Tux Pumpkin

Here is a really cool pumpkin that is totally geeked for Halloween:

Tux Pumpkin

For anyone who doesn't know what Tux is, there's a some really good info over at linux.org. Tux

Check out this video: Darth Vader In Love Series

I found this video series on YouTube today and I just couldn't stop laughing. If you're a Star Wars fan with a sense of humor, you're going to love this.

Sony Portable Reader

Image via Wikipedia

A couple of months ago I got a Sony Portable Reader. Its a nifty little ebook reader that uses e-ink. A fairly new technology aimed at making it easier to read on a screen, and more closely mimic a real book.

So far I have to say that I am fairly impressed with how easy it is to read on the unit. Now this holds true for books that are in the right format. But, just try and look at a pdf document that hasn't been formatted for an ebook screen and its looks terrible. Another crappy thing about the reader is the software that comes with it. The software was recently updated, but still lacks in features. All it does is let you read Sony BBeB formatted books, buy books on their connect store, and transfer books between the computer and the reader.

Like so many other devices, this one seems to have quite a following. There are tons of free books, and software that developers are making for this unit. If you want to see some more in depth reviews, grab some free books, or get some conversion software head over to Mobileread.

One of the best pieces of software I found at Mobileread is Libprs500, written by Kovid Goyal. It's written in python, and is multi-platform. It can be used as a drop in replacement for the crappy Sony software. The graphical interface is nicely laid out and it even has support for converting from several different formats to the native BBeB format. Here's some nice screen shots of what the software looks like.

Overall, I have to say I'm happy with the unit. It makes it easy to carry a whole library in your pocket, and it doesn't strain your eyes like some of the PDA ebook readers I have used in the past. It also has a good user following with a very active community.

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