Potential Scenario: Now imagine you’ve just ordered your second double macchiato and buried yourself back into that David Foster Wallace tome that is much easier to carry on your Kindle than in hardcover. Your phone is on silent but you remain open to the type of serendipity cafes most afford. Suddenly, you are notified that someone else has just checked into Chapter 5 of the same book at the same java house. Recognizing the chance for spontaneous conversation, the two of you connect and share a delightful conversation about life and common literary tastes over espresso and a ginger scone.
Implementation: Since such location-based social reading would need to be an opt in service, you both know the other is open to conversation. Rather than detract from the reading experience, such a connection could enhance the humanity of reading with a connection to real life. Of course, technology is a scant replacement for the subtlety of judging someone by the cover of the book they are reading, but it’s the next best thing. In our humble opinion, a partnership between location and literature is a natural accord.
No matter who steals this idea, we just hope it happens soon, so we can start using it ourselves.
Citation: Andrew Magliozzi & Nathaniel Levy
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