The Joy of Print
There is nothing more rewarding for a magazine editor than the feel of a newly printed issue, so seeing that the Mission Critical’s first issue of 2010 mailed yesterday caused a familiar sense of anticipation. I know that the publisher, art director, production manager, and sales staff share my excitement. Stay with me a while, and I’ll tell you all about this new issue. First, though, I want to talk about the value of print.Don’t take me wrong, I enjoy the real-time communication supported by social media and also blogs, video, and webinars that make the Internet valuable, but I am glad that Mission Critical continues to thrive as a print publication.Print is permanent and almost always available. Of course, print has always been permanent; the Internet has just made magazines, books, and newspapers more readily available. I can type a few keystrokes and see all the back issues of Mission Critical and pretty much anything else that has ever been printed. Sure, we can delete something from the archives, but a dedicated researcher can still find the original. Remember libraries and microfiche, anyone?As a result, much thought must go into every issue, as any errors or misstatements cannot be corrected. Though many blogs are well written and thoughtful, bloggers can and do revisit their entries and correct errors. Some label these changes updates or corrections, and others merely change the text. I have yet to see anyone use 140 characters to correct or retract a social media.I like print because of the requirement to get the story right the first time. And contrary to the public perception, editors don’t like playing it safe. We are the high-wire acts of the publishing world, risking all on every permanent word.I will continue to like print as long as there are professionals who read to stay abreast of developments in technology. Print seems well suited to the reader who is willing to take time to remain informed. The Internet is valuable to these readers, of course, but mostly as a means of finding the best articles and best ideas. The Internet pressures my colleagues and me to produce information that readers find the most useful. Yet another high wire to walk.So it is with anticipation and trepidation that I ask you to check your mailboxes, for you will judge just how well we did this time around.This issue looks at a diverse set of circumstances and applications. I ask you to view our coverage of emergency power together. Our cover story looks at how one of America’s Top 100 hospitals meets demands for emergency power. In a separate column, Peter Funk, though, examines a new legal theory that makes hospitals liable for failures of just this kind of application. Funk recounts the story of a family’s lawsuit against a New Orleans hospital after its emergency power failed during Hurricane Katrina. I a related story, Doug Haugh examines how UPS and Verizon successfully prepared against emergency power failures caused by fuel problems, which is the number one cause of gen set failure during prolonged utility outages.Other features examine other environments, including industrial spaces and data centers, and other issues, such as maintenance, service, and energy efficiency that I hope you find compelling.Finally columnists Peter Curtis, Dennis Cronin and Bruce Myatt risk their reputations by looking at the future, or what Curtis calls an unpredictable decade that will follow a turbulent one. Much thought went into this issue, and I hope you find it worth a good read.