Andrew LaVallee

Amazon.com Inc.’s new e-book reader, Kindle, has only been on sale for a few hours, but the blogosphere already has a lot to say about it.

Gadget blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo are buzzing about the device’s free wireless capability and odd design. Media and publishing bloggers, some responding to Newsweek’s nearly 5,000-word advance look, are discussing what Kindle means for the e-books industry and reading itself. Other tech bloggers are hashing out its price tag ($399) and the notion of having to pay for blog feeds.

And everyone has an opinion, mostly negative, about how it looks. A sample description: “like a prop from an old sci-fi horror flick.”

Amazon customers have weighed in, too, with more than 100 reviews already online. Kindle, so far, is rated 2.5 stars out of 5.

Read Bloggers React to Amazon’s ‘Ugly Duckling’

In science-fiction author Cory Doctorow’s short story “Scroogled,” a woman shrugs when she sees “Immigration–Powered by Google” on an airport sign, but that’s just the beginning of the search giant’s presence in a not-too-distant future.

The story, published in Radar Magazine’s latest issue, envisions a world in which Google turns into Big Brother. Customs agents grill travelers about their search queries, public places are swept by Webcams and officials look for terrorist connections in social-networking sites. All of this is made possible by Google’s powerful search tools and the company’s willingness to share its trove of personal data with the government.

While a work of fiction, Mr. Doctorow, 36 years old, one of the editors of the popular blog Boing Boing, said his story builds on his real concerns about the amount of information that Google and others collect and store about Web users, including search histories, email and videos. Its publication has sparked online discussions about online privacy and the plausibility of Mr. Doctorow’s scenario.

Asked about the Orwellian story, a Google spokeswoman responded: “Google is proud to offer a range of innovative products that have proven to be both useful and trusted by our users. User trust is central to our business and that’s why we aggressively protect our users’ privacy.”

Mr. Doctorow spoke with me about “Scroogled,” why he’s fond of Google despite his dystopian tale and why it’s hard to get people worried about online privacy.

Read A New Short Story Imagines Google as a Bad Big Brother

Gawker Media is shuffling the management of its flagship Gawker blog for the fifth time in four years, as the site faces increased competition from upstart gossip sites.

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Gina Trapani is always looking for a clever shortcut — from a better way to organize her email inbox to keeping track of her Web passwords. So, it seems, are plenty of other computer users.

Ms. Trapani, 31 years old, is the editor of the Lifehacker technology blog, which dispenses do-it-yourself advice and time-saving computing tips. Traffic to the site, one of several blogs published by Gawker Media, has surged since its launch two years ago as it has become a must-read for many computer novices and geeks alike.

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An Internet-fueled rumor that the next “Star Trek” movie will star Matt Damon as Captain Kirk has roiled Trekkies, who have taken to blogs and message boards to express their displeasure.

Speculation that Mr. Damon would take on the role made famous by William Shatner has been swirling for more than a month on entertainment news and gossip sites. But the hand-wringing has recently gathered momentum, thanks to a page on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), a popular movie site, which said Mr. Damon would indeed take the lead role in “Star Trek XI.” Slashdot, Metafilter, Digg and other Web sites have pointed to the page this week, with users saying IMDB had confirmed fans’ fears.

“I seriously don’t think I can stomach Matt Damon as Cpt. Kirk,” wrote one Digg commenter. Hundreds of tongue-in-cheek casting suggestions poured into Slashdot after it linked to the IMDB page, including Ben Affleck as the pointy-eared Spock and Oprah Winfrey as communications specialist Uhura.

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