Technology allows you to be a part of history in Obama book

— -- Electronic readers, custom online photo books, print on demand ... somewhere, Gutenberg is marveling at how publishing continues to evolve.

This 200-page wide hardcover coffee-table book, selling for $35, chronicles a two-year span during President Obama's election campaign and his first 100 days in office.

Time Capsule is not a photo book per se, though it sports brilliant images from more than 140 professional photographers and is the brainchild of Rick Smolan, creator of the best-selling Day in the Life photography series. It also includes essays from Colin Powell, Joe Klein, Auma Obama (his half-sister) and Arianna Huffington, among others.

But what really sets it apart is the tech hook.

After ordering the book at Amazon, you'll receive an e-mail with a link that takes you to the Time Capsule website. You'll have 10 days to customize the book there or it will get shipped as is. You get to write a dedication, and your name appears on the cover (and an inside page) as one of the authors, next to Smolan and co-project director Jennifer Erwitt.

You can upload one image to appear on the back cover and another that will appear on a page next to pictures of Sean Penn, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities. There's also a place-holder for your kid's Obama-related artwork.

The whole drill can be done in less than five minutes, provided it doesn't take long to browse for the images you want to include (2 megapixels or greater for the best results). You can resize photos and preview how they'll look on the page. You can make changes up until you click a "publish my book" button. I'd have loved just a few more places to insert my own stuff. Completed books are slated to arrive in two to three weeks.