When I first saw images of Amazon’s recently released Kindle it immediately conjured up memories of ‘Forbidden Planet’. It looked so lumpy and cumbersome and almost Fisher-Price in design.

Then I watched the demo video and suddenly I was on the waiting list to receive my very own, fired-up as the product name suggests.

I recently came across an hilarious article by Thomas Swick, travel columnist at Sun-Sentinel.com. He puts forward a list of demands that might be put into use should travel writers decide to strike Hollywood-style.

I can see his list (below) being printed and stuck on cubicle walls the world over!

DEMANDS

Thanks to Abha's recent post at WrittenRoad.com I found a great interview with Tim Leffel on BraveNewTraveler.com. The interview has great observations from Tim, as Editor of PerceptiveTravel.com, on what the future of travel writing holds for writers and publishers.

Finally... the word is out!

Check out the world's first travelbookmarking website.

Here's the press release - fill yer boots!

 

You know there's something afoot when you don't see, or hear, from your development team in rather a long time. When you email them at midnight with a "please can you do this first thing in the morning" and you get an immediate reply, you just KNOW there's something being worked on in darkened rooms with monitor-lit faces glued to screens.

Hmmm, what could it be? It's not a new ebook because I haven't written the 2nd one... yet.

It can't be new site design because the one they've already got is new and (imho) perfect.

With today's technology, you can be thousands of miles away from your computer and still post a travel article on a blog.

Travelers simply need their mobile phone or access to a land-line and they are able to relate their tales to TimesOnline which uses a voice-to-text service called SpinVox. Apparently, SpinVox is 97 percent accurate, although it doesn’t mention whether a person’s accent might affect the outcome.

I can't resist a new book for the bedside table. This could be it.

Condé Nast recently released a new collection of travel stories entitled "The Condé Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys". Featuring 21 travel stories the book takes the reader on a trip around the world.

I believe that the Internet is a godsend for writers from all genres, but it doesn’t make everyone a writer.

Sure, it allows anyone to communicate, demonstrate or remonstrate, but by doing so doesn’t make the author an instant writer. The same amount of talent, quality and commitment required to succeed offline is just as important for the online writer.

According to Maureen Wheeler, BBC Worldwide is "committed to keeping the publishing side going". In an online video, the Wheelers reassure Lonely Planet fans (and staff!) that, despite the BBC Worldwide deal, the company will continue to produce printed travel guides. This is obviously a big concern to Lonely Planet fans, as many comments on various blogs and websites illustrate.

Reports are surfacing about the BBC's acquisition of a controlling stake in Lonely Planet. The deal, rumoured to be worth a couple of hundred million dollars, could see a massive change in the online direction of the much-loved travel guides. More soon.....