Don,
I'm definitely here, still alive, and very much working for Astak. If discussion slows on the forum (or dies), there is no magical potion to revive it on my end. Of course, I'm sad to see the empty forum.
Astak is continuing to work on their eBook reading devices, but things have slowed, mostly because of those mysterious troubles I keep alluding to. Our EZ Read site is going strong and incredibly active, you can see the whole team (including me) on our Facebook team at the Las Vegas CES show:
http://www.facebook.com/ezreadbookstore
The eBook reading device market is a massive challenge for anyone selling in the US. Kindle and their kind are losing money on devices, and getting it back using their proprietary format restrictions and eBookstore. (In my opinion, it stinks to be a Kindle owner and find out I can't download my favorite author's ePub, etc.) But they are the Big Boys in the market. The Big Brothers, even.
Anyways, I'm sure you all have your own opinions on the state of the forum. But just to let you know, I'm still here, on everyday to help if I can.
Jenifer