I went to a launch party for the Sony Reader in late September, and a few things stood out for me. First, they should have had more food (sorry, but I'm always hungry). Second, I could feel palpable excitement (no joking) in the room as those who had gathered all had some interest in seeing an ebook reader really take off. Last, the moment that the price for the Sony Reader was revealed (a whopping $350 for a device that does a few things but was specifically engineered to do only one thing well) brought to mind the scene in Dr. Strangelove when Mandrake finally concludes that Jack D. Ripper is insane. But let's backtrack. We had a chance to take a look at the Sony Reader prior to the launch party, and it has some impressive qualities: it's compact (5 x 7 inches of sleekness); it's attractive (you won't be embarassed to pull this out of your bag on the subway, but the leatherette case for the device should be included in the $350 purchase, and not sold separately for $40-50); the Reader will accommodate Word files so the user can tap into the riches of Gutenberg.org; a single charge translates into 7500 page turns; but the jewel in the crown is the E-ink reflective display technology--- the text on the screen looks absolutely wonderful. There are, however, some less impressive features (apart from the price): the Reader doesn't offer wireless networking capabilities; the navigation controls are unwieldy (a couple of people here commented that the toggle control felt "broken"); and the screen flickers in between pages (I didn't think that this was so bad at first, but I could see how it could become maddening as you're making your way through The Brothers Karamazov). In conclusion, I doubt that the Sony Reader will take off iPod-style (so what's happening with the rumored Apple e-reader?), but I'll admit to admiring the attempt to popularize the electronic word. (Read an article about the device in the NYT.)
I went to a launch party for the Sony Reader in late September, and a few things stood out for me. First, they should have had more food (sorry, but I'm always hungry). Second, I could feel palpable excitement (no joking) in the room as those who had gathered all had some interest in seeing an ebook reader really take off. Last, the moment that the price for the Sony Reader was revealed (a whopping $350 for a device that does a few things but was specifically engineered to do only one thing well) brought to mind the scene in Dr. Strangelove when Mandrake finally concludes that Jack D. Ripper is insane. But let's backtrack. We had a chance to take a look at the Sony Reader prior to the launch party, and it has some impressive qualities: it's compact (5 x 7 inches of sleekness); it's attractive (you won't be embarassed to pull this out of your bag on the subway, but the leatherette case for the device should be included in the $350 purchase, and not sold separately for $40-50); the Reader will accommodate Word files so the user can tap into the riches of Gutenberg.org; a single charge translates into 7500 page turns; but the jewel in the crown is the E-ink reflective display technology--- the text on the screen looks absolutely wonderful. There are, however, some less impressive features (apart from the price): the Reader doesn't offer wireless networking capabilities; the navigation controls are unwieldy (a couple of people here commented that the toggle control felt "broken"); and the screen flickers in between pages (I didn't think that this was so bad at first, but I could see how it could become maddening as you're making your way through The Brothers Karamazov). In conclusion, I doubt that the Sony Reader will take off iPod-style (so what's happening with the rumored Apple e-reader?), but I'll admit to admiring the attempt to popularize the electronic word. (Read an article about the device in the NYT.) 
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. 
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