The end of books?  Nuh uh, not in my books.

Although it was interesting to hear Adrian’s take on things in the lecture last week:  Anything non-literary is out!   Actually, this similar topic was also raised in my Communications Histories and Technologies lecture, also last week, with lecturer Rebecca believing that there’s still a substantial essence in picking up a book, opening it, trawling through it, and closing it once more when finished.  The physical properties they hold.  I definitely agree with her.

It would be sad to see the death of the book, but I feel my death will come before that of the book’s regardless.  I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather turn the page of a paperback, than swipe my finger across a tablet, simply (and poorly) simulating the real action.  I do find the eBooks fascinating, but I rarely progress past the first ‘page’, as I repeatedly swipe my finger back and forth, watching the 2-Dimensional page turn, and the words appear and disappear from one slide to the next.  Like Rebecca, I too find even the convenience and use of the bulky Melways better than that of a fiddly, GPS whose annoying, female programmed voices never give the correct, or best directions – and after all, which male takes directions from a woman?  (Rebecca wouldn’t like that).

And what of books without end?  Another frustrating concept.  But not an unfamiliar one in this day and age.  In fact, one of the New York Times’ Best Selling Series in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, better known for its Television Series adaptation ‘A Game of Thrones’, is possibly set for an open-ended conclusion, should author George R. R. Martin fail to complete his works before he dies.  Despite being in reportedly “robust health”, Martin, aged 64, has planned at least another 2 books in the series, speculated to take up around a whopping 1,500 pages each.  The gaps between each book has been growing rapidly larger; the gap between books 3 and 4 taking 5 years, and to book 5, a further 6 years.

With a massive fan-dom built around his series, Martin has reportedly told script-writers of the “important plot points” of the 6th and 7th epics, should he die before their completion, which seems to reflect Douglas’ points in the set reading.  Would fans feel the same were another to choose the series’ ending for them?  Or would the series be kept incomplete, for them to decide the conclusion?  How frustrating that would be.  Lucky I’m not yet a fan.

Citation:  Douglas, J. Yellowlees. The End of Books — Or Books Without End?: Reading Interactive Narratives. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000.

In some distant, or not-so-distant, future all individual texts will electronically link to one another, thus creating metatexts and metametatexts of a kind only partly imaginable at present, less far-reaching forms of hypertextuality have already appeared.

One of the more dry set readings, as George Landow explains the modern use and definition of hypertext and its purpose.  However, he does raise some clear and precise explanations regarding hypertext and its uses.

Hypertext redefines not only beginnings and endings of the text but also its borders – its sides, as it were.

And

Electronic linking… gives the reader a far more active role than is possible with books

And

Linking draws individual texts experientially closer together.

I figured it made sense to have a little fun as I reflected on this reading.  The following example, I feel, greatly demonstrates much of what Landow expresses, in his thoughts on the increasing use of the hyperlink and the re-configuring of text.  Here, go on, try it.  It’s a bit of fun.  I promise.

Citation:  Landow, George. Hypertext 3.0: Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. Print.

Hypertext?  What’s Hypertext?  Is that like a hyperlink?  I’m a bit of a Star Wars fan, is it like jumping to Hyper Space?  But what is Hypertext?  Theodor H. Nelson, the author of this reading, explains to me exactly what he means (quite scarily actually, as I asked the question to myself, the perfect answer appeared in the very next sentence).

Well, by “hypertext” I mean non-sequential writing – – text that branches and allows choices to the reader, best read at an interactive screen.  As popularly conceived, this is a series of text chunks connected by links which offer the reader different pathways.

Unlike traditional text, hypertext is unrestricted by sequence, which helps to allow readers to follow and choose their interests or current line of thought in a way once considered impossible.

Seems like my Star Wars analogy wasn’t too far off after all.  Hit it Chewie!

Of course, this reading was speculative; written pre- The World Wide Web.

