Archos 5 Internet Tablet: Will It Be Stable Now?

Archos kicked out a firmware yesterday for the Android-powered Archos 5 Internet Tablet. See the Changelog.

I was viewing a near-endless live video session yesterday by JKK and Chippy, watching with several hundred other people as a Finnish device I won’t name was demonstrated. Afterwards, Chippy finally heard of the Archos firmware update and decided to tape the process.

Two very instructive videos after the break!

eBook Notes For Tuesday October 13, 2009

Women, Gays Apparently Ruining Sci-Fi For the Rest of Us
— which critiques this post:

The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky
— which actually does raise one interesting point here:

What has happened is that science fiction on television has for the most part become indistinguishable from most other television shows which are written for women filled with moronic relationship drama.

Lifetime in Space!

Twitter’s unlawful Newsom contribution

Does being on Twitter’s SUL constitute a non-monetary contribution? YES.

Twitter is providing this free service to Gavin Newsom, a declared candidate for governor. Newsom uses Twitter to send his Twitter followers links to his campaign website and to campaign news stories promoting his candidacy.

It would be personally very satisfying to me to see the children who (mis-)run Twitter meet the real world of real-life consequences. I hope they get a big fat fine for this.

Remixing the Book

We’ve always had abridged versions and “selected-essays-from” and audio versions and made-for-TV adaptations. But in a more open rights schema (say, Creative Commons licensing), there is something thrilling about the idea that dedicated readers – the most engaged of all stakeholders, beyond the original writer & editor – might legitimately improve texts for certain audiences.

I’m both intrigued and horrified by this idea. Several weeks ago I was mulling over how I really hate fantasy novels — I just can’t get into them with their bizarre names and use of magic or other such things. Beneath that veneer, however, could lurk an actually good story. It crossed my mind that such writers might want to consider remixing their own works for fantasy-averse people like me. Take away the weird names and the other things I find too alienating and set it in the present day. The King becomes, say, a CEO or just The Boss, the magic becomes a lawsuit or some other real-world device … and now not only does the writer quickly have a second book out there, but one that might even attract me and others like me.

How To Do Touch Right And Wrong

An example of Right, from Quantum of Solace:

And then there’s Wrong.

The iPod Decade And The Steve Jobs Effect

We used to label decades. The 1970s were infamously “The Me Decade.”

Pondering this the other day, the first decade of the 21st century clearly needs to be named “The iPod Decade.”

We could argue about how terrorism has affected the world, but clearly it’s been the iPod that’s dominated everyday, normal life these first ten years.

It’s remade music distribution and purchasing, changed how people can listen to their music, how much of that music they can carry, and has led to the inevitable FAIL-filled imitators.

If Apple keeps this up, the next ten years could be “The iTablet Decade.”

And there is every indication that, granted good health, Steve Jobs will go on to remake many things.

Marvel Digital Comics For Sony PlayStation Portable

I wasn’t paying attention when this was announced. Thanks to Q.E.D. pointing it out to me in a Comment.

It’s important too — because it now pits Steve Jobs (largest shareholder of Disney, which now owns Marvel) squarely against Sony.

In short: iPod Touch versus PSP/P2G (PlayStation To Go).

Sony Playstation Network Digital Comics Trailer

Playstation Network brings the world of marvel comics straight into your PS3 or PSP.

Click that link to see the video. Screensnaps after the break.

Books Don’t Have Buttons

Previously here:

ALL eInk Devices: BAD For eBooks!

Touch Will Change Everything

Michael Arrington wrote about the wrongness of the HP Touchsmart machines.

He’s correct.

I’ve gotten to the point with my PC usage where I no longer just Do This Do This Do This — I’ve begun to ask, Why the hell do I have to Do This?

Since the introduction of the iPhone, it’s been easier for me to see that the current desktop paradigm — mouse, monitor just about parallel to my face — is absolutely backward and counter-productive. In fact, using a mouse feels like something out of the 19th-century to me.

Arrington thinks a drawing-table-like slanted machine is the future.

Here’s a screensnap from a TV series called Star Cops, envisioning such a computer:

Arrington’s absolutely wrong about that.