I'm seriously considering buying it this month. It's an e-reader and it's been out for a year now. I first considered buying it last year. But I thought, "Fred, you already have books that you've bought that you've not read. Why buy it? Plus, books look nice on a bookshelf. You can stare at them as an aesthetic medidation piece when not reading and also, when people are over, they can look at the bookshelf and browse through them too. Physical books are a personal library and vanity piece."
But then, I recently realized that all I do is stare at the books and once in awhile take it to my sofa and read a few pages and it sits on my sofa. I also realized that I do a lot more reading now on my computer than I do actual books.
I have become very accustomed to writing on my computer and reading on my computer. I read a lot of news and blogs on the computer and I think that my reading speed actually is faster on the computer screen. I glide through the reading and retain the information. The computer screen now is like an ice skating rink for me as a reading platform. I'm faster in it.
Another trivial and probably a very farsical point is that I don't like the strain of keeping the pages open with my thumbs and index finger. It's work and after every 3 minutes my fingers hurt and I have to shift my fingers. To take this example even further, once I had a DVD that I rented from NetFlix on my sofa that I planned to watch. But as I clicked through my Movies on Demand list on my cable, I saw the same movie on the list and I was seriously considering watching it through cable ($4.95) because I didn't want to get off my sofa,open the envelope that the DVD came in and actually put the DVD in the DVD tray vs. just pressing a button 3 times on my cable remote in my Pompei lounge mode :(). I don't like to make effort unless it's for money, love, or knowledge.
OK. Now, the thing is that the Kindle costs $359 and here are the Pros. and the Cons.:
Pros:
1) As I mentioned, I think that I read faster and am even more prone to read on a screen (because it's easier for me now). My behavior has been modified over the past several years. Half or more of my visual intakes and processing is and has become, through a screen whether it be a computer or my flat screen HD TV. It's very comfortable;
2) Ergonomics: the digital ink (currently only black & white) looks pleasing to the eye; it has page marking, highlighting and underlining capabilities, and it's easy to turn the page forward or backward with a simple press of a large side button on either side and I can just hold the thing without any strains to my :) fingers;
3) Dictionary is embedded in the software. So I can lookup a definition with a click of a button. FYI-- When I was a serious reader, I used to have The Little Oxford English Dictionary next to me while I read. So that I can also learn new words while I read. I looked up every word that I didn't know right there and then. It was great. That was, to me, worth the effort. Knowledge!;
4) Font sizes can be adjusted. So when I feel fatigued, I can increase the size of the font, and that'll make me feel like I'm reading faster :);
5) I can download a new book from the Amazon store within less than a minute and the first chapter preview is free. There is no connection or monthly charge for the wireless access. It's included in the purchase price once (and forever). So you don't need a computer with it ever and there is NO shipping charge or wait time to get new books;
6) The electronic version of the books are cheaper than other versions due to the fact that publishers and amazon can bypass inventory or distribution costs. Most new hardcover books that retail for $25+ are only $9.99 (and comes with free set of Ginzu knives ;);
7) I can subscribe to various newspapers and periodicals if I so choose to and they are downloaded wirelessly every morning (or once a month if it's a periodical) while you sleep. Welcome to the 21st century!;
8) Kindle has long battery life (no need to recharge for at least a week) and can carry hundreds of books in it's paperback size footprint. So, if I want to stop reading one book and move onto a different genre/book, it automatically saves where I left off and returns me to where I was as I bounce from book to book. I'm one of those readers, when I read, depending on my moood that day or week, I switch from reading fiction to non-fiction and vis-a-verse. [Nomadic intellect or A.D.S.?];
9) I think that it looks kindda cool. Hospital white, paperback sized, qwerty keyboard with scroll wheels and it IS a revolutionary device. I can see it becoming a museum piece like the first iPod. Heirloom quality I think [just like the contents of my closet. Btw, I knew a guy who inherited a lot of his Bijon suits from his dad. Fckn sweet.]
Cons:
1) The price. $359 is not cheap. I'm gonna try to get one off Craigslist for cheaper. I tried eBay already. It's selling there for $360+. [I'm pennywise, poundfoolish-- jacket $600? Zegna? "That's a steal!" "What? these fish sticks are $1.99 for a dozen? Fck you hermano! :)] [FYI-- There's been conflicting rumors and reports that a new version may show up this month for the new Christmas season and may cost less as Amazon continues to penetrate the market, moving on from early adopters who are fine with paying premiums to more mass market consumers who are more price conscious. I hope that happens.];
2) Book selections are still somewhat limited. Not all Publishers have signed on. So things like the Loeb Classics and Penguin Classics which I adore are not yet available via Kindle. Amazon currently has 180,000 Kindle editions of traditional stock;
3) Similar to having to replace vinyl with CDs and DVDs with HD DVDs or Blu Ray nowadays, I may have to buy books that I may already have in an electronic version. That's optional. Btw, Kindle saves all of your books on their servers. So even if the Kindle breaks (it's sturdy though per the reviews) or is lost or stolen, your library is safe;
4) No color. Just black and white for now. The technology is not there yet. But is scheduled to be in 2 yrs. Doesn't matter to me though. It's just reading not porn (where I insist on color and HD quality.)
