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Electronic Paper Advances
ke4roh writes "Electronic paper comes a step closer," says a Reuters article today. The paper, made by E-ink bends and makes for a higher contrast display, perhaps for e-books and cell phones. It reminds me of Jim Willard's Paper Computer, but their web site is history. Slashdot previously discussed color electronic paper."
Will I have to worry about electrocution when I wipe my bum?
'awright mate, 'owes it 'oing?
I think you meant paper, not aper.
Aper: Any of various large, tailless Old World primates of the family Pongidae, including the chimpanzee, gorilla, gibbon, and orangutan. (in other words, a monkey)
Aper?
Electronic monkeys a reality then?!?!?
Electronic aper comes a step closer
Get your hands off me, you damn, dirty electronic aper.
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is that electronic aper? paper? or diaper? We could really use some electronic diapers for my daughter, ones that let us know when to change her!
Considering that E-ink has been around for quite some time (probably more than a year, though I am not sure), anyone know what is substaintially new about this press release? The article is detail-lite.
Download my free songs!
Well this saves on problem of cutting down loads of trees (well to an extent) but I wonder how much energy is needed to produce this. Also is it going to replace getting the daily newspaper on the way to getting on the train? Also what about if it goes flat? Some sort of solar panel prehaps?
Rus
Cheap UK and US VPS
Now, whenever I wear the same shirt every day of the week, nobody will know!
My fav quote from one of my fav business men, Mr. Dyson: "A paperless office is about as likely as a paperless toilet." ;-)
always makes me chuckle...
Dave
It'll be so nice when you can have a nice easy to read paperback sized device that holds an entire library. Maybe the paper could even back lit...no more cumbersome book lights at night! Another version that is 8.5 x 11 could be used for magazines and the like.
Build in some wireless access and I could have a whole newstand at my finger tips while on the crapper.
Anyone else read Stephen Baxter? In nearly all his stories (very hard sci-fi), there are 'softscreens' which are essentually these paper displays His stories are usually set 5-10 years in the future, which would put him pretty close to the mark on this technology. I do wonder about the power supply though. Seeing that I can barely get a day's worth of stand-by on my cell phone with a tiny text screen it seems keep these things powered up might require an equally revolutionary energy store.
1) Your analysis is based on bad assumptions so your result is way off. 2) You're a sick bastard for fucking a horse.
Here are some good links for those of you who want to know more...
e -i nk_for_e-books__.html
i /english/sci/tech/newsid_1 292000/1292852.stm
, 10 738,2656348,00.html
http://www.eink.com/
http://www.biblio-tech.com/BTR901/January_2001/
ink_for_e-books__.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/h
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0
Some idiot will ask how to put it into the photocopier or fax machine :)
Although is thought to be an inovation that will significantly reduce paper consumption, based on my knowledge it will not. It may replace standard paper, but eventually it will get dirty, torn, and/or just become too old to use. It would be beneficicial if they made it with a very heavy lamination on it; preferably one heavy enough you could put it in the dishwasher or something.
In this case, don't you mean an "aperless" toilet?
;-D
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
I'd worry that e-paper won't get past the disposability problem.
One of the attractions of newspapers and magazines is that you can just get rid of them when you're done with them -- unless you have a compulsive desire to keep archives of the local paper, you probably throw it away, recycle it, or (in mass transit settings) leave it for the next guy once you're done with it. People already complain about having too much stuff to keep track of (hence the convergence attempts between PDAs, cell phones and digital cameras); an e-paper notebook would just add to that problem.
Now, for my other suggestion.....how about once we all have genetic identifiers given to us by the MicroRIMPAAment (that is M$, RIAA, MPAA, and government for those who didn't get it) we can have clothing that senses our embedded (as in under your skin) identifier chip and helps make society more "secure". All of a sudden in the school lab, my shirt starts blinking bright red and messages saying "PIRATE" start flashing all over me. Or how about when a nice muslim man tries to fly somewhere. Well, why bother hiring the minimum wage people to frisk him when you can simply have a detector that makes his shirt read TERRORIST when he walks through. You laugh now....but I will be safe with my tin foil ha........err.......body suit.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
where can i find some pictures of this stuff? i wanna see it!
