Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aablue!jb
From: jb@aablue.UUCP (John B Scalia)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Electronic Newspapers
Summary: The logistics have already been dealt with...
Keywords: cables electronic news
Message-ID: <577@aablue.UUCP>
Date: 10 May 89 13:48:16 GMT
References: <8905031352.AA16555@mica.berkeley.edu> <174@marvin.moncam.co.uk> <2329@titan.sw.mcc.com>
Reply-To: jb@aablue.UUCP (John B Scalia)
Organization: A A Blueprint Co., Inc. - Akron, OH
Lines: 47

In article <2329@titan.sw.mcc.com> janssen@titan.sw.mcc.com (Bill Janssen) writes:
>In article <174@marvin.moncam.co.uk>, harry@moncam (Jangling Neck Nipper) writes:
>>Are we talking about news over the 'phone, or having the newspaper deliverer 
>>chuck us a ROM thro' the letterbox?
>
>This is a fascinating question, one of the two that are still unsolved.
>Suppose you attempt to publish a city newspaper with 50,000 subscribers,
>each subscriber having his own profile, so that each receives a personalized
>newspaper.
>
>Option 1:  modem transmission over voice lines.
>Option 2:  optical fiber phone line transmission.
>Option 3:  continuous transmission over cable.

Of your options, I believe that the only practical solution, at least here in
the U.S., is #3. At least in my area, cable TV is everywhere along with its
supporting infrastructure, and the cable companies have already dealt with
the personalization issues. I really think that should anyone care to start
such a venture, the technology already exists. An improved interface to the
incoming cable line could easily allow scanning headers to present a
personalized news service to anyone, and the bandwidth of cable should be
quite sufficient for most dailies. (I might shudder, however, at the thought
of time required to transmit an entire Sunday edition of NY Times :-))

Even for those without cable, while the costs involved would be higher, it's
easy enough to pluck the signal straight off one of the 2 dozen Clarke belt
satellites already in orbit. I've seen it alluded to here, that USA Today
uses a satellite channel for its distribution. I know this to be correct.
However, a number of print media news services and magazine publishers do
this as well, AP for example. I don't believe though that any standards
exist regarding transmission data formats so that a single receiver could
do all the work. (I don't use cable. I have my own satellite dish, so
if I could get this ability, I'd use it.)

To start with though, how about something a little more simple: an electronic
library. Most books have little graphics and could be dealt with in an
easy ASCII format. Hmmm. You browse through a list of titles, select one,
and it's loaded to you from anywhere in the world. A simple mod to rn could
even permit one to beginning reading and even place a "bookmark" when other
demands became pressing.

Just my $.02
-- 
A A Blueprint Co., Inc. - Akron, Ohio +1 216 794-8803 voice
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