Barnes and Noble

I was in the Bellevue Barnes and Noble today.  A couple of things worth noting.

First you enter and there is a booth-type display for the Nook staffed by a full time person.  It was really desperate (or so it seemed).  No takers except us.  The main features seem to be that you can play music and log into facebook.  I thought this was pretty crazy -- why compete as a cheaper iPad.  That doesn't seem like a winner.

The other thing that was a surprise was how much *less* floorspace is devoted to books.  There are all kinds of gifts and "junk" in the store.  Even and especially in the children's section it's 50% non-book.  There are even fewer magazines.  Very depressing IMHO because I do love a really good book store.  I will admit that Amazon is pretty nice.

Dab

New Kindle

Very impressed.  Still "just" a book reader but a solid improvement.  All people with older Kindle's should upgrade.

Newest Kindle

Germs

Just finished Germs (amazon, kcls).

It was shocking and chilling to learn some of the history about biological warfare.  It was a nuclear-like arms race between the USA and Russia with people like Iraq having a destabilizing role.  While it would likely take a government-scale operation to weaponize something, it's totally a backyard job to make something to kill thousands or tens of thousands in a small area.

The book ends in early 2001 and therefore does not cover the anthrax attacks in the USA.  However there is a great deal of discussion about anthrax and the challenges in weaponizing it.

It's art not graffiti

http://depts.washington.edu/alumni/blogs/bdtw/2010/08/is-it-art-a-colorful-story-in-the-u-district/

Turns out that Tubs at Roosevelt and NE50 is now an art installation.  This article is a good -- only in Seattle -- read.

Apple vs Dell vs HP web pages

http://mrgan.tumblr.com/post/867437854/fish-in-a-barrel

I don’t want to be to much of a fanboy, but I have bias’s like everyone else.  Still putting bias’s away could anyone see anything good about the HP or Dell pages.

Kindle RIP

The picture that says it all.

( from http://blogs.zdnet.com/perlow/?p=12419&tag=nl.e539 )

I still give amazon a lot of credit for what it's done.

Dan

Brilliant Marketing: IKEA in Paris

Check this out.  It's brilliant: IKEA Subway Display in Paris : An Insane Idea or A Genius Promotion Campaign?

Avatar in 3D IMAX

I saw Avatar in 3D IMAX a few days ago at the Boeing IMAX theater at Pacific Science Center.  I had previously seen the movie in 2D and wanted to see how such a beautiful movie would appear in 3D.

I have to say, I was disappointed.  I don't know the cinematic words for this, but the parts of the scene that would be out-of-focus (say vegetation that was far away) seemed very strange in the 3D format.

I don't know if the projection was from film or digital either, but I don't think the clarity was as high in 3D IMAX either.

If another film comes out and I have a 2D vs 3D choice like that I think I'll choose 2D.

HOWEVER, THE SOUND!  The IMAX sound was absolutely awe inspiring.  I can't say how good it was because I don't know how to describe it.  While you might think that 3D puts you in the scene -- not in this case.  It was totally the sound.  Just stellar.

Dan

Thistle Theater -- Auntie Lena’s African Stories

Last night we went to Thistle Theater to see Auntie Lena's African Stories.  Thistle is a puppet company based in Seattle.

I must say that it was very good and appropriate for the 3-10 crowd.

Thistle specializes in Bunraku-style puppetry.  In this style the puppeteers are dressed head to toe in black and so are "invisible".  It's very compelling.

We saw the performance at Sunset Hill Community Club in Ballard.  They do tour around the area.

Dan

Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes

If you enjoy Lake Wobegon, you should check out Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes which I enjoyed this weekend.

Garrison Keillor is one of these 60-something high energy people who only gets better at what they do.  He's been doing A Prairie Home Companion for over 30-years and it would appear that he loves it even more than when he started.

The documentary directors follow him around for a few months and much of the dialog consists of Keillor's dialog during interviews -- although you rarely see him being interviewed.

I'm rating 5 of 5 on NetFlix.

Dan

Kindle for PC

I got an e-mail about Kindle for PC.  I have the Kindle app on my iPhone and so I thought they would be taking advantage of the PC platform and doing something to really extend the range of the Kindle.

Fail.

I don't know why they even bothered.  It's just lame.  Basically 1/2 as much as a PDF reader.

