As people say typewriters kill writing, telephones isolate people, television and the Internet isolate young people from the rest of the world, some have declared moving print to be the end of civilization. Do you think? Did anyone wake up a mob to kick out the evil Johannes Gutenberg and his dreaded machine?
Evidently, most e-mails are not works of art, but are written or e-mailed with gracefully flowing hands on beautiful, soft cream-colored paper. You cannot But again, even with the right pen, ink, and paper, most people can't write with graceful, flowing handwriting. On the other hand, what people can write in their emails is constantly expanding. You already have the ability to use colored text, attractive fonts, images and even animated images in your emails. The flashiest handwriting on the most expensive paper never made a video. A friend of mine picked an attractive color and an attractive 'handwriting' and used that as the name of the 'sig' file. That way, she can sign every message she sends "with graceful flowing handwriting." Emailing others lets you instantly send interesting articles or newborn photos to all your friends without having to send the original copy.
Of course, we have all the tools to revive the art of letter writing. Do we have patience and artistry? Are you willing to spend that artistry and time on e-mail? Or, because of its humble and monotonous beginnings, e-mail will forever be the short note of the electronic world, with more readers and a longer lifespan? Is "craftsmanship" destined for blogs and websites?
