I did something different today, I read the newspaper.  Ok, so that’s not so different, but rather than getting my news online, today I picked up a copy of the Melbourne Herald Sun for free from the local aquatic centre, where my daughter was having her swimming lesson, and actually enjoyed turning the pages, folding it in half to better hold and place on my lap.  When I looked up at my daughter, it didn’t go black and require unlocking, there was no annoying pop-up notifications, the actual paper was just there to browse in-between watching the swimming.

When swimming was finished, I simply tucked the newspaper under my arm, just like the old days, and off we went.  Once we were home, I didn’t sit in-front of a screen, I sat at the kitchen table with a coffee and read the paper, looking at every page.  I read articles that I would never read online, I even looked at the adds (who knew there was a car brand called Haval, from China, and they were having a stock-take sale!)  That newspaper has now been put aside to be used underneath the kids painting, or perhaps wrap up a broken glass.

The problem with the digital editions of most major newspapers these days, is that you need to subscribe (including the Herald Sun) for most major stories.  You cant just pick up a copy from somewhere, you cant even just buy a single edition or article, so I tend to normally go to free online news sites like The New Daily or News.com.au.  Sometimes though it’s nice to read the paper, on paper, and then just tuck it under your arm.