The Stand-up Philosopher

Treason: Shaping Up to be Good Navy Fiction

Last week, I was looking for free Kindle books. I rarely read fiction, but I enjoy a good story now and again. I came across a free book that looks to be a Navy JAG story. I used to like reading Navy stories, and I liked John Grisham stories, and I also liked the movie A Few Good Men. I decided to download the free Don Brown Kindle book, "Treason". I then downloaded the rest of the series while it was still free. For now, I've been reading it on my PC while I sync my iPhone at night.

If you want to test out the Kindle platform, follow this link to the book. You can download Kindle for PC from here. If you'd like the paperback, you can buy it below from my affiliate account.

More On eBooks- Content and Devices

I came across yet another post on dedicated eBook readers here. I was going to leave a comment, but it's on an idiotic site that expects you to join their "community" just to post a comment. I'm no fan of that. Just let me post a comment and move on. I'm not interested in sticking around your "community", and if you're that needy, I'm less interested. A person can only maintain so many logins.

This post refers to the one I wrote about yesterday, about whether or not eBook readers will make good Christmas gifts (it took the cowardly way of referring to a non-specific cultural observance "holiday".)

I want to take a step back here. Let's forget about "eBook Readers" for a minute. Let's talk about eBooks. We don't want to confuse the two. eBooks and eBook readers are separate things. 

An eBook is what we could call "content". An eBook reader is what we would call a device. A platform is the content plus the device or devices that the content can be used on.

Personally, I would like the ability to read my content on just about any device. Thanks to Kindle, at present, I can. I can read the same book on my iPhone, my Acer netbook, my Dell desktop, and soon on my BlackBerry. At no point do I have to get a physical Kindle. I hope Amazon sticks to this model, of selling content, or books. Personally, I think Amazon will make more money in the long run if they stick to selling books and work to make those books accessible on more devices.

Amazon could have gone the other way. They could have decided "We want to make money selling Kindles, so we'll publish books in Kindle format but require you to buy a Kindle to read them". They didn't do that, and they made money from me because I can read my Kindle books on my iPhone. I'm not locked in to a Kindle device.

But I am locked into the format. I can read my Kindle books as long as I'm using Kindle software. I have to worry about how long the Kindle platform will last. Will I one day find my Kindle books unreadable?

I know Barnes & Noble has an eBook reader for the iPhone. I haven't downloaded it yet. I also know they're coming out with an physical eBook reading device called "The Nook". I promised in my last post that I would do some reading on it so I can comment intelligently. I haven't done that yet. It's on my to-do list. But I'm not interested in it at present. I tend to stick with Amazon for one reason:

Amazon makes it cheap and easy.

Almost any time I need a book, Amazon usually has the best price. I even have an app for my iPhone where I can take a picture of a book, upload it to Amazon, and get back what prices Amazon has for that book. It's almost always cheaper on Amazon. Then, if I spend more than $25, the shipping is free. With Kindle, I can buy and start reading books instantly.

I honestly haven't had a reason to go anywhere else. Barnes & Noble at present hasn't given me a good reason to look into their format or inventory. Neither has Sony.

Let's get back to the point: should you buy an eBook reader (that is, a dedicated device) for yourself or a loved one for Christmas (or any non-specific cultural observance you may buy presents for)?

Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider one:

1. Do you, or said loved one, read a lot of books? Then, you probably should.
2. Do you, or said loved one, travel a lot? I'm content to read books on my iPhone, but iPhone 3G battery life isn't good, so if I were traveling a lot, I might want a Kindle.
3. Are you, or said loved one, already overloaded with gadgets? If all you have is a "dumbphone", or no phone, but meet the other two points, then go for it. Somebody said that the max number of gadgets most people are willing to carry is 3. I've carried 3 gadgets. I'd say it's my limit.

By the way, if you'd like to buy a Kindle for yourself or a loved one, I'll make it quick and easy for you. You can buy it through my affiliate link right below. Amazon will gift wrap it:

Will eBook Readers Make Good Gifts This Season?

I've been asked a few times by friends if an eBook reader is a good idea. I was asked once specifically about the Kindle, and again about readers in general.

I read an article on Macworld's site giving 7 arguments why eBook readers aren't a good idea this "holiday season". I'll save my "holiday" rant for later. Let me redefine this: should you get somebody a Kindle or other eBook reader for Christmas? (The illogic of that whole "holiday" thing drives me nuts). 

