It just occurred to me that

the name of this site is ObsoleteTheBook, but it is not actually a book! It’s a site.  

When you can read a book online, I guess the difference is really minimal. But you can’t actually read this book online—at least, not yet—so it struck me as funny. Here is my one project, a site called “Obsolete The Book” and here is my book which is called an Encyclopedia. No wonder they keep putting it in weird sections at Barnes and Noble. It’d be nice if it were a site and not a book, because then I could go in and change parts I no longer like. Right? Or maybe I could just take the site and make it into a book? Okay, now even I’m confused.

I wasn’t being ironic when I picked that URL. Although I feel it’s now kind of its own thing, this site started as a web portal for my book, OBSOLETE. ObsoleteBook.com was taken, and, because their business is publishing paper books, the publisher wasn’t interested in my suggestion of TheObsoleteBook.com. So, we stuck the “The” in the middle. But do people really pay that much attention to URL names anyway? I imagine that as more are taken, they individually become less important. Perhaps as the name of a site migrates away from the http and the .com, URLs will become…obsolete!

But, as I was saying, OBSOLETE began as a book, and and it continues to be a book. The site started as a way to promote it, so, excuse me for a moment while I promote it.

Go ahead and buy it! My mom has described it as “very good bathroom reading.”  And everyone goes to the bathroom.

You don’t have to read it. You can just look at the nice pictures. But apparently, a few people have turned the paper. According to Western Illinois U’s professor David Banash’s recent review and subsequent essay at PopMatters.com the book is:

playfully illustrated, written with verve, and makes plain just how much has changed since the recent millennium. Grossman documents superseded technologies, explains how these obsolete technologies once organized social relationships, and reflects on how their passing marks profound changes in our lives.  She notes, for instance, that privacy is no longer an expectation at all, but that security is. In itself, this is hardly news, but since she adduces her evidence from often unremarked changes like the demise of diving boards and deep-ends in swimming pools, her book’s peculiar perspective makes the points newly forceful.

Thanks Prof Banash!

2

Twitter book-giveaway

Apparently, OBSOLETE’s publisher, Abrams, was having a book-giveaway via Twitter yesterday. I didn’t catch on to this until today. D’oh! Ah well. Wait, I already have one!

I have a feeling, however, that they may keep the lines open for another day or so. So, if you like free stuff, go onto Twitter and write “@ABRAMSbooks is giving away Obsolete for #free today! RT this for a chance to win http://ow.ly/xiuQ #abrams60”

Mmkay?

If you REALLY like free junk, email me a photo of OBSOLETE with something that’s obsolete, and I’ll send you a limited edition obsolete hotel key chain.

Amos, obsolete.

It has recently been pointed out to me (nice use of passive voice, no?) that I have not written enough about a certain someone on this book’s site.

Who is these people who it who has been pointed outed this to me has been? I cannot categorize them. They are straight, gay, black, white, male, female, young and old. And that’s just the couple next door! Don’t even listen to me. Point: people keep asking me why I haven’t posted pictures of my dog.

Top three reasons:

1-I don’t want to scare people away from this site. In other words: I want people not to realize how dog-nutty I am. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m the kind of woman who loses it like a drunk toddler every time she sees something with four-legs on the street. Because I’m not. Shut up.

2-Ostensibly, this blog is about the book OBSOLETE and the general topic of obsolescence. Right? Right. Well, simply put, my dog isn’t obsolete. He also isn’t much for books and doesn’t ever have rhapsodizing thoughts about the ocean waves lapping against the beach and washing away the footprints of our lives. He’s more interested in Kant.

3-I hadn’t seen him in six weeks.

I’ve been traveling a lot, and so my 16-pound Yorkie/Poodle, Amos, has spent more than a month with my family and friends at my stepdad’s distillery where I’ve been living part-time for a few months. Amos is a rock-and-roll star in these parts.  Recently I was told that people sometimes call after touring the distillery just to say that Amos was their favorite part of the tour. I know, right?  So, anyway, while I was away, I kept getting reports about how great he was doing, how happy he was, etc. All good…except I felt a l bit bruised in the ego area. Wasn’t he normally so great and fun and loved and happy because I am so great and  fun and loved and happy? Because I’m not. Shut up.

Does this mean that my dog and I are judged as one in this world? I hope so. He is just a really great dog. So, that was part of it. I guess. I don’t mean to psychoanalyze myself, but I think the other part was that I just wanted to imagine he was pouting in a corner writing me sonnets. An hirsute Prince Charming. Needless to say, when we finally had our reunion a few days ago, he didn’t kiss my feet. He was like six out of 10 on the excited barometer. And that really wasn’t good enough for me.

He’s grown a little warmer towards me in the last few hours. This might because a few hours ago I set up a whole photo shoot for him. Bonding time! Just like JonBenét and Patsy Ramsey!

Why a photo shoot? To put him on this site. And why would it make sense to put a picture of him on your site? Well, someone pointed out to me that I have a series of photos on this blog of cute animals posing with obsolete objects. This is true. Well, now, said person said: Your book is OBSOLETE, and he’s cute… This is true: also, books are arguably becoming obsolete, and OBSOLETE is indeed a book. Soooo… I present:

CUTE ANIMALS WITH OBSOLETE OBJECTS: Vol. IV, Is. 1

It wasn’t until after I shot this that I saw that the page he was turned to was “Body Hair.”

Maybe Amos is obsolete after all.

10% off for whoever reads this first and buys OBSOLETE at BarnesandNoble.com…

Enter X4F8F7X at checkout. The book can be found on the B&N site by clicking here. It’s possible this coupon might work more than once. I’m actually not sure. Give it a shot.