eReader usage leads to less recall than paper books

eBook reading
[Source: http://www.marylhurst.edu/_resources/img/ENG-woman-reading-tablet-library.jpg]

As study conducted at Stavanger University (Norway) reported that "readers using a Kindle were significantly worse than paperback readers at recalling when events occurred in a mystery story.

In the study, 50 readers were given the same short story. Half read the 28-page story on a Kindle, and half as paperback. Afterwards, participants were tested on aspects of the story including objects, characters and settings.

The researchers found that "The Kindle readers performed significantly worse on the plot reconstruction measure, for example, when they were asked to place 14 events in the correct order."

As an explanation, the authors refer to the tactile properties of paperbacks. "When you read on paper you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking on the right. The differences for Kindle readers] might have something to do with the fact that the fixity of a text on paper, and this very gradual unfolding of paper as you progress through a story, is some kind of sensory offload, supporting the visual sense of progress when you're reading."

The authors suggest that publishers should make evidence-based decisions about what kind of content is best presented in what kind of format.

More details on the study here: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/19/readers-absorb-less-kindles-paper-study-plot-ereader-digitisation

Spatial storytelling using tablets and Oculus rift

Interactive spatial storytelling with iDNA app
[Picture by Apelab]

Swiss startup company Apelab focuses on innovative ways of using digital media for storytelling. One particularly interesting project is iDNA.

Using an tablet or Oculus Rift, the user sees an interactive animation movie. The user can explore 360 degrees of each scene by moving the device around. Depending on which element in the scene the user focuses on, the story seamlessly takes a different path. The viewer gets the illusion of being right in the middle of each scene.



The paper book might be on the decline, but storytelling will find interesting new ways.

Some of the most beautiful libraries in the world

In the age of digital information and eBook readers, one could question the usefulness of storing paper books. However, libraries can be beautiful inspiring places. Libraries often form the shared space for scholarly communities. Today, libraries redefined themselves as learning spaces instead of book storage halls.

See a gallery of beautiful libraries here: http://shortlist.com/entertainment/books/the-most-beautiful-libraries-in-the-world#

Imagining the 3D digital bookshelf of the future

How can digital books be displayed more efficiently and aesthetically? Currently, most eBook programs use a 2D bookshelf or an iTunes-like cover flow display. 

2D digital bookshelf
[Source: http://www.authormedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/shelfari.jpg]

Digital media give us the freedom to explore new ways to display books. Google engineers created the 3D "Infinite Bookshelf". It is a compromise between a traditional bookshelf view while accommodating large amounts of books (One effect of switching from physical books to eBooks is that one can store a much larger collection of books  than one would ever own in physical form). The "Infinite Bookshelf" is an infinite 3D helix that you can spin side-to-side and up and down with your mouse. It holds 3D models of more than 10,000 titles from Google Books. 

Google 3D Infinite Bookshelf
[Source: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6219/6258962915_b1b16ef550_b.jpg]

Each row represents books belonging to the same genre. The books are organized into 28 genres/subjects. To choose a subject, click the subject button near the top of your screen when viewing the bookcase. The camera then flies to that subject. Clicking on a book shows the cover and the first page with a link to google books and a QR code  that’s in the bottom left corner of the page, using a QR code app likeGoogle Goggles. Try the "Infinite Bookshelf" demo here.

This short video explains the functionality of the bookshelf.



Without physical bookshelves, there is no more shelf-snooping when you visit somebodies home or office. The books we have on display show our intellectual heritage and interests. Discovering that a new acquaintance read the same book is a great start for a conversation. But how can that happen if all our books are stored electronically? Do we give a new acquaintance acces to our shelfari,  goodreads, or calibre accounts? Will we have wall-sized touch-screens displaying our digital libraries?

Browsing Google's Infinite Bookshelf (at Google NY)

Will we have physical book-dummies on display? Once we are all wearing google glasses, will visitors be able to see my personal library displayed on a wall?

While Google's Infinite Bookshelf is an interesting concept, I wonder why a digital 3D library couldn't look more like this:

Clementinum National Library (Czech Republic) 

Jedi Temple Library (aka Trinity College Library, Ireland)

I imagine a 3D digital library that links to my eBook collection (e.g. on goodreads or calibre) and displays books from each genre on a different book shelf (and one shelf for to-be-read). I could give visitors full or partial access to the library and allow them to borrow books. I hope that somebody will take on the task of creating beautiful 3D digital libraries for personal use.

See more pictures of beautiful libraries here and here. 

Online free reading speed test

This quick and free online reading speed test extrapolates how quickly you could finish a book or how many eBooks you could read on a full battery load.

Source: Staples eReader Department

Home library of the future

With ebooks on the rise, paper-based books might largely disappear in the future, especially in people's private libraries. Personal libraries show visitors what kind of books the home owner likes to read and are a status symbol of an educated person. How will the personal home library of the future look like?

Some of my ideas:

• Book covers (or virtual bookshelves) could be projected on white walls. Touching a virtual book would then automatically load it to an ebook reading device. [Alternatively, augmented reality devices could be used to display a library, but this would have the disadvantage that visitors could not browse through books.]

• Book dummies made from lightweight material could fill the bookshelves. Book dummies are hollow, foldable boxes in the shape of the original book. They have the book cover, spine, and back of the original book printed on them. Each book dummy contains a chip that stores the ebook (or a QR code that links to the ebook). In case the library owner needs to move, the book dummies could easily be folded and stacked.

On the other hand, public libraries will offer both printed and electronic books. Print-on-demand services can allow printing paper copies of books when needed.

Let me know about your ideas of the library of the future.

Ebooks outsell Paperbacks

Yes, it's finally happened. Ebooks sales have overtaken paperback sales on Amazon.com. Amazon said that it was selling more Kindle books than paperback books: For every 100 paperback books, Amazon sold 115 Kindle ebooks (not counting free Kindle ebooks).

Does this mean to end of brick-and-mortar bookstores? Read more here: Amazon: Kindle books outselling paperbacks | Crave - CNET

Graduate Student Christmas Tree :)

http://www.likecool.com/Christmas_tree--Pic--Gear.html

Beautiful Libraries

Enjoy this great collection of pictures of some of the most beautiful libraries in the world: Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries | Curious Expeditions.

In addition, the Huffington Post has a list with seven great libraries.

How a single person "wrote" 85,000 books

Philip M. Parker is professor of Management Science an international business school based in France. In the last five years alone, he published over 85,000 books on a wide variety of topics: Rotary pumps; Avocados: A Medical Dictionary; Toilet Brushes; Dictionary for Romanian Crossword Puzzles; Golf Bags in India; or Chinese Prawn Crackers in Japan.

How is possible that a single person could publish so many books on such a variety of topics? Because Parker doesn't write books, he compiles them. Parker created a (patentend) computer algorithm that automatically generates a book from a big database. It takes the program about 20 minutes to complete a book.

The books are not printed unless somebody actually orders one. All the books are available on amazon.com.

Read the full article on Parker's book-writing software on Neatorama How to write 85000 books.

Huge stack of books from Crestock Creative Photos