7 months on - Thoughts on Kindle

So I have had a Kindle since Christmas and while it was fun to have a new gadget at the time I was not sure whether or not I would really get used to it.

I am an avid book reader and, I guess collector.  Anyone who knows Rob and I will be more than aware of the fact that we probably have more books that storage.  We are both horders (I have some books that I have had since I was 2 or 3 years old) and we both read.....a lot.

The Kindle does seem like the ideal solution to our storage issue - one device can hold hundreds of books and it is not even as thick as  a regular paperback, so why the issue?  Well I guess a whole part about reading books is enjoying having the book.  The smell and feel of holding something in your hand, the texture of the pages and the noise that they make when you turn them - that is all a part of the experience of reading, and with the best will in the world - you cannot really imitate it.

All that being said - the Kindle is actually pretty cool.  No backlight means no headache like you get on a monitor, text size can be adjusted for when you are feeling a bit tired, and it remembers where you got to in your book. 

In order to try and capture some of the book experience I invested in a cover that opens like a book - it offers some of the same sensory experience and you know it helps a lot.  Don't misunderstand me, it is not the same as having the actual book, but it helps. 

In a way the Kindle does make me a little sad. it is likely that the good e-readers (of which Kindle is one of the few) will become the way forward.  The books are cheeper, the reader is reliable and you get instant gratification when your book is delivered to you in a matter so seconds, so why would it not.  In a few generations I can see books being left for the academics and historians and not for the general population at large.

There is something to be said for tradition as well as advancement - and it would be somewhat  incongruous of me to critique advancement seeing as I work in an industry where advancement is key, but I cannot help but hope that traditional books remain a part of our lives and I remain torn over my use.  By supporting this change am I helping destroy something I love (In book shops).  Most likely yes, but I still cannot bring myself to reject this new tool. On top of that, if I consider rationally the way that I purchase a number of my books - I have to admit that I have been working towards this for a number of years - as I use online stores for probably about half my purchases and online book stores will kill off the local ones much faster than the ebook readers will. 

A part of me wonders just how much of my enjoyment comes from the fact that instant (more or less) gratification is cool.  When I order a book, or buy one in a bookshop there is that delay in waiting for the book to be delivered or travelling to get it.  With whispernet that just is not the case - I order my book and within 5 second I have my book - yay me.  I remain unconvinced that this is a good thing - after all there is something that can be said for anticipation.  Remember that feeling that you used to get on Christmas eve as a kid - well I get that about books and perhaps that level of anticipation adds to the enjoyment, and more to the point is good for me.  If I have to wait for something do I appreciate it more?  I am not sure - but I think perhaps I do.

Perhaps there is way that book shops can get on board - Barnes and Nobel have tried to work with the eBook readers and it seems to work for them.  In a way it is no different than the change that has happened in the music industry - and indeed still is happening as digital downloads continue to increase in popularity.  While strangely I don't have an issue with that  I wonder if it is due to the fact that while I like music I love literature?

I guess we just need to face it - the times they are a changing

Black Stone Cherry

No thats not a miss type - it is in fact a band and one hat I have recently become quite a fan of.  I came across their music after following an amazon recommendation based on the Theory of a Deadman album that i had ordered through them and after having a listen on spotify I decided to buy their album (Folklore and Superstition) and I have to say that I am pretty impressed. 

Their music is somewhere in the realms of Nickleback and the Goo Goo Dolls with a bit of AC/DC and even Motely Crue thrown in there as well.  If you look up their videos on you tube they obviously have a 1980's rock influence in their performance (it's a bit hair metal) and some of their songs but they are unapologetic about it - which I like, if you are inspired by it then be honest about it, even if people think that it is not cool.

I am not sure if I would have bought the album were it not for the ability to listen to a number of their tracks in full on spotify.  I know that there are a lot of artists and album producers that want to ban these sights as they feel that it is taking money from them, but I am a firmk believer that these sites actually help people to buy music that they normally would not.  If you can listen to something, cost free, and you like it then 99% of people will buy it.  Make people buy it first and they will buy one album (if you are lucky) and then if they don't like it - you have no hope of them buying another one as the investment on the hope that the next one will be better is not worth it.  In fact I would have thought that it would mean people were less likely to buy albums a they feel that they wasted their money buying ones they did not like.  Perhaps this is another case of the music industry cutting it's nose to spite it's face.