The 7 arguments put forward in that article are:

1. We're on the brink of radical change in how people read e-books

2. E-book readers are the least discounted gadgets on the market

3. There are so many other new ways to read e-books

4. Giving an e-book readers may involve committing a person to a specific technology

5. E-book readers are old and busted

6. Everyone who really wanted one already has one

7. One of the best choices is unavailable

Mostly, the arguments rest on the assumption that Apple is working on a mythical "iTablet" that will be such an awesome eBook reader, it will render the Kindle, Nook, and that Sony thing useless overnight.

I've started and deleted several blog posts about how I'm sick of hearing about the Apple iTablet and will believe it when I see it. I stand by that.

I can personally attest to argument #6 being wrong. Everybody who wanted a Kindle DOES NOT already have one. I don't. I want a Kindle, and I don't have one yet. I guess I don't want it bad enough, but I'd still like one.

#4 is a very real concern, and it's one reason I've been slow to adopt eBooks even though I'm really excited about them. If you commit to a platform, will it last? What happens if I buy a Kindle and several Kindle books, and within a year the Kindle format is dead? I can't buy any more books, and once the platform dies out, I won't be able to read the books I bought. What if I buy a Kindle and for some reason the Barnes & Noble Nook takes off? Can you read Kindle books on a Nook, and Nook books on a Kindle? I don't have high hopes for Sony. Sorry, Sony just doesn't excite me about much. I'll believe Sony builds a successful eBook reader when they build one. I didn't like their last one. I played with it at Sam's. I found it non-intuitive and slow. I wouldn't have bought one. If you're going to buy an eBook reader for a friend or loved one, do keep in mind that you could be enslaving them to a platform with no guarantee of success.

The argument about eBook readers being "old and busted" reeks of somebody who has enough money to buy everything that comes out, use it for 2 days, and throw it away. I'm sure the rest of us without such a budget or access to review units will find that argument to be more of an elitest opinion than something to base our own buying decisions on. It's one of the reasons I despise tech journalists. They don't realize what it's like to have to work your butt off for months to save up for an iPhone. They get one handed to them and get sick of it by the time they get a Droid review unit.

I've bought some Kindle books to read on my iPhone. So far, I like it. The only advantage a physical Kindle would give me is the ability to read pdf files on the Kindle. 

So, should you buy a Kindle, Nook, or whatever Sony calls their reader? Sure. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, or a PC, you can read Kindle books without owning a Kindle. Kindle will soon be releasing readers for the Mac and BlackBerry. No Windows Mobile. Good though I jumped ship from Windows Mobile. I'd almost say for now, get an iPod Touch and download Kindle for iPhone, then buy some books.

I guess I'll have to do some reading about the Barnes & Noble Nook, because I can't comment intelligently about it right now.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody

It's Thanksgiving again. In the grand tradition of what this day is supposed to be about, here are some of the things I'm thankful for.

• Perhaps this shouldn't go first on the list, but right now it's at the forefront of my mind. I'm thankful to work for a company that, even though I got fired from my contract last week, hasn't cut me loose. They can't promise anything, but they're working on finding another spot for me and providing me with work to do in the meantime. I'm also being provided with mentoring in the very thing that I believe got me kicked off that contract in the first place. No company is perfect, but I'm thankful to work for one with a heart.
• I'm thankful for my family. Christina is busy getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. She's incredibly gifted at this. Anytime we have a big dinner of guests coming over, she just knows how much to make and of what dishes. I've never seen us run out of anything for big dinners or parties. She makes it look easy.
• I'm thankful for my boys. I often joke that the worst parts of me were split between the two of them. Joshua has my "It's going to be my way or everybody else will be miserable" attitude. Caleb has my insatiable "I need to know everything and I need to know it right now" mentality. But they're both my boys and they're both gifted in their own ways, and they make life fun and interesting.
• I'm thankful for my friends, my church, for my books, for my iPhone, for my computers, my car, my house, bed, and I could go on and on. Perhaps I will, but in a private format that's not likely to bore readers.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Buying One Song...

Sometimes I wish I had musical talents. Or I wish I had a Mac and Garage Band. Or I wish somebody would come out with a Garage Band like product for the PC. Don't tell me Audacity. It's not the same.

