Blog in print

The Flint Journal apparently is trying this innovative approach - which coincidentally has been proposed to me as well - of having a reporter write a blog-like post for a print newspaper.

This is the piece in its entirety (the author is Elizabeth Shaw):

I just got a press release today from InLife, a company that's developed a product that promises to simulate the entire smoking experience (yes, even the nicotine buzz) without smoke.

No, this isn't just another nicotine patch or gum product shaped like a cigarette. It's actually a battery-operated pseudo-cigarette that delivers the taste and nicotine through a water vapor mist that you inhale just as if you were smoking an actual cigarette. When exhaled, the vapor harmlessly evaporates in the air within seconds-- no secondhand smoke!

Plus, you can select the level of nicotine, or even none at all, via which cartridges you buy.
It's not a new product -- they've been around awhile. But the cost has been too high to make it practical. That's all changed now, with the new higher tobacco taxes sending the cost of a pack of smokes to new sky-high levels. Finally, the electronic cigarette is a reasonable alternative for people who want a healthier option without giving up the physical habit.

Now here's the BIG QUESTION: Since the pseudo-smoke is nothing but vapor mist, does this mean e-smokers can "light up" in smoke-free bars and restaurants without free of repercussion?

Not only is the concept a blast, but the post itself 'sparked' my interest ...