John Clark ([log in to unmask]) had a wonderfully lucid posting regarding
the inevitable trends in the dissemination of knowledge and opinions.  I'll
let you read his original posting in its entirety.  For now, I just want to
add my comments on one of his comments:
 
 
>As more and more professionals turn to lists, news groups and the Web,
>more and more print journals are going to suffer.  I don't know whether
>this is good or bad.  I guess in itself it isn't either, just melancholy
>for those of us still involved with the printed word.
 
I'm heavily involved with the printed word myself, and I love visiting my
printer's shop (particularly, watching the six-stage printer spitting out
gorgeous posters...  I can't afford printing them, but I can certainly
appreciate the tight integration of art, technology, and dedication of the
many individuals involved in the process).  Printing is, I believe, one of
the most refined among the highest achievements of humankind.
 
I don't believe in the disappearance of printed material (it's called
"collateral" by the "in" crowd).  For instance, I print a lot of the
material I gather via the Internet (be it web pages, ftp files, news, or
whatever) on my trusty duplex LaserJet4M+ with Nekoosa paper.  This feels
as good (if not better) than regular books and/or magazines.  But what I
print is only a selection (MY selection) of the zillions of pages out
there!  So, I'm not burdened by lots of chaff: I just enjoy the wheat.
And, if I missed some wheat, I just plug in again (even on an airliner,
nowadays) and collect the missing items.
 
Don't take me wrong: The quality of this "personal" printing can't even
come close to the quality of professional printers producing professional
publications (such as Connie Wright's Interact Magazine).  I do have lots
of Interact Magazines on my coffee table (discreetly turned upside down, so
my visitors can see the Adager ads on the fourth covers :-) and I would not
dare put any of my LaserJet-produced pages near them.
 
I guess things just evolve and adapt.  (Or adapt and evolve?  Wirt?  We
need an evolutionary biologist here... :-)
 
 
With kind adaptive/evolutionary regards,
 
 
 
 
 
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|               |
|            r  |  Alfredo                     [log in to unmask]
|          e    |                           http://www.adager.com
|        g      |  F. Alfredo Rego               Tel 208 726-9100
|      a        |  Manager, Theoretical Group    Fax 208 726-2822
|    d          |  Adager Corporation
|  A            |  Sun Valley, Idaho 83353-3000            U.S.A.
|               |
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