I found out about this $3 of free music promotion by Amazon today. When I got home, I decided to get some songs. I had a song that I'd been wanting for a while, so I bought it. It was $1.29. Fine, it was free. Then I went looking for another song. For some reason, lately I've been wanting "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." I don't know why. My church never sings it. I'm curious if any of our song leaders have heard of it. In any case, a podcast I listen to occasionally leads in with it. I figured "how hard could it be to find a version of 'A Mighty Fortress" that I'd like?"

A lot harder than I thought. Amazon returned hundreds of songs under my search. I started sampling them. I quickly realized that I didn't want a version of the song with pipe organs or a congregation singing in a very-bad-for-sound auditorium/sanctuary/whatever they call it. I also quickly decided that I don't want an instrumental version. I just want one good singer with a good instrumental mix, that doesn't include pipe organs or a single guitar. Turns out, my want was impossible. I did find a couple of versions of the song that made me with Trans Siberian Orchestra would tackle it. 

I hate some Christian paradigms. "A Mighty Fortress" is a great song. It's a powerful anthem. Why can't anybody put together a good version of it? Just  because it's 500 years old doesn't mean it has to be sung with pipe organs and sound like a death march. I'm sure Luther never intended it that way.

Is the "Open Door Policy" Really a Lie?

It seems like every manager I've ever worked for claims to have an "open door policy". They always introduce themselves that way. It's kind of like Dr. Kelso in the first episode of Scrubs. I've always been curious how many of them actually mean it. I don't mean direct supervisor. Most of them are forced to deal with you. I mean the levels above the direct supervisor.

Have you ever taken advantage of a manager who claimed to have the "open door policy"? Was he or she actually telling the truth, or was it a complete load of bovine fecal matter, equivalent to the Presidential candidate who says "I WILL NOT raise taxes"?

If you are a manager, do you claim the "open door policy"? Do you mean it?

What would be wrong with just being honest and saying "Leave me the heck alone! I'm not interested in your problems. If you bother me with a problem between you and your direct supervisor, you're fired"?

I'm just curious.

Update On Thursday

On Thursday night, I posted about how I was fired. It had never happened to me, and I'm still processing it. Fortunately, for the time being, fired in my case doesn't mean unemployed, although that is a possibility. As a contractor, I'm employed by another company. I was working embedded with my customer, and like I said, one of my tasks for some reason I never could produce at a level that met expectations. As I was the only person working on that task, I'm not sure how they expect not to fall behind while somebody else catches up since I was just starting to figure out what I was doing. I finally got the last few pieces in place, and in two or three weeks I would have been "there", but "there" was way past several deadlines. I had several other responsibilities, and it seemed like I was doing good work on those, but it wasn't enough. I guess I was assigned to that task because I'd done similar work in my previous job, but nowhere near at the level that was expected of me. I don't think anybody else on the team can do that work right off the line, so I'm not sure what they expect to do. I guess I hope getting rid of me solved all their problems. Other groups on that program contracted that kind of work out. We were the only group doing it in-house, and I'm not entirely convinced I was being supervised by people with much experience in that line of work. Like, they don't know what they don't know. It's in the past now.

I went into my parent company yesterday (Friday). I expected to be on overhead until somebody had time to review other listings and see what other positions I might fit in. I figured I'd go through the benefit information for open enrollment that I haven't gotten to because I'd been trying to meet yet another deadline on that task. Turns out a major project with a Monday deadline was underway, so when a team member saw me over there, he pulled me onto it. I at first protested, saying "I just got fired from my contract for my work on that kind of project", but they needed me enough. It turns out that I have the proper mentorship on this team, and within 2-3 hours I was off the ground. Why I didn't ask that group for help months ago will probably go down in my memoirs as one of my greatest mistakes. The project is big enough and the deadline close enough that I ended up with some overtime last night and permission to work on the project from home this weekend to get it finished up by Monday. Considering how close I could be to unemployed, I'm grateful for the overtime and the chance to redeem myself on this kind of work.

In the short term at least, things look good. I've seen my company go to great lengths for other people who ended up off their contracts. They may absorb some overheard on me for the short term, but if the project for Monday gets finished up, more work like that could come in and they might need me for that.

So, I screwed up pretty bad, but for now things look hopeful.

My Services Are No Longer Required

It happens to the best of us, and the worst of us too. I was told that my services are no longer required this afternoon. I'm off the contract.

