Blog de Puree » Reading

Protected: Reading is fun-damental with M and Dad

paul — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:36:51 +0000

Forget the morning paper, we read RSS feeds!

paul — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:45:19 +0000

Imagine that you subscribe to The Washington Post, The New York Times or The Boston Globe and one of those papers is delivered to your front door every morning. I congratulate you because you are seemingly and intelligent and informed person who stays up on the current, well-reported and important news. Or, are you?

Now imagine that you work in an industry that requires you to know about very specific and niche-like information from a number of different sectors, or that you’re just a well-rounded person with many different interests. Sure, you’ll get a basic overview of what may be happening in different sectors from any one of the aforementioned newspapers, but will you be getting the specific and timely information you need that covers more specific and first-person details from the front lines of those fields? Not likely.

In our house we used to get a daily paper. Not any more. Because of the rising costs of subscribing to a print newspaper subscription, as well as the lack of variety sources that we crave, we now subscribe to many RSS feeds published by our favorite websites, online newspapers, blogs, you name it. And we have our choice of any one we want, so that we can customize the the information that we read on any given day.

No more morning papers. It’s morning laptops with our coffee. We just have to be careful not to spill our drinks–newspapers and magazines don’t cost upwards of $700.

TimesSelect is no more

paul — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:13:07 +0000

Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor and media expert, posted on his blog BuzzMachine earlier this week that the New York Times has scrapped their TimeSelect feature, which charged users for online content in certain areas of its website.

“No one with sufficient experience ever thought that TimesSelect made good business sense. Oh, they talked a good game: It was another revenue stream to balance dependence on advertising, said the spin, . . . It was a tribute to the great value of the Times brand and its unique content ,. . . It was an opportunity to create added value worth added revenue. . . . It was a way to give print subscribers new benefits. Yada-yada-ka-ching.

Bull. TimesSelect represented the last gasp of the circulation mentality of news media, the belief that surely consumers would continue to pay for content even as the Internet commodified news and — more important — even as the Internet revealed that the real value in media is not owning and controlling content or distribution but enabling conversation.”

In my humble ten years of experience, having worked with small and large community websites, a regional newspaper website and for three national magazine websites, the arguments for gated content were always similar to the above quote. I consistently argued that their logic was pretty flimsy when all users were clamoring for free information and had no qualms about stating they’d go elsewhere for it. Despite the fact that companies often stated that they had “unique” content that readers would want to pay for, online readers still found the information they were looking for. And not being a policy-maker, my opinions were politely noted and ignored.

I think that what many online execs failed to realize these last ten years was that information dissemination on the Internet does not work like your typical subscription based model for print publications. Only within the last few years have the majority come around to seeing the many other creative ways of monetizing online information and services. Until then, they were content to keep using he hammer and anvil approach to forcing “netizens” to conform to old school models. “Good luck with that,” I would mumble as I left meetings and boardrooms. The fact that I was providing them insight not just as an employee, but as a person used used the Internet for anything and everything, was not a consideration.

Now, many of these pay-for-content models are going belly up. This is especially true for newspapers, who have their backs against the wall as they struggle to find new forms of revenue as print subscriptions dwindle and gated online content sits idle with tiny amounts of traffic. Online readers are leaving their websites for others offering the same information for free and reporters and editors are finding themselves left out in the cold from layoffs and staff cuts.

Additionally, a lot of online newspapers are still holding firm to the notion that readers will pay for select, special or additional content. NOT! If I go to a small town newspaper website, do they really think that I’m going to pay extra for some online classifieds, archived articles, a few quirky columnists, obituaries and other odds and ends? It’s highly doubtful. I’d rather find a blog from a topic expert or a site that specializes in that subject matter. They’re usually more interesting, more informative and I can participate in the dialogue that is taking place.

With the New York Times taking down their veritable “Berlin Wall”, I’m curious to see if some of my local and regional newspapers (Daily News of Newburyport, Boston Globe and Boston Herald) follow suit.

A great analysis of the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

paul — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:42:40 +0000

Spoiler alert! Do not continue to read this post if you have not finished reading the final Harry Potter book!

Expelliarmus!

Protego!

