Article 978897 of rec.arts.sf.fandom:
From: Dan Hoey <haoyuep@aol.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: Re: This newsgroup was touted in a Denvention newsletter
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:48:14 -0400
Organization: Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC
To: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl@KeithLynch.net>

Keith F. Lynch wrote:
[...]

> Is there a newer and better version of pdftotext?  If so, I'll nag
> Panix to install it.

Keith, if your pdftotext understands the "-layout" switch, it is
possible to find where the columns are.  Unfortunately, Denvention's
PDFs use Unicode hyphens, quotes, and spaces, so you also need some
Unicode-aware tools if you want to see the punctuation right; in
particular, your pdftotext needs to understand "-enc UTF-8".

You also need to deal with the resulting 145-character lines (which
most text-only systems find a little awkward) in order to determine
which rectangles of text contain your article.  It seems that
"cut -c" operates differently depending on mysterious factors (at
least, mysterious to me), but the shell command

  ( pdftotext -enc UTF-8 -layout newsletter9.pdf - \
    | cut -c 54- | head -3 ;\
    pdftotext -enc UTF-8 -layout newsletter9.pdf - \
    | cut -c 54-96 | tail +4 | head -52 ;\
    pdftotext -enc UTF-8 -layout newsletter9.pdf - \
    | cut -c 102- | tail +4 | head -21 \
  ) | cat -v \
  | sed -e 's=M-  *= =g' \
        -e 's=M-\^@M-\^[]\]="=g' \
        -e 's=M-\^@M-\^P=-=g' \
        -e 's=M-\^@M-\^Y='\'=g \
        -e 's=M-[bB]\([- "'\'']\)=\1=g' \
        -e '/^$/d'

with some minor variations can produce output not entirely unlike

> Morning Edition
> Make the Wonder of Worldcon Last the Whole Year
> Denvention will soon be over. But
> the fun does not have to end. There
> are many ways to enjoy SF fandom
> year-round.

> Most regions of the U.S. (and
> other countries too) have their own
> regional conventions. Leaflets ad-
> vertising many of these conventions
> can be found in the Korbel lounge
> near the newsletter rack. Conven-
> tions are also listed in the back of
> Asimov's and Analog magazines.
> Many of these conventions are held
> by local fan groups that also have
> regular meetings. Contacting the
> convention will usually put you in
> touch with their spon-
> sors or you can google
> "science fiction" club
> and your state or area.

> Another way to stay
> connected to fandom
> is through fanzines.
> These personal maga-
> zines are available for
> a nominal cost or
> sometimes just a self-
> addressed stamped
> envelope. They wel-
> come letters of com-
> ment for true two-way
> communications. A
> list of this year's Hugo
> nominees includes
> several fanzines for
> you to try, or visit the
> fanzine lounge.

> Of course the Inter-
> net offers tons of op-
> tions. The Usenet bul-
> letin board service
> offers rec.arts.sf.writ-
> ten as well as rec.arts.
> sf.fandom. Blogs and
> Live Journals are also
> a modern way to keep
> in touch. Many SF
> writers, editors, and artists have their
> own blogs and/or websites available
> for a visit year-round. Major publish-
> ers like Baen and Tor offer extensive
> online communities.

> If no club exists near you, consider
> starting one. Many bookstores pro-
> vide space for book groups. Local
> libraries and colleges also may make
> space available. You can contact ex-
> isting clubs for help getting started.

> Finally, the week of Worldcon
> takes considerable preparation.
> Please consider becoming involved.
> Contact Anticipation at their table or
> online.

(Copyright 2008 Denvention 3)

which seems pretty readable (and well-written) to me.
Your mileage will almost certainly vary; mine sure
does.

Good luck staying in the text lane, Keith.

Dan Hoey
haoyuep@aol.com