Paper newspapers came one step closer to being obsolete with Microsoft’s and the New York Times joint announcement of new capabilities in Windows Vista to download and read Newspapers both online or with portable devices (like my cell phone); the original appearance of the newspaper, including fonts would be preserved.

"….With Microsoft’s new Windows Vista software, to be available in January, virtually any newspaper, magazine or book can be formatted into an electronic version and read online or off. The software would allow The Times to replicate its look — fonts, typeface and layout — more closely than its Web site now does."

"……Newspapers have been trying to develop a stronger online presence as readers and advertisers continue to migrate to the Internet. The new software is meant to make it easier to read an electronic version of a paper and allow readers to download multiple papers and magazines to take with them.

"…..The Times said it would charge advertisers to appear on the new version of the newspaper, called Times Reader, but it had not decided whether to charge readers for the service. Microsoft would include the offering in the next version of its operating system."

"..Mr. Gates said he had long wanted to make easier what he called "on-screen reading" and he had reached out to The Times to help develop that ability.

Ok.  Push forward 5 years, everyone now reads their newspapers on their laptops or hyper powerful portable devices and they no longer scan words, like they do now on LCD screens, but actually read the text similar to how they read paper newspapers today.   This change, works it’s way though to the way people behave and react online.

Pretty soon, paper like LCD screens are folded, just like newspapers are now, and display your newspapers (or anything else you want them to) and your computer is no longer a laptop, desktop or tablet, but could be a intelligent sketchpad.    Pretty soon, the line between online and offline becomes almost non-existant.