I think that the Pros. outweigh the Cons. and given how my visual intake behavior has changed over the past few years and it definitely has, I think that I will read again with this new platform. I miss reading books. Books seem to get deeper into me and lasts longer than film or video and I want/need that.
Btw, the name, Kindle, was inspired by the concept and myth of Fire given to us by Promethus (credit: to Pierce for correcting me on my first post. It was not Vulcan as I thought Jeff Bezos said in a Charlie Rose interview.)
9 comments:
Although I do like the idea of adjustable font size, I really don't think this would be for me. I'm a bit surprised they don't give it to you for almost nothing to encourage you to buy all the books to fill it.
When possible, I take books out of the library and return them when finished. If it's something I really must have I buy it, but I expect most of my must-haves would not be available in that format anyway.
It would be convenient when going on a long trip to just put all your reading matter on the Kindle, and not have to schlep books in your ever-more-expensive-by-plane luggage.
Also, I like the look and feel of the book while I am reading it. I have a comfortable position that I assume -- refined after decades of practice -- and it might be hard for me to adapt to the smaller and narrower Kindle.
If anyone I know gets one, I might ask to borrow it for a night to see if I like it, or just to have the experience.
But I doubt I will be soon coughing up 350 or anything like it.
I'll be interested to hear how you like it. Sounds to me like you're sold.
Aren't Vulcan and Prometheus two different people?
Vulcan's greek counterpart was, I believe, Hephaestos.
Prometheus, a titan, was the one who gave fire to humans, and paid dearly.
Great question on Vulcan. Without having consulted google nor wikipedia, if my memory serves, for sure, Promethus is the one who gave the fire to the mortals and I thought that Vulcan was his Roman counterpart. I somehow related Vulcan to fire and this is because he was a forger. Of course, Hesphasteus too was a forger (and an architect)for the Greek Gods. Club footed , ugly. But married to Venus, the godess of beauty. So, I'll need to look Vulcan up.
As for writing on paper with pen, no, I haven't written anything on paper except notes that I took during meetings when I work(ed). Just a regular ballpont pen,writing meaningless job related notes and to do lists. Anti-romantic.
As for thank you notes, I havent had the occassion recently and I send job interview thank you notes via email which is the norm nowadays.
But during the heyday of writing for me, I used Crane stationery and wrote with Waterman Ink pens. I even went as far as to visit speacialty writing paper shops, most notablly, one across the Four Seasons' Hotel in midtown (forgot the name of the boutique; Italian) where they showed me the highest level of stationery paper. There was a special edition that I was quite keen on which replicated a 600 yr. old parchment (Renaissance era) paper in the most elegant box. But I think it was like $5 per sheet. $200 for a box of 40 sheets (or perhaps $s). So,I passed on it.
Besides writing on great paper and with an ample pen, I also liked the joy of slipping the notes and letters into the accompanying envelope and addressing them. The choice of ink in my pens were also a matter of deliberation. Sometimes, jade gree, sometimes, deep purple, sometimes, blood red. It all depended on the content of the letter that I wrote and the color of the paper which was to be its canvass.
It was ritualistic (artistic and spiritual also) to me. I do miss it.
Now, the closest thing that I have to that era is my personal calling card which I still have. Version 6. I enjoy the process of sitting down in a shop with a sample book of paper stock and fonts and colors. My early ones had a logo (picture), raised dye cast navy ink on thick ecru slim apothecary style card with a toad sitting on a mushroom with a champagne glass, toasting. That was a fun one. My first one. My early cards were all done by Mrs. Strong who did all the invitations for the Republican Whitehouse since Nixon. Her premise was located on the 2nd floor of Barneys.
I got into calling cards after I watched, "The Age of Innocence." Leelan Archer was and is still one of my aesthete heroes.
Boy, brings back some interesting memories. I was also going through my Huymans period then.
As for the Kindle, I'm gonna hold at on Craigslist until I can't bare to. Don't want to pay more than $300 for it at this time.
Ooops. The comment on writing and paper etc. was in response to your comment of that topic on the previous blog.
www.gutenberg.org
www.scribd.com
lol @ paying for books
Hahaha. The only thing that I dont pay for is sex. So I'm not a 100% dandy I guess :(). But then its no fun to pay for sex without the complimentary syphillis gift bag.
I remember a great episode of law and Order where Lenny, the Jerry Orbach character and his partner were discussing the murder of a beautiful prostitute. Ed, the partner, smiles knowlingly and asks Lenny: "Did you ever pay for it?" Lenny replies: "I was married wasn't I?"
Is this ("listeasy") a junk-blog? What next?
Yeah, 'listeasy' is a spam/junk email comment. How the hell did it get past the word verification which is specifically intended to filter out spam like this on blogs?
They may seem clever but I would never ever use their services if I needed that genre of services. So, intrusive. I consider it criminal!
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