Great news for Kindle 2
Here is a .pdf file I copied onto my Kindle, shown in portrait mode:
And here's the PDF file shown in landscape mode:
This software update also allows for manual screen rotation!
I should also point out that they've consolidated Kindle 2
There is also an update for the Kindle DX
Here are four books on writing I just finished reading that you may find of interest. These books give insight into the nuts and bolts of the writing life, fill in the backstory of how writers craft their ideas, show how to read critically, and discuss why books and writing are important.
This book, Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer
Really, this is a useful book.
In Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them
In Ron Carlson Writes a Story
In A Dangerous Profession: A Book About the Writing Life
UPDATE [25 November 2009]: There's a new software update for the Kindle DX that provides for better cropping of PDF files to maximize the amount of content on the screen.
So I am sure by now you've heard of the new digital book reader by Amazon, the Amazon Kindle DX
A while ago I reviewed my Kindle 2. The DX includes Kindle 2 features such as free wireless delivery of books purchased from Amazon, long battery life, text-to-speech, and mp3 audio file playback (with stereo audio jack as well as built-in speakers), so here I will concentrate on the main new features the DX brings to the reading experience.
The most obvious difference is the size of the display. The DX is larger, with a diagonal screen size of 9.7".The screen size of the DX is more like that of a textbook, rather than the Kindle 2's paperback size format (screen size of 6" on the diagonal).
There are also a few cosmetic changes. The Next Page and Previous Page buttons are now only along the right side of the border. I actually welcome this change, since I can now easily hold the Kindle without worrying about accidently turning the page. Also, the keyboard on the bottom border is smaller - numbers can now be typed using an Alt-letter combination on the DX whereas the Kindle 2 had a dedicated row of number buttons. Again, I like this change, since it devotes more of the usable space on the device to the screen for reading. Moreover, I do not often need to type in numbers using my Kindle, and so when I do I do not mind using the Alt-letter combination.
Unlike the Kindle 2, the Kindle DX now includes native support for viewing Adobe pdf documents. This is a big win for me, since most of the documents I read are in this format. As an example, below is an image of the Kindle DX displaying one of my pdf slides.
This image also captures the another new feature in the Kindle DX - auto screen rotate. Simply turn the Kindle on its side and the display will automatically rotate. This effectively zooms in on the page being displayed.
In my opinion the e-ink display is more readable in the Kindle DX than the Kindle 2. Also, the display works better when trying to render dark fonts on a light background, as shown below. Here is where the Kindle DX shines when rendering pdf documents, as even equations are very legible.
So in summary, the Kindle DX brings a larger viewing format to the digital book reading world. The Kindle DX also supports viewing pdf documents. Text and images look great on the larger screen, and with the DX's 4GB of internal storage, you can carry up to about 3,500 books, magazines, and documents in one slim device. This is a boon, especially for folks who travel.
I personally prefer the Kindle DX, since the larger format and pdf support better suit my needs. My wife however prefers the smaller size Kindle 2 for reading science fiction novels.
Oh, and if you are going to get the Kindle DX, I would also recommend a case for it. This Belkin Neoprene sleeve case
Available from Amazon here
OK --- summer's here and school's out --- time to get serious and get back into shape. My plan of attack is to use the TRX Force Kit
I am assessing this system because I have a crazy travel and work schedule, which prevent me from typical gym usage. The TRX system is light and can be taken with you almost anywhere. I think this system will be a key part of the perfect mobile gym/program I am putting together --- thus the assessment.
What is a suspension system? The basic idea is that you attach a set of cables to any elevated anchor point --- door, tree, fence, bar, etc. --- and use your body weight to effect a large variety of exercises. Moreover, because the exercises do not occur in just one plane of motion, like traditional weight training, you develop core strength through functional training.
Will I make it through all 12 weeks? Or will I crumple into a ball of sweat and agony?
Stay tuned...Day 1 starts today.
"The human foot is a work of art and a masterpiece of engineering." --- Leonardo Da Vinci
The above quote is from a study on the natural form of the foot and proper running form based on the natural biomechanics of the human form. So it's too bad people shove those works of art and engineering into cramped shoes with thick, padded inserts, leading to bad running form, back and leg pains, and poor posture!
Folks who like to stay healthy often participate in a variety of activities --- running, jogging, hiking, lifting weights, kettlebells, martial arts, RKC, crossfit, etc. And then there's just walking around. All of these activities put a lot of stress on our feet, and the type of shoe we wear impacts our performance. In learning how to run, I discussed the problems some may have with squishy running shoes --- complete with inflexible soles and soft inserts --- especially since those shoes tend to promote the heel-strike running form, and are very unstable for use in the gym when lifting weights. In addition, those shoes, and many other shoes in general, prevent the development of leg stabilizer muscles, important for many functional activities, since they keep the toes of the feet trapped in the toe box and the squishy shoe padding prevents proper contact with the ground.
In fact, here's a timely article on running as nature meant, rather than as the shoe marketers want: "Will Running Barefoot Cure What Ails Us?".
So what is best for these activities, while helping us use a form Leonardo would be proud of?
One idea is to do what the body was meant to do --- go barefoot! I love walking in my bare feet, feeling the grass or sand beneath my toes. In some sense, walking barefoot feels like, well, freedom. However, the modern world sometimes frowns on folks in bare feet, and I don't like stepping on things that hurt. But with the Vibram FiveFingers shoes (sometimes called VFFs) my feet are free and safe!
Long a maker of quality soles for mountaineering boots and other footwear, Vibram designed a new type of shoe. This unconventional shoe is winning awards (e.g., it was named one of the best inventions of 2007 by Time Magazine) and gaining notice as fitness professionals and just plain folks are discovering the benefits of these shoes.
The company makes several models, and I've been enjoying the KSO (Keep Stuff Out) version. This version has a mesh covering the top of the foot and a velcro strap to keep the shoe snug. They also make other versions, such as the classic, the sprint, and the flow.
In addition to being a casual shoe that is very comfortable, I also wear them when working out, especially when lifting weights and running. This is one shoe that fits almost all activities (well, except for coat and tie occasions). They feel like your foot is wearing a soft glove, and when walking around you really can sense the ground beneath your feet. When I run, my body uses a more natural running form, where the foot lands on the fore/mid foot, rather than on the heel as when using squishy running shoes. When lifting weights, I am much more stable, especially in squats and overhead presses, and so am able to lift more weight and get a better workout (and am safer doing so, too).
When I first got them, I wore them the entire day without trouble --- no blisters, no soreness. Definitely happy feet! However, some folks have noted muscle soreness when first wearing them, so you may want to ease into them by wearing them just a few hours at a time. This is because your foot is likely not to have the muscle strength and support structure needed to handle long periods of walking barefoot.
What's not to like about them? Well, you may not like looking like a hobbit, but these shoes are certainly no uglier than the sandals, crocs, and basketball shoes that many people wear! In fact, you may find yourself the center of attention --- people *will* ask you what is on your feet!
You can order them on Amazon
UPDATE: check out this great article from RKC Mark Cheng on the Vibram Five Fingers shoe, and why you should not settle for sub-optimal training (i.e., cheating nature).
I never thought I would be impressed by a timer --- usually they feel flimsy, cost too much, are tedious to use, or don't have the features I need. So I was surprised when I started using this Gymboss timer and found that it has all the features I need, it is very easy to use, it seems quite rugged, and it is inexpensive.
As you can see from my photo, the unit itself is fairly small and compact, and it has a belt clip on the back. There are three buttons on the unit --- they are used to set up the mode (repeating intervals, countdown, stopwatch), alarm type (high/low beep or vibrate) and duration, and timer start/stop. The display is very easy to read, and I like that the unit remembers the previously-used interval settings when you power on the timer. The timer also keeps track of the number of intervals you've completed when in repeating intervals mode.
You can buy the Gymboss Interval Timer directly from the Gymboss website, or from Amazon
So you may find this timer very useful, especially if you are interested in fitness --- whether you do MMA, martial arts, cardio/sprint intervals, kettlebells, weight lifting, strength training, or other activities.
Here are two simple questions:
Probably most of you raised your hands to both questions.
But considering that the National Center for Health Statistics reports that more than 34% of Americans are obese (and with another 33% overweight), and considering that the average American has about $10,000 in credit card debt, there seems to be a big difference between what people say they want to be (the answer to the above questions) and what they actually are (unhealthy and in debt).
