I received the following excerpt back in 1997. Of course, back then, most folks were still wary of home computers (nevermind laptops, iPods, Blackberries, and the like…beam me up, Scottie!) Even so, the demise of books was pondered. With all these newfangled electronic gadgets starting to appear, what would become of the sound of a book’s binding being cracked open for the very first time? For goodness’ sake, what would happen to bookmarks? – those wonderfully creative pieces of cardboard that told more about your inner desires than the bumper stickers on your car.
Eleven years later, has the fascination with gigabytes and bandwidth forsaken the comfort of curling up with a good read (and a cup of coffee?) And what about the good ole’ No. 2 and a journal? Have they succumbed to the blog? If we market them properly, maybe not…
Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge device (BOOK).
Portable Erasable-Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).
It’s 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 disk.
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. By using both sides of each sheet, manufacturers are able to cut costs in half.
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 “browse” feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backwards as you wish. Most 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.
Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is the entertainment wave of the future, and many new titles are expected soon, due to the surge in popularity of its programming tool, the Portable Erasable-Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).
The LifeWalk 