Finally started getting back into the groove of making some new illustrations and then posting up here on the blog.  There’s a few things in the pipeline–plus items that just haven’t been photographed or scanned yet.

The Apple iPad.
Concerns over censorship, approval, and other potential danger to the freedom of content.

This is, of course, 2-week-old news now: a great political cartoonist, Mark Fiore, submitted a little iPhone app to apple last year.  His app was rejected for being…. offensive.  Nonetheless, after being awarded the Pulitzer Prize a few weeks ago Apple gave Mr. Fiore a call back and said, basically, “oh…oh…you can resubmit and we’ll probably take it.”  (Read about this from the Wall Street Journal, re-reported by Macworld.)

I’m definitely a big Apple fan–I’m writing on a Mac right now–but their “iBookstore” and App Store make me think twice about censorship and “editing” of content.  Apple is being a kind of protective agent to their customers, or, rather, an over-protective parent.  Their big concern is bad apps, ones that don’t work, but also “offensive” ones; the secret word there is “pornography.”  But, as the iPad positions itself as the beginning of a new style of reading, how can a single company like Apple really watch out for every single product that their device holds?  And, if they do approve every single book or app or magazine, what are their standards?  And what if I want the stuff they’re rejecting?

The New York Times reported that Steve Jobs himself said the rejection of now Pulitzer Prize winning Mark Fiore’s app was a “mistake.”  Ok!  That’s cool.  But how much other potentially innovative, great content is being rejected right now that shouldn’t be?  How many “mistakes” does Apple make every day?

Note about the Image: This is a photo-illustration made with paper, lights, tape, and cardboard.  There is no Photoshop here.

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