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One of the essential characteristics of the printed book, as of the scribal codex that preceded it, is its edges. Those edges, as John Updike pointed out not long before he died, manifest themselves in the physical form of bound books – “some are rough-cut, some are smooth-cut, and a few, at least at my extravagant publishing house, are even top-stained” – but they are also there aesthetically and even metaphysically, giving each book integrity as a work in itself. That doesn’t mean that a book exists in isolation – its words, as written and as read, form rich connections with other books as well as with the worlds of nature and of men – but rather that a book offers a self-contained experience. The sense of self-containment is what makes a good book so satisfying to its readers, and the requirement of self-containment is what spurs the writer to the highest levels of literary achievement. The book must feel complete between its edges. The idea of edges, of separateness, is antithetical to the web, which as a hypermedium dissolves all boundaries, renders implicit connections explicit. Indeed, much of the power and usefulness of the web as a technology derives…

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TrendCentral: TheIceBreak aims to enhance users love lives by encouraging meaningful communication between partners. To get started, partners privately rate their satisfaction with their significant other in various areas. Based on these answers, the site endorses communication-boosting activities, such as sharing moments from ones day or answering a series of questions like Whats your favorite memory of the relationship so far? or Whats your ideal Sunday morning? Posts can be shared publicly or remain on the couples private Relationship Wall. Consistent activity earns Date Night Coins, which can be used towards coupons and deals. Like Kahnoodle, a dashboard allows users to visualize the evolution of their relationship over time.

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The future arrives wearing the clothes of the past. The first book that came off a printing press – Gutenberg’s Bible – used a typeface that had been meticulously designed to look like a scribe’s handwriting: The first TV shows were filmed radio broadcasts. The designers of personal computers used the metaphor of a desk for organizing information. The world wide web had “pages.” The home pages of online newspapers mimicked the front pages of their print editions. As Richard Goldstein succinctly put it, “every novel technology draws from familiar forms until it establishes its own aesthetic.” It’s tempting to look at the early form of a new media technology and assume that it will be the ultimate form, but that’s a big mistake. The transitional state is never the final state. Eventually, the clothes of the past are shed, and the true nature, the true aesthetic, of the new technology is revealed. So it is with what we call “electronic books.” Amazon’s original Kindle was explicitly designed to replicate as closely as possible the look and feel of a printed book: When Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, introduced the Kindle in late 2007, he went out of his way to…

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The desire for privacy is strong; vanity is stronger….

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Bedphones are designed for sleep. At less than 1/4″, you can barely feel the foam-covered speakers lying flat against your ears. Earhooks made from rubber-coated moldable memory wire provide a custom fit. Bedphones are compatible with all devices that accept a standard headphone plug. Satin eye mask and sturdy-sided travel case included.

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