOK may be taken up at any time and used by merely opening it. The
> BOOK never crashes
> and never needs rebooting, though like other display devices it
> can become unusable if dropped overboard. The "browse" feature allows you
> to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish.
> Many come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of
> any selected information for instant retrieval.
>
> An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open the BOOK to the
> exact place you left it in a previous session-even if the BOOK has been
> closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark
> can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous
> bookmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous
> views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.
>
> You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an
> optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic
> Intercommunication Language Stylus (Pencils).
>
> Portable, durable, and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the
> entertainment wave of the future. The BOOK's appeal seems so certain
> that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform.
> Look for a flood of new titles soon.
.../.