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October 3, 2008 9:39 AM PDT

Sony's 'David Blaine' starts 30 days of living in display window

by David Carnoy
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I don't know if there's a Guinness Book of Records world record at stake here, but as part of its effort to promote its digital book readers, including the just-announced PRS-700, Sony has "memory expert" Dave Farrow sitting in a window display in New York reading books all day for the month of October.

Dave Farrow screengrab

"One man. One revolutionary cause. 30 days."

(Credit: Sony)

As we reported Thursday, the sit-in--or read-in--is timed to commemorate National Book Month and promote literacy in schools. According to Sony, for every one of Farrow's page turns, Sony will provide a set of 100 eBook classics to a school or education institution.

Of course, if endurance artist David Blaine were performing the same stunt, he'd probably never leave the window, but it should be pointed out that Farrow will get plenty of breaks--and not just of the potty variety. Apparently, Sony is allowing anybody to get in the window and read for a bit, so Farrow will get some time to leave the rather small space he is inhabiting.

Sony has a live Webcam that's pretty amusing with both an interior view inside the window (with sound) and a street-view perspective. Check it out.

October 1, 2008 8:39 AM PDT

Sony kicks off its Reader Revolution

by Dong Ngo
  • 2 comments

Starting October 1, if you walk by one of Sony's stores in Manhattan, chances are you will see Dave Farrow, the Guinness World Record Holder for memorizing 52 decks of cards randomly shuffled together, sitting by the storefront reading out of Sony's digital Reader. No, his incredible memory hasn't turned him out of his mind.

Sony's digital Reader

(Credit: Sony)

To help combat a general decline in reading in the U.S., particularly among young people, and to promote its digital Reader, Sony is spearheading a so-called "Reader Revolution" to engage the public in digital reading.

Dave Farrow is part of the program and will be reading digital books on the Reader around the clock for 30 days. For each page he reads, Sony will provide an eBook library of 100 classic titles to a school or learning institution. The goal is to give 15 million eBook titles to schools by the end of the program. The first 100 schools to start downloading their selected classic titles will also receive and education pack of five Reader Digital Books.

For the public, you can contribute by visiting Sony's Web site. For every five individuals who watch the two-minute demo of the program on the site, Sony will donate 100 eBook Classics to a school or educational institution in the U.S.

According to a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts study, Americans are spending less time reading. Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure, and reportedly their reading-comprehension skills are eroding. Personally, I think this is partially because they spend more time playing games on consoles such as the Play Station. Nonetheless, the decline in reading might lead to civic, social, cultural, and economic implications.

Now, all this makes me feel guilty and want to join the revolution. Maybe I should go out and buy a deck of cards to start with.

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