It shows you a display just like on the Kindle resized to the PC screen size.  You get a NEXT, BACK and Table of Contents button AND THAT'S IT!  You don't even get the dictionary or Text To Speech functionality in the real Kindle.  It's adds nothing to the kindle experience except a low-fidelity clone of the actual device.

While it's true this was released before the iPad, but good grief -- didn't you consider: a two page view, touch support, dictionary support or (gasp!) a find feature.

A complete let down. 0.5 of 5 stars (it did not crash).

Dan

A Life Decoded: My Genome: My Life

A Life Decoded is the autobiography of J. Craig Venter (here and here). He starts by quoting George Orwell: "An autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats" and Samuel Goldwyn: "I don`t think anyone should write their autobiography until after they`re dead" which sets an interesting tone for the book.

Craig Venter is well known for sequencing the human genome and that's ultimately what this story is about.  I must admit I was captivated by the near-high school dropout who gets intertwined with the 60's and then goes to Viet Nam where he tries to have a life while staying alive and then get's a PhD and changes the world story.

I don't want to repeat the whole story here since it's worth reading.  Everyone tells this guy "no" and he keeps putting on the elbow grease and changes the world.  On top of all of this, he's a sailor.

Amazing story!  What a contribution to science and humanity.  I wish Craig the best with his current and future projects (here and here).

(Note the following pricing on Amazon. Paper: $6.06 NEW. Kindle: $9.72. DUMB!!!)

Dan

First Kindle Experience

I had a four-day business trip that included multiple five-four flights last week.  I hate long flights and I really wanted to read rather than work on the latest PowerPoint of something.

So I did what any techie dad would do.  I swiped my daughters Kindle.

In all fairness, I bought it for her.  You could say that I bought it so I could borrow it...  But I waited 11-months before borrowing it the first time so it's not so black-and-white.

Net: 4 out of 5

I read The Talent Code on the plane and the net is that it was better in almost every way than the paper (dead trees) version.

First off, I can't believe how nice the display is. It's remarkably easy on the eyes.  Not only is the contrast as good as books, but the lack of back lighting is a bonus!  That's right.  People complain about the lack of back lighting but I don't think they have really used it.  It just makes it so much easier to read compared to a computer screen.  (One thing Apple needs to get right with the iPad is this back light issue.)

The one issue I had was that on the night time flight segment, I was reading by the overhead light and there was a lot of glare on the glass.  This contributed to part of my minus 1 in sore, but it wasn't that bad.

The size is bigger than a paper back, but smaller than anything else.  The Talent Code was much bigger physically.  The iPad seems like it will totally kill Kindle DX, but I think there is still a place for the "classic" Kindle.

The negative...  The store model is still FUBAR.  How can eBooks cost almost as much as printed books?  It just doesn't make any sense.  Would the WSJ get as much for online?  No.  NYT?  It's crazy.

Dan

The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How.

I just finished reading The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born.  It's Grown.  Here's How by Daniel Coyle.

The thesis is that the growth of Myelin in the brain is the physiological change that allows your brain to become great at certain things (like playing a musical instrument).  The idea is that with lots of practice (thousands of hours) at a very low level anyone could become fantastically proficient.  By "at a low level" he means that you need to practice small muscle movements over and over.  Playing a song is the wrong thing, instead you need to practice a single technique over-and-over until the Myelin grows in your brain to make it automatic and fast.

I think what's really interesting is how he connects the Myelin theory to great coaches.

People know that great coaches can produce great performers multiple times.  The theory (he uses a lot of interesting examples) is that these great coaches naturally teach in "tiny bite sized increments" and therefore optimize for Myelin creation.

I heard an UW professor call this "the book of the decade."  I don't know if I would go that far, however it is a very accessible, positive and thought provoking read.

Dan

This Bridge Talks

In the Random Department...

Waiting in line for the Fremont Bridge today, I noticed the "turn your engine off" signs and then just above it was a sign that said "This Bridge Talks -- 800-761-9941" so we called it.  It turns out it's an audio art project!

What a great idea!  I love Rapunzel's Hair and some of the other art on the bridge.

Very random and therefore very cool.

Dan

Kudos to Google on new China direction

Kudos to Google for their A New approach to China.  Censorship and the fact that Google has been forced to censor is evil and I'm glad someone is standing up to this.

Microsoft and Yahoosoft should be sufficiently embarrassed to act.