AN OFF-TOPIC TOPIC
Sometimes I veer away from Moebius or facial-difference-related topics, if I find something real interesting...and that is the case here.  Question:  with the rise of e-books etc, will physical books disappear?  This historian says no, and suggests we look at what has happened with other new technologies.  Here's part of what he writes:
"Then there is the fireplace. Central heating was ubiquitous in upper- and middle-class homes by the second half of the 19th century. But functioning fireplaces remain to this day a powerful selling point in a house or apartment. I suspect the reason is a deeply ingrained, atavistic love of fire. Fire was one of the earliest major technological advances for humankind, providing heat, protection, and cooked food (which is much easier to eat and digest). Human control of fire goes back far enough (over a million years) that evolution could have produced a genetic predisposition towards fire as a central aspect of a human habitation (just consider the phrase "hearth and home").
Books—especially books the average person could afford—haven’t been around long enough to produce evolutionary change in humans. But they have a powerful hold on many people nonetheless, a hold extending far beyond their literary content. At their best, they are works of art and there is a tactile pleasure in books necessarily lost in e-book versions. The ability to quickly flip through pages is also lost. And a room with books in it induces, at least in some, a feeling not dissimilar to that of a fire in the fireplace on a cold winter’s night.
For these reasons I think physical books will have a longer existence as a commercial product than some currently predict. Like swords, books have symbolic power. Like fireplaces, they induce a sense of comfort and warmth. And, perhaps, similar to sails, they make a useful backup for when the lights go out."

Read the whole thing--it's a fascinating piece...

BRAIN TALK
Sometimes your brain needs a vacation.  Here's why:
"Mary Kole loves her job, but she's been feeling like she's lost the line between "work" and "not work."
A literary agent for children's books in Brooklyn, New York, Kole works from home and checks in with clients electronically around the clock -- sometimes writers will even call her in the middle of the night with an idea. Stepping outside isn't exactly relaxing either. "In New York, it's just subway, office, people, talking, yelling, honking, all the time," she said.
Kole finally tore herself away from business calls and conferences to take a vacation, one that didn't take place in her home office. At the beginning of May, she went to Portland, Oregon, by herself and spent five days holed up in a rented house rereading some of her favorite books, cooking and listening to rain.
"I believe much more strongly now than ever that to be able to be good at what I do, I need to be good to myself, creatively, and refill my own creative well before I can be any less than a brain-dead zombie," said Kole, 26.
Kole's experience shows off the power of a vacation to help gain insights, appreciate the present moment and return to "real life" with a renewed sense of excitement. Detaching from a familiar environment can help get new perspectives on everyday life, says Adam Galinsky, professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Consider that when you get advice from a friend, his or her suggestions are often more creative than what you would have decided for yourself -- and scientific studies have confirmed this. That's because your friend has psychological distance from the situation at hand. When you're in the middle of a problem, it's sometimes hard to untangle yourself from it to think about it clearly.
Similarly, many people have epiphanies when they travel because they can view their life back home from a more detached, outsider's view.
"Not just taking time off from work, but actually getting away from where you live is really important, because that's the only way that you can achieve that perspective," Galinsky said.
Kole agreed. Unplugged from work and sitting on a porch enjoying nature, she realized it might be time to seek a more natural environment, either within New York or elsewhere."

Read the whole thing...