Kindle
Quote: EvenBobI have a Kindle, its in the drawer, I used it twice. All the books I wanted were either not available or cost 3 times what I could get them for used.
I haven't noticed any problem getting books although perhaps you are reading older material or something. As for cost, I've never bought a used book but the price is a little higher than you might expect. Generally just under the price of a new book. Still worth it in my opinion.
Quote: JimMorrisonI haven't noticed any problem getting books although perhaps you are reading older material or something. As for cost, I've never bought a used book but the price is a little higher than you might expect. Generally just under the price of a new book. Still worth it in my opinion.
Many of the Kindle books are in the 7.99 to 9.99 range. You can usually buy the used paperback for a buck or two. I'm not saying its not a useful tool, I prefer the feel and smell of a real book. Kindle is great if you travel or read a lot of new release books.
Quote: EvenBobMany of the Kindle books are in the 7.99 to 9.99 range. You can usually buy the used paperback for a buck or two. I'm not saying its not a useful tool, I prefer the feel and smell of a real book. Kindle is great if you travel or read a lot of new release books.
Yeah I do travel a lot and read new releases. Plus I literally have about 15 boxes of old books and I found you can't sell used books for much more than a buck. It's not worth my time to deal with selling them for that low so the boxes are a pain in the ass. I'm getting rid of them, my assistant was shipping them off to websites that pay you on paypal and take care of shipping. But I don't want to accumulate ever again so Kindle is an amazing solution for me!
My Dad got a Kobo (like the Kindle) and loves it for travel... he reads voraciously on holiday and on flights and one small flat piece of electronics is much easier... plus the number of free and cheap books online is enough. Hardly stopped him buying paperbacks though as well... half the problem is the DRM is stupidly locked between countries with sometimes different parts of the same series being locked out in different areas.
There is indeed something about the feel, smell and general connection with a real book or magazine that's hard to beat.
Quote: thecesspitI've used an ipad and a Kindle, and prefer the iPad for travel as it does much more than read books, though the Kindle is easier on the eye. The number of technical books on both is fantastic, and having one as a side kick reference while working is a real boon.
My Dad got a Kobo (like the Kindle) and loves it for travel... he reads voraciously on holiday and on flights and one small flat piece of electronics is much easier... plus the number of free and cheap books online is enough. Hardly stopped him buying paperbacks though as well... half the problem is the DRM is stupidly locked between countries with sometimes different parts of the same series being locked out in different areas.
There is indeed something about the feel, smell and general connection with a real book or magazine that's hard to beat.
iPads are awesome but when I tried to read a book on one it started hurting my eyes in no time at all. Ideally I guess you carry both. However if I had a book with pictures, graphics, etc. then I would probably prefer it on the iPad.
I agree though about the feel, smell, etc or a real book but I can learn to live without.
That being said anything that reduces the cost of college textbooks is worth looking at.
Quote: AZDuffmanThat being said anything that reduces the cost of college textbooks is worth looking at.
Well, their cost isn't in printing, which is pretty cheap now, it's in writing the book for a solid but limited market.
On the other hand, it's hard to imagine students not pooling to just get one copy for everyone. Printed formats may hold it for a few years, but a shift to electronic textbooks will inevitably require a shift in the business models. Selling media access rights the same way as physical property is shaky already, the obscurity of most titles and the desire for real paper are about the only things keeping books from being mass-copied. A college class needs the same books and has physical contact... we even photocopied some paper books, when it was much cheaper than buying. I just don't see publishers selling a e-book copy to each individual student.
Quote: P90Well, their cost isn't in printing, which is pretty cheap now, it's in writing the book for a solid but limited market.
On the other hand, it's hard to imagine students not pooling to just get one copy for everyone. Printed formats may hold it for a few years, but a shift to electronic textbooks will inevitably require a shift in the business models. Selling media access rights the same way as physical property is shaky already, the obscurity of most titles and the desire for real paper are about the only things keeping books from being mass-copied. A college class needs the same books and has physical contact... we even photocopied some paper books, when it was much cheaper than buying. I just don't see publishers selling a e-book copy to each individual student.
Plus there are already ways to hack an ebook onto Kindle from what I understand. I haven't tried it, mainly because I don't want to fuck up my Kindle somehow just to save $10 on a book but my brother-in-law says it's easy.
DRM, encryption, etc can delay distribution for a while, but a really short while, especially if the college crowd gets a major incentive to do it. Amazon's own format has long been cracked as well, and books are easily found online.
I see these things definitely coming to the college, when they get less pricey and more advanced, but most importantly if/when the industry gets over its attachment to the traditional media business model.
Quote: P90
I see these things definitely coming to the college, when they get less pricey and more advanced, but most importantly if/when the industry gets over its attachment to the traditional media business model.
Very good point, hopefully they are quicker to come up with a new business model than the music industry.
People will hack all sorts of things, up to and including $190,000 supercars.
Quote: JimMorrisonAdded bonus, no more boxes of old books that are pretty much worthless after you buy them!
What?
