Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read | The Atlantic #reading #memory #multimedia #books #information


Surely some people can read a book or watch a movie once and retain the plot perfectly. But for many, the experience of consuming culture is like filling up a bathtub, soaking in it, and then watching the water run down the drain. It might leave a film in the tub, but the rest is gone.

“Memory generally has a very intrinsic limitation,” says Faria Sana, an assistant professor of psychology at Athabasca University, in Canada. “It’s essentially a bottleneck.”

The “forgetting curve,” as it’s called, is steepest during the first 24 hours after you learn something. READ: Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read | The Atlantic

AI Beat Humans at Reading! Maybe Not | WIRED #AI #software #reading #tech #machinelearning


News spread Monday of a remarkable breakthrough in artificial intelligence. Microsoft and Chinese retailer Alibaba independently announced that they had made software that matched or outperformed humans on a reading-comprehension test devised at Stanford. Microsoft called it a “major milestone.” Media coverage amplified the claims, with Newsweek estimating “millions of jobs at risk.”

Those jobs seem safe for a while. Closer examination of the tech giants’ claims suggests their software hasn’t yet drawn level with humans, even within the narrow confines of the test used. READ MORE: AI Beat Humans at Reading! Maybe Not | WIRED

Audible’s new romance audiobooks service uses machine learning to jump to the sex scenes | TechCrunch #audiobooks #reading #tech #UX @audible_com


Beyond the buzz worthy headline, this is a cool move by Audible (owned by Amazon) because they listened to reader feedback and used machine learning to improve the UX.

Let’s admit it: you probably aren’t reading that romance novel for the plot. Or its literary value. Audible knows this, and is today launching a new collection of romance-themed audiobooks that come with a handy feature that lets you skip right to the action. Called “Take Me To The Good Part,” the feature will fast-forward you to the steamy sections of the audiobook, says Audible. READ MORE: Audible’s new romance audiobooks service uses machine learning to jump to the sex scenes | TechCrunch

To Read This Experimental Edition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, You’ll Need to Add Heat to the Pages | Open Culture #books #creativity #reading #innovation #UX


Cool but confusing…would this then be called anti-tomecide or reverse tomecide? 

The Jan van Eyck Academie, a “multiform institute for fine art, design and reflection” in Holland, has come up with a novel way of presenting Ray Bradbury’s 1953 work of dystopian fiction, Fahrenheit 451.

On Instagram, they write: This week our colleagues from Super Terrain are working in the Lab as a last stop on their all-over-Europe printing adventures. They showed us this remarkable book they made “Fahrenheit 451”. —

Want to see how the novel unfolds? Just add heat. That’s the idea.

MORE: To Read This Experimental Edition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, You’ll Need to Add Heat to the Pages | Open Culture

This experimental e-book gets edited every time it changes hands | engadget #ebooks #editors #sharing #tech


A Universe Explodes is an unusual e-book in a variety of ways. Best viewed on a mobile device, it’s about 20 pages long and has 128 words per page. Only 100 people “own” the original version, though the book itself is free and can be read by anyone at any time. Each copy can be shared with up to 100 others, but first each owner must personalize it by removing two words and adding one to every page. Since each copy is subtly different, they are all considered “limited editions.” Owners are required to share the book with a friend once they’re done editing it — and each time the e-book is passed on, more and more words disappear until there’s only one left per page. READ MORE: This experimental e-book gets edited every time it changes hands | engadget

More than 1.8 million teens are reading books by text messages thanks to this startup | Washington Post  #SMS #texting #reading #books #youth #YA #mobile #storytelling #teens


OK, it’s not exactly Dickens. But how about a great story delivered to you by text message? That’s the idea hatched by Prerna Gupta and Parag Chordia. The two entrepreneurs launched their company, Telepathic, a year ago with an application called Hooked after raising $1.9 million from investors that included numerous venture capital firms and Lean Startup author Eric Rie… And the kids, they do love it. READ MORE: More than 1.8 million teens are reading books by text messages thanks to this start-up | The Washington Post

100 Must-Read Books about Libraries & Bookstores | BookRiot #books  #reading #libraries #bookstores #lists


Here’s a list of 100 (!) books about libraries and bookstores, including fiction and history. READ MORE: 100 Must-Read Books about Libraries & Bookstores | BookRiot

Attention, Readers: ‘Rotten Tomatoes For Books’ Is Here | HuffPo #books #reading #recommendations #reviews


Source: Literary Hub/Huffington Post

Literary Hub, a site dedicated to book news, essays and excerpts, has launched Book Marks, which they call a “Rotten Tomatoes for books,” aggregating professional critics’ takes on new literary novels and assigning them a letter grade. READ MORE: Attention, Readers: ‘Rotten Tomatoes For Books’ Is Here | Huffington Post

100 Must-Read Books about #Books | BookRiot #reading #fiction #nonfiction #recommendations #bibliophiles


When you’re a true-blue “book person,” you love everything about books: The way they smell. The way the pages feel. The weight they add to your bag. The way they look on your shelf. (Do I sound like a book stalker? Guilty.) It’s only natural, then, that bibliophiles love reading books about books. If you’re nodding your head in agreement, this list of one hundred bookish books is for you: READ THE LIST: 100 Must-Read Books about Books | BookRiot

Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy is missing from the list – one of my favs!

There are additional lists posted at GoodReads:

Don’t panic! ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide’ tech jumps off page into reality | CNET #books #tech #scifi #libraryfun #culture


As Douglas Adams fans the world over celebrate Towel Day, it’s become clear that once-futuristic items from the author’s beloved book series are now part of our everyday lives. READ MORE: Don’t panic! ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide’ tech jumps off the page into reality – CNET