How did it happen? I'm sure there's another side to the story. My analysis is that I was placed on a task that ended up being a little more difficult than I expected. I failed badly. I kept at it, and learned, and thought I was doing better, but somehow no matter how hard I worked, I could not meet expectations. I'm not entirely convinced that I was being directed by people with very much experience in this task. I was able to get help from people who had experience, but it was too late. Looking back, some of the direction I was given sent me in the wrong direction.

Somehow, rather than get somebody else on this task and put me on something I'm good at, I was allowed to spin my wheels on this task for months. I thought I was finally getting the hang of it. I put in a 12 hour day trying to finish up one part, then found out the next day that it wasn't good enough. I found out today that I was off the contract.

There is a good spot. Most contractors who are fired get fired while off site. I was politely fired in the conference room and was able to clean out my cubicle. I was able to get all my stuff out, as well as any files that I need for my own records. I also spent the time to clean up the dust. That cubicle was the dustiest place I've ever worked. I tried to leave it clean for the next occupant.

So what's next? I work for a really good company. They'll try to find another place to put me. They can't promise anything, but I've seen them go to great lengths for people in my situation. I'll go to my company's offices tomorrow and they'll try to find me something else.

In the meantime, if you're aware of anybody who needs an engineer or IT professional, let me know. Seriously people, you don't want me to have nothing else to do with my time but post to Twitter and Facebook.

I'm going to try to keep a good attitude. I could get caught up in whining and complaining, but I doubt it will help. I've never actually been fired before. I've gotten fed up with jobs and gotten new jobs, but I've NEVER been fired before. OK, once, I got fired from a paper route when I was 14. Some people report it's the best thing that's ever happened to them. No doubt, comfort zones are antithetical to success.

So, if you know of any opportunities (no, I'm not interested in network marketing type stuff) let me know.

Can We Stop Comparing Congress to Drunken Sailors, Please?

I'm starting to get tired of references to Congress that make comparisons to drunken sailors. Having been a drunken sailor at one point, I can assure you that we were NOTHING like Congress.

A drunken sailor blows his own money, and maybe some money of one or a few of his shipmates. Then he runs out and is stuck until either payday or when another drunken sailor needs somebody else to drink with. Congress spends OUR money with no evidence of conscious thought. Of course, if you think that's bad, most voters complain endlessly about Congress, but keep voting the same people back into office. Who is the fool here? (Hint, the voters).

Fun With Google Suggestions

I got this idea from Fail Blog. When you use Google, sometimes Google gives you helpful suggestions to complete your search. Sometimes they are incredibly helpful. Other times they are totally off the wall. For instance, typing “why is” into the Google search box produced the following suggestions:

I don’t even want to know why Google’s algorithm thinks it might be helpful to suggest “why is there a dead pakistani on my couch”. Does that come up a lot?

Just for fun, I tried various other combinations. About the most humorous of the other combinations I tried was “why did”:

 

Do people really ask “Google” “Why did I get married?” I’ve asked some rhetorical questions out of frustration before, but I can’t say I’ve tried them on Google. Maybe I should…

If you’ve tried other searches on Google that turned up something hilarious, let me know in the comments.

Another Great Quip From Fake Steve Jobs

Apparently, somebody at Microsoft who had nothing to actually do with Windows 7 made some comment that they tried to copy the Mac OS. He apparently got some retaliation. OK, whatever. That barely made me look up. But, Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons) took this one on, and cracked me up:

And then the Borg rolls out this old chestnut: “Over nine out of ten computer users choose Windows.”

Now, come on. Windows is like herpes. Or genital warts. Nobody chooses Windows. People get Windows. It comes preloaded on their crap machine, and they’re stuck with it.

No Need To Pay For Security on Your PC. Lifehaker Says MS Security Essentials Are Enough

Most of my non-geek friends like to ask me about security. I tell them that unless they look at a lot of porn or spend time downloading pirated software, then they don’t need to worry as much. It’s not that big a deal.

Microsoft once had Windows Live OneCare. I hated the beta version, and installed it after less than 15 minutes. As it matured, I found it to be very useful, and I would recommend it to friends who asked what I though. I’ve long since had it with Norton and McAfee, although I’ve heard since they days that they gave me a bad taste that they’ve optimized their products so they don’t require as much time and attention, as well as system resources. I’m still not ready to pay for either again.

While Windows Live OneCare was a paid product, Microsoft now has Microsoft Security Essentials, which is free. Lifehaker says it works well enough that Windows users shouldn’t have to shell out money for other security products.

