BOOK(tm)
















              A new aid to rapid--almost magical--learning has made its

              appearance.  Indications are that if it catches on all the

 electronic gadgets, currently on the market, will be so much junk.  The

 new device is known as Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge.  The makers

 generally call it by the acronym... BOOK.



    .===.                       Many advantages are claimed over the

   / /_) )                      old-style learning and teaching aids on

  / /_) )  U I L T - I N        which most people are brought up nowadays.

  '====`                        It has no wires, no electric circuit to

    .====.                      break down.  No connection is needed to

   / / / /                      an electricity power point. It is made

  / /_/ /  R D E R L Y          entirely without mechanical parts to go

  '====`                        wrong or need replacement.

    .====.                      

   / / / /                      Anyone can use a BOOK, even children,

  / /_/ /  R G A N I Z E D      and it fits comfortably into the hands.

  '====`                        It can be conveniently used sitting in an

    .=. .=.                     armchair by the fire.

   / /_/_/                      

  / /~\ \  N O W L E D G E      How does this revolutionary, unbelievably

 '='   '='                      easy invention work?  Basically a BOOK

                                consists only of a large number of paper

 "sheets."  These may run to hundreds where a BOOK covers a lengthy sub-

 ject.  Each sheet bears a number in sequence, so         

 that the sheets cannot be used in the wrong order.         ,         ,

                                                            |\\\\ ////|

 Each sheet of paper presents the user with an infor-       | \\\v/// |

 mation sequence in the form of symbols, which he or        |  |~~~|  |

 she absorbs optically for automatic registration on        |  |===|  |

 the brain. When one sheet has been assimilated a           |  | B |  |

 flick of the finger turns it over and further infor-       |  | O |  |

 mation is found on the other side.  By using both          |  | O |  |

 sides of each sheet in this way a great economy is          \ | K | /

 effected, thus reducing both the size and cost of a          \|===|/

 BOOK.  No buttons need to be pressed to move from one         '---'

 sheet to another, to open or close the BOOK, or to start it

 working.

               A BOOK may be taken up at any time and used by merely

     ,   ,     opening it.  Instantly it is ready for use.  Nothing has

    /////|     to be connected up or switched on. The user may turn at

   ///// |     will to any sheet, going backwards or forwards as he

  |~~~|  |     pleases. A sheet is provided near the beginning as a

  |===|  |     location finder for any required information sequence,

  | b |  |     known as a "Contents" sheet.

  | o |  |     

  | o |  |     A small accessory, available at trifling extra cost, is

  | k | /      the BOOKmark.  This enables the user to pick up his study

  |===|/       where he left off on the previous learning session. A

  '---'        BOOKmark is versatile and may be used in any BOOK.



 The initial cost varies with the size and subject          /|~|\

 matter. Already a vast range of BOOKs are available,      / |=| \

 covering every conceivable subject and adjusted to       /  | |  \

 different levels of aptitude. One BOOK, small           |   | |   |

 enough to be held in the hands, may contain an          |   | |   |

 entire learning schedule.                               |   | |   |

                                                         |   |=|   |

 Once purchased, BOOK requires no further upkeep         |  //A\\  |

 cost;  no batteries are needed, since the power,        | /// \\\ |

 thanks to an ingenious device patented by the           |///   \\\| jgs

 makers, is supplied by the brain of the user.           `         `

 BOOKs may be stored on handy shelves and for ease of reference the subject

 of the BOOK is normally indicated on the back of the binding.

 

 Altogether the Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge (BOOK) seems to have

 great advantages with no drawbacks. We predict a big future for it.

 

      .======.    .-----,,----------------------------------------,_ 

     /((((((()\   :     ||---------------------------------------<  `-._

    ((///    \))  :     ||---------------------------------------->    _D

   ((/`__   __()) :     ||---------------------------------------< _.-' 

   /`-{_o}^{o_}'\ `-----``----------------------------------------'

   \_     _\   _/

     \  .__,  /             ---------- Press Review: -----------

      \  `-' / 

      /`----'\         *BOOK* does not, in spite of the claims, seem

 .-"""`------'`""-.    "to have great advantages with no drawbacks".

 jgs               `   Soon, it probably won't even be legal.  Consider:

   

 "It can be conveniently used sitting in an armchair by the fire." Being

 paper, it might burn in the fire.  Probably fire laws in most locations

 wouldn't allow its use there.  Worse, such a device, which encourages

 close proximity of the user to fire, will be outlawed by OSHA's request.

 

 "Each sheet bears a number in sequence, so that the sheets cannot be

 used in the wrong order."  How quaint; to think that the programmer

 would be allowed to turn over such an important task to the user!

 "Cannot" is clearly misuse; any user could incorrectly turn to the wrong

 page.  A proper user interface might correct that, of course, such as

 requiring that each sheet be torn off to expose the next.  This is a

 clear conflict with "The user may turn at will to any sheet, going

 backwards or forwards as he pleases."

 

 "A flick of the finger turns it over" will obviously be a major user

 interface flaw. Such over-reliance on the finger invites lawsuits over

 carpal-tunnel and other debilitating syndromes.

 

 "BOOKs may be stored on handy shelves and for ease of reference".  The

 user interface obviously needs more work before such a system can be

 practical.

 

 "The motive power -- is supplied by the brain of the user."  Clearly,

 the inventors have not examined recent trends.  No serious person would

 suggest even expecting a "user" to have a brain present, much less to

 use it so continuously.

 

 We suggest the inventors return to their cubicles and do a thorough

 associative search of various data banks, like the rest of us, and

 forget this nonsense.