Comments on: Not My Smithsonian!

By: csread

csread — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:47:48 +0000

Go Vicki! I can't remember the last time I had a bath - but I like the sound of it! Even better with reading material, and paper would be a must in that case. What articles I get from the New Yorker tend to come by way of @johnabyrne on Twitter (he's editor of BusinessWeek.) I discovered early on that I like what John reads in general, so following him means I know what's great to read without finding it myself. I've passed along to so many people Malcolm Gladwell's article from the New Yorker "How David Beats Goliath" and I would never have read it if John hadn't put it on Twitter with a link. Truly, that is the "upside" of social media.

By: vickibalint

vickibalint — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:14:42 +0000

I absolutely agree. I love the Smithsonian; I’m even more passionate about my paper copy of the New Yorker. I do also get that online, and on my phone. But old habits die hard; and for me, it’s a safety issue– because most of the magazine reading I do takes place in my bathtub!

By: csread

csread — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:38:21 +0000

Wow! Peel back the layers of the Smithsonian and look what you find! I’m so glad to have discovered other people who are passionate about their magazines. Not that I ever thought much about it up to this point. I think we should all hold out to the bitter end. I’m resisting the Kindle too. Not because I don’t see the value of it on every level, but I’m just not ready to transition. I will keep an eye on the progress of your project! Thanks so much for sharing the link.

By: Martin Kalfatovic

Martin Kalfatovic — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:39:24 +0000

Great post and, well, me too! I only subscribe to two print magazines (Smithsonian and Wired); I still grab something at the airport, but both of those still have a visual dimension that adds to the experience.

And my disclosure, I work at the Smithsonian also, in the library and also for the Biodiversity Heritage Library project (which is digitizing legacy literature – 15 million pages and counting – for the EOL and other users): http://biodiversitylibrary.org/

By: csread

csread — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:31:31 +0000

Jim you rock my socks off! Old coots are my favorite kind! (Who ever heard of a young coot?) Those of us who cling to the vestiges of the “old ways” have to stick together. I will keep track of your Encyclopedia of Life project both online and IRL. The Smithsonian Institution is truly a national treasure in every sense of the word.

By: Jim Edwards

Jim Edwards — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:09:49 +0000

Thanks also for your excellent blog about the Smithsonian magazine. I am also someone who reads at the table—although I do it at breakfast. It is too hard to try to handle my laptop while I slurp down my yogurt and tea. I also get a lot of my reading done on the subway commuting to and from work; again, it’s impossible to open your laptop and difficult to open a thick book while you’re hanging on to a strap, but not at all hard to read a relatively thin magazine. So like you I will resist giving up the paper copies of the magazines I love most.

My younger friends and colleagues just tell me I’m an old fart who doesn’t yet “get it.” But I’m the same way with music. When I listen to music on my large speakers, I get immersed in it in a way that I can’t do with poor-quality downloads. So I’m proud to be an old coot who cares about quality more than quantity or multitasking.

And of course we’re really pleased that you like the Smithsonian museums and their magazine. (Disclosure: I am the director of the Encyclopedia of Life, a project hosted by the Smithsonian. Note, too that the online version of the magazine allows embedded links. For example, species names in the Wild Things feature are linked to the relevant EOL species pages.)