Paper vs computer

You can't take the disk to the throne with you, that's where those paper magazines come in handy.

Gunrunner, you got that right. Plus you can always leave a couple older issues under the sink in the cabinet for variety, works great for catalogs too.

 

Jerry

John, you are 100% correct about that. I am young and hate reading magazine internet articles. Give me a paper copy any day.

Plus, you can't hit a fly with a rolled up tablet.

 

Jerry

Paper for me too!

I like a paper catalog.

Wanna bet?    Why do you think those e-book readers are getting so popular?  It is (usually) pretty easy to get things into the "right" format if they aren't already.

It's an interesting arguement.  I don't trust computers, they crash, sometimes often and if you haven't backed it up. bye-bye!

 

The problem as I see it, the new catalogs are available electronically, but what about the older catalogs, say 1956 for example.

 

I still take paper over plastic!!

I prefer paper for my leisure reading (periodicals and books).  I prefer computers for my news, research, and writing/editing.  I prefer a combination of paper and computers for putting the magazine together--most is done electronically, but I use paper (printed PDFs) for the proofing and design-check phases.

I'm taking OGR in the electronic version.  If I can read it in the computer or iPad, I good with that.

I like both. I have been making PDFs of my old CTTs using my scanner/copier. The quality is very good,  I find that I can scan one page between plays during football games.  A lot of the repair articles are timeless and I can find them very quickly by looking at the table of contents that I have scaned and placed in one document. 

I liked what Trains Magazine did with the entire history being made available in one package. The search function is very fast. If OGR made all of their issues available in such a manner, I would buy it.

 

I did the same thing with a lot of my vinyl records, made audio files that I could load into my  itunes and IPOD.  There is something powerful to have your entire music library available in your hand.

 

All the best, Dave

I take my older mags and leave them in the waiting rooms at doctors offices etc. Not going to leave my laptop

 

Steve

Digital is for me. Paper takes up too much space, as evidenced by the vast amount of storage boxes of print I am now gradually eliminating.

 

Further, the flow of information moves faster than the current system: a printed newspaper or magazine delivered by a motor truck to an individual, who carries it to the house, to be read and then discarded by delivery to a trash collector, then to a central dump. This may very well look curious to future generations, as a blacksmith does to us today.

 

While words will always retain their intimacy, it is not necessary to have an extended, physical distribution system to spread those words on paper .

 

Best,  Mark

 

 

I recently bought the Model Railroader 75 year archive.  While it's great having all that information available in one place for research, with having to zoom and pan it's difficult for "casual" reading.  I get a little eyestrain after reading about 15 minutes.

 

I still prefer a "hard copy." 

 

Lightweight, portable and the batteries never go dead.

 

Rusty

I think Steve Papa Eastanswer comment is a good idea....that way, we are able to

Spread the Good News About Model Railroading !

Rufus

I subscribe to a postcard collectors digital magazine because it's the only way it is published. It's fine, but I'd pay extra for a hard copy if I could.

I'm in my second year with my Kindle (e-book reader) and I am finding that I prefer it for situations (like travelling) where it is a lot more compact than even one large novel.  There is also the added convenience of being able to purchase the next book in a series without having to run to the bookstore or wait for Amazon; you just need to be close enough to a WI-FI connection.  It is also nice to be able to "pack" a variety of reading material for a long trip without taking up a lot of space/weight.

 

When I'm at home, I still prefer a traditional book/magazine but I am "trying out" the OGR online edition this year.  I'm running into the same problem that many of you have with the overflowing bookshelves.  I hate to part with my accumulated magazines but the space they are taking over needs to be reclaimed.  I think that electronic storage is the way to go.

@Brewman1973:  Dave, please drop me an e-mail: gandalf97us (at) yahoo (dot) com.   Thanks!

paper...  absolutely.  As noted elsewhere, you can take it anywhere.  Another big plus is it works without power and without batteries.   You'll be able to read it 15 years from now.  Probably not so with the current electronic media.

Cars crash also but we take precautions like driving with our eyes open and hands on the steering wheel.  Computers are like any other tool....you need to take the proper steps to use them correctly which includes backups.    Online backup services such as Live Drive are fire and forget and relatively cheap given the value of the data on our computers (pictures, videos, financial records, etc.) Paper readimg material is going away.  Go to any college and see how many kids are reading paper newspapers.  The answer is zero and they are the future of media.   You don't even see that many folks reading paper on trains, buses, etc. 

i'm on a train heading from NYC to Montreal.  Just took a quick walk and less than half the folks reading are using paper (and the paper readers include my two ludite friends who hate computers! 

 

Chris

Paper, I like holding it in my two hands and reading in a nice comfortable chair.

Ah, but if you have Magazines in electronic form (disk or download), you can upload them to a NAS and access it from any TV/Computer in your house, including reading it on the iPad on the throne...

 

-bruce

Make that 150 years or even longer.  Technology being what it is, just imagine how much information has already been lost that was recorded and stored on floppy discs, 3.5" discs, and other such media.

 

There is no "superior" or "best" way to handle print information, be it words and pictures on paper or words and pictures on a screen.  It all depends on economics at the producer's end and the needs and preferences of the end user.

 

Back when personal computers were introduced, the widespread prediction was that paper would virtually disappear.  In fact, just the opposite happened.

I prefer paper.  I don't save many magazines so space is not a problem.  With books, I generally read them and pass them on.

I am currently reading a book that has an msrp of $12.95.  I bought it used for 25 cents at a rummage sale. Can't do that with a Kindle!

I prefer paper.  I don't save many magazines so space is not a problem.  With books, I generally read them and pass them on.

I am currently reading a book that has an msrp of $12.95.  I bought it used for 25 cents at a rummage sale. Can't do that with a Kindle!

This is NOT train related, but the kindle & nook both have 10's of thousands of public domain books (lots of classics) for free...

I still prefer paper for all of my casual reading.  Just something relaxing about settling back in an easy chair with a good book or a train magazine.  I guess I'm just conditioned to it.  Still, when it comes to doing research and doing "Heavy" reading I prefer the computer but it certainly ain't realxin'. 

I certainly use the computer for research and other reading, like news, etc.  However, I also like paper for some uses.  There are several uses for paper when you're in the throne room, not just reading.

If that $12.95 book is a hardcover it is a pretty old book!    Seriously though, I still do the same thing.  If I stop by a rummage sale I check out the old books.  I'm just saying that there are places where the new technology is useful.

Paper for me too. I dislike reading from a screen, finding it much harder on my eyes, much more tiring. 

They each have there advantages and disadvantages.

 

Time moves on and so does culture change.

 

I get tired of reading from the screen so I favor PAPER though.

Internet!!!!!

 

it's the only way for us, foreigners, to read that Ogaugerr Magazine in our small country (somewhere far away beyond the sea)

I recently referred back to a 1989 copy of CTT for some information about the 1688 torpedo my brother bought.  Can't really get a digital copy of that.

Theres alot less complaining in the magazine.

LOL!  Yes, but we pay for the "privilege" of a complaint free magazine.  I wonder if they would send us the magazine for free if we were willing to let them include the complaining???