In a stroke of brilliance, Florida Atlantic University produced their final student issue of the student newspaper using pre-computer technologies. Like manual typewriters, Xacto knives and rubber cement. And lots of math. This sounds like a total blast, and like a great learning experience. My favorite quote from one of the students involved:
After looking at a finished page – a page that took us half a day to finish – we felt so content and satisfied. I’ll compare it to the difference between buying a McNugget and hunting down your own chicken, gutting it, deboning it, and cutting it into nuggets.
If you are old enough to remember doing pre-computer publishing, this is a definite must-read just for the nostalgia. I found myself flashing back to laying out my high school yearbook, and it is prompting interesting reflections from others who are finding and commenting on the story, like over at TechCrunch, where I found the story.
And if you’re not old enough to remember these activities, well – keep in mind it wasn’t that long ago.