I'll leave getting fit for another post, but at least there's a great resource you can tap if you actually want to be rich --- the unambiguously titled new book I Will Teach You To Be Rich
The book contains a six-week program to get your finances in order, get you out of debt, and help you be rich. But it is important to note that this is not the typical "buy hot stocks" or "hedge funds are great" or "to be rich you need to be an expert in finance" investment books. Rather, this book contains basic, fundamental, core principles and steps you can actually implement, today, to get out of debt and save lots of money. For example, regarding credit cards, the author includes actual scripts you can use to turn the tables on the credit card companies (like the scripts the telemarketers use on you to get you to buy things) and get them to waive your finance charges, lower your APR, and resolve missed payments. The book also includes examples, solid advice, explanations and reasons, and practical tips for getting out of debt and becoming rich.
This book is best for those people in their 20's and 30's -- those most likely to make naive finance mistakes (like going into credit card debt) and those most able to take advantage of the long-term view to money management. But everyone can learn something from the book, from how to negotiate, how to automate your bills and investments, and how to make investment decisions that won't require you to spend a lot of your own time managing them and won't require you to become a finance expert beforehand.
From the current state of the economy, it is clear that a lot of people do not have a basic understanding of how to manage their money. If they really want to become rich, then they should buy the book and actually do something about it, starting today.
Currently available from Amazon in paperback
One basic theme of the book
For example, consider the reaction of most people --- if they see a car wreck, their response is likely to be "call 911". Or if the power goes out they will likely say "call the power company". Or if they hear someone breaking into their home, they could say "call the police".
But how do you handle an emergency if there is no one else to cry to for help? What if the responsibility for the response falls onto your shoulders?
For example, after Hurricane Katrina, where local, state, and federal agencies where simply not up to the task of dealing with the disaster, "call 911" was not enough.
Or consider man-made disasters --- just this morning the news headlines read that North Korea fired a long-range missile, against international condemnation. What will you do if a war breaks out?
What will you do in a riot, natural disaster, attack by religious extremists, economic collapse, or other event where you must act in order to save your family and yourself?
Author Neil Strauss considers these questions in an entertaining description of how he transformed himself from a typical "city slicker" into someone who knows how to respond to each of the above scenarios. He describes how he learned to protect his assets, how to "disappear" in a crowd, how to defend himself, how to find water if stranded at sea, how to travel unhindered through police/emergency barriers, how to remain "invisible" as an American when traveling abroad, and even how to turn a credit card into a knife.
This book is not a how-to manual for all of the above, but by considering the experiences and questions raised by the author, it may lead you to consider increasing your skills and knowledge so that you can save yourself rather than depend on someone else to come to your rescue, especially in the event that no one else can or will.
From the book:
When the shit hits the fan, you're going to want to find me. And you'll want to be doing whatever I'm doing. Because I've learned from the best.
You can call me crazy if you want.
Or you can listen to the story of the eight years it took to open my eyes, realize my country can't protect me, and do something about it.
It just may save your life.
What will you do in an emergency?
Available from Amazon:
While trees are wonderful around any home, and provide many quality-of-life and ecosystem benefits, they do require a little care and attention from time to time. If you only have one or two trees, then you might be able to get by with a hand saw or pruning lopper shears. However, even these can be difficult to use in awkward situations (like when at the top of a ladder) or amid a dense collection of branches. And forget those manual tools if you have a lot of trees to maintain. But I've found the Makita 4-1/2-Inch 12-Volt Cordless Electric Chain Saw
This saw works very well around the homestead for general sawing/pruning applications. It is light enough that you do not get tired quickly holding it, and it is small enough that you can use it in hard to reach spaces. And it is battery-powered, so you no longer have to deal with those chainsaws that leak oil all over the place.
The saw comes in a convenient carrying case with a battery charger and small bottle of chain oil.
These days, we seem to be traveling a lot more and are carrying lots of mobile devices with us when we do --- laptops, Kindles, iPods, etc. Each one of these devices carries precious memories, important information, and/or data that is simply impossible or difficult to replace.
We can find useful packs in which to safely carry all this equipment with us, but the fact remains that we are carrying a lot of data that is very susceptible to damage or loss. This calls for a prudent backup strategy, but making timely backups might not be convenient if you travel a lot.
Enter the Iomega eGo 320GB Hard Drive
This drive is quiet too. Even better, this unit is powered by the data transfer cable, so you don't need to carry around an additional external AC/DC power source. Finally, due to massive increases in drive memory capacities and drops in prices, units like this (available in a variety of colors --- jet black, ruby red, and alpine white) make for very reasonable data storage and backup solutions. In fact, there aren't many valid excuses for why you *don't* get something like this and backup your data. Just do it.
That said, if you want a data storage option that is even more portable, say for quick data transfer and backup, you might consider the Kingston DataTraveler 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
Thinking of a career change in a down economy? Ever wondered how business leaders are trained? Want to gain insight into the world of movers and shakers?
If so, you might enjoy reading Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School
Against type, the book depicts a former London journalist's decision to reinvent himself by trying for a Harvard MBA. While many of his classmates are attending the program "on vacation" from their Wall Street jobs, Broughton struggles to keep up with computations using Excel and a demanding class and homework schedule. The story is essentially about Broughton's quest for meaning, his place in the world, and what exactly are the characteristics of the "perfect job". As he goes through the program, he tries to balance all the knowledge and networking relationships he gains with the realization that the resulting careers of those who graduate, though very lucrative, might not be exactly what he is looking for due to the family and personal sacrifices such jobs demand.
The book also gives a rare glimpse inside the very successful Harvard MBA program, as well as some of the students in the program. If you are thinking of testing your mettle and going for an MBA, then you might want to read his story.
Amazon just released a kindle reader application (Kindle for iPhone link in iTunes) for the iPhone and iPod touch.
If you were hesitant to buy a kindle 2 book reader (review), but still wanted access to Amazon's huge selection of electronic books, then this free application might be just what you were looking for.
As an example, here is the title page of the book Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School
With this application you can download books you have already purchased from Amazon for free, read the first chapter of any book before you buy it, and add bookmarks and annotations to your text.
One really neat feature is that your reading location in a book is automatically synchronized between your iPhone and your kindle book reader. Say you stopped reading on page 59 of your book on the kindle, then left your kindle at home to go run some errands. If you have a moment to read whilst out and about, you can pull out your iPhone and your reading location in your book will automatically be in the right spot.
And, of course, to turn the page of a book on your iPhone, you just swipe your finger across the screen, like turning a page on a physical book.
Here's how the screen looks when the application is showing you options for saving a bookmark, changing font size, synchronizing, etc, while reading:
Note that normally when reading these option buttons are not there, so that the entire screen's real estate can be used for book text.
And did I mention that the Kindle for iPhone application was free?
UPDATE [25 November 2009]: The Kindle 2 now has support for viewing PDF documents with the 2.3 software update! This update also allows for screen rotation, so you can read your books in portrait mode or landscape mode.
UPDATE: I've posted my review of the Kindle DX ebook reader, here. You might say it's the new Kendall book reader, since my wife swiped my Kindle 2 (review below of the Kindle 2).
So I just received the new Kindle 2
The design and build quality of the new kindle book reader (now called the kendall book reader by my wife) is much improved over the original kindle. The next-page buttons are better-placed, the case is sturdier, it holds a lot more books (about 1500), and the 5-way direction stick allows for easier navigation and selection.
Buying any of the over 240,000 available books (with more being added daily) is very easy, as is subscribing to magazines, newspapers, and blogs. Reading text with the e-ink display and turn-page buttons makes the device "disappear" --- you aren't constantly reminded that you are using an electronic device to read a book, as perhaps with other book readers or devices (like your cell phone ?!).
Battery life is great, since the e-ink displays do not drain the battery to refresh the screen --- only on the turn of the page (which may confuse some flight attendants).
The cellular, free connectivity is very handy, especially since I am often on travel and without an Internet connection --- you can download new books, surf, and access your content even if you are not near a wifi network using Amazon's Whispernet service. Again, for free. This means you can access Amazon and even the WWW via the built-in web browser without having to be tethered to your computer or be near a wifi access point. (Note that some websites are creating mobile versions --- webpages that look good when rendered on a small mobile device screen.)
