http://paidcontent.org/article/419-in-run-up-to-kindle-lending-program-libraries-beef-up-e-book-offerings/
Good read.
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Steve Jobs to Cupertino... I pay taxes
Quoting from Apple Insider:
When one councilwoman asked if free Wi-Fi for the city was a possibility, Jobs replied, "I'm a simpleton, I've always had this view that we pay taxes and the city pays to do this kind of thing. Now if we can get out of taxes, I'd be happy to put up Wi-Fi."
Awesome.
The video is here on YouTube.
Dan
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Chromebooks
Chromebooks are very cool. What do I like best? I think it's the pricing. The lease idea is very innovative as it the bundling with Verizon data.
$429 wifi, $499 with 3g. The 3g version comes with 100Mb/mo of verizon wireless data — FOREVER! No contract, no extra charge.
The leased versions are $20 to $28/mo and the EDU pricing includes google apps for my school.
Seems like a very hot ticket to me…
Monday, May 16, 2011
Endeavour last flight launch photo's
These photos from NPR are most awesome:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/16/136363560/amazing-shots-of-shuttle-endeavour-thanks-to-nasatweetup
Dan
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/16/136363560/amazing-shots-of-shuttle-endeavour-thanks-to-nasatweetup
Dan
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Live TV From the Moon
I haven't posted in a long time - maybe a year. I've done lots of reading and a few other amazing things. One of them has been a insatiable desire to watch podcasts.
So I'm watching Spacevidcast and Dwight Steven-Boniecki is on talking about his book Live TV From the Moon -- The Story of Apollo Television (amazon, kcls). As luck would have it my local library had a copy.
What an amazing labor of love. Dwight is a 'video geek' and he became interested in what it took to send live video from space -- political, scientific, engineering and logistical challenges. It's an awesome and untold story. It even comes with a DVD.
If you are a space nut run, don't walk, to read this.
Dan
So I'm watching Spacevidcast and Dwight Steven-Boniecki is on talking about his book Live TV From the Moon -- The Story of Apollo Television (amazon, kcls). As luck would have it my local library had a copy.
What an amazing labor of love. Dwight is a 'video geek' and he became interested in what it took to send live video from space -- political, scientific, engineering and logistical challenges. It's an awesome and untold story. It even comes with a DVD.
If you are a space nut run, don't walk, to read this.
Dan
Monday, September 6, 2010
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
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
Sunday, September 5, 2010
New Kindle
Very impressed. Still "just" a book reader but a solid improvement. All people with older Kindle's should upgrade.
 |
| Newest Kindle |
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Kindle RIP
The picture that says it all.
I still give amazon a lot of credit for what it's done.
Dan
I still give amazon a lot of credit for what it's done.
Dan
Sunday, January 31, 2010
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
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
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
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
Monday, December 28, 2009
Blu-Ray vs HD DVD -- I now get it: 2 years later
OK, so I'm dense. Maybe everyone got this years ago, but it just hit me today. Why was Microsoft so against Blu-Ray?
At the end of the day, lots of storage is good. I know Java is the spawn of the devil, but was that the real reason?
It turns out that in the last couple of days I've been looking at Blu-Ray players (Why is it Blu and not Blue?) and I noticed a ethernet jack on the back. What's that for? Hey look, they can stream NetFlix and other video? Some have web browsers in them.
It seems that the center of my digital living room / media center might be a Blu-Ray player which isn't running any Microsoft software at all. Would Microsoft try to fracture the industry over that...
At the end of the day, lots of storage is good. I know Java is the spawn of the devil, but was that the real reason?
It turns out that in the last couple of days I've been looking at Blu-Ray players (Why is it Blu and not Blue?) and I noticed a ethernet jack on the back. What's that for? Hey look, they can stream NetFlix and other video? Some have web browsers in them.
It seems that the center of my digital living room / media center might be a Blu-Ray player which isn't running any Microsoft software at all. Would Microsoft try to fracture the industry over that...
