I’ve just launched a blog and a wiki over at Open Bookmarks – if you missed the original post about the project, it’s here.
The blog’s for keeping up to date with the project: subscribe to the RSS to keep up-to-date.
The wiki is where the discussion will happen. At the moment, it’s read-only, but it will be opened up to registered users at the end of November. In the mean time, it contains some short pieces of introduction:
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I’ve noticed some really nice Google Earth / maps things recently.
Starting with today’s Big Picture, on Florida developments and the Human-made landscape:
There’s these satellite prints by Jenny Odell, such as: Approximately 1,326 Grain Silos, Water Towers, and Other Cylindrical-Industrial Buildings and Empty Carparks:
You’ve probably seen Globe Genie, it’s been around for a bit, but it’s lovely (we haven’t seen even the beginning of what’s possible with Street View. Although that Arcade Fire video was a nice idea):
Meanwhile, Google Earth just released a whole bunch of new historical layers,…
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I recently spoke at Web Directions South in Sydney, which was a lot of fun. I was invited to talk about the future of the book, and I did… sort of. In this post, I want to expand on some of the thoughts in that talk, which tied together a common thread from several previous discussions, and see if I can do some old-fashioned lit crit too. It’s going to be a bit hand-wavey, but I wanted to put something out there. Here goes. Link to original talk at the end.
I recently read William Gibson’s new novel…
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Today sees the launch of Fiction Uncovered, a new UK literary promotion for writers who deserve recognition but have yet to receive a major literary prize or media attention, or be picked for retailer promotions.
The brainchild of Sophie Rochester, who is also behind the excellent Literary Platform site, Fiction Uncovered places itself squarely where it can be of most help to writers and readers: at the intersection of publishers and retailers, encouraging the former to promote their lesser-known authors and titles, and giving the latter a strong incentive to support and promote them.
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Saturday was the second Papercamp. There are some write-ups appearing online already, such as these from Ben and Roo, as well as photos on Flickr.
I couldn’t make it unfortunately, but Matt suggested I create some briefs to get people going, and so I did. Apparently, there weren’t many formal responses to them (with this glorious exception), which is all to the good, but I hope they added something to character of the day, and might inspire some more responses…
5 Briefs for Papercamp
ONE: FOLDING
Create a new fold or codex type. A…
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I spoke earlier today at Tools of Change in Frankfurt. The short version is that many of the things we think about ebooks are wrong: but they are very interesting. The future of the book lies in its aura not in its copies, and that’s why I’m launching Open Bookmarks. For the longer version, read on… (As ever, far more was said on stage than these notes, but there you go).
4 things: introductions and what I do; the form of the ebook; bookmarks etc.; and an announcement.
Regular readers will know my history. CompSci / AI…
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A quick reminder that I’m speaking at O’Reilly’s Tools of Change conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair next week. I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there.
Worth noting that the talk description cited on the website is bobbins. I’ll be talking about the challenges, limits, and possibilities of ebooks, particularly when it comes to bookmarks and annotations, and making an announcement. Do come.
The week after, by some miracle, I’ll be in Sydney, talking at Web Directions South, on not dissimilar but less industry-focussed topics. Looking forward to that.
