The rest of the family is nesting at home while I ride the commuter train to Washington, D.C. and work. My laptop reading is October's WIRED and the 10/4 issue of the New Yorker.

In WIRED, I read about titanium and polyester mesh breast implants, how Japanese teen girls are using lenticular privacy screens on their cell phones, the problem of applying metadata to the growing tide of personal digital photographs and the Sidekick II.

Wired generally likes the new Sidekick, and says it is both "wired" and "tired." The Sidekick is wired because it has "easy-to-use interface, full messaging features, spacious keyboard and syncs with Outlook." It's tired because it's "a bit large and geeky, difficult to place a call without opening it up (but can be done), and draws strange looks when used as a phone."

The New Yorker has a summary of the history of the Ansari X Prize, which may be claimed today.

- mike lee - washington, dc