h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

After a couple of months of persevering with the new style Guardian, I'm on the verge of giving up. There's nothing for it, I really can't get used to the changes:

1) The printing goes much closer to the edges of the paper than it did before. This means that I have to hold the paper in a different way to read articles in the last column on the page.

2) I don't like the taster articles along the bottom of the first page. Yes, those did exist in its previous guise, but they were longer, and were continued on a predictable page in the main body of the paper.

3) With the Observer still as a broadsheet, it is impossible to create a stable stack of papers for recycling purposes - 6 days of 'Berliner' with a braodsheet on top becomes totally unstable within 3 weeks.

Of course this doesn't mean that I'm going to start buying a different daily paper, as there isn't another one that I could buy. It means that I'm going to be spending my time reading the free on-line edition instead of the paid for paper version.

Crikey I am the complete opposite.

I had abandoned the Gaurdian for the Indy, not because of the content; just that it was easier to read at work.

However since the Gaurdian has moved to the Berliner format I have started taking it again and I really like it!

It's a pain if you occasionally have to bundle up papers to go back to the distributors as I do. It won't stack up with *any* of the other papers (and we rarely have enough Grauniads left to make it worth a seperate bundle).

I was a little surprised that they tried to claim the Berliner format as an innovation in the UK. My local paper, the Dartmouth Chronicle (and its sister titles), were that size back in the 1980s and a good format it was, too. Unfortunately the group was bought out and its own printworks was shut in favour of an outside contract; the paper went tabloid.

"Berliner format"

What's that? I don't generally read newspapers, but I'd like to keep up with the conversation if I can.

Mid way between a tabloid and broadsheet in size. Like the old European () used be.

I don't know what that was, but my first thought is for poor paper delivery people if it's an odd size. Don't these editors think of things like that?

It's quite a common format on the continent, Le Monde, Berliner and quite a few other major papers have it.

The Grauniad obviously went for the novelty approach.

Actually, I was wrong. Confusingly, the Berliner is *not* in Berliner format .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(format)

I've recently started reading the 'Independent' instead of the 'Guardian' just because I think the 'Indy' is a better paper. It lives up to its name by not always pursuing the same news agenda as other media outlets, it's well-written and accessible, and I much prefer its arts reviews to the ones in the 'Guardian'. The 'Grauniad' film reviewers in particular really started to irritate me - they don't actually seem to like movies much at all.

I love Mark Steel's columns for the 'Indy'. He's done a brilliant one today on Blair's Commons defeat: 'Suspects have been avoiding detention, using the technicality that they're innocent. Every day, literally millions of people slip through this loophole'.

Also, the 'Indy' does the best job of meeting my needs as a Sudoku addict.

I really like that George Monbiot (possibly I've got the name wrong) his columns are always worth reading, and he seems to look at the sugar pills before deciding if he's going to swallow them.

Totally agree about the film critics - I get the impression they spend the entire time trying to find a suitable 'bon mot' for the punch-line then write the review to accomodate it.

Based upon Ormy's recomendation, I bought a copy of today's Inde.

Apart from the Mark Steel column which was good for a giggle - well the guy is a stand-up comic for heavensake. And a piece about the retirement of Winston Bogarde. There was little to recommend it to me.

Plus there is also the fact that it's a 'fat tabloid', and I've grown up with a strong aversion to a particular example of the fat tabloid format... The Daily Mail

So what do you think now? GOt used to it yet?

I buy the Guardian on a Saturday for the TV-guide. I buy the Observer twice a month when they have the Sports and Music monthly supplements.

So, yes in a way I have got used to it. I just don't buy it anymore.