Nick Bilton describes emerging NYT technology

One of the online advertising developments in progress is in conjunction with software maker Adobe Systems, and it aims to automatically resize and reformat data onscreen to fit the window size of the Times reader so that ads and content will be readable despite varied sizes and browsers. Also pertaining to readability and formatting, the team is considering the integration of Times' content in readers' homes on their Internet-connected TVs. The Times might offer an application programming interface that could, among other things, auto-detect how far a reader is from the TV and, depending on the distance, auto-adjust the layout and size to match the distance.

Bilton spoke of another prospective innovation called "smart content," a system that keeps track of what users have read digitally across all devices so that as readers change mediums--from computer to phone for example--their history follows so that they are presented with only meaningful data. "If I start reading something on my laptop, why should I see it on my phone if I've already read it?," Bilton asked. Other mobile initiatives include text messages to readers with results of elections or sporting events that might have missed the Times' print deadline, and a semacode system in which users could use cell phone cameras to photograph digital codes embedded in Times video content and then auto-load it to their phone.

The Times' R&D lab is even experimenting with the traditional street newspaper box, working on a machine called "CustomTimes," which looks like a newspaper box with a computer on top. The computer would allow users to browse and filter Times content and print stories to suit their needs at the touch of a button.

"Paper is dying, but it's just a device," Bilton said. "Replacing it with pixels is a better experience." However, despite this assertion, Bilton does not seem to think the end of printed newspaper is inevitable or that the Times will stop printing. "Still," says Terdiman, "regardless of whether you can still pick up an actual paper New York Times or not, there is little doubt that digital is the direction that will dominate in the future." Bilton and Terdiman are just a few among many who believe that the salvation and future of journalism lies in technology and innovation. One wonders however, where the essence of journalism and quality information will fit into this fast-paced, touch-of-a-finger, digital labyrinth of technology.

Source: Digital Media, The Huffington Post