Information Overload

Penguin Books Gets iPad

Not to be outdone by Time, Pearson's Penguin unveiled concepts that help drive home the game changing potential of Apple's iPad for print (thanks @genecowan) publishers, retail bookstores, the supply chain, and the rest of us:

Agile Project Management with Scrum

Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber, one of the co-creaters of Scrum, is a quick read about the system to manage software development. The book covers the basics of Scrum, and provides plenty of case studies. Unfortunately, it's a few years old so there aren't any examples of Scrum being used at a SaaS company. Those looking for a high-level overview of Scrum on the cheap can download Ken Schwaber's free Scrum Guide from the Scrum Alliance.

The Walking Dead

Discovered The Walking Dead comic book series thanks to the Comics iPhone app. Breezed through the first five books in one sitting, which cost $7.96 (the first issue comes free with the 99¢ app). Paying $1.99 per episode is reasonable considering the 12-issue, printed anthology is priced at $24. The story itself has so far been reminiscent of 28 Days Later, but set in the American South. The hero is a policeman, which is great because he is quick to arm himself on his quest to find out what happened to his family and civilization. Walking Dead makes a nice holdover in the lull between good zombie flicks.

Esquire Bedtime Stories with Mary-Louise Parker

Someone in Esquire's marketing department is a genius!

My Adventure Book

Thought it would be fun to save the theater ticket for Up in a commercialized replica of the scrapbook from the film. The more adventurous can probably put together a scrapbook for less than $20, which seems a bit steep given that the Talking Dug Plush is the same price.

Star Trek: Countdown

Flipped through the PADD iPhone version of Star Trek: Countdown, the illustrated backstory to the upcoming Star Trek movie. Countdown picks up sometime after Star Trek: Nemesis, which isn't too much of a spoiler given the artwork on the jacket. Countdown could have been translated into a cooler film than Nemesis, especially given the summer blockbuster budget J.J. Abrams got for his Trek reboot. Haven't been this excited for a new Trek movie since the ill-fated major motion picture launch of TNG crew in Star Trek: Generations. Here's hoping the new Trek doesn't make audiences want to travel back in time to prevent themselves from buying their theater tickets.

Coraline

Caroline Coraline is a quick read. It's a rare case where watching the movie first actually does not take away from the book. IMHO, the film actually enhances Neil Gaiman's story about a brave little girl who must contend with dark forces lurking in her new home. It's a warning to children everywhere that they should beware of locked doors that open to a brick wall one day, and then lead to a creepy alternate reality the next time.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

Composing this blog post from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Downtown San Jose. Came to checkout the free wireless network (SSID: sjsu_campus) that's finally open to the public. Speakeasy's Speed Test is currently showing about 1,100 KBps both ways. DNS lookups can be slow. Authenticated SMTP, IM, and Cisco VPN seem to work fine. It's nice to have another place (tax payer funded no less) to work remotely. The only drawback so far is that there are currently a lot of people coughing and sneezing in the library. Fortunately, King Library is large enough for everyone to find their own little private nook. General public laptop users are no longer tethered to designated desks if they want to get online. All that's needed is a free library card.

Farewell to the Master

Harry Bates' 1940 novella, Farewell to the Master, is far from the 1951 and 2008 The Day the Earth Stood Still movies. F to the M is set in a 1940's future filled with hovercraft, ray guns, telescreens, and interplanetary travel. The story is told through a "picture reporter." Klaatu plays a minimal role. There's no female character, or child. Gnut, the supposed interdimensional traveler, is the central point of interest. Much time is spent pondering Gnut's intentions because the concept of video surveillance was apparently not yet common place in 1940.

The 1940 story has a would-be assassin of the devil. The 1951 film stars an alien who believes in a censor-inserted "almighty spirit." The 2008 version alludes to an ark. All three fantasize about how the U.S. would respond to an extraterrestrial visitor whose technology renders it invincible to humanity. Each one ends differently. Farewell to the Master features the best finish. It stays pure to its commentary about people's rush to judgement whereas the first motion picture tries to inject some creepy morale. The conclusion to the one now playing in theaters is simply incomprehensible. You can buy the audiobook, and rent the video for less than the price of a movie ticket.

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Marisa Miller Is GQ

Holly dugg Marisa Miller's photo shoot for GQ. (Thanks Holly!) Of course, not even GQ can top SI's Apple swimsuit shoot.