I tend to lean the other way, I hate the trend for shorter articles.

Usually, there isn't enough room in a short article, unless it is about something really simple and minor, to actually look at something properly, so you just end up with a woolly impression of the subject, that has often been rendered totally inaccurate by the requirements of brevity.

Try Text-to-speech... the best multitasking trick.

Yes, the voicedream app + instapaper is great for listening to these articles while you walk around.