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Cartoon for TeleReaders
December 4, 2009 | 8:36 am
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By Paul Biba
Thanks to Mary Susan MacDonald of Marytoons for the cartoon and thanks to Dan Bloom for instigating it.
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Comments:
Both online news sites and snailpapers are valuable vehicles in delivering news and coverage of issues.
Online news is now – as it happens.
Snailpapers are often:
a. more reliable and
b. considered …
as the pace of life increases the use of judgment decreases …
Check out the “Snailpaper” CARTOON at
http://www.marytoons.com
The snailpaper term and Mary’s wonderful cartoon are catching on, for better or worse. One man comments on Open Salon to this effect:
“….Do you know the original ‘Ghostbusters’ film, made in 1984, and the Harold Ramis character at one point says, “Print is dead.”? It’s easy to forget that this was a pop phrase as early as the 1970′s.
Of course it was in reference to the dominance of TV at the time.
For a more contemporary response: William Gibson, the sci-fi writer who coined the term ‘cyberspace’ was asked not too long ago about the imminent death of the book. Gibson just laughed and replied that the book, and all print by extension, is a very old technology of language, of writing and reading strategies, and not something contained in the pages of a bestseller or the daily newspaper. Of course, he’s right — look at what we’re engaged in right here.”
Was your paper late again today?
Filed Under ”News you can use”
(11/21/2009, Los Alamitos, CALIF.) — If you live in Los Alamitos or Rossmoor, and possibly some of our neighb0ring West Orange County communities, you may have noticed your newspaper arriving late this week. . . or not arriving at all.
I was away the first part of the week, but on Wednesday my paper never did arrive, although I posted a missed paper request online prior to the 10:00 a.m. deadline.
http://letsfixlosal.com/blog/wheres-my-daily-paper/
and that man’s snailpaper update on his blog here:
http://letsfixlosal.com/blog/snail-paper-update-lost-in-the-fog/
Forget my ship coming in–I’d just like my “morning” newspaper to arrive while it’s still morning. Preferably before I leave for my first appointment!
There still doesn’t seem to be much improvement in the late delivery in Los Alamitos of the three main daily print newspapers that we first mentioned here two weeks ago.
in that 1984 Ghostbusters movie the Harold Ramos character says “Print is dead!” — 25 years ago!
boko said.. “I was watching the original ‘Ghostbusters’ film, made in 1984, and the Harold Ramis character at one point says, “Print is dead.” It’s easy to forget that this was a pop phrase as early as the 70′s. Of course it was in reference to the dominance of TV at the time.
For a more contemporary response: William Gibson, the sci-fi writer who coined the term ‘cyberspace’ was asked not too long ago about the imminent death of the book. Gibson just laughed and replied that the book, and all print by extension, is a very old technology of language, of writing and reading strategies, and not something contained in the pages of a bestseller or the daily newspaper. Of course, he’s right–look at what we’re engaged in right here.”
Maybe I’m alone in this, I don’t know, but I can’t say as I find that cartoon all that funny. I mean, there’s no real joke. If anything, it’s just an illustration of the “snailpaper” metaphor that Dan came up with.
Yes, print papers are slow. Oh cute, the slow paper is being carried by a snail. Like in “snailpaper”. And the caption, which should provide a punchline…doesn’t.
As far as I can make out, it’s kind of like the joke Dug the dog tells in Up, “It’s funny because the squirrel gets dead.”
Chris, good points and you have a good eye. But a couple of things in response:
1. not all cartoons are jokes or funny, some are just illustrative of ideas or notions, as in this case. So there’s no punchline as in punch punch punch. Mary’s artwork here is more of an illustration to accompany a website like Teleread, than a New Yorker magazine haha cartoon. I think she nailed it, with her artwork!
2. The snailpaper metaphor is not my metaphor, Chris. I didn’t coin it and I didn’t come up with it. If you google the term, you will see that other people have been using the term for much longer than me. All I did was spot its usage, and with more of an editor’s eye than a wordsmith’s eye, I just underlined it and highlighted it and told a few friends online about it.
3. I doubt “snailpaper” will ever become accepted in common usage, the way that snailmail has been adopted now.
4. It’s just a novel way, some might say a “lame” way, of looking at print newspapers today.
You are right. It’s just an illustration. Maybe it’s just a Dug the dog joke….
Btw, blogger Dave Emerson used the word “snail paper” independently on his blog on Nov. 21 in talking about lousy newspaper delivery in his neighborhood in California, telling me: “Hi Danny, I didn’t realize the word had already been used by several other people, including you — I just thought if print hard copy mail is snailmail, then a print newspaper would be a snail paper — especially when they can’t get it delivered before 8 a.m….”
i think the word has taken on a life of its own…
Chris, you are not alone in this. re: “Maybe I’m alone in this, I don’t know, but I can’t say as I find that cartoon all that funny. I mean, there’s no real joke. If anything, it’s just an illustration of the “snailpaper” metaphor that Dan came up with.”
You are right, Chris, it’s just an illustration. To illustrate a concept. But you are right, no punchline, no yucks, no haha moment. Just some artwork by a very good illustrator in Toronto.
And please note, Chris, i did not come up with the word or the metaphor. It’s been used online for a few years already. i just found it and liked it and started using it. someone else coined it. google it.
Chris, you’re right. it was just an illustration, and not a punchline joke. not even a cartoon. more like an illustration. and it is not my word. people have been using it for a few years now on blogs. google it.
comments online from others at ASK ME:
re Harold Ramis line:
Print is Dead!
September 14, 2009
Print is dead? I was watching Ghostbusters (1984) this weekend, and at one point the character Egon Spengler is asked a question, to which he responds: ‘Print is dead.” What is the earliest recorded use of this phrase?
I see Google finding some 1916 and earlier mentions, but only in very specific contexts.
The Ghostbusters quote might very well be the origin of the (modern) phrase. It’s certainly the voice I hear in my head whenever I read those words.
I found a reference in the Antioch Review (1967) that uses “print is dead” as the characterization for Marshall McLuhan’ scholarship, which make a lot of sense to me in this context. This previously is also pertinent.
Huh, I always thought he said “printer’s dead” because he’s fixing her computer setup and not paying attention to her.