In addition to reading commercial content, you can view your own documents or documents sent to you from other people. Amazon charges a small fee to convert these documents for wireless download to your kindle (which some people gripe about), but I figured out that this conversion service is actually free if you send the converted pdf/document first to your computer, then to your kindle, rather than directly to your kindle over the cellular network from Amazon.
The kindle also plays audio books from Audible.com (review) as well as mp3 files --- you can even have your favorite song playing in the background while you read your book.
The graphics are much improved over the original kindle, as can be seen in the images on this page.
In case you want to travel with your kindle --- which is one of the main benefits of the kindle, since you can carry a truck load of books with you in the palm of your hand --- you may want to purchase a travel case in which to carry your kindle, such as the Belkin Neoprene Sleeve Case
I should point out that this device is not an iPhone --- you can't interact with the device by touching the screen, for example, and other user-interface decisions are different from the iPhone experience. But this device provides a reading environment better than any other electronic device. In addition, it provides other advanced features (such as text-to-speech, and taking notes within the book) that are way-beyond the capabilities of other devices.
In all, the Kindle 2
When I got lost one day in my labyrinth of stacked journal articles, receipts, photographs, and other paper detritus, I knew I needed help.
While Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek
With a footprint smaller than an 8.5x11" sheet of paper, the ScanSnap is really cutting through my stacks of documents. It handles multiple pages and makes fast, two-sided, color pdfs of the documents with just one button push. It also easily scans in photographs, business cards, envelopes, etc. The software gives you a choice of saving the pdf to a folder, emailing it, printing it, importing into iPhoto, part of iLife '09
"One touch" pdf creation, indeed.
UPDATE [November 25, 2009]: There have been a lot of improvements to the Kindle 2
The Kindle 2
A little more than a year after the Kindle made its debut, Amazon announced a new, updated version of its popular e-book reader Monday with a big endorsement from Stephen King.
Kindle 2 is more than just a prettier version of its Kindle 1. Though the 10-oz. machine is only one-third of an inch thick--that's 25% thinner than an iPhone--it stores up to 1,500 books vs. 200 in the original. And it offers sharper on-screen images, with 16 shades of gray to offer graphic nuances. Amazon added these based on e-mails from Kindle customers, says Laura Porco, director of Kindle Books. "We're always listening to customers," she says. "We took their feedback to design some things: They said, We want Kindles to hold more books, and we want crisper images."
The Kindle 2 now powers up from USB--a boon for all of us who hated carrying an extra charger with the original device. The mini-USB port at the bottom works not only for power but also for allowing the Kindle 2 to act as a USB mass-storage device, in the event you want to drag and drop files to the handheld.
So, yes, there are many reasons to dislike the Amazon Kindle 2, but as I see it, the benefits still far outweigh the disadvantages. Trust me, you're going to want a Kindle 2.
WhisperNet and Amazon's great range of book titles (over 230,000 titles including 7,000+ free public domain classics etc.) are still the 31 feature and make the Kindle 2.0 the best eReader available.
It is interesting to hear about Google's mobile book service, just days before Amazon's rumored announcement of a new Kindle:
Today we are excited to announce the launch of a mobile version of Google Book Search, opening up over 1.5 million mobile public domain books in the US (and over half a million outside the US) for you to browse while buying your postage. While these books were already available on Google Book Search, these new mobile editions are optimized to be read on a small screen.
The OCR'd text looks pretty good on my iPod touch.
If you like wine, want to learn good ways to tell the differences between all those grape varieties, or maybe even want to know which wines to pair with which foods, then you might want to check out The Wine Guy : Everything You Want to Know about Buying and Enjoying Wine from Someone Who Sells It
Andy, a former television executive, turned his love of wine into a very successful Manhattan wine store called West Side Wine. In The Wine Guy, he condenses his passion, knowledge, and love of wines into a very readable and useful book. You will learn not only about the different grapes, the different wine regions, and how to taste the wines, but you will also gain the confidence and knowledge you need to buy the wines you like, pair wines with foods, and try new wines you might enjoy. In a sense, this book trains you to be your own Wine Guy.
In addition, the book contains handy charts and tables so that you can learn to decipher wine bottle labels, pick wines according to desired flavors, decide which lesser-known wines to try based on your current preferences, pick which wines to try based on which grape, and determine which are the primary grapes of the different geographic wine regions. Amusing stories and insightful tips---from how to buy wine in restaurants to how to calculate the number of bottles of wine you will need for a party---add to the useful tables and wine knowledge, resulting in a very enjoyable book.
Cheers!
The coming holiday season, especially Yule, is a very appropriate time to enjoy The Children of Hurin
Tolkien had started the story before 1920 and made several revisions after, but did not finish it before his death in 1973. His son Christopher edited the manuscripts and was able to complete the tale.
The time of the story is from the First Age of Middle-Earth---before that of Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, The Hobbit
This is a much darker tale than Lord of the Rings, and traits and concepts that seem forgotten in today's time, such as honor, luck, valor, loyalty, courage, and duty, play great roles in the story. Even the style of writing harkens back to a time long forgotten, yet is somehow familiar and elemental and right. Thus it is perhaps not a light reading, but one that is nevertheless very satisfying.
There is much wisdom contained in the sayings and writings of our ancestors. Unfortunately, especially as evidenced by today's many crises, this wisdom has been forgotten.
If you care to learn some of this ancient wisdom, then you might want to see the new application I wrote for the iPhone and iPod touch called Wise Words.
Now the ancient wisdom of the Havamal, from the Poetic Edda, can always be at your fingertips, for quick inspiration and guidance, or for long-term study, meditation, and growth. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems written in the 13th century from oral traditions, and the Havamal gives practical advice about life, love, and living.
Available now on the iPhone App Store.
One of the best accessories I've bought in a long time is the $20 Nike + iPod Sensor.
It is a lozenge-shaped device that you can put inside special Nike shoes, or, really, attach to any running shoe (see my review of various running shoes and running styles here).
What is really neat is that the new iPod Touch and iPhones have built-in support for this device (see my review of the new iPod Touch).
Just turn on your iPod Touch or iPhone, select a workout music playlist, select the workout type (timed, open-ended, calorie target, mileage target, etc.), and off to the races you go. A pleasing voice will call out workout milestones, and will encouragingly motivate you when you are nearing workout goals. You can even denote a special "power song" to play during your final push for the goal line.
Once you've completed your workout, you can view a summary of your workout (distance traveled, time, pace, calories burned). Moreover, you can have these statistics uploaded to a free Nike Plus web account where you are effectively included into the world's largest running club.
There, you can view your workout history (as you can on your iPod Touch or iPhone), along with graphs of your workout pace. You can also challenge other members to virtual races, participate in virtual group runs, and otherwise chart your fitness growth and history.
Not bad, in my book, for a $20 device.
As a bonus, my understanding is that many gyms are installing Nike + iPod compatible workout devices so that you can log your workouts for more than just runs using the Nike + iPod sensor.
Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories
Interestingly, the film Quantum of Solace is not based on the short story of the same name. Nevertheless, these short stories offer glimpses into James Bond and the sorts of adventures he undertakes not available from the longer novels. In fact, one of the most compelling stories in the collection, Quantum of Solace, is just a conversation between James Bond and the Governor of the Bahamas---this story alone is worth the purchase price of the collection.
The entire list of short stories is:
"From a View to a Kill" "For Your Eyes Only" "Quantum of Solace" "Risico" "The Hildebrand Rarity" "Octopussy" "The Property of a Lady" "The Living Daylights" "007 in New York"
Cheers.
Live and Let Die
Here, James must uncover a gold-smuggling ring, sponsored by the Communist SMERSH government agency. The leader of the smuggling ring is Mr. Big, who wields control of his crime network, stretching from Harlem to Jamaica, through fear from the practice of Voodoo.
Bond must travel to Harlem in his investigations, and there has an unfortunate encounter with Mr. Big. Bond also meets the Voodoo fortune teller Solitaire, who catches Bond's eye with her beauty. But a reversal of fortunes for Bond and Solitaire has them cross paths again in a race across the country, ending with underwater operations, and excitement, in Jamaica.
We also meet with CIA operative Felix Leiter again, and we learn how and why Leiter appears with a hook for an arm in later Bond stories.
As with other Bond stories, this one has a tight and fast-paced plot, lots of action, and Ian Fleming's eye for detail and succinct description.
