Years ago, some product had a slogan, "The Pause that Refreshes!"  These days, "Refresh" has taken on a whole new meaning.  That handy little button at the top of your computer screen updates the page you are looking at so that it includes any changes to the page since you last accessed it.  (Believe me, I wish I had one of those buttons in the middle of my forehead!)  This week, you'll learn about revolutionary technology that will impact every aspect of our lives -- refreshingly. 

Of course, as your drycleaner we are in the refreshing business, too, and we take it seriously.  We even have a custom set of  "delete" keys for those pesky stains that seem to leap on your clothes from out of nowhere. We hope you enjoy the newsletter, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Jim Nixon
The Cleaners

Factoid

• Early written records recovered from archaeological digs date back thousands of years, and were made by scratching into soft clay tablets.
• Ancient scrolls were made from sheepskin that had been laboriously processed, making written records precious.  (We still call a diploma a "sheepskin" sometimes.)
• The Chinese invented paper in 105 A.D.  Prior to that time, they wrote on rolls of silk, making literacy something for the very rich.

Red Hot Coupon
Wow! Is it ever hot? We're setting high temperature records every day. So here's a record setting coupon. 
HALF-PRICE
ON ANY DRYCLEANING OR SHIRT LAUNDRY ORDER
Sewing, Leather & Suede Excluded
What better time to get everything cleaned and then store it away for chilly weather this Fall?
Include a copy of the first page of this newsletter and coupon with your order.  Offer expires Aug. 2, 2003.  Cannot be combined with other offers.

The Ink-redible Future
is Nearly Here!

A rising percentage of people in the U.S. are getting their news and information primarily from the Internet.  Why?

• A newspaper is at least several hours out of date when it lands in your rose bushes.
• Monthly magazines are written and edited roughly two months before you receive them (even weekly news magazines are days old before mailing.)
• Textbooks can take a year or more to go through production.

In contrast, many Internet news articles indicate exactly how old they are -- "four hours ago...", "thirty minutes ago...", "two minutes ago...."  As stories develop and more details are posted, the stories update with the press of the Refresh button.

Too bad regular printed materials can't be as responsive, right?

Ink Spots -- 2013 A.D.

• Within about 10 years, you may only have to buy a newspaper once -- and it will update itself continually throughout the day.
• Soon you'll be able to carry an entire library between two covers of a single book -- and the books can be automatically updated as new editions are written.
• Retailers will be able to change promotional signage without ever getting on a ladder -- just download the new message with a pager-like device.  (J.C. Penney and Eckerd Drug have already demonstrated such signs.)  The same will go for billboards.
• How about redecorating by reprogramming the pattern on your wallpaper?  Suddenly Holiday and special occasion decorating is a snap!

Think it sounds like "Brave New World" or science fiction?  Actually, the pieces are coming together to make it reality very soon.

Electronic Ink -- the next revolution.

The next great revolution in communication will be mind-blowing.  Two companies (E-Ink and Xerox) are working on engineering paper with ink that will respond to electromagentic energy to form type and images that are as clear as regular ink and paper -- far clearer than an LCD computer or hand-held device screen.  "Radio Paper" will feel much like today's paper, and respond to radio signals.

The secret is an ultra-thin layer of liquid under a plastic sheet that has tiny "microcapsules" containing pigment chips which can be rearranged by the signals.  It is frequently described as being like a clear beach ball full of black ink, with a lot of white ping-pong balls floating in it.  If you look from the top of the globe, you see the smaller balls that float on the ink, and the globe appears white.  Look from the bottom, and all you see is the ink -- and blackness.  If the ping-pong balls can be made to move into and out of view on command, the beach ball becomes a black or white "pixel" -- and thousands of them create type or images.

Evenutally this technology could make today's flat screen monitors look as big as 1950s TV sets.  Electronic ink, unlike LCD screens, will be easily viewable in bright sunlight or low light, and you'll be able to fold it up and put it in your pocket.  Try that with your laptop!

• Read more about Electronic Ink.
• The technology of E-Ink microcapsules.
• E-ink discoveries and technology.
• Or click the image above, which shows an Advanced Paper-like dislay Prototype produced by Phillips and E Ink, and you can read the article about it.

Ink Spots -- 2003

Back to earth! Today we still have to deal with ink -- on clothes, on a load of laundry when you forget to check pockets for pens, on table cloths when your genius daughter gets a great idea at dinner.  How to remove it?

Home Remedies -- Use at your own risk!

For years you've probably heard you can remove ink from fabric by using hair spray on it, or soaking it in milk, or using lemon juice and sunshine on whites.

While these home remedies may have worked acceptably on home washable fabrics in the past, today's sophisticated mixed-fiber fabrics with re-engineered dyes frequently react badly to such treatments.  If it's a t-shirt you use while doing yard work, have at it.  But if it's a garment you care about, let us handle it.  Not only do we have years of experience with literally thousands of garments, but we also have well over a dozen different formulas that have been created to help us remove stains without harming dyes or fibers.  Think of them as our own special "delete keys."  We're here to make maintaining your wardrobe as easy on you as hitting the Refresh key.  That's our business and our passion.

Hmmm. I wonder what will happen to e-ink when you forget to take that folded sheet out of your pocket before washing.... We'll just have to wait and see.