My morning routine: get up, start coffee, pick up the three papers that are on my doorstep, turn on my tablet pc, scan RSS feeds, view favorite news sites, read email, pour cup of coffee, open newspapers. I'm always struck by the difference in the two mediums -- the way I perceive information on my tablet, what is at the top of the headlines in pixels and in print. Some days, there is a high degree of congruence, and others, well, not so much.
This morning, that discontinuity was made most visible by the juxtaposition of two things. First, a long NYT article on drought in the U.S. West, and the long term implications of global warming, and what states and cities are doing to try and deal with it. It's a pretty sobering piece, and I couldn't help but reflect on the book "Collapse" as I read it.
Then, over on Valleywag, Nick Douglas does a celebrity deathmatch style post comparing Justin.tv with Twitter, both currently "it things" of the moment online. It's funny. And accurate, this is what is currently hot in the web 2.0 view of the world. As to what is popular on Digg, don't even get me started.
It is unfair to characterize Web 2.0 as froth. What is fair is noting that when someone does something thoughtful or intellectually provocative (Steve Jobs on DRM, for example), it stands out like a beacon, both online and off. That says to me there is a higher need for great content in the pixel world than we're currently getting.