This week's news was far too interesting to hang on to it all until Friday, and who wants to read stale bytes after the fact? So, here is a special mid-week update on the top tech news of the week!

Oprah has officially announced Amazon.com's Kindle is her new favorite gadget -- even going so far to call it 'life-changing.' It's possible this daytime dynamo's endorsement is all it will take for Kindle to become a household name -- let's hope she doesn't give it the Frey treatment later on while trying to boost her sagging ratings...

My favorite bookseller, Barnes and Noble (due to the uncanny ability of my local library-ish store never to feel full or overcrowded, even on Harry Potter release nights), has launched a social network that allows users to post up lists of their favorite books, lists of the books they want, and comments/reviews of new releases. And, it links with Facebook accounts, so you can keep your friends updated on your literary preferences, as well. Booksellers are getting desperate in these tough times to keep people reading -- and with Harry Potter and now the Twilight saga done, they are moving to the cloud. Methinks they should take a look at the blurb above on what their next digital move should be. Can anyone say, "Amazon.com partnership"?

This article on gaming consoles and their broken promises is a great read and brings back memories of previous claims of backwards compatibility and revolutionary technologies. Take a minute with your cup of coffee and give it a read. (Don't mind the creepy-looking gamer dude -- I'm sure it's just a bad picture...)

Netflix is rolling out a steaming-media player based on Microsoft's Silverlight technology, which, for the first time, is available for use on Macs with an Intel core. Am the only person who hears Livingston Taylor's "City LiiIIiights ... shining in your eyes..." when I read that name? I like it!