I'm getting one!

Woohoo - now if only I could afford one... hrmmm. My wife's birthday is coming up.

how does this affect the stimulus package?

re: #3 phoenixgirl

how does this affect the stimulus package?

It keeps the economy moving so the pols in Washington can claim the stimulus worked later...

Interesting.

Charles, what (if any) would you describe as the leading negatives on the Kindle you currently own? (Just trying to get balanced reviews in deciding whether to try it out.)

we have one. My wife loves it. She does home heath and has the reference books on the kindle. It is easy then carting hundreds of pages of books with you. I use it when traveling. We do like the adjustable fonts. It is very easy to read the screens.

re: #3 phoenixgirl

how does this affect the stimulus package help Michelle O's children?

/ ;)

Speaking of kindling:

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

The website, posted by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the "eye for an eye" doctrine.

The posting — which instructs jihadis to remember "forest jihad" in summer months — says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that "this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time".

"Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires," the website says. "You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia."

re: #2 Thanos

Woohoo - now if only I could afford one... hrmmm. My wife's birthday is coming up.

Bad Thanos! ;)

I watched the demonstration video. Pretty cool, but that new computer-generated voice could ruin even history's finest literary masterpieces.

I'm getting an error as soon as their page opens at the link. Is it just me?

Tempting...very tempting.

re: #10 buzzsawmonkey

And now we are a Kindler and gentler nation.

Stop making inflammatory remarks about Kindle.

I just wish it came in green.

it's good to be back campaigning

ot - You can listen live to Mike Rosen talk about the "Card Check" - or "Employee Free Choice Act" - Which in truth is the elimination of privacy regarding Union Ballots.

[Link: www.850koa.com...]

As cool as this gizmo sounds I like the texture and smell of an old fashioned book.

re: #15 buzzsawmonkey

I'm just rubbing two sticks of type together.

And now you've descended to "faggot"-bashing... typical of you right-wingers!

what did indiana do to deserve this?

How much does it cost to download a book?

re: #15 buzzsawmonkey

Yeah, and see what happened!

Does this mean that the original Kindle can now be used for kindling?

re: #20 Occasional Reader

And now you've descended to "faggot"-bashing... typical of you right-wingers!

It's a real a-font to my sensibilities.

re: #22 FrogMarch

It said NYT bestsellers are $9.99, and in general titles sell for much less than the hardcopy versions.

I don't have the thing, but that's what the video said.

re: #22 FrogMarch

$10.00

I love it, but the asking price is still way too much.
My opinion.

My unicorn's stopping by with mine this afternoon.

re: #22 FrogMarch

How much does it cost to download a book?

10 bucks for a NYT best seller (watching the video demonstration). It wasn't clear if you could save the e-doc as long as you want.

re: #19 bulwrk

As cool as this gizmo sounds I like the texture and smell of an old fashioned book.

I said that before too, but when you think about it- if you only know books, how can you compare? I do like books, but what am I comparing that to?

re: #22 FrogMarch

How much does it cost to download a book?

The books are usually much cheaper than paper versions. For example, Ken Miller's Only a Theory is 45% off.

Here's the thing: I read rapidly so, wouldn't it hold me up to push a button every time I need to advance the text in a way that turning an actual page does not?

OK- I was already sold but this:

Built-in Dictionary with Instant Lookup

is killer.

re: #27 bulwrk

re: #30 turn

ah - thank you.

re: #19 bulwrk

As cool as this gizmo sounds I like the texture and smell of an old fashioned book.

Same here.

GIMME' MY DEAD TREES!

I should read more. Cut's into eating/sleep/LGF time.

LGF is reading though.

re: #28 Irish Rose

I love it, but the asking price is still way too much.
My opinion.

Yes, but it will save so much time at the weekly book burnings...now I will just have to torch up one Kindle and skip all that "bonfire" ballyhoo like before!

/

re: #37 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Dang apostrophes!

When you think about it, it isn't much more expensive than a high-end iPod. The difference is, I was able to add CDs I already owned to my new iPod. I can't exactly add my very large library to a Kindle.

Nevertheless, I want one.

re: #33 MandyManners

Here's the thing: I read rapidly so, wouldn't it hold me up to push a button every time I need to advance the text in a way that turning an actual page does not?

I think you just bush a button to "turn the page". I don't think it's a scroll thing.

It does look cool, but can it play video games?

///

re: #32 Charles

re: #32 Charles

Cool. Thanks. The kindle is certainly a luxury, but if the cost of buying a book is less, it starts to make sense. Plus the obvious bonus of not having to have bulky books.

Does it have a homing device? If I misplace a book I can usually find it easily but, finding this gizmo would take a while.

re: #33 MandyManners

Here's the thing: I read rapidly so, wouldn't it hold me up to push a button every time I need to advance the text in a way that turning an actual page does not?

