The trend continues. Today’s paper announces the death of a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper from Santa Barbara, The Santa Barbara News-Press. After 150 years they are shutting their doors. And this is after going totally digital. They just couldn’t make the transition. 150-year tradition — bye-bye.
And then there was an Op-ed column about a book-loving journalist who is buying up more books than he will ever read so he will have a house filled with books when he can’t buy them anymore. “When I go to a great bookstore,” he wrote, “which, to me, is like a cathedral, I feel the need to tithe.” I love his last paragraph. “In buying books, I’m feeding the delusion that I will get to them all. Because from my cockeyed perspective, it’s the noble thing to do. Yes, book sales are down. But I’m once again doing my part to right the ship.”* What more can one man do?
A lot of our older members are struggling with making a transition to the digital age and are slow to admit that. Pam, another MemberPartner, has had to reluctantly switch from her newspaper to online news. “I was forced to go digital,” she writes, “and I must tell you reading the newspaper on my laptop can never provide the satisfaction of holding a newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.” Ah yes, these old habits are hard to break.
Of course, these stories are about holding onto the past, not what we advocate here. We advocate going down and out, and if you’re not sure what that means, read on.
Paul, another of our MemberPartners, commented after yesterday’s Catch that he has gone to entirely getting his news online, and wonders if that makes him a Millennial. Well, no, but he will communicate better with Millennials and GenZ as a result, and that’s really what we are after. Like so many of our older peers, we do not want to go up in age and into ourselves. We want to go down in age and out, and going out means getting smarter about finding out what’s going on in the world with our younger friends. What are they reading? Who are they listening to? How are they getting their information?
We are now upgrading our website and our App. Lots of new, up-to-date stuff right around the corner. And thanks to MemberPartners like Paul and Pam, we are joining the 21st Century. Look for another email later in the day when we will highlight another one of our MemberPartners. Meanwhile, why don’t you consider becoming a MemberPartner today? MemberPartners are the backbone of this ministry. A MemberPartner is simply one who signs up to contribute $20 or more monthly to the Catch. And for that you will receive more involvement and more benefits. To sign up, simply click here and make your first donation and check the box for “Make this a monthly donation” and the amount you give today will be taken out of your account monthly. It’s that regular support that keeps us going. Please consider become a MemberPartner today and join our great group of regular supporters!
*Chris Vognar, “Why do I hoard so many books? An investigation,” The Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2023, p. A11.
John Fischer The Catch 
I may be a bit curmudgeonly but I see the explosive unchecked growth of informational technology as being like the Titanic.
It was the newest and shiniest ship afloat; had the latest and greatest technology; was considered “unsinkable”; ready to set a speed record… and then, oops.
An iceberg.
Then more oopses became apparent in the next two hours before her sinking which included maritime miscommunications, too few lifeboats, and 1500 souls lost.
And after the investigation into the sinking, even more oopses were discovered that could have been prevented long before the ship even left Belfast and Southampton.
I applaud that man hoarding those books.
I applaud the newspapers (like the Seattle Times) which are finding creative ways to maintain and distribute a daily print issue (including sports, which I don’t read) along with an online issue.
We boomers are literally a dying breed and I hear the death knell of many of our beloved institutions but I refuse to write them off… er, keystroke them off?
Believe me, I’m not pooh-poohing the advent and advantages of future technology but my millennial (or Gen-Z daughter? Born in ’91.) gives me pause to praise those of her generation who express a certain appreciation for the “old ways.”
In fact, she’s into vinyl and buys 33rpm records to both listen to and to also display the album art. She’s eyeing my collection of LP’s along with my 45’s and the 78’s and 16’s I inherited (and still play on occasion) from my parents… yes, my turntable is that old!
She’s fascinated with and wants the newspapers we’ve saved and inherited over the decades that contained REAL breaking news such as VE and VJ Days; the tragic assassinations of the mid-60’s; the July 1969 moon landing; Nixon’s resignation; the Challenger explosion; the 9-11 attacks; etc.
I agree we boomers need to stay attuned to the times but we also need to remember Who and whom and what has gotten us to this point in our lives – and be respectful and grateful about it – just as our children will need to do when they’re our age.
Before that iceberg strikes.
If some bad actor from some domestic or foreign government decides they want to destroy our lives and/or our technology as we now know it – and I believe there are certain power-hungry domination-minded individuals out there right now fantasizing about that very scenario – then we may need to fall back on what once worked before and before we got so dependent on technology.
Who knows, the Amish, the nations farmers and tradesmen may be the last bastion of hope for society as we know it.
Will anyone know how to hand-operate a printing press? Might be a useful skill to retain when that anticipated massive solar flare comes our way.
Shalom, Peace…
🙂
Very thoughtful and important. Thanks for this perspective.
I wholeheartedly agree with you Bob. I think the time will come when we will be banging on the doors of “old school” writers, publishers, journalists, editors, teachers….because our technology went kaput. My phone is smarter than I am, I shudder at the sight of family and friends texting each other across the table they share. I’d rather search a bible passage in my written library than on the internet. The internet is full of knowledge, but dangerously lacking in wisdom. There was a study done a while ago that proved that knowledge gained by actually reading a physical book, feeling the texture of the pages, following where your eyes led was gained AND retained more easily, and memorized for the long term. I think “old school” should be mastered before ever touching a keyboard…and don’t get me started on writing. I like mine legible and understandable!
Thank you, Sandie.
I recall a sign I saw somewhere that said something like:
“We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.”
Part of that wisdom comes from tactile experiences but it seems apparent that turning the pages of printed material or writing a readable signature or doing actual legwork for learning purposes are too much of a strain anymore.
It seems we’re quite eager to adopt the foggy promises of an effortless and paperless society while, in the process, discarding the tried, true, labor-intensive, sweaty, and sometime uncomfortable practices from yesteryear.
When that potential iceberg looms large in front of us, though, who will we turn to to steer the ship from certain doom? A “how-to” manual (whether printed or online) provides information but can’t pilot the ship no matter how quickly we flip pages or scroll through the screen.
_
I hope you’re doing well, Sandie, after these difficult months.
Shalom, Peace to you…
🙂
I believe each day of my life thank God for his son Jesus and the word in our Bibles. As we try to move into technology when old ways are disappearing and we hear that younger folks are learning about the older ways and like them one thing is always with us on this roller coaster journey of life and many decisions our relationship with our Savior and thank God for that one each day of our lives.
Thank you for the reminder to embrace the challenge and optimism of learning new things.