"LONDON (AP) -- Margaret Atwood has had enough of long journeys, late nights and writer's cramp. Tired of grueling book tours, the Booker Prize-winning Canadian author on Sunday unveiled her new invention: a remote-controlled pen that allows writers to sign books for fans from thousands of miles away.As much of a computer geek as I am, I still value books with covers (preferably hardcover) and pages I can turn. In a sense, the physical book provides me what my laptop cannot -- something I can always rely on and something I can pull out and read under nearly every condition.
Some fear Atwood's LongPen could end the personal contact between writers and readers. Atwood says it will enhance the relationship...."
I don't haunt book signings, although I have several signed copies. It just doesn't quite seem the same to have a book signed by remote control. It takes the personal contact out of interacting with an author in much the same way as electronic books take away the comforting feel of a well-thumbed book.
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