PlayBook: A Programmable Paper Notebook

Ivy Reese introduces PlayBook, a dynamic and programmable digital notebook concept designed with material physics.

The blank page is one of humanity's most special inventions. It's even become a metaphor for the start of something new. Pocket notebooks are a time-honoured way to carry a little bundle of blank pages with you wherever you go, so you can brainstorm, solve, jot, and sketch freely. We want something that's like a pocket notebook full of blank paper, but where the paper is dynamic, and computational, and reactive. We want paper and ink that can be imbued with new power, so you can take something you already do with a real paper notebook, and make a better version of it for yourself. In this talk Ivy Reese introduces PlayBook, a programmable notebook made with what we call "material physics". Ivy shows how you might use it to write songs, track symptoms, or learn about lightning, then dives into the design and technology that make PlayBook possible. Presenter: Ivy Reese Recording: Moat Studio (moat-studio.com), Joey Bania, Josh Meany & Cormac Dunne Editing: Ivy Reese Graphics: Todd Matthews, Marcel Goethals, Ivy Reese, Lilith Duncan Unfurled live at Local First Conf 2026 in Berlin. To watch more of these talks check @localfirstconf and @inkandswitch.