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Sometimes when reading a book, you fall asleep. Even if you don't
fall asleep - you mark your spot and set it down - but when you pick it up
later you can't recall exactly what was the last bit you read.
The "Where Was I" ebook monitors your eye movement to guess
if you've fallen asleep.
It can also tell if you've set it down or
closed it. When it detects you've stopped reading for any of those
reasons, it marks the place. And when you pick it up again - minutes
or days later - it resets the bookmark to some point PRIOR to
where you stopped reading. Maybe the beginning of the most recent
chapter, or at least a few paragraphs back, just enough to remind you
of context when you start again.
[link]
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If I'm falling asleep I'm likely to forget most of the whole chapter prior to actually dropping off. |
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// I'm likely to forget most of the whole chapter prior to actually dropping off // |
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Maybe an adjustable setting then, on how far back you'd like it to roll back when you put it down and pick it up again? |
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"By chapter" might not help for some authors (like Pratchett) who write without chapter breaks. An alternative would require considerably more "smarts" in the device, so it can figure out the most recently read and RELEVANT point for a roll back. That might not require the device actually understand context, the ebook could be internally coded with likely place markers even if the author didn't write it that way. |
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Many Amazon Kindle books have embedded extra information about the book (Amazon calls it "XRay," I think) kinda like study guides - synopsis, character details, etc. The "Where-Was-I" system could probably use relevant place markers embedded in a similar way. |
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When you nod off while reading a Kindle the next time you pick it up it is at the exact page when you fell asleep. Is the idea for a physical book? Like a Nosy Parter hand that points out the word at which you lost consciousness? It could also tap you on the chin to wake you and finish the chapter. |
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When you said ebook I think it was baked by Amazon already. I dont have a problem finding my place if the page is displayed. |
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//... a physical book? // |
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No, I was only thinking of electronic books, with this feature being built into a Kindle, Nook, or similar dedicated tablet device. It may also be possible to add this capability to a reader app on a more generic tablet like an iPad - as long as the device has a user-facing camera and accelerometers to detect when you've fallen asleep. |
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// I dont have a problem finding my place if the page is displayed. // |
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I's not so much a matter of finding the place. If you fall asleep while reading, you may not have a clear recall of the last bit you read. The trick is to find the last bit you REMEMBER. |
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This technology could be used in 3d reality. |
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You wake up and quickly get notified of "what's happening" although everything is completely fake. You are being called by a different name, all the faces are different and everything everybody knows about you is new to you. |
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It's like waking up into a different life. |
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