Now You See It, and Now You Don't!

Photographs help us time travel.  Most of that travel is into the past, but occasionally photos help us travel to the future by helping us see the present moment clearly.  This singular moment acts as a portal to the future by instantaneous-ly uniting the past and present giving entry to the future. 

This week, while having coffee with a friend, I took this week's blog photo with my cell phone.  (Yea the image quality is not great, but I am a guy who buys a phone to use as a phone. If my phone can take an adequate photo that's good, however if it could make morning coffee, mark it sold.)   The gray haired guy sat alone at his table drinking his coffee and reading a print newspaper --- a genuine comic book smelling, smudgy, inky newspaper complete with rustling sounds when the pages are turned!  This scene brought back fond memories while presenting me with a revelation --- how quickly we can unknowingly lose sight of seeing something that was once a common occurrence.

Printed newspapers have silently vanished from our public landscape, and I didn't even notice it.  When was the last time you saw a person in a coffee shop, bus, park bench, or doctor's office reading a newspaper?  I get my news online today --- no more delivery problems, smudged fingers, or guilt about killing trees.  In truth, I miss the smell of a newspaper and I am an advocate of the free press which among our country's population I fear is shrinking.  

If it is printed on paper, there is a implied legitimacy about its content that is lacking online where the content can be removed at the push of a button like it never existed.  Printed news seems to hold potential for public shame for its inaccuracies --- think the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman"!   Today, there seems to be more veiled commentary online posing as the news.  This goes across all media today.  I fear that the abundant commentary is consumed as the news and that we are inclined to let others think about the news for us as opposed to doing it ourself.

Well, it's time to chase some neighborhood kids off my lawn.  Every once in a while the Grumpy Old Photographer in me surfaces and stubbles on to center stage.  Apologies to the audience!