I owe you an apology: You may have noticed the Kindle version of my latest book, Damon Brown’s Simple Guide to the iPad, hasn’t been available for the past two weeks.

First off, it’s available again – and updated for the new 3G iPads! You can grab Damon Brown’s Simple Guide to the iPad (3G iPad Update) for your Kindle for only $1.99!

Second, if you’re interested in why it wasn’t available, you can read my latest blog post on BNet.com, Barnes & Noble E-Books Effort Won’t Reverse the Insidious Consolidation of E-Publishing. An important subject as we shift from traditional publishing to digital distribution, the e-publishing power dynamic has become way too lopsided to serve the interests of agents, publishers and, especially, authors.  Please read and feel free to contribute to the conversation.

Tonight I’m speaking at periSOMA’s “iPad, Tablets and Mobile Computing” panel. We’re going to discuss the response to the iPad, where other tablets are gaining and what we can expect in the future.

Panel moderator Noah Kravitz of PhoneDog was nice enough to set up a “livestreaming” link for tonight’s panel – you’ll need Adobe Flash to watch the video below. It starts at 7:45 PST here in the Bay Area. Enjoy!

And if you want more info on the iPad, don’t forget to pick up Damon Brown’s Simple Guide to the iPad – perfect for owners as well as potential buyers.

Watch live video from VidSF on Justin.tv

Have an iPad, Kindle or another e-book reader, or a e-book reader on your home computer? I have two new books especially made for e-book fans! Here are descriptions from their “back covers”.

Damon Brown’s Simple Guide to the iPad:
Make the most of your iPad! Veteran tech author Damon Brown gives all you need to have fun with Apple’s popular device, from music and word processing to photos and video games. The down-to-earth tone cuts through all the tech jargon,

while the detailed information will get novices and techies alike up and running. Both affordable and thorough, the book will make you an expert in an hour or two.
Price: $.99!

The Damon Brown Reader: A Decade of Sex, Tech & Pop Culture Journalism:

On the cutting edge of music, tech and sex culture, Playboy and New York Post writer Damon Brown has opened the world to the most influential subcultures. In his first anthology, Damon takes six of the best pieces over the past decade from some of the top publications. Also includes an exclusive excerpt from Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture.

Price: $2.99!

Click on the links to download the books through Amazon and read them through the Kindle device or the free Kindle app on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC or Mac. They will be available at the same price for the Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble nook, kobo and Apple iBookstore shortly.

“Porn & Pong” readers – I’m coming to Portland! Catch me this Wednesday at Reading Frenzy, 7 pm, for an intimate reading from “Porn & Pong“. Hang out afterwards and head to the club Rumpspankers for a fun video gaming night hosted by Portland’s own Darklady.

It will be the first stop on my roadtrip up to Seattle for the awesome Penny Arcade Expo. I’ll speaking about the topic of sex and video games there on Sunday afternoon.

Hope to catch you at any or all of the events!

Wednesday, September 2nd

Porn & Pong signing and reading @ Reading Frenzy

7 pm – 8  pm

921 SW Oak St., Portland, OR

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Porn & Pong afterparty @ Rumpspankers

7 pm – 11 pm

700 NE Dekum, Portland, OR

Not necessary, but you can RSVP on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for the latest news (and maybe even some liveblogging).

This week I’m starting as the new editor of About.com’s Mobile Games section!

As you may know, About.com is one of the most read knowledge sources on the web. From now on, you can come to my About.com website to learn about the latest and hottest games for your iPhone/iPod Touch, Android, Palm or other portable phones. There are already many reviews online as well as tips on finding the right gaming phone, where to find free games, and how to get started playing on your mobile.

Content will be fresh daily, so be sure and come through regularly (and let your favorite gamers know, too)! http://mobilegames.about.com

I also will be posting important About.com reviews and stories through my Twitter account: http://www.twitter.com/browndamon.

Coming to the awesome Penny Arcade Expo this Fall? Catch our Sunday afternoon panel “Murder, Sex & Drugs“, about how vices are depicted in video games, with former Newsweek editor/tech writer N’Gai Croal, game designer Corvus Elrod and other interesting people.

More info is here at Corvus’ site.

Penny Arcade Expo is one of the largest video game conferences in America. This year it’s happening in Seattle over Labor Day.

Come through, give your opinion and get your copy of Porn & Pong signed (or grab it at one of the soon-to-be-announced book signings!).

Join me this Saturday in New Orleans for my first Southern Porn & Pong book reading and signing! It will be at Faubourg Marigny Arts and Books, a cool indie book store just outside of the French Quarter.

As some of you know, the Faubourg Marigny is actually my old neighborhood – I lived on St. Roch street, a few blocks away from the park, and left when Katrina hit in ’05. I wrote the majority of Porn & Pong while I was in New Orleans, so having my first Southern signing there is both a privilege as well as a homecoming of sorts.

Here are the details:
Faubourg Marigny Arts and Books
600 Frenchmen Street
Saturday, June 6th
7 pm

Come by, grab a book and say hi!

Next week I’ll be speaking at my favorite journalism conference, for the American Society of Journalists and Authors, at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel. The conference will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 24th – 26th. The first day is for ASJA members only, while the remaining to are open to non-members and/or the general public.

Luckily, our talk will be on Saturday afternoon! The panel is “Make Your Web Site Add To Your Bottom Line” (April 25th, 2 pm). We’ll talk about using websites, blogs and social networks to help sell your work. I will be talking about using the ‘net to connect with book readers online.

More info about the wonderful organization and the conference can be found at the ASJA website.

The San Francisco Examiner website gave Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture a hearty thumbs-up:

“Porn & Pong is a fascinating look at the history of pornography in video games and modern media… If you have any interest in history, you’ll find Porn & Pong a fascinating and enjoyable read.”

Check out the entire review at Examiner.com.

Fellow Bay Area writer Heather Boerner interviewed me for her Serenity for the Self-Employed blog. A rare inside view into the freelance writing life, we talk about cracking publications, surviving changing times and finding your writing focus.

For more insights, I’ll be speaking at the American Society of Journalists and Authors conference in New York the weekend of April 25th. The Saturday afternoon panel will be on how writers can use the web to connect, network and build audiences. Check out the details at the ASJA website.