Whatever happened to print on demand publishing. It seemed to be a promising technology, much more promising than "epaper" but I can't find anyone using it anywhere.
It seems like it would be a sweet deal for publishers and book sellers by cutting out a major cost source: the distributor. You go to a bookstore, find a paperback you like and take it to the counter. While you are paying for it, your copy is being printed in the back room. It's spit out onto the counter and the copy you picked up from the shelf is put back. This would be great to keep from being overstocked in a pulp-fiction title or technology book past its useful life.
Digital copiers (even digital color copiers) are not expensive anymore, so I just don't get why we don't see this.
For the same reasons, I don't understand why retailers have stacks of CDs in bins. Just have a dupe machine in the back room with a digital color copier for the liner notes. While you are paying for your CD it's being created in the back room. Again, you cut a major expense by knocking out the distributor.
I thought the Internet was supposed to enable exactly these types of situations, but they are no where to be seen.
What's up with that?
obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
I hate every aper I see...from chimpan-a to chimpan-z.
You know what?
I somehow think to make this technology practical that having e-paper acting as a computer is a waste of resources.
It's better off being a kind of terminal, then minimal storage and CPU power will be needed on the device.
These won't be slimline Tablet PCs.
http://msnbc.com/news/910466.asp?0cv=CB20
;-)
it reminds me of pictures of the first transistors bell labs- all bulky and ungainly
but in it's picture you see the future gleaming bright
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Dehydrated water? Battery powered tissues? Glowing cars? Oh wait, they're already planning on building that.
Electronic paper on a roll
I see absolutely no application for this e-paper crap! Think about it.. when was the last time you inadvertently decided to write on paper over typing or something? Paper is useful because its in abundance. You write some notes, they serve their purpose and you crumple it up and throw it away! What am I suppose to do? Carry this reusable paper around with me at all times with my trusty magic pencil so I can tap the blank page and take some notes .. first time anybody gets even remotely comfortable with that they will crumple it up throw it away an then 'DOH!'
scriptless kiddies? :P
Well, you might try here:
Xerox Publishing
Somebody must be buying this stuff - it is expensive to R&D/produce...
Have fun!
OldFart 8-)
So to turn the page, do you shake it, or run the little bar along the side?
"Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions." -- G. K. Chesterton
trees save YOU!
our friend Don Lancaster has it all figured out: get a good (PostScript) printer, Adobe Acrobat, and some other stuff -- see his Book-on-Demand library.
Now just add in a few wooden peripherals, and the occasional pigeon for the networking, and you'll be all set!
Pound! Bang! Bin! Bash! is this a shell script or a Batman comic?
I bought into this whole e-book concept and bought an RCA ebook reader a couple of years ago. I still haven't found it useful enough for the initial purchase. Content is the biggest problem as well as cost. I could buy a paperback version of the ebook cheaper and I didn't have to pay $300 to see it.
:-)
I love the idea of ebook and epaper... but honestly it sounds like a lot of hype that'll take so long to get to market I'll be pumping books directly into my brain through a wireless link from my DIY mac!
You sound like my wife.
She has been known to pick up hot soldering irons by the wrong end. She put it down pretty quick though...
eLink has an office in the Tokyo, Japan area.
And this ePaper is the thirth product of the company.
Its first attempt to produce a cool paper product wasn't a hit.
The second set of cool paper products is more interesting.
Japanese Paper owns.
Whats dumb? Instructions on toilet paper.
Whats dumber than that? reading them.
Whats even dumber? Reading them and learning something.
Dumbest of all? Reading them and having to correct something you've been doing wrong.
There exists a real need for moving some of the bits I see on my CRT (actually, 3 20" CRTs as one virtual desktop, but I digress 8-) a few meters over, in a form factor appropriate to the venue.
