Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been announced by Apple this afternoon:

• iPod beefed up to feature 30Gb and 80Gb models.
• iPod Nano gets new, uglier, mini-style design. Presumably, as Grid212 mentioned, because of the problem the original had with scratches. It’s also been bumped up to 2Gb, 4Gb and 8Gb models and has a brighter screen.
• iPod Shuffle gets smaller and restyled to match the new Nano.
• iTunes 7: Movie downloads, Cover Flow (flip through your DVD and CD covers), updated interface and Automatic Album Art (which sounds rather scarily Big Brother: “As long as you have an iTunes Store account, iTunes will automatically fetch available album art for any CD you imported to iTunes.”).
• Downloadable games for iPod like Tetris, Pac-Man and Bejeweled.
• Movie downloads. Still 4:3, though a slightly higher (but still small) 640×480 resolution. It also, predictably, seems to be Disney content right now.

They also announced that they’re working on a sleek looking set-top box tentatively named iTV (no relation, I assume, and, pending a lawsuit from ITV, I am certain it will change) which transmits video from iTunes to TV.

Banksy at Disneyland: Only one artist could possibly get away with placing an installation of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner beside the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse: “He has assumed an ever more childlike appearance as the ratty character of Steamboat Willie became the cute and inoffensive host to a magic kingdom. By 1940, the former tweaker of pig’s nipples gets a kick in the ass for insubordination (as the sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia). By 1953, last cartoon, he has gone fishing and cannot even subdue a squirting clam.”

It’s always a delight when fun stuff arrives in the mail, and yesterdays delivery was an unexpected treat! I’d pre-ordered a copy of Animation Blast #9 a month ago and had, for the most part, forgotten I’d done so. When I opened the package I was surprised at the size of it! 108 pages of good quality printed stock, chock full of fantastic articles and artwork.

A complete run-down on the book’s content can be found here on the website, but it includes gems such as an article on Disney’s “Tenth” Old Man, John Sibley, on Disney in the 50s, bawdy wartime cartoons, The Three Cabelleros, Korty Films and writer John Dunn.

If you’re in any way interested in cartoons or animation — or even art — history, do yourself a favour and buy a copy!

The top quality of this book, and the tantalising sneak peek over at The Blackwing Diaries, has really made me wish that I’d pre-ordered a copy of Amid’s other new book, Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation, as well. It’s out of stock everywhere!

Update: Jenny has just brought to my attention Amid’s posting on the Cartoon Modern blog (I have too many blogs to read and missed this one today!). Amazon should have stock in within the next day or two and will them ship out then. So go buy that too!