Ebook readers have now become affordable.  The Nook (which I own and LOVE) has just become available in a $149 version.  It's a scaled-down Nook--but of course it has WiFi.  And it does pretty much everything you want an ebook reader to do.

Now if it were the Kindle that had gone down so low, I would be more excited.  Amazon is still the 500-lb. gorilla in the digital book market--and the bookseller you buy from from is the bookseller whose reader will be easiest to use.  

I would also be more excited if it were the Kindle, because that would give Clickbank even more killer competition. (And aspiring ebook authors a very hungry, digital-book-enabled audience).  Seventy percent ebook author royalties through Amazon now (up from 35%)...and when the Kindle gets that cheap, look out!  My prediction?  Amazon will try harder and harder to take the top echelon of the Clickbank market.  And authors will respond--because, heck, they always wanted to be "legitimately published" anyway.  (Sorry--I don't mean to sound like a snob--but we all know the quality control of Clickbank products, uh, leaves just a little something to be desired.  The products that are well produced, content-rich, and professionally edited.  I could be wrong--but I don't think I am.

The Kindle IS down to $189--so that's cool.  But the Nook is hot among the younger set.  College kids look at the Kindle as their parents' ebook reader.  (Hard to believe, I know--but if there's one thing I have good access to right now, it's the college set's perceptions of brand.)  B&N seems to have done almost as good a marketing job with the Nook (among the younger set) as Apple has done with the Mac (and iPad now, of course).

Okay, here's my irrelevant story for the day.  A friend of mine dropped by while I was finishing cleaning at the place I moved out of.  I was dripping sweat and pretty well wiped out.  She said, "Let's get a beer.  I want to to show you my new favorite 'quirky."  How 'bout I drive?" 

How could I refuse?  This is the kind of thing I live for.  Well, we ended up driving over the mountain (10 minutes away, but like a different world entirely) and walking into this place called "The Horseshoe Curve."  Don't you just love it?  It was like a movie, where the locals look at you squinty-eyed through cigarette smoke. What do they care about the new anti-smoking laws?  Half of the shanty (that's the only word for it) is exposed to the elements anyway.  So I guess they can get away with saying it's outdoors?

They had a jam session going--with some heartfelt country wailings.  But...  It was as if each of the guitarists was unaware of the presence of the other.  They'd grin at one another every now and then as if they were in the midst of a very funny joke--but otherwise they did not acknowledge one another at all.  Different time signatures and everything.  I'd call it performance art if I were in a city bar.  But...I think this was just a few too many shots of Jack Daniels.

I love quirky.  Just love it.  I'm going back on Saturday evening with my kids for the volunteer fire department country music jamboree fundraiser.

Okay, back to work for me.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today. :-)