Links for Friday July 23^th, 2010

• 64 Bit Explained: And people wonder why Microsoft is struggling. What a mess.

• Cow Clicker: Great article about the current state of "games" on Facebook by Ian Bogost. Ian delves into the inner workings of these games via the creation of a simple, stripped down game. Especially interesting, in light of what my current employer is up to.

• Mac Pro Unavailable for In-Store Reservations at Many Locations: I hope this means new Mac Pros on Tuesday, but I have been burned so many times.

• I confess: I bought an iPad (and so far I love it): Mary Jo Foley, a long-time reporter on all things Microsoft, recently bought an iPad, and she loves it:

  "So why did I succumb to the charms of the iPad? Quite simply, I have not been able to find a PC that offered what an iPad does. Windows laptops are powerful, versatile and relatively inexpensive compared to Apple’s counter-offerings. You can get portable netbooks (with so-so performance), great big-screen gaming rigs and thin-and-light models (like the Asus UL30A that is my current workhorse). But none of these has the amazing battery life, fast on/off, ultra-handy form factor, a made-for-touch interface (rather than touch bolted on to a keyboard/mouse-centric interface) or a built-in app store."

  Amazing.

• Exclusive: Marti Noxon on the Future of 'Buffy': Short, but interesting interview with the Buffy show runner from seasons 4 - 7.