if:book and Orson Whales

One day at work when I was totally on-task, reading a Chronicle article that the head of our library sent me about the recent AAUP meeting, I was led to a lucky discovery. The article touched on the issue of digital monographs and I got all caught up in the subject before I knew it, just a couple of clicks later I found myself at the website of...[light from above and appropriate choral music]...The Institute for the Future of the Book.

The institute is "dedicated to investigating the transformation of intellectual discourse as it shifts from printed pages to networked screens" and their blog, if:book, is the record of their "explorations into a wide range of topics, all in some way fitting into the techno-cultural puzzle that is the future of reading and writing."

I'm sure I will mention them from time to time and I've added the blog to the links over there. And I've broken down and added a new topic label for entries, "digital media," because I keep coming back to this sort of thing. (Hey, this whole blog is "digital media," if you think about it, isn't it?) If you recall my posting on This Spartan Life, you may be interested that people involved in the IFB project -- Bob Stein, IFB director, and MacKenzie Wark, author of GAM3R 7H30RY -- have TSL interviews.) While some of the stuff gets a little goofy or abstract, these folks are dealing with essential questions about the future of publishing, writing, research, and even art.

And speaking of art [nice transition, eh?], here's something on the lighter side. If:book has posted a fabulous example of (literally) merging books with new media: "Orson Whales." (Sure makes me wish I had more hours in the day and iMovie...)


P.S. On a totally different subject: yes, we have been watching movies, but have again fallen behind in our reviews. We'll get back on that shortly...