>Date:         Wed, 6 Aug 1997 08:33:41 -0400
>I received the following post on another listserv but I thought some of
>you might appreciate it as well.  If you aren't interested in reading
>humor please just delete now, otherwise, enjoy!
>
>
>> Major Technological Breakthrough!!!
>>
>> Announcing the new Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge device (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 Paper Technology
>> (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.
>>
>> ALAN S. ZABEN
>
>--Michele Trader
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Michele Trader
>Newport News Waterworks
>Clara Craig Library
>Newport News, VA   USA
>email:[log in to unmask]
>phone: (757)247-2413   fax:(757)247-2424
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
 
Anita Cohen-Williams
Listowner of HISTARCH, SUB-ARCH, and SPANBORD
Contributing Editor, Anthropology, Suite101 <http://www.suite101.com>
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