The movie version, with Roger Moore
So I've long had "learn to play the guitar" on my list of goals. However, despite several attempts at learning such, life, travel, work, and other higher-priority items have jumped ahead in the queue. I know a couple of chords, and can probably pick my way through some simple tablature, but I can in no way say I know how to play the guitar.
Of course, the ideal way to learn is probably to find a professional instructor and take classes on a regular basis. Alas, the major difficulties of frequent, weekly travel and intense work schedules remain a constant in my life, so the luxury of finding an instructor is out.
And I've tried learning from a book before---that doesn't work, for me, either (or maybe I just haven't found the right book). However, perhaps the perfect storm of software, high-tech, and computer-controlled LED goodness offered by Fretlight is the missing key.
There are a couple of things different about the Fretlight system. First, there's the FG-421 guitar:
While their first models from years ago evidently had some quality issues, their current 400 series are solid and seem very well made. In fact, I bought mine from Ebay and it is just like new.
It looks like a regular electric guitar (they have acoustic models as well). However, here's the same guitar, with the lights dimmed:
As hinted by its name, the fretlight guitar has LEDs embedded in its polymer fretboard, and the lights can be controlled to indicate chord and note finger placements.
But if that were all the Fretlight guitar promised, then this would be not much better than a digital version of the old analog system for learning guitar promoted by Roy Clark, where stickers placed on the fretboard indicated where you put your fingers.
Perhaps it is the second differentiator in the Fretlight guitar that is most significant---the guitar jacks into the computer (in addition to the normal amplifier connection in typical electric guitars), allowing for software control of the LED lights. Interactive software lights the LEDs, steps you through complicated finger patterns on lead and rhythm guitar selections, and converts tablature songs into tempo-controlled patterns so you can learn any song you like. Loops, chord progressions, lessons on music theory, lessons on different music styles, video lessons, comprehensive chord charts, improvisation lessons, song editing, and even a GarageBand plug-in round out their offerings. Downloading new lesson packs and songs is painless, and their website interface seems well done. And, they support Macs!
So we'll see if this method works, or if this is just a Guitar Hero
Auric Goldfinger is one of the more memorable villains to cross paths and wits with James Bond. Ian Fleming, in Goldfinger
But there are many more memorable scenes and characters in this James Bond novel, such as the high-stakes card game, the lethal character named Oddjob, tracking Goldfinger on a drive through scenic Europe, and watching James try his hand at being Goldfinger's secretary.
The DVD version of Goldfinger
But while this story was very entertaining, there were a couple of plot twists in the book that were a little hard to believe (like when James was about to be sawed in half). But what is a James Bond story without a little suspension of belief?
So, from that perspective, the story really is golden.
As noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 27, Thomas Jefferson writes, after touring through the vineyards of France:
There are four crops of them more famous than all the rest. These are Chateau-Margau, Tour de Segur, Haut-brion, and de la Fite. They cost 3 livres bottle, old: But are so engaged before hand that it is impossible to get them.
Jefferson brought back his knowledge and love of wine to America to try to "elevate the tastes" of America by instilling in them a love of fine wine.
Some of these efforts can be seen by visiting Jefferson's main estate, Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia:
Larger but very similar to his summer retreat, Poplar Forest, Monticello is where, among other pursuits, Jefferson cultivated and promoted his love of wine---trying to establish the Virginia region as a center of wine-making in the Americas.
Here is a portion of the vineyard at Monticello:
Though the Europeans have had many hundreds if not thousands of years to develop hardy and tasty grape varieties suitable for wine-making, Jefferson had to start mostly from scratch in Virginia. But while initial efforts were frustrated by a harsh climate and ruthless insects, today Virginia boasts some 108 wineries, producing great wines.
If you are in the Virginia area, you may be interested in taking a wine tour through Monticello. The "Jefferson and Wine Tour" gives information on Jefferson and his wine-making efforts, even allowing for some unique access to Monticello not available on the standard Monticello tour package. The tour ends with a wine-tasting, hosted by Barboursville Vineyards---an award-winning Virginia winery located on the grounds of the former estate house designed by Jefferson for Governor James Barbour.
Cheers.
I am sure you recognize the interface by now:
Yes, it's Apple's new iPod Touch 2.0, dubbed "the funnest iPod ever" by Steve Jobs.
It has a new outer design - sleeker than the first generation iPod Touch, now with a shiny stainless steel design. There are also volume control buttons on the side - convenient when you want to quickly change the volume of a song without having to activate the interface. It also has a built-in speaker - convenient for when you want to set a wake-up alarm, but not too useful when you want to listen to music or watch a movie in a crowded subway - you'll still want your earphones in that case.
It also has built-in Nike+ sensor software - you just need to add the shoe sensor and you can save your running workouts directly to your iPod Touch. Also, there is longer battery life - up to 36 hours of audio or 6 hours of video, plus the built-in accelerometer, which adds new dimensions to user interface possibilities.
Speaking of which, perhaps the best feature of the new iPod is the AppStore. Apple opened up their development environment to allow anyone to create games, utilities, reference applications, entertainment packages, and other finance, sports, social networking, productivity, weather, travel, photography, news, navigation, music, lifestyle, healthcare and fitness, education, business, and book applications, and offer them for free and for sale through their App Store. Downloading and installing new software packages is trivial, and the number of useful software packages will only increase going forward.
And there's even a built-in stock tracker, in case you would like to keep track of how poorly your stocks are doing.
The built-in Safari browser renders web pages in a very readable format, and the ability to zoom in at-will with the Touch's unique interface makes reading and surfing very enjoyable on such a small device.
But one of the main reasons I got one was because I travel a lot, and like to listen to audio books while on the road. Especially if you have an audible.com account, the iPod is perfect for this.
As for where to buy them, I tried hard to buy it from an Apple retail store. I called prior to going there to see if they had them in stock - they didn't, and didn't know when they would get them in stock. Might be soon, they said.
After waiting a week, I called again and they said they *did* have them in stock. But by the time I drove all the way out to the store, they didn't have any more in the 32 GB version.
So rather than deal with the hassle, I finally decided to order it online. If you order from the Apple store, then you can get free engraving, as well as free shipping. Interestingly, with the default shipping option, my iPod travelled from the engraving factory in Kunshan, China, to my doorstep in Virginia in three days, stopping briefly in Shanghai, China, Anchorage, Alaska, Indianapolis, Indiana, and a few more little towns on the way to my doorstep.
iPod Touch
Prices as of 23 September 2008:
Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation)
Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation)
Apple iPod touch 32 GB (2nd Generation)
Some say that Thunderball, by Ian Fleming
Here, we are introduced to SPECTRE via their plot to steal two nuclear warheads and explode them at key locations in a ransom plot for money. James gets involved, accidentally, when a chance encounter with someone involved in the SPECTRE plot sets off a series of unfortunate incidents, resulting in James being sent to the Bahamas as a scout for the missing nuclear warheads. James teams up with CIA agent friend Felix Leiter, falls in love with the beautiful Domino, and winds up in the clutches of Blofeld's number one agent, Emilio Largo. That Domino seems to be Emilio's lover only adds to the spice, and trouble for Bond.
But while the movie version is pure action-oriented James Bond thriller that we know and love, the book version actually adds more subtle and introspective layers to the James Bond character that I would have never known from only watching Sean Connery. So while the movie is nice, I find the book much more authentic and, frankly, gripping.
At the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond loses the love of his life. Falling into a downward spiral of depression and loneliness, James loses his fire, his will to live, and perhaps, his job.
On one last assignment to see if he has anything left, in You Only Live Twice
This book finds an end to the Blofeld trilogy, and is actually a very satisfying conclusion. It resolves many of the inner demons inside James, and rekindles the fire that makes our favorite 00-agent tick. We also get to see a bit of the inside of Japanese culture, experienced through the eyes of a British agent.
The plot of the movie version deviates somewhat from the real storyline, but Sean Connery nevertheless provides a commendable rendition of the James we know and love on the silver screen.
Note that reading this book completes part of one task of my 101 Goals in 1001 Days project.
Of the Bond books I've read so far, I would have to say that On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming, is one of his best.
