What is(are) the significance(s) of publishing a book (or a cognitive application, for that matter), I've been asking myself recently?
... significance ... since we seem to have published and continue to publish so many books, in so many languages ... since Homer ... such that one might think the significance is insignificant, but ideas as symbols have curious effects in cultures
... publish ... make public, make available in libraries, contribute to a knowledge-generative conversation, in contrast to just sharing ideas out loud, or in a lecture, for example ... and which perhaps can also generate a community of readers and conversant around a particular book or title ...
... a book ... since it's designed to last through centuries or more, since it's disseminatable , and is a modality of sharing and spreading ideas ... since it's translatable, and since it's contains word seeds (memes even) which can come alive in the readers mind, and which can be shared in conversation
... a cognitive application (computer program e.g. http://brainbot.botlibre.com or DragonBox Algebra, or even WIKI world university and school - wuas) ... since human brains can access this and interact with this and each other via the internet
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I ask this in the context of preparing to publish my actual ~ virtual Harbin ethnographic book -
http://www.scottmacleod.com/ActualVirtualHarbinBook.html
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academic press at wuas -
http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Academic_Press_at_World_University_and_School
bookstore / computer store at wUas -
http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Bookstore_/_Computer_Store_%28New_%26_Used%29_at_WUaS
library resources at wuas - free and open - (in all 7,938+ languages)
http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Library_Resources
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