"'Maybe somebody somewhere was working hard, but I only knew what I saw: lots of people with way too much free time on their hands'-- enabling them to be 'the biggest gossips I had ever encountered: It was junior high with BlackBerries and Instant Messenger.'" - Ex-D.C. sex blogger Jessica Cutler's new novel as quoted by Jonathan Yardley in the Washington Post....

This post is a hard one to write, given all the new ammo with which to make my point that people on campus should care. Maybe tomorrow I'll wrap it up. Lest anyone be deprived of suspense, understand that I'll also point out some good aspects of the complex. Update, 8:15 a.m., May 30: Maybe today, maybe tomorrow....

The GreatNews RSS reader is well organized to allow rapid news-reading. Other goodies: an SQLite-type database, full-text searching with highlighted keywords, and integration with Bloglines, from which you can pick up your subscriptions. I had GreatNews going in 5-10 minutes with all my subs imported. Found via JKontherun and MobileRead, source of that snazzy headline. Update, 12:28 a.m., May 30: GreatNews has some rough edges. Some news-search categories were picking up words from others. But in general, this is the best reader program I've used so far, especially in tandem with Bloglines. It's that good, a real time-saver. Some might consider...

Remember those stuffy audio guides that you can pick up at art galleries and museums? Now you may have more choice. Check out With Irreverence and an iPod, Recreating the Museum Tour, in today's New York Times. Also of interest in the Times this morning: A Force Too Strong, Even for Wal-Mart, Daniel Akst's analysis of the Net's rise as a vehicle for information and entertainment....

"The Open eBook Forum (Open Electronic Book Forum or OEBF) is an organization whose purpose is to develop a specification for electronic content, based on existing HTML and XML standards, that allows electronic book content to be viewed on various devices (PC display, PDA, or eBook reader) and all platforms." - Whatis.com. Update: Not only has the OeBF changed its name to the International Digital Publishing Forum, it's also made clear that a standard consumer-level format is not part of its mission. That makes the above definiton out of date or at least grossly misleading. I'd suggest that Whatis.com start mentioning...

Intel's in bed with Hollywood and has added DRM to the new Pentium D and related chipset, a Slashdot poster says. Related: 1984-proofing the future--with required hardware-override capabilities....

Garth Conboy, president at eBook Technologies, Inc., says owners of the REB-1200, GEB-1150 and GEB-2150 may soon be able to buy new DRMed books from the sites of eBookwise and Filament Books. Let's hope! I'm no fan of Draconian DRM and normally prefer used paper books to crippled e-books that I can't own for real, but I respect people's right to choose.. Garth's post to the RCA eBooks list: The eBookwise-1150, the FilamentBooks ETI-2, the eBook Technologies ETI-2 are all the same devices--technology from eBook Technologies, Inc. (ETI). They are the same hardware as the REB-1100 and the GEB-1150. The...

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The OpenReader concept isn't just attractive to major e-book sellers. It also willl be a great solution for demanding readers of critical text editions. After all, it will eventually offer such capabilities as precise interbook links that the "external" authors could locate. You could write a new book, in other words, and in your footnotes point directly to the exact sentences in already-written books or articles. Not surprisingly, academics are increasingly interested. See Terje Hillesund's eBook Community post and Jill Walker's summary of his comments at a conference in Norway. In fact, below, I'll reproduce the summary in full. [notes from...

A quick review and overview of Google Print, now a live beta, appears in webpro news. It points out flaws but is essentially friendly--far more so than the AAUP. My own verdict: Google Print is potentially an extremely useful service, especially if publishers understand this is a help, not a threat. Books in most cases will benefit if included. If a book is already in the database and mentions a phrase of interest, you can find it lickety-split. The famous Google interface works great. (Via eBookAd.)...

Details via Boing Boing. See blog items here. The Rev editor involved here, by the way, is none other than Wade Rousch, one of the folks behind the much-missed eBookWeb. Topic of Wade's article now beig previewed? New wrinkles in the world of social computing. Give him your feedback!...

Nokia in indeed dead-serious about encouraging independent software developers for its Model 770--the debian Linux Web pad with the 800-by-480-pixel, four-inch screen. The Hack a day site is enthralled with the developer's kit as described. I wouldn't let the skeptics get you down about the scarcity of ready-to-go software apps if you're an e-book enthusiast. Both OpenReader and proprietary-format readers would seem naturals for this attention-getting machine, even though we know which format will win out in the end. Yo, Jim Korneef! This gizmo's for you. In any event, the 770 isn't just a machine as seen from afar....