This book encompasses a lot for changes for Bond. Picking up Bond's life after Thunderball, Bond is about ready to quit his job as a 00 after becoming discouraged tracking down Ernst Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE, and is just ready to hand in his resignation letter. But a series of events involving money and a woman at a casino soon leads Bond into the depths of the French mafia. From there, he receives a tip on the whereabouts of Blofeld, and Bond goes undercover to investigate Blofeld's operation. But before he leaves, he finds that he has fallen in love with the woman from the casino, Tracy---true love, perhaps for the first time in his life.
While on the mountain, Bond uncovers a dire plot involving biowarfare and the action really picks up from there. However, the most emotional moments occur when Bond gets back together with Tracy, and his life is changed forever.
This story is good not only because of the Bond action we have come to expect, but also because we get to see a personal and emotional side of him not often shown.
I have not seen the movie version of the book yet - my understanding is that it stars George Lazenby as Bond, instead of Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, or Pierce Brosnan.
Note that reading this book completes part of one task of my 101 Goals in 1001 Days project.
Doctor No
After recovering from the poisoning at the end of the previous novel, James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a section chief on the island. Once there, Bond starts to uncover clues around many secret and strange activities of a certain Dr. No on Crab Key Island. Investigating further, Bond finds himself in the middle of a large, diabolical plot by Dr. No to gain power and wealth.
He is soon captured, and Bond must struggle to stay alive while trying to save the life of an innocent girl also caught by Dr. No, the beautiful Honey Ryder. Mr. Fleming shows his creative talents in devising various punishments and traps for Bond, and Dr. No becomes a legendary Bond Villain. A thrilling and unforgettable story.
The film version of Dr. No
Note that reading this book completes part of one task of my 101 Goals in 1001 Days project.
It was from a different time, a somehow more refined time that bred James Bond. It was a time before fancy gadgets, suicide bombers, and the Internet. It was a time of heroes, when the clack of the train as it runs along the rails promised a certain romance, and when the trace of a hidden door in a wall panel brought danger. A double-edged throwing knife, bullets smuggled through airport security, vodka martinis.
Such is the world in the James Bond thriller From Russia with Love
In the book, James travels to Istanbul to retrieve a cypher machine, but gets entangled and distracted by the captivating Tatiana Romanova. Along the way Bond meets a few friends, but many enemies, including Russia's SMERSH organization, and the story comes to a climax during a perilous trip on the Orient Express. There is a surprise ending, and we can't help but wonder if Bond makes it out alive.
Note that reading this book completes part of one task of my 101 Goals in 1001 Days project.
If one were to pause for a moment and consider what "good government" would be like, we might think of one that would serve the people, upholding the Constitution, working to help the citizens in time of need, offering services to enrich the quality of life, promoting science, innovation, and education, defending the country in time of crisis, and serving as a shining example to other nations.
Now, if you were to reflect on the government you've seen in action recently, then your two visions might not exactly match.
In his book Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters
Beginning with the failures before and after 9/11, he also analyses intelligence efforts, homeland security, energy policies, and, in my opinion most importantly, cyberspace and cybersecurity.
We need more professionals like Richard Clarke in government, to lead, guide, and provide wisdom to our elected officials. As the individuals with the experience, dedication, and ability are run out of government by an increasingly polarized and politicized administration, one wonders who will sound the voice of reason, rationality, and intelligence going forward.
Note that reading this book completes one task of my 101 Goals in 1001 Days project.
I Am Legend
The book focuses on Robert Neville as he tries to stay alive and sane in a world ruled by vampires. He researches the plague and tries to find a cure, and his strength and reason are put to the test in a life where his days are spent preparing for the vampire onslaughts at night, and his nights are spent struggling to live to just another day. Trying to stay alive while all alone, especially after one's family and friends are killed and the only purpose in living any longer is to avoid being ripped to shreds by vampires, can test anyone's sanity, and Robert has his share of mental, as well as physical, struggles.
I haven't yet seen Hollywood's remake of the book, the I Am Legend
Note that completing this book meets one of my 101 goals in 1001 days project goals.
If you think that you make rational, reasoned decisions, or that you are the master of your domain, etc., then you might consider reading Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
This book provides a very interesting glimpse into just how humans make decisions in real life---it turns out that in a variety of situations, humans are not the masters of rationality that we assume them to be.
Economics is very good at making lots of models to predict supply and demand, though a core assumption is that humans will always make rational decisions. One look at the current economy gives weight to the statement that economists have a very hard time with getting their complex models to reflect, in any reasonable way, reality. Dan's take on economics is that humans, more often than not, make irrational decisions, leading to a new field called Behavioral Economics. Through a series of very interesting experiments, Dan shows that his suppositions are correct---humans make irrational decisions a lot, and the results of his experiments give insight into why and how people respond as they do to life situations.
Example experiments include testing human decision making when we have lots of options, how our decision making is distorted when we are sexually aroused, why we are dishonest, and how we are influenced by the placebo effect and the power of suggestion.
I found this book very entertaining---now I know why a 50-cent Aspirin works and a 1-cent Aspirin doesn't---and I do think Dan has done a great service in highlighting and investigating how humans really make decisions, as opposed to how traditional economists assume we make decisions.
Finally, reading this book finishes one of my 101 goals in 1001 days.
Just yesterday I paid $4.09/gallon for 87 octane gas in Baltimore. Many people, lured into buying bloated, inefficient cars, trucks, and SUVs made and marketed by Detroit, are now feeling similar pains in the wallet. An ABC news story suggests that gas may soon cost $7/gallon.
But it is not just the high price of gas that is causing concern. All across the U.S., hundreds of thousands of people are losing their homes to foreclosure or are unable to sell their homes, and the crown jewels of the U.S. are being bought up by unsavory foreign governments taking advantage of the weak dollar.
Everyone wants to just throw their hands into the air, but if you have wondered why these events are happening, then you might consider reading The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash
This book won't help you get out of debt, sell your house, or improve the degrading quality of the education system. But what it will do is put the current economic crisis into context, give insight into how economic and personal spending practices contributed to the problem, and help us understand what can be done to improve our national situation. It will also help you realize why and how the much heralded Alan Greenspan and his Chicago economics theories may have actually led to our current economic downward spiral, as did the lack of critical thinking skills by the millions of Americans who tried to buy houses when they could not afford to, assisted by greedy banks, other lenders, and Wall Street. It will also show how the follies of the current Presidential administration led to the decline of American economic standing in the world, with potentially dire implications for us all going forward.
There are no quick fixes for the current situation we voted and spent ourselves into, but this book at least paints a plausible explanation for why we are here. Where we go from here depends in large part on the resilience and fortitude of the American peoples, and this book at least helps show a reality clearly the result of causes and effects rather than from forces outside our control.
Human's have it pretty good. Unlike, say, the koala, which only has to consider which eucalyptus tree to climb in order to have yet another meal of eucalyptus leaves, humans are omnivores, able to make a meal from a variety of plants, animals, and fungi. This has, in part, allowed humans to live in all parts of the world - from the humid tropics of the jungle, to the dry, sandy deserts of the middle east, to the cold, unforgiving quiet of the frozen tundra.
But this ease of making a meal, no matter what the environment, has turned what was once a survival advantage for our species, when humans first struggled to spread across the globe tens of thousands of years ago, into a bit of a disadvantage in an industrialized world over-populated with people and, ironically, with too much of the wrong kind of food. Overpopulation and the need to feed so many mouths has led to the industrialization of food production, transforming small family farms into large monocultures of genetically-modified cornfields and acre-sized metal sheds of captive, steroid and antibiotic-injected cows. We might have once thought this scaling up of food production to be a good thing, but is it?
But why stop asking questions there? Just where does that McDonald's meal come from, really? Why does the U.S. grow so much corn? Why do the factory farms plant thousands of acres of corn, and only corn? And with so much corn, why does the government subsidize the factory farms to grow more of it? Is "corn-fed beef" a delicacy, or a perorative? How is Whole Foods, at the same time, different from and just like the modern factory farm? Why might Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm, in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, represent the best farm in the U.S.?
Why indeed. And you might be surprised at the answers to each of the above questions.
So if you have ever wondered about the food you unpackage from its plastic shrink wrap and plop into the microwave, if you have ever considered the moral hazard of eating meat - or corn, and if you have ever wanted to gather wild mushrooms, then you might want to read The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
With an admirable investigative tenacity and a gift for telling a good story, Michael details how our food is grown, produced, cooked, and eaten by examining the life story behind four meals - one bought from a fast food chain, one made from items bought in an organic store, one made from foods grown and raised on a sustainable farm, and one made from foods foraged from the wild. In reading about Michael's adventures, you will discover what it takes to get the food on your table to your table, and you will likely never think about corn the same again.
