RedesignResearch, an Ohio based design research consultancy has been studying the future of the book for quite some time, notably partnering with Toronto based institutions.
Smarter Books has been a project of theirs for what looks like some time. What I’m really appreciating right now is their exploration of the “UnBook”. I like how it’s an accepted, undefined, phenomenon that allows for an expansion of it’s meaning and future role in the world. A recent post about the “UnBook” reminds us that when new technology emerges, there is always an uptake period. Even with the Gutenberg book. When it first emerged, people weren’t quite sure what to do with it. Luckily the institution of Religion mandated it’s use and helped transform it from an unknown quantity into a necessary object.
It reminds me that as we create new technologies, new rituals emerge. The concept of sharing and accessing information is still so new that it’s flexible. The form factor of the book dictates the interaction of it’s use, but sharing is still open and mutable.
Here’s a cute spoof of new ‘medieval’ technology.
