This morning I read newspaper articles about Twitter and its tweets (which are only 140 characters long). I read two daily newspapers, several Internet websites, two blogs, and two home-and-garden magazines. And after all this reading, I realized no one seems to like to read anymore. Newspaper articles are mostly blurbs with large photos. Websites are packed with snippets. Blogs were never long. And have you noticed how short some magazines' articles are these days? Lots of captions and photos, but the feature article is only about 140 words. Almost a verbose tweet. Chicagoland Gardening magazine still publishes satisfying, full-length, meaty articles with tons of great photos. Isn't that why we read magazines—for the stories? The stories about people and plants? I don't condemn brevity for online communication like blogs. I know newspapers and magazines are trying to adapt. But not everyone has the attention span of a gnat. If you think I am being old fashioned, understand that I am a Gen X-er raised on Sesame Street and MTV. I wrote high school and college papers on a computer. So what is wrong with wanting "the rest of the story" as the late Paul Harvey would have said. I want to READ a newspaper, magazine, book—not skim it for sound bites.

—Michelle Byrne Walsh