Talk about an independent bookstore going up in flames. Tom Wayne just had his 15 minutes of Warholian fame. How long he will live in infamy is another story.You see Tom Wayne has decided to burn all the books he couldn't sell and hide his actions under the umbrella of protest.He was protesting "what he sees as society’s diminishing support for the printed word." He called it an "act of art."The burning of books no matter what the motivation can never be a positive. It is ultimately, a selfish act of destruction and to claim that nobody wanted them as...
What the Candidates Should Be Reading
There has been a little buzz recently around presidential candidates and books.In a recent post about Presidential Libraries I proposed that every candidate have a Shelfari or a Librarything page so we can have a look at what books are in their library. I know it would be a tremendous help in my process of choosing who gets my vote.Then the AP did a story asking candidates what the last book they read was (the question actually was "What is the last work of fiction you've read?" but enough named non-fiction books that it is safe to say last book...
How Far Will The LongPen Reach?
In a few hours Margret Atwood and company will unleash LongPen on the BEA. From London to Walla Walla authors will be signing books for BEA attendees from the comfort of their own home (or publishers office).It is billed as "the world's first real time, pen and ink long-distance autographing device" which produces "legally valid" signatures.LongPen is the next generation of the Autopen, a technology first invented in 1803 (it was called a polygraph) and was used extensively by Thomas Jefferson.These days it is a required technology for many politicians, celebrities and sports stars who simply cannot personally keep up...
Bedtime Stories
Sleepless is a collaborative project between London's Great Eastern Hotel and the students from the Royal College of Art's Design Product department. The goal of the project is to enrich the experience of the hotel's guests and make their stay more than just a place to spend the night.Tiago da Fonseca's contribution is a multi-layered experience titled Bedtime Stories."Once upon a time there was a blanket. This blanket had several sheets containing a traditional bedtime story. Each "page" adds a layer of linen making you warmer (or cooler) and comfier hopefully guiding you and your partner into a pleasant night's...
Craig Does Like Newspapers. A Brief Chat with the Founder of Craigslist
Newmark started Craigslist 12 years ago in his San Francisco apartment where he created an online platform for his friends to basically help each other out. Now there are people helping each other out in 450 cities in 50 countries claiming over 7 billion hits a month.In a previous post I responded to a few comments made by Newmark at the recent Newspaper Association of America annual convention in New York. One of the comments was that he has a ""great deal of sympathy for people who run the printing presses. They are screwed." Based on the current state of...