Specifically, I'm talking about moving some of the bits described in this article, like those you can find here , onto digital paper so that I can then wander over to my lavish master bathroom, where I'd like to then peruse same either sitting on the porcelain throne or wallowing in the hot jacuzzi in close proximity.
A laptop/pda does not (IMHO) fit the bill here - but a (preferably steamproof 8-) 'digital' paperback (uploadable via a USB socket in the spine, perhaps) would certainly be welcome. At the cost of a half-dozen paperback novels (~US$50) I think they'd sell a boatload of the things... I'd buy one!
Have fun!
OldFart 8-)
God, I probably shouldn't write this down, because it could get implemented for real and then even if the developer never saw this post I'd get blamed and . . .
Anyway.
Imagine if the price tags fixed on stores shelves were made of this stuff. Not only would it allow Wal-Mart to slash prices without using that hideous flying yellow smile-face robot*, but the prices could be CUSTOMIZED to YOU, flickering to show a new value as you enter an aisle.
People who try to avoid this scheme by wearing retina-shield glasses or digging out there ID implant would be charged full price
Stefan
* Wal-Mart has done an excellent job covering up the Toledo incident, in which the store's slashbot disembowelled a kid wearing a number jersey. The splatter of blood on that diabolical smiling yellow face inspired a protest button that, for some reason, is still worn by comic book afficianodoes.
/AC for a reason
Now... if I can go anywhere and do my business with just 1 piece of electronic toilet paper, you'll certainly have my money.
And with a bit more effort, you can link to the ODP E-Ink category where those links were taken from directly!
Hrm, I usually post whoring comments like this as anon, but no checkbox for some reason... oh well, I did create the ODP category at least.
While the economical, ecological and informational value of epaper is undeniable, there's something to be said for "having it in ink." I'd hate to have my bookshelf wiped out by a solar flare or malicious EMP field.
Not to rain on anyone's parade -- epaper is cool -- but there's a reason the 10 commandments were written in stone and not scratched in the dirt. Allegorically speaking...
Doh, not my day.
Here ya go. Looks like the server is kinda erratic tho.
Instead of embedding it in paper, embed it in many more fabrics.
/. article. Now this "wearable computer" just needs some input device...
- Dynamic camo for soldiers, and lots of James-Bond-ish gadgets like a programmable, dynamic passport
- Fancy clothing that changes colour and motif (display your iTunes graphics on your shirt while dancing ? And imagine the hacking opportunities, displaying pr0n on your friends' back)
- Animated (and highly annoying) packaging like that cereal cardbox from Minority Report
- Ultrathin watches that consist just of a band of plastic, and maybe can display other useful information...
- Animated programmable tattoos, like those of SciFi book "Vertical Horizon"
The possibilities are nearly endless...
I believe it'd be accompanied by technology that would make screens detachable, maybe associated with that "pocket server" by IBM, mentioned in a recent
This kind of paper comes in handy when you are shopping.
Yeah check said $1324.22 when I gave it to the cashier...
From the article:
"The human eye blends these resulting patterns of black- or white-topped capsules into text displayed in a traditional column."
Oh, is THAT how pixels work?
This is from an editor who we had give a talk at an SF con recently.
One problem is that contracts (at least, those signed before e-books and print-on-demand were anticipated) tend to have clauses giving certain rights back to the author once the book has been out of print for a certain period.
It is ambiguous whether availability as an e-book or print-on-demand book constitutes being 'in print'. Publishers and authors may prefer to avoid the ambiguity. (Of course, they could renegotiate.)
Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
Woohoo! I'll be able to read the paper (and then use it to wipe up) after I've pooped on microsoft!
If it uses so little power, it could be powered from the microwave energy coming from your cellphone, or other peoples cell phones around you. Perhaps the cellphone could be constantly 'connected' to the e-paper which would allow you to download new content, or surf the internet. The cellphone could also monitor power consumption needs and perhaps give the e-paper a little boost when needed.
Just an idea, but it would be a good convergence of technology
Paperless toilet = bidet + hot air dryer.
