I would characterize the style of these pieces as highly informative, yet at the same time, informal, while they differ a lot in tone. The first article is interesting because Gross is able to provide facts and figures for businesspeople while also keeping the appeal universal with lighthearted language and tone. In the first article for example, Gross opens with “During a recession, making macaroni and cheese for dinner instead of heading to the Macaroni Grill is a no-brainer.” This is a very good lead-in to the article which would attract businesspeople and casual readers alike.

The second article is a lot less “lighthearted” than the first, and it appears to be geared more towards “savvy businesspeople.” It is packed with figures; for example, “But now, thanks to macroeconomic upheaval in the United States and China, the promise of the China market finally seems to be within reach. Exports to China are up about 25 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from 2008, but they're still tiny, just $5.5 billion in March. “

Gross still manages to close with a casual tone, as he states, “In other words, the fact that China's population may soon be insulated from some of the ill health effects of eating KFC and driving Buicks might free up more cash for middle-class workers in Shenzhen to eat more KFC and buy more Buicks.”
Although the writing styles of these pieces differs significantly, I am still able to easily quickly browse for information. In the first article, Gross does a good job of seperating his points with well-constructed topic sentences. For example, “What accounts for the sizzle in P.F. Chang's wok? Probably not the food.” Because of this, I can navigate through the piece by reading the first sentences of the paragraphs.

In the second article, Gross separates his arguments into “exhibits” which make it extremely easy to scan. For example, “Exhibit B: General Motors. In April, GM sold 173,007 vehicles in the United States, down 34 percent from April 2008. The same month, GM's China sales jumped 25 percent to a record 151,084. It's always dangerous simply to forecast by extrapolation, but the trends are undeniable.“

I definitely think that Gross’ writing style between the two articles allows me to read closely. Both articles seem to flow perfectly; point to point, they are well organized, and very interesting. His writing style allows me to read very closely and extract all of the information I need; in the second article, for example, “China has an ambitious effort under way to build clinics and has pledged to cover 90 percent of the population with some form of health insurance by 2011. More than tax cuts or public-works spending, the thinking goes, a stronger safety net could spur Chinese consumers to save less and spend more.” This is a perfectly crafted sentence -- it flows, contains a lot of information, isn’t too wordy, and it just works.

I can’t say that I get as much of an emotional response from the second article as I do from the first. When reading the first article, I get a lot of emotional stimulation; Gross’ writing style seems to invoke a sort of synesthesia; for example, “Just as saxophonist Kenny G provides jazz for people who don't really like authentic jazz, P.F. Chang's peddles Chinese food to diners who might not cotton to authentic Sichuan fare. Waiters don't wheel around carts laden with steamed chicken feet as they do at dim sum parlors in New York and San Francisco. In the comfy confines of Boston's Prudential Center, I was presented with a raft of desserts as American as, well, apple pie, including the Great Wall of Chocolate.” Just by reading this article, ironically I feel like driving down to P.F. Chang’s and getting a plate (and I have before -- it is excellent).

In terms of digital vs. hard copy, I’m always going to go with digital. I’m most likely going to buy a Kindle DX because I hate paper. I’m in front of my laptop all of the time, get all of my [written] news from Reuters, and love reading on screen. No page-turning, only scrolling. For me, it’s a matter of convenience, and given the fact that I’m always in front of a computer screen anyways, slate.com is very compatible with my lifestyle.

Article one found here: http://www.slate.com/id/2218402/

Article two found here: http://www.slate.com/id/2218387/