Kindle For PC Is Here! And More Good News

Amazon’s Kindle for PC was released today. Maybe it was last night. I’ve already installed it. I’ve had Kindle on my iPhone since I first leaned about it. I’ve only bought one book to date, but now that I can make notes and highlight, I’ll probably buy more. I like to read, and being able to carry my books with me is a great thing.

The post on Amazon’s blog also includes this at the end:

Stay tuned, as more apps are on the way, including Kindle for Mac, and Kindle for Blackberry.

Sweet, Kindle for BlackBerry. Between my iPhone and BlackBerry, and now my computers, the only excuse I’ll have left for not reading will be “because I don’t want to”.

If anyone from Amazon is reading this, can I have an @kindle.com email address without buying the physical Kindle? If I could get some pdf files into the system, that would be great.

The Kids Were Just Too Cute Today

(This picture was from several weeks ago)

I’m writing this post from a hotel room. I’m on travel. I got up this morning, and after packing walked down to pick up my rental car. When I got back, I went out to eat breakfast with my family. Christina drove my Kia Sedona and I drove the rental car to OCB (Old Country Buffet). The funny thing was, when I loaded the rental car at home, Joshua kept asking if he could ride with me. Caleb didn’t bother to ask. He just took his booster seat out of the minivan and walked toward the rental (Ford Focus). Joshua took the hint and grabbed his booster too. By this point, there was no way I could say no, considering I was planning to leave after breakfast while Christina took the kids on to some other planned activities.

That’s a weird contract between the kids. Joshua was asking, Caleb just grabbed his seat. I have to wonder, how many things are we denied because we ask? How many people get what they want because they just do it? I have to admit, sometimes the kids ask me for something, and I deny it for arbitrary and capricious reasons. Maybe I’m too tired and distracted to deal with it. I have to wonder how many requests I’ve been denied in my life for similar reasons.

Another funny point. At one point in the drive to OCB, I pulled into one lane and Christina pulled up right next to me in the other. I knew the two lanes merged after that light. When the light turned green, I stomped the gas and pulled ahead. The kids were giggling for several minutes. They loved it.

Get Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Workweek Audiobook Free

Audible.com is giving away a free copy of Tim Ferriss’ “The 4 Hour Work Week”. I checked the book out from the library. I’ve been meaning to buy my own copy, but Tim is apparently revising it so I’m waiting for the revised version to come out. I might buy the Kindle version if available, now that Kindle for iPhone allows notes and highlighting and Kindle for Windows is right around the corner.

If you want the audiobook version of “The 4 Hour Work Week”, check here and follow the instructions. Make note of that site, as it occasionally has some interesting links to free content. Sometimes it links to new age fluff, but other times it links to really good stuff.

Alternately, if you’d like to purchase a physical copy of “The 4 Hour Work Week”, you’re welcome to do so through my Amazon affiliation. It would help both of us out.

I Don't Like Sports

I'm sure nobody stayed up all night when I said my next post might be about why I hate sports. Most of the people that I know like sports, and I currently live in a part of the country populated by the most rabid sports fans imaginable.

I just never could bring myself to care. I'm not saying I don't enjoy throwing a ball around with my boys, but I sure can't sit and watch a game. It doesn't matter which sport: football, baseball, basketball, soccer, NASCAR, golf, they all bore me equally.

I've tried to care. Believe me, I've tried to force myself to watch a game to fit in. I've tried to force myself to care which team beat which team, or what the difference is between March Madness and the World Series. Trust me, for some reason, my brain does not contain a part that allows me to care. I've been known to answer the question "Who do you think will win the Super Bowl?" with "I think it's a sure bet on the Spurs." Yes, I know the Spurs are a basketball team (I lived in San Antonio). I was deliberately being "a dick".

V Is The Best Sci-Fi Miniseries EVER!

A new V series starts tonight. I LOVED the original. My dad was stationed in Germany from 1980-1985. Somebody taped it and sent all 10 hours to us, and I watched it over and over and over again (give me a break, we only had 1 channel). Of course, even after we moved to San Antonio and had more channels, I still would watch all 10 hours of V when I got a chance.

I remember one day in 1996 when I was stationed on the U.S.S. Oldendorf (DD-972) in San Diego. I had an apartment with a couple of my friends from the ship (I’m still really good friends with one of them). My dad, who worked for the Air Force as a civilian by that point, was TDY to San Diego for some reason or other. The Air Force goes TDY. In the Navy, we get to go TAD (Travelling Around Drunk). There actually happened to be a Star Trek convention in San Diego at the time. For some reason, while I was in San Diego, there weren’t any Star Trek conventions except for that one. I’d been to a few in San Antonio so I figured it would be fun to go with my dad. I haven’t been to once since.

