Under the headline, "Has the iPod for Books Arrived?," Slate's Blake Nelson reviews the new Sony eReader. The review seems to mirror most of the others I've so far seen (including the Times one from last week), saying that the device is good but not great, and the last sentence of the review seems to say it all: "But as things stand now, I'll stick to the paperback on my bedside." In my own personal view, I think that expecting an "iPod for publishing" is foolhardy; the iPod was a once-in-a-generation moment, and I doubt publishing will find its equivalent. What publishing needs to work on instead is integration with existing devices, as well as the smaller Utra-Mobile PCs which should catch on a few years (now known as the UMPC).
Excerpt: "What will you get if you, a run-of-the-mill bibliophile, buy the Sony Reader? Well, you'll be getting an understated gadget, styled soberly and about the size and weight of a slim trade paperback. It won't turn heads, and your nephew probably won't be yanking it out of your hands, but it's also a lot more interesting to show off to your friends than the latest Treo."
From Matt: The scriptwriters made quite a few changes from the book, but they were all for the best - and booklover though I am I have to admit that its better to see magic than to read about it.
From Mina: I adore this film. Monsieur Hulot’s very modern sister and brother-in-law don’t know what to do with Tati’s charmingly untidy and bungling protagonist, who inhabits a world where meaning is still more important than appearances.
From Carey: A must see Hayao Miyazaki’s anime is Laputa: Castle in the Sky, originally released in 1986. A fantasy film that explores the altruistic and compassionate nature of humans, aspects lost through repeated exposure to power, technology, and the complexities brought by the combination of the two. 
Comments