How many editions of the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, etc. do you have stacked up in your home waiting to be read? How many copies of your weekly magazine subscription (the Economist, New Yorker, etc.) do you have piled up on your nightstand? Will there ever be enough time to dig through the plethora of newspapers, journals and magazines before the next ones arrive?

Well here’s a solution that will allow you to enjoy your favorite regular publications when reading time is limited or is difficult to do: on-demand audio publications; a real-time interactive service that offers audio translations of your favorite published material.

Taking the New York Times as an example, you would be able to select the topic/category of your choice such as World, US, Regional, Business, Technology, Sports, and so forth, and then hear NY Times’ articles in that category. By leveraging present technology digital information on NYTimes.com could be converted into audio sent through the air waves and received via satellite radio, or another hybrid receiving device. In this way, the information would be timely and of the quality for which the Times is known.

Magazines would be treated in a similar fashion. Their contents could be individually selected and, because they enjoy a longer shelf life, articles could be selected and heard until the next week’s or month’s copy is available.

Because the tedium and frustration of long driving commutes is growing everyday, a side benefit of the on-demand audio publication service is as a stress reliever. As we recently learned, occupied time is perceived to go by faster than unoccupied time. In addition, if you have ever tried to read the newspaper while driving on the freeway this is a safer alternative. (It may also save you from a traffic citation courtesy of the highway patrol.)

Finally, the concept is not limited to the time you spend in your car. You could enjoy the same service through a home device that would let you consume your publications in any situation not amenable to reading (like when you’re using a home treadmill/exercise bike). And the content could go anywhere you go through a web download to an iPod (as is currently done with some NPR shows and podcasts.)

What do you think of this idea or comment?
(You can change your vote at any time)

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I disagree