Tech Tidbits: iPad Will Change Publishing, Social Media in Space, Digg to Get New Diggs

Tech stories of the week that are worth a look from the digital content world.

Social Media Reaches New, Galactic Heights. This week a NASA astronaut, with nothing better to do while circling the earth on an “important” mission, took time out of his day to send the world’s first LIVE tweet from space to the Twitterverse. Takeaway: Even astronauts need a work break. [CNET]

Get Ready To Open Your Wallet (or Purse) for Hulu Content. Rumors have been flying for months about Hulu preparing to offer a subscription model to watch shows. Not surprisingly, its owners NBC Universal, News Corp., The Walt Disney Company and private investors would like to make some money from this business. Are you willing to pay? [LA Times]

AOL Getting into a Video Groove. AOL will soon look more like YouTube as it struggles to redefine itself and regain its financial footing. The company has acquired StudioNow, an online platform for video creation and distribution for $36.5 million in cash and stock. Like YouTube, AOL is eyeing online videos, especially original programming, as a way to boost its bottom line. StudioNow will be integrated into Seed.com

, an online entertainment manager and distributor for AOL’s more than 80 branded and niche websites. [Variety]

Is Apple’s New iPad a Game Changer for Content Creators? As the dust settles on yesterday’s iPad unveiling, both geeks and Hollywood are busy pondering what the potential impact of this “iPod Touch on steroids” means for consumer entertainment possibilities. [CNET, Variety]

How Much Would People Pay To Watch You Live? If you’re a fan of live streaming, but want to make some dough too, Stickam’s new PayPerLive service (for a monthly fee) lets you sell tickets to live streaming events/shows/personal ramblings or subscriptions for access to recorded videos, photos, and music of your choosing. [ReadWriteWeb]

Digg Users Prepare to Be Shocked. In the coming months, Digg says it’s planning to completely redesign the service and the way members find and share their content – with a new emphasis on what your circle of friends are sharing in real-time. [Telegraph UK]