Wingardium Leviosa!

Reparo!

Post begins here:

It’s been a month since reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I have more thoughts on the end of the book, specifically, the controversial epilogueI was intrigued by the fact that Randye and I had different views about the epilogue. We mirrored the differences found in many circles—I viewed it as the perfect serene wrap-up to the turbulent Harry Potter saga, and she saw it and as a fairy-tale ending that was disingenuous to the general feel of the books.

While pondering our difference of opinion, I came across this blog post by Cheryl Klein, an editor at Arthur A. Levine books, and who helped to edit the Harry Potter series. It is a bit dated, but apropos. On her blog, Brooklyn Arden, she addresses the range of opinions on the books ending and gives a great explanation of the end of the final book and how it paid off five essential themes found within the entire series.

Family – He transforms from an orphan outcast to a community-accepted family man.
Maturity – Harry’s namesake for his child shows that he values sacrifice and courage, and is able to rise above pettiness from his past.
Fame – He has finally overcome his awkwardness regarding his fame and chooses to live a simple life.
Choice – He values wisdom. “It is our choices, far more than our abilities, that show who we truly are”
Power, or Where Real Happiness Comes From – The serene ending shows that Harry enjoys being a regular guy, where he can find happiness in every day love and domestic life.

But rather than my trying to reexplain more it here, please check out her post, which I think hit the nail right on the head.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: The adventure is over

paul — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:27:04 +0000

It was the summer of 1998 when I first heard of Harry Potter. I was 27.
I was sitting in my car in the parking area for the Cygnet Rowing club in Newton waiting for my rowing partner one sunny Saturday morning, when an NPR radio journalist was giving his take on the Potter universe with a mix of awe and bemusement. He spoke of wizards and witches, quidditch matches, the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone, castles and world of fantasy that transcended children’s literature. Obviously, he was quite smitten by J.K. Rowling’s creation.

I was pretty well wrapped up in other things in my life at the time, until two years later, when I saw the first and second Potter book on a friend’s bookshelf and asked her about them. For half an hour she raved about how much fun and interesting the books were. She is a well read person and respecting her opinion, I picked up a paperback edition of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” That was all it took.

I read the book in about two weeks, putting off my grad school homework in the evenings. When I was finished, I immediately went to a local book seller and bought the first and second book, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” in hard cover. I knew that these books—imaginative, fun and chock-full of useful life lessons for young children—were going to be highly valued and I had visions of reading them to my children some day.

I’ve since moved on to a different rowing club and a new town. Now that I’ve finished the final book in the Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” I have a great sense of fulfillment. (This may also be due to the fact that I read the entire book in one day.) I was enthralled and excited to participate in Harry’s world, pulling for him and his friends at every plot twist. And now that it’s over, I feel kind of empty.

Thankfully, the Potter universe is still quite active. There are two more movies yet to be filmed, there are rumors of an all encompassing Harry Potter encyclopedia that J.K. Rowling may write and there are numerous websites and podcasts where I can get my fill of this magical world.

These are some of my favorite sites:

The Harry Potter Lexicon – The foremost online authority on all things Harry Potter. It’s as good as Jane’s Information Group for all things military or the Oxford Dictionary for correct spelling.
The Leaky Cauldron – Named for the shabby old pub that serves as a “bridge” between the magical and muggle worlds in London, it’s the coolest online hangout for all things Harry Potter and it is a great source for news.
Pottercast – The official podcast of the Leaky Cauldron website, and a great source for discussion, news and other fun things related to Rowling’s books and movies. New podcasts typically go live on a weekly basis.
J.K. Rowling’s official website – The place to go to hear news and information straight from the author herself.

We’ve descended into a new level of Buffy the Vampire Slayer geekiness

paul — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:41:09 +0000

Thank god for comic books! And for Joss Whedon’s continuation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer storyline with Dark Horse Comics.

In march, the story of Buffy, her watcher Giles, and the rest of the Scooby gang lives on to season eight, but in comic book format. (The television series ended with season 7.) Dark Horse Comics released issue one in March and issue two in April, each with multiple covers for collectors. The comics continue the story of Buffy and her friends in a dark world of vampires, demons and other nefarious beasts. The comics have also remained true to the characters through artwork that closely mirrors the characters from the show and through the writing, which contains the same great witty quips, expressions and dialogue from the original show.

