Wed
May 7 2008
06:01 pm
Small Enough to Drown in a Bathtub
By: StaceyDiamond

I saw the Shopper so I know what next Monday's Sentinel will look like. While the size is OK for a weekly, I dread having that small of a daily, along with no longer getting a TV guide. I wonder if newspapers are really in such dire shape or if the shrinking is just about more profits at the top. I notice the 10lb magazine skirt! put out by Scripps seems to be doing well. I like skirt! but would rather have a big thick paper about real news.
If the situation for papers is dire it almost seems a self-fulfilling prophecy. Shrink the paper and turn the websistes into mini-cinemas and see which direction people go. Knoxville seems to have no shortage of varying weeklies and monthlies, that I assume do well. I just hope the day doesn't come that papers will eventually be microchips inserted into one's head that are re-activated every day. Websites are fine for headlines and comments but don't have the same fulfilling feeling as something hand-held, same goes for books.
Justin's picture

I quit buying dead trees

Submitted by Justin on Wed, 2008/05/07 - 6:46pm.

I quit buying dead trees about 3 years ago. Now I just use "clean coal" to power my laptop. :)

redmondkr's picture

. . . same goes for books. I

Submitted by redmondkr on Wed, 2008/05/07 - 7:58pm.

. . . same goes for books.

I like ebooks.

Download and start reading almost instantly. Change the font, page color, copy and paste excerpts, search for words or phrases, and insert notes in the 'margin'. And a small expansion card will hold a bunch of books. As an example Gone With the Wind is only 1.3 MB.

It has drawbacks of course. It doesn't do well in sunlight and is only good for about a three-hour read on a charge. I'm usually asleep within an hour anyway so that's not a bother for me. Although images are available, they are not as satisfying as those on the printed page.

If you drop it in the bathtub rummage through the desk drawer for that extended warranty paperwork.

This is a 'page' from The Storm by Ivor van Heerden, displayed on my Palm TX. The card in it currently contains about a 150 books and periodicals.

A version of the reader software is free although this store-bought one features a dictionary launched by merely highlighting a word on the page.


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bizgrrl's picture

I too like my hardcopy

Submitted by bizgrrl on Thu, 2008/05/08 - 7:16am.

I too like my hardcopy newspapers and books.

The Maryville Daily Times shrunk in size a week or so ago. I didn't realize the KNS was going to do the same. We now get our TV guide info from the MDT.

StaceyDiamond's picture

MDT

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Thu, 2008/05/08 - 6:14pm.

The MDT has always had a much better tv guide, with good info about shows and movies, at least they haven't got rid of that yet, one reason to buy a Sunday Times over the Sunday KNS.

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