For now, I will take ink-stained hands and a newspaper

Today I bought an actual physical copy of the Sunday newspaper for the first time in several months.  It is amazing how much I missed opening up the Sunday paper and looking at all the different sections.  There is something about the experience of reading an actual newspaper that can’t be replaced for me with a digital one.  Perhaps it is my age or my failing eyesight, but the experience of sitting down with the newspaper or a book is still something that I cherish greatly. There is also the thought that when I read a newspaper online I am missing something that would be getting in a hard copy. I don’t think it is actually true, but perhaps it is because I grew up with only newspapers and books that I think like that.

What I wonder about is whether the physical experience will ever be duplicated in the digital digital experience? Would a bigger screen make a difference? A different layout perhaps? There are many wonderful e-book readers around including the Kindle, the Nook and of course the iPad. But for now for me it is still the dirty and ink-covered newspaper that makes the biggest impact.

How about you, what do you prefer, the actual newspaper or digital experience?