Here’s where Randye and I dive into the geekiness. We knew about the comics months ago and were excited to continue the story. Then we forgot about them. (We must be getting old) Randye read about them again last week and reminded me about them at dinner. She then made the mistake of telling me that they had multiple covers for collectors.

Having been a comic book collector in my formative years, and knowing about the cultish loyalty that fans have to Joss Whedon’s shows, the mental cash register “cha-chinged” in my brain. I insisted we find the comics that night.

After we finished our meal at our favorite restaurant in Newburyport—which we can’t tell anyone about lest it become too crowded—I dragged her down the street to Fowles, a news stand in town. But it was closed. Our next step was a comic book and gaming shop on Rt. 110 in Amesbury, but it only had about 5 boxes of old comic books in the corner. Now the place mostly panders to the gaming crowd with YuGiOh tournaments and the like. Our last chance was the Toy Soldier in downtown Amesbury, so dashed over.

I must digress and explain the Toy Soldier. Had I grown up in Amesbury, this would have been the place of my dreams and I would probably have turned out somewhat differently. A gaming and comic book shop, they sell games for role players and table-top strategists, models and comics. They also have games for recreational, “time-to-time,” social gamers. But the coup de gras is that they run tournaments and gaming sessions until the wee hours of the night. One can drive by at any time, look to the back of the store through the large front windows, and see pimply, pubescent, squeaky-voiced kids battling in imaginary worlds with adult men who are mentally scarred from years of role playing game (RPG) swordplay and thievery. Randye and I have popped into the Toy Soldier once or twice while walking around downtown and I’ve confessed that I would rather see a child of mine hanging around in there rather than with Amesbury’s disaffected youth, who hang about downtown looking for something or nothing to do.

Back to the story. So I ran inside and inquired about the Buffy comics. A store associate named Dave, who had hair and an outfit like he was in the 80′s band Flock of Seagulls, helped me find them in the comic racks on the wall. The place had both issues and in both covers. ( I knew I could count on the Toy Soldier.)

Sensing my excitement, Dave was astute enough to realize that I would be back and asked if I wanted to be notified of each new edition when it comes in.

“You guys do that for people?” I asked.
“Sure we do,” he answered. “We have a whole list of contacts for comics. We can call or e-mail, whichever you prefer.”

My eyes lit up knowing I would finally be plugged in at the Toy Soldier. He asked if I was a Buffy fan. Slightly embarrassed (It’s not every day that 35-year-old men go around admitting that they are into Buffy the Vampire Slayer to total strangers.), I looked down, bit the bullet and confessed my allegiance to Joss Whedon and his story-telling genius. But with the caveat that it was my wife who wrestled me, kicking and screaming, into the world of Buffy. I had to save face a little bit.

“It’s totally cool,” Dave told me. “You could do a lot worse in this place. Besides, all of Whedon’s shows are great.”

In addition to helping me save face, Dave won customer service award for the night by asking if I wanted plastic covers and cardboard backings to store the comics with. That was the nail in the coffin.

“Hell, yes!” I practically hollered. Cardboard backings and plastic covers are an absolute must for any serious comic book collector looking to keep his investments in mint condition.

I gave him my e-mail address, while he carefully put everything in the bag. After charging the whole mess, which came to just over $15 for four comics, four backs and four plastic covers, I ran out like a kid from a candy shop to Randye who was patiently sitting in the car. (She knew there was a good chance I might poke around inside forever, so she wanted to ensure that didn’t happen.)

As I related the story and our good fortune at the Toy Soldier, her eyes rolled and all she could say was that I needed help. Then she agreed when I retorted that she’d be the first one to tear into and start reading the comics when we got home.

The drive home was silent as we reflected about what just happened.

As we pulled into the driveway, I said, “You know, between not being able to let go of the Buffy universe and my arrangement with the Toy Soldier, we’ve just descended into a whole new level of geekiness.”

“Yes. Yes, we did,” she quietly replied.