If one of my grandchildren were to insert a poster across the page I was reading, I would be quite annoyed. I would be annoyed and I would let them know how I felt. Yet, various web sites do that all the time. I am reading long and up pops an intrusion, maybe for a book "recommended for me" or a diet supplement that is guaranteed to lose me 10 lbs of weight.
For a guy like me who likes to read widely and has acquired many Kindle ebooks, today's book and reading environment is a pleasure. Use of the Libby app and the local and the campus library makes a very wide range of books available.
But just as with many other items, markets and offers make a rather thick crowd to wade through. Several writers have focused on the problem of shortened attention spans. People are constantly distracted by movement on abruptly inserted screens. There seems to be an over-supply of all sorts of goods and experiences and no shortage of advertisements about each item.
Take a look at what the much-admired writer, E.B. White wrote in 1938, almost a century ago: t.ly/XNKu
