«So, I scrambled onto the R this morning and got a glimpse of the covers of this towns two flagship tabloids. Who needs irony? Who needs late night monologues?» [ environy daily ]

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*«You say that I am ignoring the time-honored traditions of the Royal Navy? And what might those be? I shall tell you in three words—rum— buggery—and the lash!» ―Winston Spencer Churchill, K. G., addressing the Lords of the Admiralty in 1912

E-Books: An Idea Whose Time Hasn't Come. So far, demand for reading the texts of books on computer screens has been tepid at best. By David D. Kirkpatrick. [New York Times: Arts]

This The New York Times article is really about illegal software monopoly Microsoft, Inc.'s formation of a lobbying front, misleadingly titled, "The International eBook Association".

I don't know what's worse—that the Times elected to bury the story's only significant datum under paragraphs of twaddle about nobody caring about eBooks anyway, thereby intimating: —so it doesn't really matter that the monopolist Microsoft now pretends to represent the interests of electronic book publishers; or the fact of Micosoft's imposture.

EGOlogy

Live in a city and drive a Sport/Utility Vehicle (SUV)? Then you are part of the problem. Is it really OK by you for American soldiers to kill, and to die, so that you can selfishly waste gasoline? How many more American civilians must live in terror? What's your lame excuse for helping Osama bin Ladin?

A Show of Hands. With her offbeat manicures, Judi Werthein is bringing art to the people one nail at a time. By Hope Reeves. [New York Times: Arts]