From the Google Earth/Maps “Lat Long Blog” comes an explanation of how they are adding more layers of information (departure times, lines serving specific stations) if you click on one of the little bus or tram icons that show where stops and stations are located. They source the information from several services but are also providing a means for local transit authorities to provide information to them via “Google transit feeds.” This type of data is already showing up for a very few transit systems and what can done with such data can be demo’d on this transit trip planner that works exactly like a highway trip planner on Google maps.

This will come as no surprise to those who read this blog, but reporters are discovering that “traditional” publishers have figured out that the “business model” of selling physical units of books or magazines — and advertising pages in those magazines — may not actually be their business model.

Reporters have discovered that publishers have figured out that part of their business model is creating ways that connect readers with writers, audiences with performers, in other words, marketers with customers.

In today’s NY Times, this reporter epiphany is displayed in two separate stories: One about Knopf Speakers Bureau, a business unit set up a year and a half ago to represent the publisher’s authors; and the other about marketing agencies set up by Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and others. These units are creating a wide array of custom media and events for marketers.

Sidenote: Meredith has described themselves as “a media and marketing” company for a while.

Was it easy for you to be offline?

I’ve been asked that question several times in the past 24 hours. The suggestion in the question is that I must have experienced some major withdrawal, which, I’ll admit, is a valid assumption: I’ve lived online since the days when “online” meant a CompuServe account. I do a big percentage of my business communication via email or IM or a company intranet. I communicate with my children (who are away at school) via iSight/iChat or IM. So the assumption is I can’t walk away from all that ubiquitous connectivity.

Well, I can.

Indeed, as a friend once told me, it’s easy not to do something.

It’s easy not to keep up with what’s taking place in the world or in your industry or in your community or neighborhood. Not using a newsreader is easy. It’s almost as easy as not reading a newspaper or watching CNN or listening to NPR.

I can find lots of “offline” things to do that I find fulfilling, enlightening, rewarding and fun — in other words, boring to many of my easily-distracted-by-shiny-objects friends on the blogosphere, businessosphere, twitterosphere, blackberryosphere, etcosphere. I enjoyed every moment of boredom I could muster. Indeed, I found the boredom inspiring. One of the things I did while offline was read Walter Isaacson’s wonderful new biography of Albert Einstein. During a speech in 1933, Einstein said this: “The monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” It helped that I was reading that part of the book while I was completely offline and unplugged and mellowed by boredom and listening to light-classical music in the background. I was on some boredom high — a boredom zone — and suddenly Einstein was providing me his theory on why I was giddy from pruning tomato vines.

I could probably go for months not doing stuff online. But all that boredom stimulated lots of creative thoughts that have made me really happy to be back today in (and on) my “real” world. Back online. Being not offline.