In 1998, the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose invited the Research in Experimental Documents (RED) group at Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center to develop an exhibit for its Center of the Edge Gallery. RED convenes researchers skilled in video production, mechanical engineering, interface design, architecture, cultural theory, sound engineering, cartooning, writing, lighting, programming, industrial design, and graphic arts to design and build real working objects and prototypes. It explores new document genres within emerging media through hands-on experimentation. RED searches for projects that influence the real world, using public reaction to gain insight into a project's effectiveness and "speculative design" process.

The Tech Museum focuses on current technology rather than science. Its 250 exhibits are interactive, original, or custom-made. Reading remains central to our technological society, and the authors show how digital technology facilitates an array of exciting reading experiences. The exhibit encourages people to consider the genesis of the text they read and ask how technology might change what, where, and how they read.