I have a piece in the August 2010 issue of the Smithsonian magazine, their 40th Anniversary issue. They commissioned 40 views of the future. I wrote about the future of reading, or what they titled Reading in a Whole New Way
An excerpt:
And it demands more than our eyes. The most physically active we may get while reading a book is to flip the pages or dog-ear a corner. But screens engage our bodies. Touch screens respond to the ceaseless caress of our fingers. Sensors in game consoles such as the Nintendo Wii track our hands and arms. We interact with what we see. Soon enough, screens will follow our eyes to perceive where we gaze. A screen will know what we are paying attention to and for how long. In the futuristic movie Minority Report (2002), the character played by Tom Cruise stands in front of a wraparound screen and hunts through vast archives of information with the gestures of a symphony conductor. Reading becomes almost athletic. Just as it seemed weird five centuries ago to see someone read silently, in the future it will seem weird to read without moving your body.
The Library charges replacement fees for all books not returned at the close of school. Want to make your parents happy? Return your library books before leaving school.
Another day, another round of asking the question, “Why don’t men read more books?” As usual, women are held up as the culprits when these sorts of questions are asked. Even though everyone genteelly refuses to blame women—instead choosing to honor their accomplishments and acknowledge how sexism shapes behavior—the answer persistently comes back to, “Because women dictate publishing and therefore women’s tastes dominate.” But the answer doesn’t quite satisfy, and I think it’s because people are asking the wrong question. The right question is, “Why do women read so many books?”
If, as the 18th-century English essayist Sir Richard Steele suggested, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body,” area high school students got plenty of exercise this past summer. Here are some of the other titles that appeared on reading lists for rising seniors:
First, a “Thank you” to all who entered. Student entries were up this year, but only two adult poets and one youth entered their work. This complicated the judging. It was decided not to award prizes in the latter two categories, but the judge was impressed by the youth entry and awarded it an honorable mention in the Student Poetry division.
Please congratulate the following poets:
1st Place: Charles Milliken for his untitled poem
2nd Place: Mallory Pipich for her poem, “The Red Balloon”
Honorable Mention: Leela Kurzmann for her poem, “Surrender”
There will be a poetry reading at 2:00 p.m. in Schauffler Library. The community is invited to attend. Winners are particularly invited to come and read their poems. Please bring a poem to share.
Peter H. Weis, ‘78
Archivist
Northfield Mount Hermon School
One Lamplighter Way
Mt. Hermon, MA 01354
Students at a Central Coast private high school are trading in their textbooks for something a little less bulky but chock full of more information: iPads.
Watsonville’s Monte Vista Christian School pre-ordered 70 iPads when the hot item when on sale and put them to use right away. Advanced placement English students were the first to get their hands on the gadgets and so far, the high-tech tools are getting rave reviews.
“It just speeds things up. So there’s less time for pull out your books.” said senior Estelle Richardson. “What if someone forgot their books? They have to go to their locker.”
Teachers say the students are better note-takers with the iPads, as the apps make it easier and more efficient. Money to buy each $500 iPad comes from renting out the facility during the summer.
Avatar(check title for availability) 2009
162 Minutes
From Amazon.com After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora.
The Marines(check title for availability) 2007
90 Minutes
From Amazon.com For longer than the United States has been an independent nation there has been a Marine Corps. Tested in battle from t he Revolutionary War to the bloody back alleys of Iraq Marines consider themselves the very best America has to offer. Embodying fierce patriotism extraordinary courage and innovative weapons and tactics they have a reputation for better of for worse as the go to force when trouble breaks out. The Marines will be a one-hour documentary destined to become PBS s definitive account of the Corps. With the support of the new to-be-established Marine Corps museum this film will have unprecedented access to the vast wealth of information and stunning material in this permanent collection. This is a unique opportunity to highlight major events from the USMC s inception to the present day weaving key moments into a legendary tale worthy of a military force so rich in history and traditions. Our timing couldn’t be better to do this story justice.
I have a piece in the August 2010 issue of the Smithsonian magazine, their 40th Anniversary issue. They commissioned 40 views of the future. I wrote about the future of reading, or what they titled Reading in a Whole New Way
From NBC Bay Area, May 5, 2010 –
Avatar
The Marines 
