 |
'Niiu' Custom Newspaper Is PKD's Homeopape
Niiu is a new German newspaper - that's printed news, not online - that will print you a unique paper each morning according to your personal preferences. Philip K. Dick fans have their own name for a custom-printed newspaper; it's a homeopape:
Unlike PKD's version, however, the Niiu will be assembled and printed at a central location.
To create your Niiu, you first choose from among a variety of print and Internet news partners of niiu.de, selecting the topics you are interested in and the sources you prefer. The resulting newspaper is printed out overnight and delivered to your mailbox first thing in the morning.
The paper is being rolled out in the German capital on Nov. 16 with a target circulation of 5,000 in the first six months... The daily paper will cost $2.70 (€1.80), but students will pay just $1.80 (€1.20), around the same price as one of Germany's mainstream newspapers.
I don't have a good illustration of Niiu, but I do have this fluffy video description; it's in German, but I'm betting you'll get the gist of it.
"Simply dial the classification of news that you wish, and in a matter of seconds I'll speedily provide you with a fresh, up-to-the-minute homeopape tailored to your individual requirements; and, let me repeat, at no cost to you!"
Niiu is the brainchild of two Germans, 27 year-old Hendrik Tiedemann and 23-year-old Wanja Oberhof, who claim it's the first "customized" newspaper in Europe. "Many people prefer to read a newspaper, they like the feel of paper," Oberhof tells TIME. "Print is the most comfortable medium as you can read a newspaper wherever you are, whether you're traveling on a train, or you're putting your feet up at home."
(Fluff advertising video for Niiu)
Science fiction fans can look forward to an even more advanced version of the Niiu - namely, personalized news delivered to a sleep instruction machine at your bedside. You see, in the no-nonsense world of Hugo Gernsback's 1911 classic Ralph 124c 41+, sleep time is news time:
The morning "newspapers" were transmitted to the sleeping subscribers by wire at about 5 a.m. The newspaper office, notified by each subscriber what kind of news is desirable, furnished only such news.
(Read more about Gernsback's personalized news)
How much further back can sf readers go with customized news? Personalized news delivery has a surprisingly long history in science fiction. In his 1889 story In the Year 2889, Jules Verne wrote about custom news collections available on phonograph records:
Instead of being printed, the Earth Chronicle is every morning spoken to subscribers, who, from interesting conversations with reporters, statesmen and scientists, learn the news of the day. Furthermore, each subscriber owns a phonograph, and to this instrument he leaves the task of gathering the news whenever he happens not to be in a mood to listen directly himself.
(Read more about Jules Verne's recorded news)
In the meantime, drop over to Niiu.de and specify your futuristic newspaper for real - but only if you live in Berlin. For now. From Time. See also this article on Dick's homeostatic newspaper.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/23/2009)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion (Back On) ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Media ")
'Facetime Facelift' Beautifies Video Chats
Always look your best - on Facetime.
Meeting Wendy Of Wendy's
Wendy of Wendys meet Rondald of McDonald's.
Narrative Science And Phil Dick's Homeostatic Newspaper
'The structure... was once a great homeostatic newspaper, the New York Times.'
BookTrack Adds Sound To Books
I really don't think this is a very good idea. Readers?
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
MIT Robot Cheetah Video Shows Gait Transition
'The legs are long, curled way up to deliver power, like a cheetah's.'
TrackingPoint Smart Rifle
Not your typical 'smart bullet' approach.
'Hello, Computer!' Google Now Highlighted at IO13
'Hello, computer!'
Sky City's 220 Stories Are Go
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
CARMAT Bioprosthetic Total Human Heart Replacement
'George Walt's corporate existence proved the workability of wholly mechanical organs...'
Personal Sniffer Robots
'...The ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the hound.'
Physical Exam? We've Got Apps
See the future of handheld, personal medical devices.
The Interplanetary Internet, Vint Cerf Speaking
'This was the center of Interplanetary Communications.'
Drosophila Robotica, The Mechanical Fly
'... the Scarab [flying robot] buzzed into the great workroom as any intruding insect might...'
Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'
Japan's Nursing Home Robot Plan
Let's make the Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed!
Samsung Smart TVs With Gesture Control
'He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.'
Swiss HCPVT Giant Photovoltaic 'Flower'
'...leaning against one of the slender stalks of a sunshade-photocell collector.'
Mini-Livers Made By 3D Printer
Organleggers may experience an employment downturn.
Smartphone Sensor System Tracks Gunfire
'Sound trackers on the roof could zero in on weapons action...'
Bacteria Now Make Biofuel Like Oil
'They have ... germs that eat pretty near anything, and produce oil as a waste product.'
