Maura Welch on Social Media

Evolving books

So a year or so ago my Aunt started using the Kindle. An avid reader who has read more than one book per week for 60+ years...to see her move to this new form was an eye-opener for me.

Perhaps this thing really had a chance.

So today when I read that Kindle is the top selling item on Amazon for the holidays, it's confirmed. The book is evolving.   

I used to work for Houghton Mifflin - a large-scale publisher. I once met a guy there who had the job of going to pick out the forest that would be harvested to make our books. So, as much as I love paper and books, I do see the wisdom of a new form.

Forrester estimates that 3 million e-books will be sold in 2009.

I tend to think we'll move toward reading books on our iPhone type mobile devices and not a dedicated reader...but whichever - 10 years from we'll probably be discussing books in the same way we discuss vinyl records today.

Geek Love

Source: Shake Well Before Use

Wondering what to get your favorite geek for Valentines day? Me neither. But even so, here's is a notable Valentine innovation, with a heavy dose of gamer metaphor...T-shirts that level up with hearts the closer they are to each other.

"Get within hugging distance of your significant other wearing the matching shirt and suddenly the hearts on both of your shirts start to light up until you're fully powered up. Go too far astray from the source of your affections and you'll drop back down to two and a half hearts again."

It'll cost you 50 bucks for the two shirts.