SHAUN SMITH'S SUNDAY SUNDRIES
A WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF INTERNET CURIOSITIES FROM THE BOOK WORLD
Natives
Scientific American examines a very curious question: "How exactly does the technology we use to read change the way we read?" As it turns out, "the brain essentially regards letters as physical objects because it does not really have another way of understanding them," which is significant when you consider the words you are reading right now don't physically exist. (Be sure to check out the link on page 2, of an app that simulates the paper book experience in a very advanced manner.)
Reading
How does David Sedaris do it?
Infographic
Comic Books have taken over Hollywood!
Underpants
Oh Captain, My Captain Underpants is No 1 on the American Library Association's annual study of "challenged books".
Stuff
Stuff you Should Know offers a funny vid about the evolution of language.
QWERTY
Finally! It's the QWERTY sofa bed.
Recycling
Mike Stilkey's book sculptures are pretty cool.
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SHAUN SMITH is a novelist and award-winning journalist in Toronto, Canada. His young-adult novel Snakes & Ladders was published in 2009 by the Dundurn Group. His book Magical Narcissism: Selected Writings on Books, Writers, Food, and Chefs is available on Kindle and is forthcoming in paperback from Tightrope Books in spring 2013. shaunsmith.ca