Modern humans have lost the connection to the land and the food it provides. Overweight, overpopulated, and increasingly unhealthy, Michael's look into what we eat and how it was made is perhaps the just desserts.
If you are interested in quality, intelligent entertainment, then you might want to check out the series Numb3rs
The series depicts an FBI agent who is helped by his mathematics whiz brother in solving crimes - kind of like CSI with equations rather than microscopes. But don't let the equations scare you off - the conflict caused by the two different methods of problem solving, characterized by the FBI agent brother and the mathematics brother, along with the various crimes and bad guys, actually provides for exciting drama.
As an example, in the pilot episode a serial rapist/killer is loose in Los Angeles. The FBI agent has a map of the city showing the locations of the crimes, but is otherwise stumped on how to track the killer and predict where the killer will strike next. The mathematician studies the pattern of the crime locations and, rather than try to predict the location of the next crime, he estimates the location of where the killer lives. The analogy is that of a garden water sprinkler - it is difficult to predict where the next water droplet will land, but if you study the pattern of the drops of water, you can estimate where the water sprinkler must be located.
Note that the math used in the episodes is real, and if you are interested in finding more about the different techniques used in the various episodes, then you might want to take a look at the book The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS: Solving Crime with Mathematics
I've "known" Michael Yon for years now. And I put "known" in quotes because, though I've not yet had the privilege of meeting him in person, I've talked to him by phone and we've traded emails over the years---mostly him sending me pictures and details of his latest adventures. (It's a bit one-sided, because, whereas he's been off to foreign countries, getting shot at, have dinner with cannibals, etc., I've just been driving around the Washington D.C. beltway from Richmond to Baltimore for the past five years.)
For the last several years he has been embedded with the U.S. and international troops in Iraq, detailing the tremendous changes occurring in that country, considering not only the perspective of our and allied troops trying to restore order, but also the perspective of the everyday Iraqis, whose country and lives were tossed into the air like so many pick-up sticks.
While some of you may be familiar with Michael's first book, Danger Close
Special signed editions of his book are available here.
You can read the first chapter of the book here.
Get it while you can---Michael is heading back to Iraq, already having logged more time in combat situations than any other reporter. I think he has a unique perspective on the situations on the ground there, and I believe his voice is an important one.
When I started my new job, I found myself getting into a routine - on my way in to the office I would stop by one of those coffee shops on the corner to grab a large cup of wake-up. This would last me until early afternoon, whereupon I would go again to get more coffee to see me through the rest of the day. Now, these coffee shops tend to serve good coffee, but you pay for the ambience, and after a while my routine started to lighten my wallet a bit too much.
In a search for alternatives, I tried carrying coffee with me from home, but the container was not large enough to see me through the entire day. So I decided to buy a small coffee maker, but, from past experience, I knew that most did not heat the water enough to make a good cup of coffee, and the burner on the bottom tended to scorch the coffee left sitting in the pot.
The Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for hours - at the end of the day my coffee is still hot enough, for me. It is also just the right size - when I finish drinking a carafe's worth of coffee, I know it must be time to go home. I also like the stainless-steel cafe and coffee maker styling.
There are many more expensive coffee makers out there, but for the price, I have been very happy with the quality of the unit and the quality of the coffee it makes. Also, my productivity is up, and my wallet is happier too.
Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
$89.00
Available from Amazon
Technorati Tags: review
For some time now I have been on frequent travel. You know what this means - quick meals from the drive-through window, not enough "good for you" foods and drinks, exposure to lots of other people on the run and sometimes sick with a cold or flu, lack of a good night's sleep, and a difficulty in getting enough exercise. While pushups are great, and can be done anywhere, I also wanted a little something more than a pushup or situp.
I thought about bringing around some kettlebells, but those aren't very portable, and I didn't want them flying around the car in case there was an accident. But after looking around for a bit, I took a chance on an inexpensive and portable chin-up / pull-up bar, called the Creative Fitness Door Gym
After a quick assembly, I was actually quite impressed. It rests on the frame of a door - no nails or screws or glue needed - it takes about one second to remove it from the door, leaving no marks. Yet it is very sturdy and allows for as many chin-ups as you could ever possibly want to do. With it you can do pull-ups using multiple grips - with your palms facing away from you, palms facing towards you, and palms facing each other. Moreover, the bar also can be placed on the floor, allowing you to do deep pushups. When I am done and have to hit the road, I throw it in the back of the car.
Note that the image on Amazon does not do the product justice - here it is on a door frame:
Though audible.com has been in business as a public company since 1999 (they incorporated in 1995), I have only recently discovered the pleasure of their acquaintance.
They provide audio versions of books, newspapers, educational materials, radio shows, etc. for a reasonable fee.
Actually, I think their fees are more than reasonable, because they are cheaper than buying audio copies of books in the bookstore, and they also allow you to copy these purchases to your iPod or other digital audio device as well as make CD copies of your purchases if you want to listen to the CDs in your car or to serve as a backup of your purchase.
You can buy digital versions of books, newspapers, or magazines straight away, or you can sign up for a membership plan, with varying price points. They include content for more than 40,000 titles, and the basic membership plan provides for $14.95/book pricing for most books. Some books do cost more than this, but in general, for the $14.95/month membership plan you get 1 credit per month, and most books cost 1 credit. Subscribers also have the option to purchase books without credits for a 30% discount.
When I subscribed, I got a free membership to the Wall Street Journal, and listened to this recording during a morning jog. Audible.com also provides some content for free, such as political speeches, government hearings, and the 9/11 Report Speech.
The current version of iTunes plays their .aa format files directly, and downloading purchased books is effortless and easy.
The first book I downloaded is the popular Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
So far I am very happy with this service.
is out now! Here's my review of the new kindle book reader.
THE COMMENTARY BELOW IS FOR THE ORIGINAL KINDLE.
Amazon has introduced an ebook reader -- the Kindle
While many people have been longing for a competent ebook reader for some time, to date no one has been able to produce an ebook reader with the right features:
Is the kindle the iPod of books?
While Amazon seems to have done OK on the display part, and the book reading interface seems to be OK, unfortunately the kindle seems to fail on the other points. The words of Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos gives you a hint of why the kindle is not the device we have all been waiting for:
This isn't a device, it's a service.
Basically, Amazon is selling you a $400 device that you use to rent digital books from Amazon and then read them on that device. You are not actually buying a digital copy of a book from Amazon. You are renting the book because Amazon encodes the book in a proprietary (DRM) format that does not work with other devices or software. Further, that crippled book can only be read as long as Amazon wants you to be able to read it. From their terms of service:
Your rights under this Agreement will automatically terminate without notice from Amazon if you fail to comply with any term of this Agreement. In case of such termination, you must cease all use of the Software and Amazon may immediately revoke your access to the Service or to Digital Content without notice to you and without refund of any fees. Amazon's failure to insist upon or enforce your strict compliance with this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of any of its rights.
And, unlike real books or digital files that are not crippled (DRM), you cannot share your rented Amazon book with anyone else:
You may not sell, rent, lease, distribute, broadcast, sublicense or otherwise assign any rights to the Digital Content or any portion of it to any third party, and you may not remove any proprietary notices or labels on the Digital Content. In addition, you may not, and you will not encourage, assist or authorize any other person to, bypass, modify, defeat or circumvent security features that protect the Digital Content.
Other deal-breakers include the fact that, while you can read Amazon-selected files with the kindle, you must pay a few dollars per month to do so - you must subscribe to read a blog that you can read for free using your computer. Also, some files can be transferred to the device via USB, but some must be emailed to the device via Amazon - Amazon "converts" the document into a kindle format (applies DRM) and charges you $.10 per document for the privilege.
If Amazon included a digital copy of each book I buy from Amazon, I think the kindle would work. But as it currently is configured, especially without support for at least .pdf files (a really big deal -- I have a lot of .pdf files on my laptop, and I would pay good money for a viable device to read them with) the kindle business model does not make sense to me. I currently do not need an expensive device that basically allows me to read rented books on it, and where I am nickle-and-dimed with monthly fees for the privilege. It seems like a step in the right direction for a useful ebook reader, but Amazon has more work to do. Maybe in version 2.0 they will do better.
