When non-technologists write about technology: about The Economist's "Technology in 2008"

Pick a question and I can attempt an answer. :)

The Economist has been pushing out shorter pieces on their website which generally aren't as good as the longer ones that find their way into print. It is possible the need for increased production has stretched the staff and made quality drop across the board; I'm not sure. In some ways it is symptomatic of all web media: greater quantity, shorter time to market, but generally less attached reflection and quality. I see it as akin to Americans general preference for filling their houses with many cheap things instead of fewer better things. I'm not sure if this is a function of the local culture or the capitalist system; either way one hopes to help the web evolve in a better way.

One other deficiency, IMHO, is the slipping ethical standards. One recent Economist article on Mao's management style concluded with an incredibly pessimistic couple sentences about how it doesn't really matter how many unethical things you do, so long as you aren't caught and forced to reckon before you die.

In any case, I stopped reading the Economist cover to cover about a year ago.