(Careful with the temperature regulation on that dryer, though; who needs a singed sphincter?)
The coolest voice ever.
a world in progress...
Here's the same hyperlinks, except categorized all on one page that discusses how to use such technologies. E ink usage in the future (with addendum)
This is my digital signature. 10011011001
Then the e-paper people will invent an electronic paperclip that will be just as visible. It could even jump around and make sounds to attract your attention if you think it's not visible enough. In fact, you could even program to do things like help you type a letter!
A DIY Mac in a box made from electronic paper.
Wow E-paper that can be WiFied, what will they come up with next. Just think, now covert advertisers will be able to spam you by war driving around changing your E-paper. Think of the propoganda possibilities, come election time your E-clothing can display political messages. Everyone running around displaying advertising. The world will become one big billboard.
The message cheapened by the medium, Marshall would puke! Info tech gone mad, in the Global village.
OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
We know what you're reading, you can only read it once, you can't make a copy, and we can change it at will. Wonderful.
I work at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
I saw a talk by someone at e-ink about this product at the recent American Physical Society in Austin, TX. The talk was fantastic. The reason this article came out is because their work was also just this week published in Nature which, for those of you who aren't scientists, is a big deal.
Basically it works using charged particles. White particles are one charge, black particles are the other charge. When a voltage is applied on the backplane, one charge moves away and the other is attracted. Problem is, we were told, that the charged particles just swimming around together had a tendency to follow gravity when the voltage was turned off, much like an etch-a-sketch. They solved this problem by encapsulating the charged particles in slightly larger microspheres. That way they can hold the microspheres in place with a polymer that doesn't inhibit the motion of the charged particles inside. The encapuslated particles get held in place, presumably by Van der Waals forces, and don't have the etch-a-sketch problem. It's an elegant solution. So far, this only works in black and white (or a two-color display).
What's so cool about this product is that, unlike liquid crystal displays, it has a very wide viewing angle. The current evolution of the product can be bent (also unlike LCDs) a few times without serious degradation of the image. This ability will increase when they move to conducting polymers for the backplane (which is currently limiting the flexibility). It requires no power to hold the picture/text once it's been set. So even if it requires more power than they'd like to set it, it requires none until they want to change it again.
I saw the demo that's pictured, and it really looked like they'd taken a type-set piece of paper and laminated it. And it'd been stable for several months with no degradation.
This is good news for those of us (like my husband and me) who have been lusting after the idea of a book that can contain whole libraries. Imagine a book of these pages, with a wireless connection, and hard-drive in the spine. This is also really useful for store displays and advertisements. And if they get color displays working, that'll really take off.
http://web.archive.org/web/20000711012244/www.pape rcomputer.com/pages/generalinfo.htm
is that electronic aper? paper? or diaper?
Oh crap, now there's two of them!
Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net
I think Niel Stephenson had the best ideas about this. E-Paper is the ULTIMATE PDF. The system needs only rudimentry image processing and a few other features built into it.
Use this technology to extend to Real Space what we allready do in Virtual Space. No computer user has any problem with the idea that a 200 page document can be represented as an icon. Extend that. Why not have that same 200 page document represted as a single page? Images, animations, graphs, even minorly interactive material can be included with fairly tiny changes.
Point is there's no need for this to allow any sort of high end use. Games? Why bother? The intent would be to use these in place of larger, bulkier documents. There's no need to replace the Walt Disney World flyers with these, but one detailing the US taxcode might be usefull to some people.
Killfile(TGK)
No trees were killed in the creation of this post. However, many electrons were inconvenienced.
having a newspaper be automatically sent to your single sheet of e-paper sounds neat and all, but what sort of memory do these things have? Can they store the newspaper from 2 weeks ago, for when you're looking for that special article to show someone? Or can they handle multiple different newspapers all sending that day's edition to you, without just overwriting them all with whichever arrives last?
What if you want to make a copy of a classified ad? Can you print it off easily, store it in special memory, or anything similar?
There are more advantages to a real newspaper than just its pervasiveness.