TWiT unsurprisingly starts off with a bit of conversation about the iPad, with John and Leo taking their pessimist and optimist roles as per usual.  The biggest debate over the usability of this hardware concerns the readability of eBooks on the LCD screen.  Leo maintains that he appreciates the ability to skim through articles in newspapers and magazines, while John argues that the paper-like qualities of E Ink is still optimal.

Next comes the debacle over Macmillan books on Amazon, which were temporarily pulled due to a conflict between publisher/retailer interests.  Ultimately, Amazon conceded to Macmillan’s desires to raise prices on both digital and physical books, in a move to keep them in hand with the rising tide of Apple’s possible competition.

Controversy has been brewing over a proposed “Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement” which is undergoing talks in Mexico, which secretly pushed the “three strikes” system of copyright infringement of digital goods.  Due to the treaty status of the agreement, unwilling countries may be pressured to push forward these draconian policies.  Find out more at the Electronic Frontier Foundation website.

Covered news and topics:  iPad, Macmillan pulls out of Amazon, Amazon pulls back, IPv6, Comcast/NBC, OLPC donations for Haiti, ACTA, NASA Moon missions scrubbed, Google Books, Steve Jobs talking mess

iPad thoughts, Jobs says Google is evil, and Amazon backs down…

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