Monday, January 11, 2010

Uncertain Future

I've found the vacation busy and kinda' nice from this blog (but not my other ones, just check my profile), because I didn't have to rant or vent about the news of the day. I did subscribe to the New York Times' daily reader service which delivers the daily paper to your computer. It's different than the other papers because this one is the complete daily with all the stores and images along with additional news updates, photos and videos. You can also go back 7 days if you miss an issue.

It requires both Adobe Air and their software application, but it's quick to install and use. And it's only $0.50 per day. That's a bargain considering the print edition is $2 for daily and $6 for the Sunday edition. I still buy some print editions to take places and I love the Sunday edition to spread out with breakfast. I wish the other papers had a similar product, because I see this as a future choice for readers.

The others require you to use their subscription Website for the electronic version. That's reasonable for now if you want to navigate through their Web pages. What some readers want, however, isn't going but getting and reading. They want their personal copy delivered in a simple, readable format, not unlike the print edition or better and easier.

The NY Times does this while all the others have very cluttered and distracting Web pages, even for subscribers. They do this to get your information under the guise of the "on-line" experience, except that subscription services, whether it's RSS or e-mail signups which delivers the links or stores, is only one way the future for now, but they don't give you the overall snapshot a daily paper does.

But I digress from the purpose of this post. It's namely that I don't see posting here except every now and then for awhile. I'm long behind on the Mt. Rainier photo guide and history projects and long behind on a number of other tasks, on the Website, with my photography and in my life. There simply isn't enough time anymore for all it, and much of the work is collected in corner and gathering dust.

I will, however pop in now and then just to add a post or two about some interesting stories in the news. In short, I won't disappear, just appearing somewhere else.