Really, I dont' understand that. Any book realy worth reading is worth re-reading, many several times.
Quote: AZDuffmanOne beef I have heard is when you want to go back and re-read part of a book. Instead of flipping to a page for reference it is just not the same feeling on a kindle.
That being said anything that reduces the cost of college textbooks is worth looking at.
For this reason, I primarily use the kindle for "light reading", i.e. fiction or some non-technical non-fiction. For anything beyond that (including most poker books) I prefer to the physical book, so that I can easily flip back to previous tables/equations/examples etc.
Maybe something like this is needed?
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2008/06/dual-display-e-book-reader-lets-you.html
Quote: NareedWhat?
Really, I dont' understand that. Any book realy worth reading is worth re-reading, many several times.
I rarely re-read a book. Maybe a good book I'll re-read once. A great book a few times. Few books fall in the great book category.
Quote: JimMorrisonI rarely re-read a book. Maybe a good book I'll re-read once. A great book a few times. Few books fall in the great book category.
Well, then, either you're not a voracious reader or you have a fantastic memory.
Me, I'm voracious, greedy, positively glutonous when it comes to reading. I read something every day. Either I've a new book I'm reading or some odl book I'm re-reading. There are a few books I've never re-read. Some because i dind't really like them, otehr because they're too hard to read. Among the second I include "1984," and Niven and Pournelle's asteroid apocalyptic stories.
Quote: NareedWell, then, either you're not a voracious reader or you have a fantastic memory.
Me, I'm voracious, greedy, positively glutonous when it comes to reading. I read something every day. Either I've a new book I'm reading or some odl book I'm re-reading. There are a few books I've never re-read. Some because i dind't really like them, otehr because they're too hard to read. Among the second I include "1984," and Niven and Pournelle's asteroid apocalyptic stories.
I read most days and average about a book a week which I think is probably well above the average. However I am constantly buying new books, like I said unless it stands out I don't give them a re-read. I've got a pretty good memory but I don't know about fantastic lol.
Quote: JimMorrisonI read most days and average about a book a week which I think is probably well above the average.
It depends on your standards, or lack thereof :P
Seriously, as much as I read, I'd be hard pressed to find a new book each week.
Quote:I've got a pretty good memory but I don't know about fantastic lol.
One reason never to re-read a book is that you recall it well indeed.
Quote: JimMorrisonPlus there are already ways to hack an ebook onto Kindle from what I understand. I haven't tried it, mainly because I don't want to fuck up my Kindle somehow just to save $10 on a book but my brother-in-law says it's easy.
You don't hack the Kindle, you convert the file. A program called Cavandre will convert just about any document in any format to any other format, including Word, .pdf, .mob, whatever. I've used it, it works pretty well. It's not perfect, because it doesn't always handle links and notes (because those themselves are inconsistent even within the formats). But it will allow you to read library books, which are almost always in the epub format, on Kindles.
I love my Kindle; the books are actually worth more to me in the electronic format than they are in hard copy, because it's the information that I value. I read incessantly, and often have several books going at once. the Kindle allows me to take them all with me wherever I go. The only irritation is finding things within a book, and that refers to the inconsistency of formatting. I just finished Fab: An Intimate Biography of Paul McCartney, and I wanted to reference a quote by Marty Balin, and the search function was not activated by whoever converted the text. In other books, I could enter "Marty Balin" in the search feature and it would work like an e-index with active links, but Fab is not set up for that. Which is a fault of the publisher, not the Kindle. But whatever.
Nareed, I rarely re-read a book as well. I have no problems finding new things to read. I'll pick stuff at random if I have to. I just downloaded Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. It looks like it will be interesting. If not, what the heck, it will be a couple days of knowledge for less than the price of a spin on the $5 WoF.
Quote: MoscaNareed, I rarely re-read a book as well. I have no problems finding new things to read. I'll pick stuff at random if I have to.
Yeah, I can't do that. Mostly I read, in order, Science Fiction, straight science, Alternate History, straight history (notice a pattern here?) and then anythign else I find interesting (not much).
So I'm left with re-reading books I've read. That's fine, BTW, since you can learn a lot more about writing that way.
Quote: thecesspitGiven the amount of science fiction churned out, I'm surprised you can't find a book a week in the genre alone.
Again, it's all about standards. My taste runs to what might be called the golden Age: Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Del Rey, Simak, etc. Some writers I like are of the following generation: Niven, Pournelle, etc. And I can even read some more contemporary works like Timothy Zahn's Star Wars Thrawn trilogy. But most of what I've come accross since the late 80s, with some exceptions, was churned all right, and not very well.
Until recently, some fo the best SF was found on TV. Trek had some really good episodes, even in Voyager and Enterprise. Babylon 5 is a masterpiece. Stargate SG-1 was great, even if it got repetitive and gimmicky in the end. Atlantis was worth watching, even if they missed the easy solution to the Wraith problem. Stargate Universe, well, after 1.5 seasons I'm waiting for something to happen. No wonder it got cancelled.
