Fans of '50s science fiction movies are very familiar with the Theremin (though it dates back decades earlier), whether they know it or not.

Rocketship X-M (1950)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
It Came From Outer Space (1953)

..And later...
Ed Wood (1994)

It was one of the first electronic instruments, and inspired later inventors like Robert Moog. The Beach Boys used one in their classic hit, "Good Vibrations". Vintage models like the one in the video are highly sought/prized. We built one in my HS AP Physics class.

Here's another video of the inventor—Leon Theremin—playing one himself.
Leon Theremin playing his own instrument

Theremin

Theremin World

Another early electronic instrument—designed to be played over the telephone—the Telharmonium.
Magic Music From The Telharmonium Documentary

Doc

I LOVE this stuff. I'm going to go and check out The Telharmonium, then I'm going to watch Leon play his own instrument ROFL.!!!!

Getting a little off topic aren't we. At least some of the posts were I thought. Maybe start another thread.

Ok, let's see if we can't drag this thread back on-topic... somewhat/sort of...

OMG: Pen, Paper May Be Better for Long-Term Comprehension

I'm not quite as computer literate as some; can you take notes on e-readers/kindles? I'm pretty sure you can on tablets, and I know there are apps that allow you to take notes longhand with a stylus that are instantly transcribed into digital text, and apps like Dragon that will transcribe verbal notes into digital text; but I'm not sure if you can attach them to a book being read that way (or maybe that's future functionality?)

I can also envision (if they aren't already doing it) interactive... (books isn't the right word because they would be more than that) on e-readers/tablets. Something less than a Trekian holodeck (they're a long way off due to memory/processing requirements) but nevertheless multi-media involving words (written and/or spoken), video, music, and more. Something books might evolve into.

Would it be too far off-topic to expand/modify the original question—Which do you prefer—E-Reader or Paper Books—to include audio books? (Same problem with note-taking.)

Doc

Sounds like a plan. I read that article you posted. Interesting.

"off-topic" / "tangents"

eh, life is like that.

I removed my 2 messages although I really didn't need to do that.
Sometimes conversations go in tangents.
Saying "hi" to someone after not seeing them so long isn't really that "off topic".
The other msg was a tangent.
It's what conversations are all about.
Sorry I have a sense of humour.
I'll take it elsewhere.

Hi, Not to butt in on the discussion, but wanted to add from another perspective.
I've been unable to read books now for almost 9 months. I've only just learned that the backlit ebooks are in fact easier for me to read, so far.