Mega Shark v's Giant Octopus

Lorrenzo Lamas, Debbie Gibson, cheap special effects and a script that could have been written by a 12 year old - tremendous telly.

Take one 80's pop princess, mix in with an 80's US TV show star (who can forget Renegade) and a budget that may well have been put together by the cast and crew going through their pockets, and you have Mega Shark v's Giant Octopus.

I am not sure quite how people manage to get the money to make these films but they do.  The plot appears to be, the military test some kind of sonar beacon and break up an ice cap (or at least a giant piece of ice - that appears to be in the tropics but thats unclear).  The nasty side effect of this is that they free 2 ancient creatures.  A Mega Shark which can leap from the ocean to pull 747's out of the sky and a Giant Octopus that seems to not be able to do that.  Of course no one believes the scientist (Debbie Gibson) that it was something 'organic' that ate a sperm whale and pulled a 747 from the sky until its too late.  

Yes its a pile of old rubbish, yes it makes no sense and the folks that are in it have the decency to actually look a little embarrassed, but once you start watching it you have to keep on as its the only way to know which creature will win (personally I am voting for the shark, the world cup is over we have no need for another octopus)

I cannot wait for the sequel of sorts - Mega Python v's Gatoroid! 

While I am not sure what a Gatoroid is - something to do with a Croc being flushed down the toilet no doubt.... I wonder if someone will give me money to make Sabertooth v's Mega Ferret?

The OU and the new site

Well I have finally gotten round to it and moved my site to a new provider, so it has a new look and hopefully will be easier to manage than the old one.

It's been a while since I felt any inspiration to write anything but now I have a new home I figured it would be a good time to start again. 

Since I last posted anything I decided that I would take a short course to give me something to do in the evenings.  After a lot of looking around at the local colleges and what was available for an immediate start I settled on an OU course.  The OU has a lot of different short courses that you can take at home without the need for any off site workshops, and that really appealed to me as a way to get back into doing something more formal.  After going through the courses I settled on Fossils and the History of Life.  

The course is classified as a short science module, but you do not need to have a lot of science experience to be able to take the course.  You carry out all of the study as suits you, with the requirement to submit an online assessment (ECA) on one of 2 dates (depending on which suits your needs)

For my course which started in May, the assessment had to be submitted by Thursday of this week, and today I submitted mine.

It was a really enjoyable course and I would recommend this (or any other short course) if you are looking to pick up something.

If you are going to take an OU course then I would recommend that you

(1) Pick something thats interesting to you.  You will be paying to study the course and it is hard to motivate yourself if you find what you are studying dull

(2) Look over the suggested study schedule and decide which assessment you will be taking (there are often two).  You can change your mind at any time as to which you want to take so you don't have to worry about that.  The study calendar is a good tool though as it gives you an idea as to just how much you need to do 

(3) Decide how many hours you are going to be able to spend, honestly, on your studying.  The points that the course is worth roughly equate the to number of hours a week you need to spend (10 point courses are about 6-10 hours a week).  This will help you decide which assessment you will want to pick

(4) Have your own study space - it helps you get in the right frame of mind

(5) If you have assessment questions answer them on paper as you go, so that when you complete your assessment at the end you just have to review your answers

(6) Make use of the message boards if thats your thing.  There is an online community who you can discuss things.  Personally I did not make a lot of use of this but other folks do and find it usefull

(7) Most importantly ENJOY yourself and don't be stressed about it.  You are doing this for fun

It can seem daunting when you see the time commitment but if you think about it 6-10 hours is only 2 hours a day for 5 days and that has to be better than watching pap on the telly.

If you are interested take a look at the OU site

Lego-tastic

Very rarely do I find something in the news that makes me smile but this certainly did.

This is very very cool. Some of it is subtle but other bits not so much, but it is good to see someone making things better by what ever means they have - maybe it will inspire others to do something good too.