I would imagine it would be as quick as you get when you press page down on your computer keyboard and you get a whole new screen. Is that fast enough?

Does it take Cliff Notes?

re: #33 MandyManners

Here's the thing: I read rapidly so, wouldn't it hold me up to push a button every time I need to advance the text in a way that turning an actual page does not?

E-readers are different, but not any slower, in the way they turn a page. Plus you get thoroughly used to it.

re: #22 FrogMarch

How much does it cost to download a book?

Do they fax the pages to you one at a time?

re: #41 Sharmuta

I think you just bush a button to "turn the page". I don't think it's a scroll thing.

Still, wouldn't that slow really fast readers?

re: #44 MandyManners

Does it have a homing device? If I misplace a book I can usually find it easily but, finding this gizmo would take a while.

i'd get one if it were waterproof, i'd drop it in the pool and that would be the end of that

re: #44 MandyManners

Does it have a homing device? If I misplace a book I can usually find it easily but, finding this gizmo would take a while.

Why, it's the size of your head?
/

Doesn't it seem like they've limited themselves by using only 16 shades (!) of grayscale with no color available? It seems like that would take all the fun out of books with pictures (travel books, art, architecture, cookbooks, etc).

re: #45 Walter L. Newton

I would imagine it would be as quick as you get when you press page down on your computer keyboard and you get a whole new screen. Is that fast enough?

Isn't there more text on a computer screen than on this device.

re: #33 MandyManners

Here's the thing: I read rapidly so, wouldn't it hold me up to push a button every time I need to advance the text in a way that turning an actual page does not?

What is the kindle version of gaze?

re: #45 Walter L. Newton

I would imagine it would be as quick as you get when you press page down on your computer keyboard and you get a whole new screen. Is that fast enough?

Yeah, actually the page-turning in the video looks faster than turning a physical page. But why the annoying flash of white-on-black before it reverts to black-on-white?

Buzzer's barking again. bbiaw

I assume most people have seen this one...

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

AUSTRALIA has been singled out as a target for "forest jihad" by a group of Islamic extremists urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.

US intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the US, Europe and Russia to "start forest fires", claiming "scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels' forests when they do the same to our lands".

Amazing.

re: #53 MandyManners

Isn't there more text on a computer screen than on this device.

It wouldn't matter. You're reading, you press "page down" or what ever they call the key, blink, new page on screen.

re: #48 debutaunt

Do they fax the pages to you one at a time?

I hope not. Fax machines should be obsolete.

re: #49 MandyManners

Still, wouldn't that slow really fast readers?

One push of a button vs turning a page? I wouldn't think so. I would think it would be the reverse.

re: #57 Killgore Trout

I assume most people have seen this one...

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

Amazing. ablazing

re: #8 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Speaking of kindling:

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

i really wonder how long these fckers think they can get away w/ this kind of evil
before the locals go jihad on them.
torches and pitch forks on their asses.
there is only so much people will take from monsters who commit this kind of horror.
a day of reckoning is on its way.

Kind of ruins the home library I'm sure that thing sitting on a shelf won't look as impressive as walls full of books.

does it feel as good as a book in your hand tho?
and how does it smell?

re: #57 Killgore Trout

I assume most people have seen this one...

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

Amazing.

Living in a fire zone, I can say this is a really good way to get people more angry than afraid.

re: #64 nyc redneck

does it feel as good as a book in your hand tho?
and how does it smell?

I like the smooth paper of a quality book.

I've watched the video demonstration and this thing is way over-rated. You can get something on ebay that does nearly the same thing for $2.25, and it doesn't even need batteries.

[Link: cgi.ebay.com...]

Dammit, I want the thing but $359 is STILL too friggin' high. If they would just bring the price down to $199 or some other deceptive number, I could justify it to the wife. At $359, not so much.

re: #32 Charles

The books are usually much cheaper than paper versions. For example, Ken Miller's Only a Theory is 45% off.

Depends on where you go for the books. $9.99 sounds fine until you actually start looking around. We've been buying more hardbacks recently because we've been able to find them for less than the paperback versions. Add in the coupons, and the Kindle versions may not necessarily be cheaper. Then there's the added cost of the machine itself plus the electricity to run it.

re: #63 bulwrk

Kind of ruins the home library I'm sure that thing sitting on a shelf won't look as impressive as walls full of books.

But a hell of a lot easier to dust?

re: #8 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Speaking of kindling:

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

The entire page of Drudge this morning is the most depressing I've ever seen there. Islamic forest jihads, 10 trillion dollar spending spree that puts a smile on the faces of Lenin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh and Kin Il Sung in their glass coffins, people going cuckoo over something (global warming) that doesn't even exist, Mickey Rourke makes a comeback, youtube videos blaring on flights with in-air wi-fi, and you can't even smoke a joint now to forget about all of this because it gives you ball cancer.

