Random thoughts and observations from a guy with a lot on his mind…
If you’re looking for good luck, etc in the new year be sure to try our our Hoppin’ John recipe. Legend has it eating this on Jan 1 will bring you good luck in the new year. We’ve eaten it in the past few years & I’ll have to admit it sure didn’t hurt!
If you can find them pre-soaked (not canned) beans will speed up the process considerably!
A Nevada City woman will spend Christmas in jail in Missouri after being stopped with a bundle of gifts in her car — boxes allegedly packed full of pot.
Brooke Molina, 28, was driving a rented Ford Escape with Nevada plates near Joplin, Mo., when she was stopped early Tuesday morning by a Missouri Highway Patrol officer, allegedly for speeding. [MORE]
Ended up going out of town the day the Kindle was delivered. Did not get to check it out until last night. I hate it when UPS doesn’t match their delivery to my schedule (ha)!
First impressions:
This thing is a LOT smaller than I expected. The screen size is about the same as a small paperback book. Once you start using it you forget about the screen size. The display is truly amazing! Packaging was very minimal (green). and the unit was already hooked to by Amazon account when I powered it on!
I had my doubts about how much better the eInk technology would be when compared to any other computer screen. The best way i can describe it is like this; Analog TV vs. HDTV. There’s a huge difference between what you are reading on the screen right now and the quality of the text on the Kindle.
One of the great features of this device is the ability to download samples of books before you buy them. You get a chapter or two delivered instantly to the device and you have the option of purchasing the book to continue reading.
There can be conversion issues with documents. I purchased the 9/11 Commission Report for $0.99 and after a couple of hours reading the formatting errors are driving me nuts. Mainly the lack of space between sentences and missing hyphens. This is a by-product of PDF conversion to Kindle format. I’ve seen this with other forms of electronic books.
The seamless integration to your Amazon account makes purchasing content on-the-fly as simple (or dangerous) as pushing a button. I have quite a backlog of books I want to read so the get-it-now feature is going to be hard to resist!
I’m going to log some time using the Kindle and publish a third and final post/review in a few weeks.
The Amazon Kindle 2 is a second generation eBook reader that uses the latest in eInk technology. With a built-in cellular modem, storage for 1500 books, and support for PDF, MP3 and Audible files this marvel of technology seems to have it all.
After numerous recommendations and a lot of research I finally broke down and ordered my Kindle last Thursday night. Because of the holiday season, I ended up getting 2-day shipping included in the $259 price!
While I won’t actually get my hands on the Kindle until tomorrow I thought I would share what I have learned so far. Believe it or not, there’s more to the kindle experience than just the physical reading device!
The “back end” of the Kindle system relies on a cellular connection from AT&T (they used to use Sprint but ended the relationship earlier this year). Dubbed “Whispernet” the EDGE/GSM wireless modem allows the Kindle to be used without a computer. Books, and periodicals can be downloaded any time the modem has a signal. Amazon claims a mere 60-seconds to download an averaged sized book.
Whispernet is also used to synchronize bookmarks, notes and overall progress of your reading. Amazon has made a stand-alone application available for the PC and iPhone. Mac and Blackberry support “coming soon”. These stand alone applications allow you to pick up where you left off on the Kindle. Read a few more pages on your PC or iPhone and your progress is synced to the Kindle the next time you access it.
The ability to preview books is another feature that I think I’ll be using a lot. I already have several previews set to download once I get the Kindle tomorrow and activate it with Amazon.
[Part 2]
Mustard sings Creep from Rex Kramer on Vimeo.
Pretty amazing rendition of Creep by Radiohead. The full story is here but Opie and Anthony had no idea this guy could sing when they brought him on the show…
But Whiskey tastes SO much better than Vodka! – Andrew
If you’ve ever had one too many drinks during a night out, you’re probably familiar with the dreaded aftermath: the hangover. Turns out, your liquor of choice could influence your morning headache. [MORE]
