forever amazon
I don't understand why someone would read a blog on a kindle. What's the advantage--portability? But the content becomes stale by the time you've downloaded it. Obviously I haven't been following this.
The Kindle is constantly connected to the internet through Sprint 3G.
Ah, thanks. So it's 2 companies working to privatize/proprietize blogging: Amazon and Sprint. I can't believe anyone thinks this is a good idea. Does the public really need to be spoonfed content to that degree? I guess I shouldn't ask.
I've played around with blog subsriptions on the kindle. They cost 99 cents a month. You get two weeks free. I always cancel before the two weeks. There are 15 hundred or so to choose from, ranging from high intellect to pure crap (which of course are not always mutually exclusive). I didn't read all the details from the link (because I have to get back to my Kindle) but I don't see how it could be propietizatiion because all the bloggers still retain full rights of their internet blogs (or I would think). Plus, there are ways to get free slightly imperfect OCR versions of great still under copyright fiction and non fiction for those of us on a budget and unable to access the dumpsters behind Barnes and Noble for the coverless copies. I say all this just to posit that for every unattractive corporate scheme there seems to be a fair amount of leeway to move around them. As to why anyone would pay for content on a Kindle that is available free on the internet, I think it comes down to covenience, or as backup for those specific occasions when you have no internet but can pickup sprint 3g signal. And lastly, to defray recently incurred costs I am going to have to start charging 35 cents every time someone disagrees with me. Cash, check, or money order. Thank you, from your friends at the JMLcorp.
Thanks for the response. I've been using bloglines on the internet to follow about 40 blogs, with the same content range you describe. It's more content than I can read. It wasn't hard to set up. I can't speak to the convenience of the connectivity--the bloglines account is available to me wherever I can log on.
Amazon has been creeping me out lately. It started with them changing the word "sexual" to the word "inappropriate" in a review I wrote for them (my last, in 2003). Then I found out they were a Bush-supporting "red" company.
Last night I bought some music mp3s from them. About 1/10th had horrible skips or pops or gaps. The return policy says "all sales final" and is silent about what to do with a defective download. You mentioned imperfect OCRing--when I googled "amazon damaged mp3" I noticed they are selling them for about ten cents. So I guess when someone like me complains about a bad mp3 they just move them over to the ten cent bin.
I'm just ranting here--no particular point, except to express continuing doubts about their effort to set up an alternative, paid internet centered on hardware they're selling.
Well I certainly think aspects of the Amazon model are worthy of criticism but as I mostly use them as middle man for buying various products, with pretty damn good success, I have to give them some love for that. I wouldn't worry too much about their alternative internet scheme, at least not yet. I'm sure in time they will try to make the internet aspect of the device more attractive but as for now I don't see that they are even close to that. The 3g service is free so in one respect it is attractive alternative internet device but although somewhat faster than the early days of internet with dialup on a 386 IBM, the browsing experience is more reminiscent of those days than it should be. Which is to say, it sort of sucks. As for the ability to occasionally actually buy and download a kindle version book and have it in your hands readable in 60 seconds, well, I occasionally fall prey to the instant gratification aspect of that, and shell out the 10 dollars (or 5 bucks for out of copyright complete works of the old school literary giants). It is sort of neat, even though you don't actually own the book in the sense that you could share it with someone (unless you lend them your kindle), which I guess arguably is good not just for Amazon but for authors so I'm not sure how much I am begrudging them that.
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- dave 5-20-2009 10:49 pm
I don't understand why someone would read a blog on a kindle. What's the advantage--portability? But the content becomes stale by the time you've downloaded it. Obviously I haven't been following this.
- tom moody 5-20-2009 11:38 pm
The Kindle is constantly connected to the internet through Sprint 3G.
- jim 5-21-2009 4:14 am
Ah, thanks. So it's 2 companies working to privatize/proprietize blogging: Amazon and Sprint. I can't believe anyone thinks this is a good idea. Does the public really need to be spoonfed content to that degree? I guess I shouldn't ask.
- tom moody 5-21-2009 6:00 am
I've played around with blog subsriptions on the kindle. They cost 99 cents a month. You get two weeks free. I always cancel before the two weeks. There are 15 hundred or so to choose from, ranging from high intellect to pure crap (which of course are not always mutually exclusive). I didn't read all the details from the link (because I have to get back to my Kindle) but I don't see how it could be propietizatiion because all the bloggers still retain full rights of their internet blogs (or I would think). Plus, there are ways to get free slightly imperfect OCR versions of great still under copyright fiction and non fiction for those of us on a budget and unable to access the dumpsters behind Barnes and Noble for the coverless copies. I say all this just to posit that for every unattractive corporate scheme there seems to be a fair amount of leeway to move around them. As to why anyone would pay for content on a Kindle that is available free on the internet, I think it comes down to covenience, or as backup for those specific occasions when you have no internet but can pickup sprint 3g signal. And lastly, to defray recently incurred costs I am going to have to start charging 35 cents every time someone disagrees with me. Cash, check, or money order. Thank you, from your friends at the JMLcorp.
- jimlouis 5-22-2009 3:53 pm
Thanks for the response. I've been using bloglines on the internet to follow about 40 blogs, with the same content range you describe. It's more content than I can read. It wasn't hard to set up. I can't speak to the convenience of the connectivity--the bloglines account is available to me wherever I can log on.
Amazon has been creeping me out lately. It started with them changing the word "sexual" to the word "inappropriate" in a review I wrote for them (my last, in 2003). Then I found out they were a Bush-supporting "red" company.
Last night I bought some music mp3s from them. About 1/10th had horrible skips or pops or gaps. The return policy says "all sales final" and is silent about what to do with a defective download. You mentioned imperfect OCRing--when I googled "amazon damaged mp3" I noticed they are selling them for about ten cents. So I guess when someone like me complains about a bad mp3 they just move them over to the ten cent bin.
I'm just ranting here--no particular point, except to express continuing doubts about their effort to set up an alternative, paid internet centered on hardware they're selling.
- tom moody 5-22-2009 4:12 pm
Well I certainly think aspects of the Amazon model are worthy of criticism but as I mostly use them as middle man for buying various products, with pretty damn good success, I have to give them some love for that. I wouldn't worry too much about their alternative internet scheme, at least not yet. I'm sure in time they will try to make the internet aspect of the device more attractive but as for now I don't see that they are even close to that. The 3g service is free so in one respect it is attractive alternative internet device but although somewhat faster than the early days of internet with dialup on a 386 IBM, the browsing experience is more reminiscent of those days than it should be. Which is to say, it sort of sucks. As for the ability to occasionally actually buy and download a kindle version book and have it in your hands readable in 60 seconds, well, I occasionally fall prey to the instant gratification aspect of that, and shell out the 10 dollars (or 5 bucks for out of copyright complete works of the old school literary giants). It is sort of neat, even though you don't actually own the book in the sense that you could share it with someone (unless you lend them your kindle), which I guess arguably is good not just for Amazon but for authors so I'm not sure how much I am begrudging them that.
- jimlouis 5-22-2009 7:35 pm