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Kindle Milestone: Amazon Sold More Kindle Books Than Physical Books On Xmas
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-kindle-milestone-amazon-sold-more-ebooks-than-physical-books-on-xmas-2009-12?mobile=1
Liars can figure and figures can lie.
The headline is all over the web, but does it mean anything? I don't think many people are buying physical books on Christmas day (it might be one of the slowest days of the year), but a lot of people powered up their new Kindle...
The more interesting thing in this article is:
The Kindle's economics are still lousy for Amazon: The company loses money on new releases and makes only a modest amount on older titles, thus losing an estimated $1 per Kindle book.
No idea if this is true. Sad if it is. The link in above is to:http://www.tbiresearch.com/e-readers-should-drive-profits-for-both-distributors-and-book-publishers-2009-11
Dan
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Netbooks
I just don't get netbooks.
Tiny screen, tiny keyboard.
Underpowered.
Everything looks better.
I get that as a carrier subsidized device there might be something there, but otherwise why not just spend 2X and get something that will last 2-3 years?
They say that netbooks are the growth sector in the PC industry. But is it real growth or is it just 5-units growing to 10-units?
Even as a school/edu device, I don't think it makes sense.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Barnes and Nobel Nook
I had about 30-minutes to play with a Barnes and Nobel Nook today.
Summary: A step above the Kindle, interesting business model, DOA.
The Nook is a Kindle form factor device. The display might be a little smaller. It has a second color touch sensitive display that you use to control the thing. I thought the touch display was of average or low quality (that is, nothing like an iPhone). From a hardware execution point of view the device is a logical evolution beyond the kindle (like a + 0.5, not a + 1.0 for sure).
The business model is interesting. They have way more books than Kindle and if you visit one of their stores, you can browse anything in the catalog on your device before you buy (I don't know how this works). The especially interesting thing is that you can loan your purchases to other people and they can read the book you bought. It's a one-user-exclusive-license (just like a paperback) except that the license automatically reverts back to you after 14-days. I think this is very cool. As the market fragments it becomes less valuable but they are in a good position with all of their content.
Interestingly the one book I searched for was not available in eBook format.
The Nook is back-ordered until "at least February". This is a colossal screw-up on their part (or it means they only made a hindered or something).
I can't imagine that the Nook won't be eclipsed when Kindle 3.0 happens (I have no info). The real reason it's DOA is because B&N (1) doesn't do hardware (but neither does Amazon) and (2) customers will continue to see that the business model isn't right -- not enough sharing and no community.
This business needs a Netflix/Zune model (all you can eat for cash/mo) with Apple quality hardware.
Dan
Summary: A step above the Kindle, interesting business model, DOA.
The Nook is a Kindle form factor device. The display might be a little smaller. It has a second color touch sensitive display that you use to control the thing. I thought the touch display was of average or low quality (that is, nothing like an iPhone). From a hardware execution point of view the device is a logical evolution beyond the kindle (like a + 0.5, not a + 1.0 for sure).
The business model is interesting. They have way more books than Kindle and if you visit one of their stores, you can browse anything in the catalog on your device before you buy (I don't know how this works). The especially interesting thing is that you can loan your purchases to other people and they can read the book you bought. It's a one-user-exclusive-license (just like a paperback) except that the license automatically reverts back to you after 14-days. I think this is very cool. As the market fragments it becomes less valuable but they are in a good position with all of their content.
Interestingly the one book I searched for was not available in eBook format.
The Nook is back-ordered until "at least February". This is a colossal screw-up on their part (or it means they only made a hindered or something).
I can't imagine that the Nook won't be eclipsed when Kindle 3.0 happens (I have no info). The real reason it's DOA is because B&N (1) doesn't do hardware (but neither does Amazon) and (2) customers will continue to see that the business model isn't right -- not enough sharing and no community.
This business needs a Netflix/Zune model (all you can eat for cash/mo) with Apple quality hardware.
Dan
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