"Think back to the days of pre – Gutenberg printing press: little or no distribution of knowledge beyond a privileged few. Sadly the powers in charge liked it that way." That's not very fair. Before the printing press (and the important mechanisation of paper production that that came with it) producing any kind of document was an incredibly expensive and time consuming process that, beyond a few relatively mass produced texts like books of hours, only the very richest could feasibly afford. Indeed, had they wanted to, the authorities had the means to clamp down on the dissemination of printing just as the Chinese had done with the mechanical clock. In the event, however, they did not. Sorry, that deviates from the main theme somewhat doesn't it? oh well.

Brilliantly put David. The fact that content needs to be relevant and compelling is so paramount, especially now. The facility with which we communicate and dispatch messages demands it. It is the basis of a viral message. We mustn't ever lose sight of the fact that to be viral is not up to us or the advertisers. After all "viral" is just another word for "a good idea". Your ramble reminds me of the video I wrote for the Nortel pitch, so maybe I'm biased. cheers

whoops -- I will keep politics out -- but a close reading of history before and after does suggest that keeping "books" out of the hands of the people is a tactic... as for Maththew -- I knew I got the idea somewhere....

Where does interactive storytelling come in? MUDs, MUSHes, MMORPGs, Videogames… The whole storytelling paradigm has refined…but also shifted. There will, some day soon, be children who have never dealt with a fully passive medium like Radio or Television. I noticed the part you missed in your Beowulf parable: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/15062/Beowulf-the-Game-Ray-Winstone-Behind-the-Scenes-Video/ It is distinctly possible that the only encounter a child/youth has with the epic tale of Beowulf is this videogame...not the story, or the language…but “physically” picking up a sword and descending into the depths of the Earth…. Neal Stephenson brings up an interesting paradigm in The Diamond Age. A bunch of “ractors” (Interactive actors) all meet up in a virtual setting and play their roles, bringing their own character and style to the “ractive.” Storytelling by participation. Ad Lib…live television…but anyone can participate. The seeds of this can be found in current MUSHes and MMORPGs…when it becomes fully immersive, will the story remain the same? Was Romeo and Juliet at the Globe the same as West Side Story on the screen? Will it be the same when you’re playing a Jet or a Shark…? The medium modifies the message. The message does not exist in a vacuum. Perhaps you don't need to "predict" the content...but you can safely assume that it won't be the same content tomorrow. You need to care about the device...because it affects your message and how you tell the story.

There certainly are a lot more stories out there, via more delivery channels and often more slick. But not as much time to take them in. How to choose... Tom.