An Insider's View of How the News Industry Will Survive

At The Tech Desk, we have been covering the state of the print news industry as we near the end of the first decade of the 21st century. It is not good.

An insider, Nick Bilton, an editor in The New York Times research and development lab, tells Wired how he believes The Times will survive:

"In-depth reporting can get a second life being re-packaged as a standalone e-book. Stories can be made to work with networked televisions, letting people see video interviews, high-res pictures, map views and timelines. They could even read excerpts from or even buy books written by experts quoted in a story.

"Paper is dying, but it's just a device. Replacing it with pixels is a better experience."

Is This Real?

Amazing if true: it looks like someone caught the US Airways jet splashing into the Hudson and then Twittered it to the world:



[via ireport.com]

New York to No Longer Mail Tax Forms

New York has become the first state to announce that it will no longer mail tax forms to its residents. The State's Department of Taxation and Finance made the announcement on October 16, saying that with 93% of residents now paying their taxes electronically, this move will save about $1 million in mailing, printing and processing costs.

The State reminded those who still file their taxes by mail that printable forms can be found on the Department's Web site, www.nystax.gov, and that most common forms will still be found in print at many local libraries.