The iPad is pretty much what I thought it would be: an oversized iPod Touch. At $500 for the cheapest model, I can see myself purchasing it for its reading capabilities alone. But I’m a little disappointed that Apple, a company noted for its commitment to accessibility on the Mac, seems to have completely abandoned incorporating accessibility features into its portable devices. And I’m not just speaking for those of us with motor impairments; I don’t think too many people with visual impairments are going to be rushing to the local Apple Store to pick one of these up.

I understand that we gimps may not be the target audience for this kind of tech, but throw us a bone, Apple. Include some rudimentary voice control or auditory feedback. Hell, I’d even settle for a vague statement that you’ll explore adding these features in the future. Right now, the iPad (and iPhone) are useless to me without human assistance. With a little ingenuity, that could change, but not without some commitment from Apple. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

Here are the things that I’m fairly certain the forthcoming Apple tablet/slate/squished iPhone won’t do:

• It won’t come pre-loaded with the sequel to Avatar. 
• It won’t have a telepathic interface. 
• It won’t pass a health care bill.
• It won’t address me as “Master” in a breathless sex-kitten voice. 
• It won’t give me superpowers (although I’m hedging my bets on this one).

Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine.

Fellas, as you prepare to go out on the town tonight, take a minute to watch this very NSFW public service ad about the benefits of wearing a condom. Never before has a work of art depicted the penis as such an adorable but melancholy character. But not to worry; this urban tale ends quite happily for everyone involved.

Years from now, I’ll be regaling all seven of my blog readers with stories of the salad days of the early-21st century Internet, when free content was abundant. The Times just announced that it will charge frequent readers an as-yet-undetermined subscription fee beginning in 2011. Hulu also indicated that it would begin charging users to access the more popular shows in its catalog. At this rate, I’ll have start moonlighting as a bartender just to afford my various Internet subscription fees.

This retrenchment of paywalls was probably inevitable. Web advertising is sustainable revenue model for some businesses, but it’s not enough to support a major newspaper or unlimited video streaming. However, this will only work for a handful of established brands whose content is already highly valued by consumers. I’ll gladly pay five bucks a month to get unlimited access to the Times, but I probably wouldn’t pay a single penny to the Star Tribune.

A week ago, I wrote that I was “reasonably confident” that Coakley would win in today’s Massachusetts special election for Kennedy’s former seat. Tonight, I’m steeling myself for a Republican loss. Nate Silver, the master of election statistical analysis, pegs Republican Brown as the 3:1 favorite. Coakley ran a terrible campaign, but voters are also really, really angry. They’re angry about unemployment, the bailouts, health care reform, and the bewildering structural changes that the economy is currently experiencing. It’s an inarticulate anger; they don’t like the changes Democrats are proposing, but they don’t have a clear idea on what the alternative strategies should be.

How Democrats should respond to this anger is a topic for serious debate, but I’m convinced of one thing: health care reform should not be scuttled because of this election. The House can still pass the Senate bill as-is, eliminating the need for another Senate vote. Further negotiations would have made the bill better, but many of those improvements could be accomplished through a reconciliation bill. The politics of such a move will be messy, but the process has come too far and too many lives are at stake. Walking away is simply not an option.

Assuming Democrats don’t lose their nerve, they can still do some tremendous good. They should seize the moment while they can because, once they lose their supermajority, we can forget about any major legislation passing in the foreseeable future.