Strange, how unbeknownst to myself, I had actually been aware of the concept of hypertext since at least the age of 12, when I was in Year 7, and before I became a regular internet user.  I had to complete a project for the add-on English subject of Library, over the course of a term in which I had to create an electronic “Choose Your Own Adventure” type story.  I remember being largely enthusiastic over the concept, and put much time and effort into the project (by the end of which my library teacher, who had to correct my tale, most likely now regretted).  As our story progressed, the “end” of a page was left open-ended, the protagonist often in some sort of dilemma, underneath which I had given 2, sometimes 3 choices the reader could choose and click on, so that they may progress with the plot, or perhaps altogether end the story.  The links that could be clicked on at the bottom of a page were what I now know as this “hypertext” Nelson speaks of, which I now have a much better understanding of.

I’ve included the only trace of my story I could find: my first submitted draft to my school librarian, who has marked it and placed the edits on the right of the page (which I cannot remove).  Hope you enjoy (although, I wouldn’t hold my breath – I was only 12!).

Robin Hood, The True Tale

Citation:  Nelson, Theodor Holm. Literary Machines 91.1: The Report on, and of, Project Xanadu Concerning Word Processing, Electronic Publishing, Hypertext, Thinkertoys, Tomorrow’s Intellectual Revolution, And Certain Other Topics Including Knowledge, Education and Freedom. Sausalito: Mindful Press, 1992. Print.

Design Fiction.  A definition seems in order.

An approach to design that speculates about new ideas through prototyping and storytelling.

This reflection stems from an interview with Hugo Award-winning science-fiction writer, Bruce Sterling, in 2012.  Sterling claims that to him, design fiction is “the deliberate use of diegetic prototypes to suspend disbelief about change…  It’s not a kind of fiction. It’s a kind of design”.

Some coincidences are scary.  Not a week ago, I viewed a news story which introduced to me the material ‘Graphene’, a flexible, light-weight, electricity-conducting material which has been dubbed as being “the material of the future”.  It’s future possibilities are endless.  Imagine: A computer tablet the same thickness as a piece of paper.  That you can stretch or shrink to the size you require.  That you could clip on and wear on your wrist.  That you can fold up and place in your pocket.  That can be scrunched into a ball and thrown at annoying siblings, and recovered undamaged.  This video helps to display only some graphene’s characteristics, leaving its applications open to the viewer…

Perhaps the best example of design fiction that I know, was discovered and posted about by one of my fellow classmate’s, Prani.  Using the example of Google Glass, Prani discusses how a seemingly bizarre, somewhat scary, and long-term futuristic concept may only be on the horizon and fast approaching…

Citation:  Bosch, Torie. “Sci-Fi Writer Bruce Sterling Explains the Intriguing New Concept of Design Fiction.” Slate. Web. 29 July 2013.

One of the most useful reading I have found throughout the first half of the course.  A fantastic insight into the world of blogging, including a crash course in some common blog terminology, and some excellent reasons as to why blogging is both useful and productive.

Some key things I learned:

Citation:
Miles, Adrian. “Blogs in Media Education: A Beginning.” Australian Screen Ed.41 (2006): 66-9

Networked Media.  Just a little over one week into the course and I have to admit, I do feel a little lost.  A “speculative curriculum”…  If we’re about to “set sail” and immerse ourselves in this vast subject of information, the network, this “sea of ideas”… I’m feeling like a need a compass.  Or like I’ve already missed the boat.

Yet I’ve said to myself I won’t sit around and wait for a brain “wave”, or a helpful gust of wind to push me in the right direction.  I’ll submerge myself in this blog, the network, this subject, this course, starting now, whether I’m heading to the right destination or not.

“There is no shore”.  Not yet.  If I dive in head first now, maybe I’ll find a promising horizon in the near future.  I’ll dabble.  Soon, I’ll be swimming, and I hope as this course comes to a close, I’m in my motorboat storming home over the finish line.