Quote: JimMorrisonI read most days and average about a book a week which I think is probably well above the average. However I am constantly buying new books, like I said unless it stands out I don't give them a re-read. I've got a pretty good memory but I don't know about fantastic lol.
Jim - Have you brought it into the poker room? Is it allowed in the room and/or on the table? I'm curious about the reaction of the other players as the camera and database features on handheld devices opens the possiblilty of an electronic "assist".
Quote: AyecarumbaJim - Have you brought it into the poker room? Is it allowed in the room and/or on the table? I'm curious about the reaction of the other players as the camera and database features on handheld devices opens the possiblilty of an electronic "assist".
I have not tried it, I just got into the Kindle recently. I probably wouldn't take it to a table anyways, it just would draw attention and I'm pretty low key in a cash game. You can text at tables though and I've seen two different people with laptops at a poker table. One was watching a movie and the other actually playing a few tables on Full Tilt! I would guess every room would have different rules about electronics at the table.
Quote: JimMorrisonI have not tried it, I just got into the Kindle recently. I probably wouldn't take it to a table anyways, it just would draw attention and I'm pretty low key in a cash game.
If I saw another player reading at a poker game, I'd be so mad at the implied contempt I'd want to knock the figurative snot out of him. It wouldn't affect my play, I'd just want to. but it might affect greener players into betting (ie losing) more. Especially if you taunt them; like: I'll just read War and Peace while you all make up your minds."
Oh, I wouldn't bring a kindle, ipad, ipod, lapton, netbook, or any other expensive gadget along on a trip, much less to a table. But that's just me. (ok, I'm considering buying a tablet, ipad or other, provided I can download Amazon ebooks on it, and I might take it along on a trip. but I still wouldn't take it to the tables; it would be rude).
Quote: NareedIf I saw another player reading at a poker game, I'd be so mad at the implied contempt I'd want to knock the figurative snot out of him. It wouldn't affect my play, I'd just want to. but it might affect greener players into betting (ie losing) more. Especially if you taunt them; like: I'll just read War and Peace while you all make up your minds."
Oh, I wouldn't bring a kindle, ipad, ipod, lapton, netbook, or any other expensive gadget along on a trip, much less to a table. But that's just me. (ok, I'm considering buying a tablet, ipad or other, provided I can download Amazon ebooks on it, and I might take it along on a trip. but I still wouldn't take it to the tables; it would be rude).
The rudeness doesn't bother me at all. It just seems really stupid to sit there and read a book or watch a movie since you are telegraphing to the other players that you're a super tight player and plan on folding most of your hands. When you do get a good hand I think it would be pretty damn hard to get any kinda action at all.
Quote: JimMorrisonIt just seems really stupid to sit there and read a book or watch a movie since you are telegraphing to the other players that you're a super tight player and plan on folding most of your hands. When you do get a good hand I think it would be pretty damn hard to get any kinda action at all.
Maybe thats what they want you to think.
Quote: MoscaNareed, I have a few of those old Dangerous Visions anthologies from the late '60s, and some others with authors like Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, etc. If I can rustle them up, I'll send you a PM with the titles, and if you're interested they're yours. Things are in a state of flux here, and I won't have a chance to do this for a couple weeks (the sewer main backed up into our finished basement and we lost a ton of shit), but I will do it.
Sorry Mosca but I couldn't resist the 9 year old voice in my brain. It sounds like you actually gained a bunch of shit you were trying to get rid off. ;)
Quote: MoscaNareed, I have a few of those old Dangerous Visions anthologies from the late '60s, and some others with authors like Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, etc. If I can rustle them up, I'll send you a PM with the titles, and if you're interested they're yours.
Thanks.
I want to say yes even though I don't recognize any of the names and titles you posted. But don't go to any trouble.
Quote: AyecarumbaHas anyone had a chance to check out the new color Kindle? Is it worth it?
This thread has languished for two months. It seems that the sale of Kindles, Nooks, and Tablets went like wildfire during the holidays. I've read that the number of Americans who have one almost doubled (from 10% to 19%). I would think by the end of 2012 the broadcast networks would be streaming TV shows live to mobile devices.
The desire to keep children's backpacks below 15%-20% of their bodyweight means that they should become more and more common in schoolwork.
It's great for reading fiction and non-fiction that doesn't require diagrams. More technical documents and reference material, a physical book is still better for flipping around in and working on next to my desk.
Netflix is awesome on it (I don't have Hulu up here). There is a bug in the middleware that means it loses wi-fi connection on a semi-regular basis, which is very annoying, but I believe Nook know about and are working on. The Nook does only allow access to Barnes and Noble site for apps, but you can buy ePub books from any source and upload using Calibre, Adobe Digital Editions or other Computer-based library manager. B&N's web store is average and the library on Nook is just belowe average.
I was very impressed with the Nook e-ink tablet. Very fast update of the screen, light weight and very clear. If e-ink only reader works for you, take a look.
I did have a Kobo Vox. It was a piece of junk. Slow, under powered and faulty operating system. Kobo's book store and library is better than Nook's, but their support is also shitty (6 weeks of pestering to get resultion to a problem).
