Who says Microsoft can’t do Pretty?
The British Library have a very nice thing they’ve made with microsoft technology.
It’s called Turning the Pages. And it’s preetty. They have made an interactive ‘hands on’ touchy feely access to some of the world’s oldest, rarest, most beautiful books, from the original Alice by Charles Dodson to the Diamond Sutra, the world’s oldest printed book (well, scroll technically).
Of course if I were feeling vicious, I’d point out the strong design ethic that you’d be forgiven for mistaking for mac design. But I’m not, so I won’t 
March 8th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I noticed that the normal version required an ActiveX control. I then spotted the link to TTP2 that’s been designed for Vista, and doesn’t appear to require any controls to be installed (presumably it uses AJAX). It didn’t feel that smooth though over a busy broadband connection. It’s a nice idea, but it’s probably only of interest for people that want to see original handwritten books (that are presumably out of copyright).
March 8th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Have you seen those things? They’re beautiful, who wouldn’t want to see them?
I have to admit I’ve not tried viewing them on anything other than my pc using IE 6 - I’ve not really looked into how technically impressive this thing is. I just think it’s pretty.