There are some changes in Notes Blog Core 1.0, due to be has been submitted to wordpress.org any day now. Among those are the addition of the div#blog class for the full content area, single page browsing, and also the step from two to four widget areas in the footer. All child themes built on any of the beta versions should work without any issues when the final 1.0 release is rolled out.
Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog is now available in its second edition. The book is revised and updated, sporting even more Notes Blog galore, all in full color.
My latest book is called Smashing WordPress Themes: Making WordPress Beautiful and is all about theming. The book is available now from your favorite online retailer (or physical bookstore).