October 9, 2011

Sucked into the paywall

I give up. For months I've been reading the NY Times by using a software workaround to navigate the paywall. Worked great, by the way.

But I'm spending my nights now with a sick friend. This, in its way, led to me to subscribe to the Times. I need something to do over there while my friend sleeps, and TV is not my cup of tea (unless there's a baseball game on). There's Wi-Fi over there and of course I could use my friend's computer -- but I always hate to do that. It's like trading underwear with someone: too intimate.

So I bought an iPod Touch to entertain myself during the quiet hours when my friend is sleeping. I could have used the Times software workaround on the Touch, I guess. But I  wanted to simplify things so I subscribed. That's it. I'm past the paywall for good (as long as I keep paying).

The Touch (I keep wanting to call it the iTouch) will be useful. For instance, I can format my books for the Kindle and read them with a Kindle app on the iTouch. Rather than sit there and do nothing, I can search for lingering typos. And I'll be able to read the Times and browse the net and email and video-chat -- and visit other people's blogs. Sounds good. It comes next week.

Anyway, after saying here that I wouldn't subscribe to the NY Times, I did. I wanted to admit my transgression. We fought fair and square (except I cheated) and yet the paywall won. Maybe there's a moral there.

Republished to correct tag.

2 comments:

Anna Guess Pick said...

Bravo, good for you. I always (well most of the time) believe we should pay for services or products that we use when it is required. I, except on rare occasions, would purchase software programs rather than 'pirate' them from someone who had a copy.

My husband's business was one in which he made his money by licensing of his product, so I always felt that when you don't pay for something you use it's a bit like stealing.

Now I'm not saying I don't like "free" I do, but if it come down to having to pay, I will take that option.

writenow said...

"Taking" something is one thing. Looking behind a curtain is another. The paywall is like gauze hung in front of a product. I don't think peeking behind a badly placed veil is stealing. It's there whether you look or not, and the gauze is hung so poorly.