Other commentary on the kindle:
dive into mark boing-boing gadgets kottke.org wired macworld
Technorati Tags: book, review, technology
Michael Yon, who has spent far more time embedded with combat troops in Iraq than any other writer or photographer, has part 1 of an article discussing his recommendations for cameras that can take excellent photographs under extreme conditions.
This dispatch is in response to requests like the ones above. This installment will focus on digital still cameras. My opinions are well-informed on the specific products I describe, but I am no camera expert. My opinions on the cameras described lack a detailed field comparison with other products. Although I conducted careful research, I have not tested dozens of models. I try to select the best gear on the market for the conditions expected. As the saying goes, sometimes the magic works.
Technorati Tags: review, technology
There is a new graphic novel out now called Gods of Asgard, by Eric Evensen. It looks to be an interpretation of the Norse mythology - you know, Odin, Thor, Tyr, Frigga, the Valkyries, ... from the author's website:
The Norse gods are the pagan deities worshipped in pre-Christian Scandinavia. Although not as well-known as the gods from Greek and Roman mythology, they were no less unique. The Norse gods were powerful, revered and respected, sometimes feared. They were mortal, and they knew through prophecy of the end of their reign. And their fame lives on today, in literature, movies, comics, opera, and the days of the week.
This looks to be a very interesting and entertaining new book, though the author is only partially correct in stating that the Norse Gods were worshipped in pre-Christian Scandinavia. The Gods were also worshipped by the Germanic peoples all across Europe - even North America, and continue to be so today - from an article in the University of South Alabama's paper The Vanguard:
Within the last 30 years, a lot of people have been trying to get back to their roots, to reconnect with what their ancestors believed and how they lived. One of the faiths that has sought to re-establish itself is Asatru.
Asatru can best be defined as the revival of the ways, beliefs and customs of the ancient Germanic tribes of northern Europe which inhabited, at differing times in history, the modern nations of England, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, West Poland, Northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. These countries are currently seeing a revival of this very ancient pre-Christian faith.
A colleague just gifted me with the book Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People
Unlike complex financial strategies based on timing the market or spending inordinate amounts of time and energy tracking various stocks and funds, Quinn's advice is motivated by the desire for simple strategies that anyone, with any schedule, can implement. Anyone has time to follow her advice and reap the rewards. Topics include buying insurance, buying a house, getting rid of debt, and how to invest money.
If you are filled with the D.C. Beltway Blues, or are tired of all the big-city grime, crime, and lack-of-time, then a trip to the Marriott Ranch might be just the escape you need.
About 45 miles outside the beltway, Marriott Ranch is a working cattle ranch in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Hume, Virginia. The ranch has about 4,200 acres, and, in addition to cattle, has a bed and breakfast called the Inn at Fairfield Farm. You can also go horseback riding, hiking, off-road jeeping, and fishing. In addition to people wanting to get back to nature, the site is also a popular destination for company retreats and weddings. Around the ranch there are vineyards and wineries, fishing, rafting, canoeing, Civil War Trails, the Shenandoah National Park, and the Skyline Drive.
We went on a guided trail ride and had a great time. We have been to other destinations for trail rides, but this one was much better---the horses were healthy and well-kept, and the trail ride was more relaxed and natural than some other rides I have been on.
My horse was not too thrilled with having his picture taken.
Saddle-up!
Here's one happy camper.
Here we are, heading out.
This is an active cattle ranch, so sometimes you see some of the other residents.
Great scenery too!
And an old timey saloon is a great place for a picnic after a hard day's ride.
They also offer other rides in addition to the basic trail ride: you can go on overnight rides, mountain rides, cattle drives, and even learn how to be a cowpoke.
Be more than just the master of your own domain:
Your friends will be amazed!
Seriously, if you are looking to turbo-charge your online experience, then you should pick up the new book Rule the Web: How to Do Anything and Everything on the Internet---Better, Faster, Easier
I went to Mark's book signing in Santa Monica tonight, held at the Barnes and Noble in the 3rd Street Promenade. There, Mark entertained a room full of people with talk about the origins of BoingBoing, the future of the music industry, the future of the publishing industry, lots of examples from his book, and insight into how the book came about.
Mark is a really nice guy and has lots of insight into how to use the Internet and Web effectively to increase your productivity and, well, happiness.
And Mark was wearing a Scott eVest shirt like I was also wearing, so not only is he smart, but he's cool too.
Technorati Tags: book, culture, review, technology
A friend has gifted me with a new book: Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America
Recently published, this book takes the reader on a tour of the last several thousand years, specifically analyzing the comparisons between the United States and Rome---as cultures and as models for nations. The arguments advanced by the author, Cullen Murphy, who was the editor of The Atlantic magazine and is now the editor of Vanity Fair, seem to be thoughtfully put together, rather than the alarmist and shallow chatter so often heard on talk radio and in Washington D.C.
So, I am definitely looking forward to reading this!
I've long been an admirer of Edward Tufte's design books, especially The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
It was with this book that he became famous as a guru of Information Design, partially for his analysis of Charles Joseph Minard's infographic of the disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia by France.
He concentrates on detailing how to make graphics that present information clearly and succinctly, while avoiding common design problems. He gives examples throughout history of good designs and bad designs, and explains why they are so. As someone who went to business school, and who sat through too many business meetings, it is clear to me that too few people are familiar with Tufte's work.
From an interview with Tufte, here is how he got started on the path of Information Design:
In the mid-1970s, while at Princeton, I gave a statistics course to a dozen journalists who were visiting the school. I thought "Well, journalists have to know about statistical graphics...", so I prepared a collection of readings, with a section on statistical graphics. The literature was thin, grimly devoted to explaining use of the ruling pen and to promulgating "graphic standards" indifferent to sensible quantitative reasoning. Soon I started writing up some ideas about my growing collection of graphics. Then John W. Tukey, the phenomenal Princeton statistician, suggested that we give a series of joint seminars. Tukey had opened up the field in the mid-1960s, as his brilliant technical contributions made it clear that the study of statistical graphics was intellectually respectable and not just about pie charts and ruling pens. This focused my mind, since I had to talk for two hours every other week to the students in front of John Tukey! The seminar proved reassuring: I had something to say. Those seminars led to my first book, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and changed my life, all to the good.
 Graphics Press |
From a Wired article about Tufte's thoughts on PowerPoint:
PowerPoint is a competent slide manager and projector. But rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for it. Such misuse ignores the most important rule of speaking: Respect your audience.
From an interview with Tufte on NPR:
Far too often, he says, the bells and whistles of PowerPoint are used as a crutch by people who don't have anything to say. "If your words aren't truthful, the finest optically letter spaced typography won't help," he says. "And if your images aren't on point, making them dance in color in three dimensions won't help."
His new book, Beautiful Evidence
The Secret History of the Sword: Adventures in Ancient Martial Arts
An amazing treasure-house of anecdotes, accountings, and historical musings on sword play across the generations and cultures. Its loose presentation style lends it to reading in frenetic bursts. I really enjoyed his commentary and analysis of fencing training and combat arts. One criticism is that he's not very strong on pre-Renaissance swordsmanship or history. But his pre-Renaissance discussion is just at the beginning of the book and that can be quickly skimmed -- the rest of the book is great.
Technorati Tags: book, culture, fitness, martial arts, review
When I found out I was going to Los Angeles for a trip, I started to despair. Not because I didn't want to go to L.A. (the stories can't all be true, right?)---rather, I wanted to be able to take a lot of pictures while I was there, and I didn't have a suitable camera.
I do have some cameras, but they were either too big and bulky, made it too difficult to get the images onto my computer, or took poor pictures. Obviously, during an extended trip, I needed something highly portable that had an easy and fast way to download the images and that took great pictures.
My problem was resolved with the Canon PowerShot SD1000
First, the camera has a convenient and functional shape that is easily portable. Basically the camera is like the shape of a small deck of cards. The lense extends when in use, but otherwise sits protected within the camera case. Some of the other cameras I saw had strange curves or awkward protrusions that would only cause trouble when on travel.
Second, loading pictures onto my computer is trivial---I just attach the cable from the camera to my laptop and with one button press all of the new images are transferred over.
Third, the camera takes great pictures. In fact, all of the pictures taken of Los Angeles in the various blog postings on this website were taken with this camera. For example, here are some pictures I took on a recent trip to the Getty Museum.
