Albums added since last update: 11,128 (and already I’m a few weeks behind again)

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The Kindle announcement has been echoed by hundreds of pronouncements about its eventual impact, ranging from the revolutionary “Re-inventing the book” to sneering condemnations that it will have the same negligible impact on ‘real books’ as all the previous e-book readers have to date. Here is a cross-sample of some of the more interesting, each of which carries a different emphasis re: the design, the service, the restrictions, etc.

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For the record, I have not used or even seen an Amazon Kindle yet, so this is not a bona fide product review. These impressions are based on the ideas presented by Amazon and the Newsweek article about how the Kindle is supposed to operate, and what the future may hold for similar devices versus its progenitor, the humble book.

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With Deathly Hallows out awhile, the Harry Potter omnivore has moved on to movie news, JK Rowling pronouncements, and social commentary. These have trickled in at various times since the final book’s release, not necessarily in this order. (more…)

It is eerily apt that on the 402nd anniversary of Guy Fawkes’ foiled attempt in the Gunpowder Plot, we find ourselves again observing a series of failed revolts against oppressive rule. The most recent is the swift conversion of Pakistan from an outwardly-democratic junta to a thinly-veiled military dictatorship. General Musharaff, facing the loss to his political legitimacy under a likely ruling by the Pakistan Supreme Court, pre-emptively declared a state of emergency. His first acts were particularly telling: dismissal of the Chief Justice and substitution with a loyal subordinate, armed guards impounding the rest of the court, acting judges forced to swear an oath of loyalty, widespread arrests of lawyers, and suspension of the Constitution - all undermining any judicial opposition. Political opponents and civil rights activists have likewise been put under house arrest. Following his televised announcement of the state of emergency, all private television stations were shut down, leaving only the state-run Pakistan Television Corp in operation, while FM radio is forbidden to broadcast news, and the press is forsworn from engaging in any criticism of Musharraf or his government. None of these actions seem even remotely related to the militant threats laid out in the televised announcement, although the judiciary is widely condemned for “constant interference” and embarrassments of the current administration.

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