In Obama’s good book

May 28, 2009: Here’s an idea: how about a glossy coffee table book chronicling Kevin Rudd’s glorious rise to power which you can customise by including images of your friends and family ““ a way for us all to feel personally connected to his journey to Yarralumla?

Too cheesey for the Australian palate, perhaps? Not so Stateside, where HP, CNN and the originator of the “Day in the Life” series of books, Rick Smolan, have joined forces to produce The Obama Time Capsule, chronicling President Obama’s journey to the White House. Readers can upload their personal photos to be included in the book – for example, replacing one of three photos appearing on the back of the book with one of their own. The dedication page can also be personalised.

Consumers can customise an image of a TV set showing coverage of the inauguration with their own thoughts on the momentous occasion, and can list themselves as one of the authors of the book, which is available exclusively through Amazon.com.

Like the fly on the dog in the old Mortein commercial, Smolan is on a good thing and he’s sticking to it. The “Day in the Life” series, where a phalanx of photographers were sent out to shoot the living daylights out of a day in the life of, say Australia or the US, has evolved into the “… At Home” concept, with “150 of the world’s top photojournalists-and tens of thousands of amateur shutterbugs” contributing to a photo shoot on daily life in, so far, the US and the UK.

But wait, there’s more! You can also customise your copy of America At Home by whacking your own pic on the cover via web upload.

What’s the bet we get a visit from Smolan in the next few years for Australia At Home?

© 2008 Mike Hettwer / America At Home Chicago, Illinois: Bleacher bums. Virtually every house on Waveland Avenue across from Wrigley Field sports some kind of seating so that fans (and their friends) can catch a view of their beloved Chicago Cubs.