Étienne Mineur, hacker of books

After several more-or-less weird attempts, which allowed them to test the mechanisms involved, Editions Volumiques have just installed the base on which to develop their prototypes. Today, they work with editors, people from the field of video games and toys. Étienne Mineur remarks that in contrast to the world of games, which is in general more open to new ideas, the book publishing world is more wary: "Publishing methods have not changed for 500 years. Here, we are going through a revolution in publishing and printing with digital tablets. "For these mechanisms to move beyond being mere gadgets, for them to give rise to new modes of reading, writers must also take them up. In fact, these books entail new forms of writing and consequently, of appropriation. "The book will become a more and more precious object. It will turn radical in its quality. "

"Minority Report is not the future I want; I prefer Harry Potter and his magic books" he says, before talking of ubiquitous computing, the idea of having computers everywhere in our lives, but invisibly. "We no longer know where to put our computers! They need to disappear...or rather, to dissolve", explains Étienne Mineur. And all these computers in our cell phones and cars will form a unified intelligence. All that is left is to have these computers communicate with each other," he says, referring to Marc Weiser's theory."It is what we call peaceful computing - which does not disturb our world but fits within it." Without putting it in words, he is working towards a transparent and reassuring form of computing, toning down technology and its intrusion into our daily life.