The ends times are near. And that's coming from an atheist. Geesh.

I just hope it doesn't make good old paper and ink books extinct. I doubt this would be something I'd feel safe falling asleep while reading.

re: #57 Killgore Trout

I assume most people have seen this one...

Islam group urges forest fire jihad

Amazing.

When I was in Israel last year, my son (an IDF vet) drove us from Safed to Jerusalem on Highway 90, where he used to perform checkpoint duty. He showed us blackened hillsides of entire JNF forests that had been wiped out. It's especially devastating because of the drought and water shortage.

re: #72 thefallingman

I just hope it doesn't make good old paper and ink books extinct. I doubt this would be something I'd feel safe falling asleep while reading.

Get the sleeping-man-buzzer upgrade.

Amazon seeks to replace paper books with electronic version.

Paper is made from trees.

Jihadists are burning down trees.

FOLLOW THE MONEY!

/

re: #76 Occasional Reader

Amazon seeks to replace paper books with electronic version.

Paper is made from trees.

Jihadists are burning down trees.

FOLLOW THE MONEY!

/

Amazirth!

Going to the bookstore every 2-3 weeks is one of our date nights.
We just browse around, get the ones we're particularly looking for, look and see what they have on sale, etc.
I love those days.

re: #72 thefallingman

I just hope it doesn't make good old paper and ink books extinct. I doubt this would be something I'd feel safe falling asleep while reading.

I think paper and ink are very safe for now. They said paper and ink would die with radio, then TV, and then the home computer. Hasn't happened. There's some sort of satisfaction about turning a page, and being able to take it anywhere, anytime, and put it down and take it up when you want it.

Anyone watching O-Fraud in IN?

re: #74 buzzsawmonkey

You Like to Read All Night ("The Way You Do the Things You Do")
--with apologies to the Temptations

You like to read all night
You know, you should've got a Kindle
It turns books into bytes
It's a good buy, it's not a swindle
It downloads books complete
You know, it works in any room
The way it works is really neat
You know, the memory has lots of room
Well, you could be reading anything
That you wanted to and I can tell
You'll like to read the things you do
(You'll like to read the things you do,
You'll like to read the things you do)

Just don't hit Delete.

I can't believe how expensive that thing is. But I guess it's worth it if "Pages now turn 20% faster on average." Woo-hoo? But the most important question is, does the Kindle automatically censor any negative reviews of books by Pelosi and other Democrats like Amazon.com does?

re: #78 SasquatchOnSteroids

Going to the bookstore every 2-3 weeks is one of our date nights.
We just browse around, get the ones we're particularly looking for, look and see what they have on sale, etc.
I love those days.

I think kindle comes with a built-in Hal voice.

re: #79 Honorary Yooper

Nobody is going to steal my book on the subway... They WILL try and steal my Kindle... LOL

That said, my friend at work has one and it's very cool.

Huh, a little OT here, but interesting nonetheless:

"With the Senate poised to vote Tuesday on an $827-billion version of the economic recovery plan, 62% of U.S. voters want the plan to include more tax cuts and less government spending.
Just 14% would like to move in the opposite direction with more government spending and fewer tax cuts, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Twenty percent (20%) would be happy to pass it pretty much as is, and five percent (5%) are not sure.

Republicans and unaffiliated voters overwhelmingly want to see more tax cuts and less government spending. Democrats are more evenly divided: 42% agree with the Republicans, 32% want to pass the plan as is, and 22% would like to see more government spending and fewer tax cuts. "
[Link: www.rasmussenreports.com...]

Another thought on Kindle: isn't it a little strange that this device has a fairly powerful computer in it, and a cellular transceiver, but it's dedicated to doing not much more than reading books? I mean, you could do the same thing on an iPhone, except the screen would be smaller and more fatiguing to read. Why not just make a bigger iPhone with an eInk screen? Or alternatively, add cellphone functionality and iPhone-like applications to the Kindle? Amazon has already started to blur the line by letting you email yourself documents that you'd like to read on Kindle. Why not let you use it to send email and make phone calls? Will people really want to carry a Kindle and a smart phone around?

the dope of hope

re: #69 Honorary Yooper

Depends on where you go for the books. $9.99 sounds fine until you actually start looking around. We've been buying more hardbacks recently because we've been able to find them for less than the paperback versions. Add in the coupons, and the Kindle versions may not necessarily be cheaper. Then there's the added cost of the machine itself plus the electricity to run it.

And it probably also depends on how "current" you want to be on your reading. I don't worry about being current to much. I like to read, and I can always find something to read, with in my interest at goodwill for a buck.

