The illiterate of the future are not the ones who cannot read and write. They are the ones who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." -Alvin Toffler, author of Future Shock, *The Third Wave...*

I cut my entrepreneurial teeth in the last hurrah of the print publishing business—before the web killed most publications. Print is permanent. Then, you had to get things right the first time. Though I was a journalist and copy editor before becoming a magazine publisher, I came to focus on the business aspects. First, as my cofounder focused on the product, then Happy and proud that I had an editorial team that could operate independently, I delegated more/did less editorial. I rarely did more than caption a few photos, suggest titles—or proof some pages. (fresh eyes/ideas) One month, I only noticed the proof after the issue went to press. the cover said "March". This was early March, but that was the April issue!

20th Century (literal) Cut and Paste

April '98 Warsaw Insider magazine cover

April '98 Warsaw Insider magazine cover

It was too late to "Stop the Presses!" All covers pages had been printed and were ready to assembled (cut, stapled with the interior pages...). Our printers suggested printing stickers (at additional cost) to affix to the covers. Their staff could affix some for our first distribution to subscribers, but they had limited time before their next job came in. So, we had to rearrange our already cramped offices to make room for the copies, our staff, and the assembly-line operation to cover "March" with "April".

Of course, the web makes such operations unnecessary: a few clicks and keystrokes can fix the mistake for the thousands—or millions—of readers to come. I used to be vicariously scandalized when I'd see errors in say the The New York Times home page. Later, I saw it just doesn't matter [?link Meatballs video / gif?] that much.

Now, I know—intellectually, at least—I can make a mistake on my website and 1) few will notice 2) fewer will even care and 3) it's easily fixed. Yet, parts of me—by nature and/or nurture—operate like that 20th Century print publisher: get it right the first time. So, I'm in a liminal space. I want to not want perfection.

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"It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning." - Claude Bernard