The Mad Editor’s Round-Up #20.5: Special Saturday Edition
Published June 26th, 2010 | 
News
I was surfing the ‘net this morning while eating a bowl of oat flakes. Thought I’d through together an impromptu Mad Editor’s Round-up. So, dig out your eyeglasses and welcome to a special Saturday edition of the Round-Up.
Carolyn Kellog reports on the LA Times website on the success of book blogs as "Book bloggers catch on with publishers".
E-books pave way for more blockbusters, serials …
DC Comics follows Marvel onto the IPad
In no surprise here category, LimeWire Sued by Music Publishers
Writing Tips
Lisa Mason explains “Why You Shouldn’t Write Your Articles in Parts”.
Mary Anna Evans says, “Know Where You’re Going”.
Writing
John Updike: A Great Writer at Work in the NYT.
Brett Easton Ellis returns to his roots.
ETC.
In the It-Takes-One-to-Know-One category, media fruit-loop, Glen Beck agrees with the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
The Communication Exchange offers up a quiz
Vampire’s fangs have become dull according to some writers. Even Stephanie Meyer has grown weary of them.
And that’s all for now. I suspect this being Summer, you’ve probably got better things to do on a Saturday than read this or any other site but, hey, I could be wrong. Maybe you’re a shut-in or laid-up with a broken ankle or whatever. Me, I’m outta here in a few minutes because I definitely have better things to do on a Saturday than read any more blog posts or articles.
So, this quickie Round-Up is thus ended. See you all on the flip-side. Same Bat Channel and all that. . . Ciao.
The IPad is Here, Now What?
Published April 7th, 2010 | So the iPad is finally here. 300000 units sold over the weekend (most of them pre-orders) and the post-release reviews are pretty much the same as the pre-release reviews. To paraphrase the President, the sky hasn’t fallen — Armageddon isn’t upon us. No, what the iPad is remains what it seemed to be: a slightly more functional iPod touch/iPhone. A device for the casual consumption of media. Video. Web Browsing. Music. And games for non-gamers. Not a device for getting real work done. And as an eBook reader, not really a device for hardcore, prolific readers. Not a salvation for publishers. Not a Amazon killer.
Who Will Buy It?
1. Apple fanboys — yes, if you love Apple products, this is a toy for you. Although, my niece, who will buy just about any new tech toy and is usually an Apple fangirl, is not interested in it. "What’s the point?" she says.
2. People who would normally buy a netbook, but don’t have much use for more powerful computer devices, who have a decent income (because the device itself runs between $500-$900, not to mention the annual cost of 3G wireless and buying Apps, iTunes, iBooks, etc.) On a side note, I had a bit of a chuckle recently watching a woman trying out the iPad — the perfect candidate for one of these devices, and she couldn’t operate the things. Epic fail trying to figure out the controls on the game she played. Also, she didn’t strike me as a big reader of books, much less eBooks and she couldn’t type on that virtual keyboard for shit (you could argue that maybe she needed a new pair of eyeglasses, but it’s much more likely, that the virtual keyboard is a poor, poor substitute for a real keyboard).
3. People who buy anything that’s new
Yes, if you’re one of those who likes keeping up with the Joneses, this device is for you. It looks cool. Lots of eye candy.
I suspect one of the problems Apple will face going forward is that Apple is now competing with itself. Apple also has to watch out for outside competition and hope that other eReaders don’t have a major drop in price anytime soon. Time will tell.
U Pack, We Ship
Published April 5th, 2010 | Moving to a new home can be a headache-inducing process — not to mention expensive and inconvenient. Even if you are moving to Alaska, ABF U-Pack Moving has a service for you. Rather than a bunch of guys showing up to your house with moving trucks, this outfit merely provides a storage trailer which you fill with your stuff. The full container is then picked-up and delivered to your new location. It’s cheaper than hiring a traditional moving company because they charge by the linear foot rather than by weight and they don’t have to pay movers because you load your own property into the storage unit. And because they pick-up and deliver the unit, it’s more convenient than renting a U-haul truck.