And note --- I have no photography experience, so these pictures were me just pointing and clicking. For the experienced photographer, there are many, many features in this camera to allow almost complete customization of the picture taking process. With me, for now, just pointing and clicking works well.
For some of the technical specifications, it has a 7.1 megapixel CCD that captures enough detail for photo-quality 15x20" prints. You can use the view-finder or the 2.5" LCD to compose your shots. It also has something like 17 shooting modes, face detection, high ISO settings, 8 special scene modes, red-eye correction, 3x optical zoom, and a number of other features.
After adding a 4GB SD card, I've been completely happy with this camera.
If you thought this article was interesting or useful, please help it be more visible to others by clicking on "digg it" below:
Technorati Tags: review, technology, travel
It's tough being a bag in Los Angeles. Or at least my backpack thinks so.
Every day that I have been in Los Angeles so far I have been out walking or riding my bike. Usually I have my backpack with me, to hold my laptop, some books, and other items. My backpack is one of those padded computer backpacks---in specific, the Dell C8882 Inspiron 17" Laptop Backpack
For a while the backpack worked well, as it had lots of padding, held the laptop plus lots of books, had numerous pockets to hold odds and ends, and was comfortable to wear. But under extended use, especially since I have been out in Los Angeles, the backpack has not aged well. In specific, the padding in the shoulder straps has started to slide around, all the seams started looking fuzzy, like the material was wearing out, and a seam on one of the straps actually split open. So rather than be caught off-guard by a total backpack malfunction one day, far from home, I decided to look for a replacement.
My criteria: I wanted a bag that could hold my laptop, several books, and a few extra odds and ends; was waterproof (the backpack was not); and that would be comfortable and secure while walking or riding a bike. More subjective criteria included having a smaller form factor than the backpack and being more stylish. When loaded, the Dell backpack could easily knock someone over standing next to me if I turned around suddenly, and it also had a major Forrest Gump vibe going---something that doesn't compute in style-sensitive L.A.
And my wife imposed the criteria that the bag had to be less than $100.
So I headed to a large mall on Santa Monica and stopped into the Tumi store. Their T-Tech Pulse Eldridge Computer Messenger Bag seemed really nice, except that it was not waterproof (the sales lady said it is not waterproof, but that it resists water). As nice as the bag seemed, I couldn't see spending $195 for a bag that could not keep my computer dry. Plus, it was about twice my budget.
The sales lady suggested I check out the Louis Vuitton store. They had Very Nice Things, but their $1,300 messenger bags would not fit my laptop. I am also not convinced that their bags would feel comfortable or be appropriate when riding a bike. As for being waterproof, I never got around to asking that question about these bags. I mean, I guess what I am trying to say is that someone in the market for a Louis Vuitton messenger bag would have a different set of criteria than the ones I listed above.
So, just about to give up on my quest, I happened to stop into my local bike shop and they had exactly what I was looking for.
The bag that fit all my requirements turned out to be the
Timbuk2 Commute Messenger Bag
For many years Timbuk2 has made quality messenger bags, and the Commute was designed for the professional who wants something different than the traditional boxy briefcase, and who needs a rugged and travel-friendly bag that can hold a laptop.
This bag has a ballistic nylon exterior and a molded padded back panel (shown above). The bottom is double-padded and has an extra rubberized bottom layer (not shown).
The inside has a padded compartment for the laptop (the X-Large Commute bag fits the 17" Apple Powerbook) and the bag itself is waterproof. It has a handle for convenient hand-carry and comes with a second strap to secure around the waist for when riding a bike (or running to catch a taxi).
And, though the bag retails for $120, you can likely find it for less (I did, and it met my authorized budget).
All in all, the Timbuk2 Commute is a quality bag that seems to be very durable, to be useful and stylish, and to have enough features to make the price seem more than reasonable.
Jesse Byock: Viking Age Iceland
I read this book prior to my trip to Iceland, and it really served to give me a good sense of the country, how it was settled, who settled it, and how the population grew over time. It also explained the desolation of the countryside - when you travel from the airport to Reykjavik, the land is like much like on the moon - treeless crags abound. The book explains how this came to be. In addition, the book gives a good background to the sagas and other adventures of the people of Iceland, and those who came to its shores.
NB: I saw this guy while in Iceland - how cool is that?
OK, so maybe I made a mistake.
Maybe I totally missed out on one of the best TV shows to come along in, well, forever.
I mean, who ever heard of a vampire slayer named Buffy?! After all, I was in the middle of watching The X-Files
But after watching just the first two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Of course, having one of the main characters have the same surname as I do helps, as does lots of vampire killing action, plus well-written scripts, great acting, and interesting characters. And, well, the leather pants turned out to be, how should I put this, assets to the characters who wear them. I mean, I've commented on Buffy's, and my wife has commented on Angel's, so I guess there's asset-admiring all around.
Currently we are in the middle of season 5, and tonight I hope to catch up on Buffy and the gang. You can see what you have been missing too - best to get the whole series (or at least the first seven seasons) and plan on not getting much else done for a couple of weeks.
Just don't say I didn't warn you.
"What can I tell you, baby? I've always been bad."
---Spike, "Fool For Love".
If you ever wanted to give up your 9-5 job, if you ever wanted to stop working for someone else, or if you ever wanted to live more of your life now, rather than wait until retirement, then you might consider reading Timothy Ferriss' new book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
There are are a couple of new books out or coming out that seem worth investigating.
The first is a book by Majorie Burns titled Perilous Realms: Celtic And Norse in Tolkien's Middle-Earth
There's a new book out on the "Lord of the Rings" and its accompanying volumes that says J. R. R. Tolkien's writing is much more subtle and nuanced than most people have realized. Marjorie Burns, a professor in the Department of English at Portland State University, says Tolkien blended Norse and Celtic factors in a delicate, abstruse manner that makes the works as scholarly as they are entertaining.
The second looks to be a special collected edition called the Runes of Ragnan. From an announcement on the upcoming collected edition:
This Fall, Silent Devil will unleash the Viking epic Runes of Ragnan in a collected edition containing the complete four-issue mini-series. Written by Ty Gorton, drawn in high action detail by Josh Medors (G.I. Joe, In The Blood, FUSED!), with colors by Jay Fotos (Spawn: The Dark Ages, Vampirella, The Nail), the collected edition will include a 5-page prequel, an exclusive short story with visuals by Bud Cook, contest winning artwork, and a behind the scenes feature.
From a review of the original series:
Runes of Ragnan is a comic that delivers a great story that blends elements of fantasy and actual Viking lore. Gorton’s story quickly sucks you into the comic, and keeps your interest through every page. Most important, the first issue leaves you wanting more, and not completely sure where Gorton is going with his story.
The third is a new edition of the Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rodolf Simek and Angela Hall.
A while back I noted the new Voltaic solar backpack I purchased. Well, after eight months of using and testing this pack, I have concluded that it does not work for me.
I really tried hard to like this pack. The solar panel itself is well-done, and the panel did a very good job of keeping my MP3 player and cell phone charged while I was on the go. It also promotes effective use of technology, which is always a good thing. I also appreciated the wiring of the adapters throughout the pack (down the shoulder strap, for example).
However, there are a few shortcomings that make this system not usable:
So, Voltaic had a good idea, but they implemented it on a weak/cheap backpack, that defeats the whole system.
Technorati Tags: review, technology
Perhaps you can say it's because it has something to do with Earth Day (22 April 2005), or perhaps you can say that we just like well-designed products that provide utility with style, but we thought we would try out the Voltaic Backpack.
I haven't yet had much of a chance to take it for a test-drive, but just out of the box, it seems to be made very well. The solar panels ( 10V peak voltage, 400mA peak current, and 4W peak power), which charge a 2200mAh @ 7.2V lithium ion battery pack, are well-integrated into the bag itself. Cabling is provided throughout the bag, and there is even a phone/MP3 player pouch on the right shoulder strap.
In addition to being able to charge the battery by the solar panels, there is also an AC charger as well as a car charger. And a variety of included adapters allow for charging a multitude of electronic gadgets.
Maybe this solar backpack will encourage me to get out more, or at least work on my laptop outside...
Technorati Tags: review, technology
You might also find these related links of interest:
This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Kendall Giles in the Reviews category. They are listed from oldest to newest.
Productivity is the previous category.
Security is the next category.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Subscribe to this site!