I May Be Repeating Myself Now, But I Really Do Think We’ve Mutated

After reading Nick Bilton’s new interactive book,  I Live In the Future And Here’s How it Works, I utter those words with just a little less irony.

TYPICAL HOMEWORK SCENE.  MY HOUSE.  ANY GIVEN NIGHT……

Me: ”Turn off the iPod.”  ”Stop with the video chat!”  ”NO TEXTING while you’re supposed to be doing homework!”

Son: ”MOM!  Stop.  I can concentrate better with music on.”  

Daughter: ”I need the video chat on.  I’m going over homework with my friends.”

Really?  Because I was a student once too you know……and I happen to KNOW that it takes total quiet to “concentrate” and really “focus” and get work done.

Here’s a video that I discovered via a QR Code in Nick’s book that might actually convince me that, um, my kids might be right?

This brings me to the point I want to make about I LIVE IN THE FUTURE AND HERE’S HOW IT WORKS……..

This “book” — this printed, paper, “book” that I read — is a really cool and worthy experiment into what’s possible for the future of “books.”  Whether or not THIS experiment is THE game changing event for our industry is irrelevant.  What’s important is that it pushes the boundaries of what a book can be by using technology, and it moves the conversation forward. 

So what’s so cool?

At the beginning of each chapter there’s a QR Code, that will take you to a dedicated site where there’s more information about the topic in the chapter in the form of videos, links, as well as a place to interact with other readers.

 

I could go on and on about all of the thought provoking ideas in here (e.g. the more surgeons play video games, the better they are at performing surgery) — but I’m going to leave it at this:

Even if you think you’re an expert in how the future works, you need to read this book because it will inspire you — And whether that means inspiration to speak the truth at work despite it being controversial and unwelcome (the book opens with Nick admitting he doesn’t read the paper that his company is built on), or looking at taboo industries for insights (i.e. porn), or layering new forms of technology on top of old forms of content — this book Inspires.

Nick Bilton - I Live in the Future & Here’s How it Works from Nick Bilton on Vimeo.