With all the hype and hoo-ha about the conventions being blogged, there is a quieter, less sexy revolution going on that nobody seems to notice, probably because it’s old tech. I think it’s amazing that printed copies of the 9/11 Commission report were available to be purchased online within minutes of the report’s release and that copies seem to be flying off shelves (both virtual and actual). I haven’t been able to find any up-to-the-minute sales figures, but apparently Norton printed an initial run of 600,000 copies and had to immediately print more when book stores ordered half a million up front.
This is a report that, if it is as widely read as it appears it will be, could transform not only America’s safety and anti-terrorist policies but also our fundamental ways of interacting with government. The level of transparency is unprecedented. And we can thank on-demand printing, Amazon’s e-commerce system, and good old FedEx (remember…they drive them horseless carriage thingamabobs).
I can’t wait to get my copy.