The point of this post isn’t actually about the Star Trek convention. It’s about one idiot at the convention. I was walking through the booths and saw V- The Original Miniseries. It was on 2 VHS cassettes. I asked the vendor if he had The Final Battle. He said no, it hadn’t been released yet. I walked away, dejected.

Well, irony of all ironies: the next day, I was at the Navy Exchange, and saw a 5 VHS Cassette set of V The Original and V The Final Battle. I don’t remember what it cost me, but I bought it that day.

Later that year, I had to take a Typhoid shot. Typhoid always messed me up for 2 or 3 days, but for a short duration, I was working in Supply away from the ship and I was given the afternoon off. I settled down with my 10 hours of V and watched it just like I did all those summer vacations ago.

I don’t think I’ve had time to watch it since, but I still have it, safe on the shelf in my computer room. At some point, I should probably look for the DVD set.

Anyway, I hope this new V series maintains some of the splendor of the original. I know that 25 years and a new crew and a new generation and changes in society can change some things. Star Trek The Next Generation NEVER would have flown in the 60’s, but it worked well for the late 80’s. I hope the new crew is able to incorporate some new technology and cultural idiosyncrasies, while remaining true to The Original V. And I don’t mean that butt-awful attempt at a TV series where that alien hybrid girl shed her skin and aged 13 years every commercial break. After they kicked the Visitors off the planet, bringing them back for a TV series just didn’t make much sense. I tried to like it, I really did, but in reflection, it sucked.

If Newspapers Died, Would You Care?

I know a lot of people who love newspapers. For some reason, they insist on maintaining a newspaper subscription. They like reading the paper.

Just like professional sports, I don't get it.

I hate newspapers. I don't read them. I don't subscribe to them. I take the booths they set up at trade shows offering "$50 in free gifts for trying the paper" as a sign of desperation. Any time I end up in a discussion with somebody trying to sell me a subscription, I usually tell them "No, thank you. I am not paying you to pile up a paper on my floor, which is what happened every time I've had a subscription."

Am I saying I hate journalism and journalists and the entire news profession? No, and please don't read that into what I'm writing here. I simply don't get the point to newspapers, and if newspapers went away, I would not miss them.

Newspapers are huge and cumbersome. I never got the point to the format. In order to read the paper, you have to spread it out farther than your arms, legs, and head were meant to go. Then you have to fold it back. For some reason, the fold never goes right, causing crinkling. You have to lay the darn thing down and FORCE the fold where you want it, then pick it back up to read it.

I also can't stand that format of stories continuing from one page to another section. I hate it when a story continues on through 3 different sections of a paper. "Oh, look, right here on the front page, an interesting story... oh, continued on page A34... Oh, now I have to go to D18 to follow it..."

Maybe I'm just spoiled by the Internet, but I don't even like magazines that do that. Just put the entire story in one place, editor. Don't make me flip around and try to remember where I left off in the first place. I don't understand where this came from, and why it persists to this day. I find it annoying.

I like things to be sequential. I like to pick up a magazine or newsletter and read it like a book. I start at page 1, and read through to the end. I went through a "Choose Your Own Adventure" phase for a while (about the time I was 8), and it was fun while it lasted, but I'd rather just read sequentially.

Another thing I don't like about newspapers is that I can usually tell when a journalist has run out of useful information to give but still has a word count to maintain. Of course, I can tell this on CNN.com or WorldNetDaily, so it's not exclusive to newspapers. Journalists should be able to just stop when all the useful info is given out, rather than just babbling on for paragraph after paragraph with nothing to say.

Also, newspapers are broken up into sections. Some are useful, and some are not. I'll NEVER, EVER, under ANY circumstance, read the Sports section, for instance. I just don't care about it. Why should I pay for it? Why waste the paper and energy to deliver it to me, considering that it is useless to me? I'm not sure about the other sections. If I were looking for a house, I'd probably benefit from that section, but right now it does me little good. The Society section doesn't help me much. Newspapers try to be everything to everybody and result in overkill, especially in an age when you can get what you need, no more, no less online at any given momemt.

So there, I said it. I don't like newspapers. I won't miss newspapers when they go. I also don't like sports. Maybe I'll make that my next post.