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Out Of The Ashes Of Dead Trees - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast

Future of reading?

7:44 AM Oct 21 2012

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I would/will definitely miss the glossy pictorial lusciousness and actual heft of the Architectural Digest....

10:53 AM Oct 21 2012

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Because the heft was better than weightlifting for muscle growth?

4:36 PM Oct 21 2012

Something subliminal.

8:58 AM Oct 22 2012

I wonder how public libraries will handle this transition in such a way that the gap between the informatiion-rich and the information-poor does not get even worse. It's easy to forget when you have iPads and iPhones and high-speed connectivity 24/7... but there is a lot of America that has to struggle to get an hour of Internet time at a library.

It used to be that anyone with access to a library had basically the same tools for research, learning, and entertainment as the wealthiest of Americans. Now databases and magazines and newspapers -- and increasingly books -- aren't even published except on top-of-the-line electronic devices. I can't even get the Chronicle's football magazine because it's only published on an iPad!

Our world is made out of information. He who controls information controls the world.

10:56 AM Oct 21 2012

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I'm not sure about the future of iPad, but I'm fairly certain the future of Kindle is to give them away for free -- at least, to Americans.

That could very well give Amazon a monopoly on book readers if it plays out right.

Even now, the $69 for a basic Kindle is less expensive than a month of cable.

Once Amazon works out the lending and library models for the Kindle, it will change a lot.

Those top magazines, newspapers, and books will all make Kindle versions. It's inevitable because they want more distribution, and not everyone will have an iPad.

4:40 PM Oct 21 2012

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Adam, Amazon has done programs like this in some nations across the atlantic, with some early signs of progress.

Joyce's comment makes me think; I'm not sure I foresee an easy cultural solution, even if the technology exists. Physical reading is about discovery, not about consumption. That is why GOOGLE is so influential -- when they say, change how they rank search engine result pages -- they own the discovery loop for many, many folks.

I'm not sure there is any good reference point; some other forms of content that are digitized -- from music, to movies, to TV shows, -- are still essentially the same content -- watching something in front of a tube/screen/box/phone/projector.

Reading is fundamentally different, both in how we discover great writing, and how we consume it. I think Barnes and Nobles has struck an excellent balance, and I think Barnes and Noble is a model for libraries.

Partner with Starbucks, give every public library in the district, county, state free and unlimited wi-fi, and set up programs with Amazon or Apple to get digital devices in the library. I go to Barnes and Noble half because I want a book, and half because I know they have hot tea/free wi-fi if I want to get work done. Hopefully in the near-term that can keep libraries engaging younger folks in the information-poor sphere as they discover great reading material. Also, perhaps Amazon and public libraries could partner to provide folks with their devices and access to a slate of content, a la Netflix but at no cost through a library-borrowed or granted device.

Just a few thoughts.

5:45 PM Oct 21 2012

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For what it's worth, I think amazon does the best job of anyone of discovering good books; but I can go to the bookstore or library and browse -- or read -- a dozen books before I buy/checkout a book. Digital changes that experience forever.

10:15 AM Oct 22 2012

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Here's a study that says young people frequent libraries in large numbers:

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/young-people-frequent-libraries-study-finds/?hpw

"60 percent of Americans surveyed in this age group [16 - 29 yo] said they still visited the library. They use libraries to conduct research, borrow print, audio and electronic books and, in some cases, read magazines and newspapers"

12:42 PM Oct 23 2012

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A library is a great place to go when you just want to get away from the world for a little while, and go somewhere quiet.

And yes, they have good magazines and newspapers and they don't make you buy a cup of coffee to enjoy them. :)

12:44 PM Oct 23 2012

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Perhaps that number is distorted by college students? I mean, I think it'd be more interesting to see numbers of pre-college and post-college young people.

1:19 PM Oct 23 2012

And for what it's worth, most libraries at colleges and universities DO have cafes inside of them. Universities may be resistant to change, but university libraries I think are as fast as any business to adapt to change (provide computers, etc.). I was considering more general population/non-university library population.

1:20 PM Oct 23 2012

Here's a recent post:

http://sulia.com/channel/startups/f/6839813f-3d18-4f09-943e-5ba330ea0ac8/

"Therein lies the danger. Linkbait farms like Buzzfeed and Business Insider mint money, while serious long-form journalism is dying off. Great stories take great reporting, which takes money. Without subscription revenues, we'll eventually live in a world where there's no content except Reddit threads."

10:18 PM Oct 23 2012

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Chris, that's a great and very sad point.

It's good to see Tumblr express its desire to go into long-form, but I'm not sure they'll actually succeed since Tumblr was part of the movement that created this Reddit-attention-span-theater we now call The Web.

6:41 PM Oct 24 2012

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