E-reader competition

I found this on the website of Russo's Book Store in Bakersfield. It was too good to pass up. GG

This has been floating around the internet for a number of years.  To the best of our research the author is unknown, so we do not know to whom to attribute it.  Enjoy!

Announcing the new Bio-Optical Organized Knowledge-device (BOOK). The BOOK is 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 disc. 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. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs in half. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now BOOKs with more information simply use more pages. This makes them thicker and harder to carry, and has drawn some criticism from the mobile computing crowd.

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 BOOK never crashes and never needs rebooting, though like other display devices it can become unusable if dropped overboard. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many 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. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarks can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Stylus (PENCILS).

Portable, durable, and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the entertainment wave of the future. The BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

Taste of the Arts Festival - Visalia

I joined a number of other members of the Tulare-Kings Writers at the September 29^th Taste of the Arts Festival in Visalia sponsored by the City of Visalia. Held at The Old Lumber Yard on Oak and Garden Streets, it was the first time that writers have been included. It ran from 11 A.M. – 5 P.M. with each of us having a table on which to display and hopefully sell our books.

It was quite hot that day, but the people who put on the event were great. The staff came around to each booth with cold water on an hourly basis. They brought us a Subway box lunch that had been donated by the Tulare County Symphony. And in the middle of the afternoon, volunteers showed up to give us an opportunity to take a break. I couldn’t have asked for better treatment.

On the following Monday evening, in conjunction with the Arts Festival, the Tulare-Kings Writers held a literary show-and-tell at Café 210. Several of us had an opportunity to read from our works: poetry, short story, or excerpt from a book. It was so much fun to hear what other writers have produced. And we had a chance to sell a few books too. It was a great evening.