More Amazon.com news on the forthcoming digitial download service. Includes screenshots. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited about seeing Amazon take the driver's seat with this one. I can't wait to see the selection available at launch.

The Economist has an interesting piece his week on the necessity of Amazon's forthcoming download service(s). Something interesting in the article which I had not heard before is that Jeff Bezos is openly saying that they will slow down technology spending starting later in the year. When I worked at Amazon.com, I don't think anything approaching those words were ever uttered.

Quoted: Amazon is highly secretive about its plans, but the online industry expects it soon to launch a service for downloading films and television shows. Amazon's investment in new technology and services helped slash net profit by 58% to $22m in its second quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier. This is despite a 22% increase in sales, which are expected to reach $10.6 billion for 2006 as a whole..

Cool "emergent task timer." Probably a bit over the top for day to day use but perhaps helpful for people who wonder where the hell the day went when it's all done.

Quoted: Computers make us more productive. Yeah, right. Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live.