[update] Well, I received a couple of questions, so here’s a bit more info on this admittedly awesome project:

A few months ago I picked up a second-hand (Ebay) netbook, a Lenovo Ideapad S10. I primarily use it as it was intended…mainly for surfing the web, email, etc. One nice bonus, however, is that it is a fantastic way to read comics – succeeding where my Sony E-Reader fails. Manga and some other mostly black & white comics looked “ok” on the e-reader (I have a PRS-500 model), but the Lenovo is about the same size & weight as a hardcover book and color comics look fantastic (I know, not a color shot, but you get the idea). Now, where you get the digital version of them and whether you should is a guilt-trip for another day.

Anyway, as you might imagine it’s a hassle to use windows & the touchpad when you’re holding your laptop sideways. There are some programs you can download to ‘rotate’ the touchpad input and minimize the mental gyrations needed, but what caught my eye was this “Add a touchscreen to your netbook” hack.

I ordered the kit from FidoHub & have dismantled & then re-assembled the netbook. I ran into a snag installing the controller for the touchscreen ( I need some longer wires) — , but installed the screen itself with no problem and hope to have it up and running in a couple of days. Stay tuned…

[FidoHub, I might add, are fantastic. I ordered it on a Saturday evening & had it in my hands by Tuesday. Whoooo! Then, when I realized with despair that I had somehow ordered the kit for the MSI Wind instead of my Lenovo one -- don't ask, I don't know how -- Jeff from FidoHub quickly responded to my email & offered to swap out the controller board & cables, which are now en route. Boom. All of that...from Thailand...while a typhoon was smashing them. THAT is customer service.]

This revamp started because I envisioned a series of posts that would encompass all of the ways that I waste time and effort, rather than applying myself constructively to items on my "Wish To Do" List. Atop the list is a project for a novel that I’ve been chipping at for many, many years. I’ve done outlines, research, and spent some serious time daydreaming about the story, but have always put off the actual writing. Of course this isn’t a trait exclusive to writing….It’s pretty much my standard M.O. for most projects. Anywho, more on the novel later.

As for this blog, I wanted to chronicle all of the many side-projects and fun diversions that make life interesting (for me, at least). Often I feel like the go-to-guy amongst friends and family when it comes to anything related to DIY technology or video-related upgrades, and I wanted to begin posting some of my advice and how-to’s for topics that are not only distractions and diversions for the literary life, but hobbies in their own right.

The focus will be on technology and its impact on culture and the arts. Personally, I’m most interested in the access to and ease with which we can engage in popular culture, including the trend to remix (movies), mashup (music), and mod (games).