[full article @ wired]
There’s a fresh (albeit expensive) alternative to the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle: the FLEPIA~! Although it’s one of the first of its kind and it’s sure to be somewhat clunky, I like the direction in which e-readers are going. Shall we take a look at the specs? Yes, Ray, let’s look at the specs! Okay!

• Approx US$1000
• 8″ screen
• 260,000 color display
• Bluetooth & Wifi
• Mini USB port
• Touch screen technology (w/stylus)
• Windows CE 5

While a thousand bux is a little over the top for someone wanting a simple e-reader, power users may find this little piece of tech purchase-worthy. With Windows CE, wifi and a USB port, you practically have a mini PC that can take over the job of any electronic organizer, including smart phones (sans the phone service of course).

It has not only a color display, which will pave the way for e-comics and e-graphic novels, but also a touch screen that will work in conjunction with a stylus. (WIRED mag reports that it probably won’t be finger-touchable like the iPhone.)

Lower the price a smidgen and I might just be interested in getting one of these bad boys :p

I’m generally a fan of science fiction, but an enamored fan of science fiction becoming science fact. Interesting developments in weapons technology have resulted in a military grade laser, which may make its way to the battlefield, though no time soon.

It’s cool in and of itself, but I’m not a big fan of war or killing. As mentioned in the WIRED article, researchers of this technology have been receiving lackluster funding because most military experts “prefer blowing the shit out of things”, since it’s more effective. The current laser technology would only be used as a missile/mortar deterrent because it’s not as miniaturized as it needs to be for, say, a rifle, but it does pave the way for that possibility.

Ever since finishing the first book in Liz Williams’s Inspector Chen series, I’ve been looking for more of the author’s works. Easier said than done apparently. Roaming from bookstore to bookstore, I couldn’t find anything other than Inspector Chen. While I do like that particular series, I was hoping to find another side to her writing.

Well, a few searches on ebay turned up a title I’ve been interested in: Darklands. Judging from Snake Agent, I can tell that Williams is a fairly skilled action/adventure writer, and the story of Darklands would seem to draw on that strength. I’m looking forward to it, and will write up a review if I particularly like it.

And while I happened to be at Walmart, I spotted THIS:

I normally don’t eat sugary stuff, but I felt compelled by seasonal cheer and little yellow chicks.

So I ran my blog through Wordle, this website that takes the most used words from your blog and makes an artistic rendering of them, and this is what came out. Neat-o!

You know what else would be neat-o? Being able to post the actual picture in my blog!