A couple of things bugged me:
Uke makers are riding the wave of popularity that began around the time of former Beatle George Harrison's death in 2001. Harrison was well-known in uke circles, but it was former bandmate Paul McCartney who reignited the public's fascination by playing the instrument in the 2002 tribute Concert for George and in other performances.
As I recall (I own the DVD, but didn't watch it to confirm), Paul played the uke for the first half of 'Something' then switched to guitar, and even then it was a relatively basic strum, nothing outstanding like the version of Something that we get out of Jake/Aldrine/Dom/etc. He didn't touch the uke again (again: as I recall)
What stole the show for me and most people, and more than just uke specific too, was Joe Brown's "I'll see you in my dreams". Sure, the journo is probably just name dropping for the masses, but still...
(Also, I learnt that Anoushka Shankar is awesome, check out her work with Karsh Kale)
The novelty aspect still exists, as anyone who listens to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain can attest. Picture eight men in tuxedos, strumming and picking the tune of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Ahh, LATimes... failing to understand British humour yet again, look up 'irony' in the dictionary. And no mention of the ladies in the orchestra? Not cool...
Apart from that, it was a great article. I hope it attracts more people into the fold