Foyles Releases Sleep Defying Bookmark
I’m pretty sure this story is a joke, but …
The Bookseller and The Telegraph reported this morning that the UK bookstore chain Foyles has developed a new electronic bookmark which is designed to help protect late night readers from getting a crick in their neck.
Dubbed the Boo!mark, the bookmark listens to your breathing pattern to detect any snoring or heavy breathing and wake you up:
It is an occupational hazard of bedtime reading: falling asleep with your nose in a book.
One of the country’s leading booksellers has come up with a novel solution. Foyles has devised an electronic bookmark that monitors the reader’s breathing and sounds a gentle alarm if they doze off.
The boo!mark – so called because it alerts sleepy readers with a “boo!” – goes on sale today for £7.99. It has a range of volume settings to ensure no awakening is too rude.
As I said, I’m pretty sure this is a joke, but that would mean these two august British publications either fell for it or they’re in on the joke. Had this come from any other source, I would assume this is a fake, but in this case I’m not sure.
As you can see below, Folyes did post a video, but there’s no product page or press release on the Foyles website.
So do you think this is a joke, or is it real?
Had this shown up on ThinkGeek I would have assumed it was a joke. But the tech required to build this does exist, and I can honeslty see this being marketed in a late night infomercial, so it’s not entirely out of the question.
What do you think?
Comments
Henry Wood April 1, 2015 um 12:20 pm
April Fool? UK newspapers are notorious for trying to keep this ancient tradition going every time 1st April comes around. Even the BBC usually joins in. (And they are all carp at it!)
Nate Hoffelder April 1, 2015 um 12:33 pm
I don’t recall seeing either publication doing a joke last year. I must have missed it.
In any case, now that everyone pulls pranks I think it’s time to abandon the practice. It’s not as much fun anymore.
Karl April 1, 2015 um 8:53 pm
This is a silly enough idea for it to be a joke, but I’m not sure it’s a funny enough idea to be a joke — at least not a good joke.
kariss April 2, 2015 um 4:12 am
It’s definatly a joke, it’s April fools day. All the tv channels and newspapers do something here on April 1st it’s tradition. The BBC are notorious for it, just look up spaghetti trees….
Henry Wood April 2, 2015 um 5:07 am
Now the spaghetti harvest was a really good one and of course given authority by using Richard Dimbleby in it. We believed everything we saw on the telly (black and white) in those days and pasta was not at all common in the UK then.
Nate Hoffelder April 2, 2015 um 8:36 am
Heh. Now that I remember reading about. I was surprised how many people fell for it.