Episode 1477: The Silent History

Okay, I've changed my mind about Season 2 of Homeland because this week's episode was great! On a side note, for some reason it's taken ages for genuine AVI versions of my shows to become available, which makes it difficult to keep up with what is a very packed viewing schedule. Haven't managed to read Cryptic Endearments again today, so I absolutely have to do it tomorrow, and maybe try to write the review too, which means another bunch of TV shows that I can't watch. Anyway, my discovery of the day has been The Silent History, which is an e-book with a twist. To begin with, it's serialised, so the story is being portioned out in six volumes, each running for a month with some time in between for people to catch up. However, as it's delivered in the form of an app for iPhone or iPad, the creators have taken advantage of the GPS function to add content that is only unlocked when the app is run at specific locations. These ancillary stories add another dimension to the narrative, but are not strictly necessary reading in order to follow the storyline. The creators have already stated that they don't expect anyone to actually be able to unlock all these site-specific stories, but part of the fun is that users can submit their own work for consideration. There's currently no unlockable content in Singapore, so I might actually try my hand at writing something for the app. It's definitely a way of doing e-books that goes beyond just converting text into a digital format, and for readers living near unlockable content, will make for very immersive storytelling. The main narrative itself is already intriguing anyway, about an 'epidemic' of silence that begins affecting children, and the book looks like it'll be tracking fictional firsthand accounts all the way to the early 2040s. At US$8.99 (I paid S$10.98), it's pricier than the average Apple app, but I think it's worth it.