Hi, Laporteans. It's been a while! There are probably quite a few new
members who have never even received a message from me. (We're over 5000
members now.)

That's because this isn't really a traditional discussion group. I don't
want to flood you with useless email - goodness knows we all receive more
than enough of that. This mailing list is more like the Emergency Broadcast
System: it's a way to reach you in case of an emergency. Like Kate leaving
the Screen Savers, etc.

There are other ZDTV and Laporte oriented discussion groups that are far
more active. If you want to participate in one of those try the message
boards at ZDTV Fanatics:

http://www.iondrive.com/zdtv/

So that's why there hasn't been a lot of mail from me: no emergencies!
<sound of knocking on wood>

As you've probably gathered, I've been taking Fridays off. That's partly to
rest from a grueling schedule, partly to work on new projects. One of those
is my weekly column in Access Magazine (http://www.accessmagazine.com).
That's been going so well I'm tempted to start work on a book. And that's a
bit of a challenge for me.

It's easy for me to do TV and radio. I just do the kinds of shows I'd want
to watch or listen to. But writing a computer book is tougher. The only
computer books I read are programming guides. I don't think I want to write
one of those. So that's where you come in. I'd like your input on what kind
of computer book you'd like to read. Send your replies here and for the next
couple of weeks I'll post selected messages on the group.

I'm currently leaning toward an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader kind of
computer book. A collection of tips, factoids, trivia, etc. that you can
pick up and read whenever you want. I'd like to update it yearly. Kind of an
Old Farmer's Almanac for technology. Does that interest you? Or is there
something else you'd be more likely to want to read?

Meanwhile, here's something I wrote for Access that they decided not to
publish. I think it's worth saying though on this Independence Day weekend.

--------------------------

The wise men who created our nation in 1776 didn’t have any of the benefits
of today’s technology.

The Declaration of Independence was handwritten with quill pen on sheepskin
parchment. It took a full day to print and months to distribute to all the
states. Too bad they didn’t have email.

But I wonder if Jefferson’s prose would have been any clearer had he used a
word processor? Would a PowerPoint presentation have been more persuasive
with George III?

As we celebrate 224 years of independence this weekend, it’s worth
remembering that there are some things technology can’t improve. Life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness don’t necessarily require a 19 inch
monitor. And sometimes a quill pen is more powerful than any gigahertz
processor.

-------------------------------

Happy 4th everybody. Thanks for reading, and watching! See you on Wednesday.

Leo

--
Leo Laporte "Call for Help," M-Th 7-8p Eastern
Host/Managing Editor, ZDTV "The Screen Savers," M-Th 9-10p Eastern
Contributing Editor, Access Magazine "Ask Leo" column, Sundays
http://www.zdtv.com http://www.accessmagazine.com http://www.leoville.com
--