About 8 months ago, in the context of a conversation about the state of the newspaper industry, a new media executive asked me if I’d ever seen Tron.

Until now, I’ve probably been about the only geek in America who hasn’t seen Tron.

I just watched it.

The analogy to the newspaper industry, especially to new media, is to be innovative, you need to get off the grid. You can’t just mindlessly follow the Master Control Program.

And there is this bit of dialogue:

Ed Dillinger: I can’t sit here and worry about every little user request that comes in.
Dr. Walter Gibbs: User requests are what computers are for.
Dillinger: Doing our business is what computers are for.

So ask yourself, do you see technology as a way to serve your business or serve your readers? Are you on the grid or off?