I really like this thing, I like all of these gadgets, but I do feel it's targeted at the mobile person, business traveling and the such. And of course, marketed at people who would just as well spend 10 dollars for a book and not shop around.

Which is fine, but I have to agree with some of the other Lizards. At this price, it's going to remind a speciality item.

When I do read a book, it is from the library. Listen to 20 novels a year on CD.

is taking questions

re: #92 phoenixgirl

is taking questions

sentence fragment

there is nothing sacred to a jihadi except destruction.

re: #72 thefallingman

I just hope it doesn't make good old paper and ink books extinct. I doubt this would be something I'd feel safe falling asleep while reading.

What? What is it going to do, eat your face while you are sleeping. If you are worried about fire or something, these things work on 5 volts DC or so, and unless you had a battery explode, this is about as safe as you can get.

No more SD card. That makes it well, less than worth it. Once you fill up your 2 gigs worth, it is over. Actually, 1.4 gigs.
No way to remove books from the library to make room for new.

re: #83 debutaunt

I think kindle comes with a built-in Hal voice.

It's very romantic. You could set it to read love sonnets out loud while you sip champagne and gaze into each other's eyes.

re: #79 Honorary Yooper

But I could take a Kindle anywhere, get a new book 24 hours a day in a minute or less, have a dictionary with me when I need to look up a word, the entire book is searchable for key words and phrases, and I can take LGF with me when I head out of the house... There are a lot of pluses with a Kindle that a regular book doesn't have.

Oh great, Helen just asked our perpetual campaigner - Obummer - when they get their money.

---What a joke.

No Helen...your not getting a check-in-the-mail, your street Kommissar gets the check.

Impossible.

There is a Great Great Depression.

People are grazing on grass to survive.

Can you eat a Kindle?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

BBL.

Grass is ready.

re: #83 debutaunt

I think kindle comes with a built-in Hal voice.

I cannot allow you to purchase that John Bolton book, Neo-Con.

Suffering through The One's town hall campaign meeting...

The bill doesn't have any pork because there aren't any earmarks?

I think we've just reached a new depth of cluelessness.

re: #80 tfc3rid

Anyone watching O-Fraud in IN?

He can't seem to turn off campaign mode.

Obummer... this bill doe not have a single earmark.

SEND US OUR CHECKS! OMG

We da people wants our checks.

re: #98 Sharmuta

I wonder if it can stand the vibrations if I'm reading while mowing the lawn.

re: #100 Ben Hur

People are grazing on grass to survive.

No need to bring Michael Phelps into this.

re: #85 realwest

Hi RW. Great link. The real interesting stat is that 42% of the Democrats agree with the Republicans. That's not good news for Obama.

Along those same lines, this article raises the issue of problems with oversight if stimulus money is spent "too quickly".

If spending is swift, oversight may suffer
Effort to jump-start economy could lead to billions lost to fraud, abuse

This whole thing is looking worse and worse.

re: #104 aboo-Hoo-Hoo

Obummer... this bill doe not have a single earmark.

SEND US OUR CHECKS! OMG

O-Fraud is a fucking liar...

re: #96 Wishing

No way to remove books from the library to make room for new.

Seriously? That can't be right. That would be incredibly stupid.

The video says that Amazon backs up any purchases you make. I would assume that would mean you could delete books, and re-load them later. And, if the thing breaks, you've only lost your $359, but not whatever you have spent on books. At least, that would be true until they decide to start charging for the backup service, so that your entire library will instantly evaporate unless you fork over increasingly exorbitant fees.

Now that I think about it, what I might like is a way to buy a regular ink-and-paper book from Amazon, and get the kindle download with it as a free bonus.

re: #105 Iron Fist

Only 2 gigs? WTF is up with that? I bought a cheap MP3 player over the weekend, and it has 8 gig of memory.

And it didn't cost anywhere approaching $300.

its mostly text so memory need is significantly less than say music or pictures.

re: #107 jaunte

I wonder if it can stand the vibrations if I'm reading while mowing the lawn.

It'll be great while driving!

Amazon needs to bring back the SD card slot, dump the keyboard, and bring the swipe method to turn pages, rather then hard buttons. Also, a back-light, and color.

re: #16 Sharmuta

I just wish it came in green.

I'm certain that some after marketeer will soon have "Kindle Covers" out...

i would not like to see books become extinct.

re: #113 opnion

Kindle III with heads-up display!

re: #111 Last Mohican

Seriously? That can't be right. That would be incredibly stupid.

The video says that Amazon backs up any purchases you make. I would assume that would mean you could delete books, and re-load them later. And, if the thing breaks, you've only lost your $359, but not whatever you have spent on books. At least, that would be true until they decide to start charging for the backup service, so that your entire library will instantly evaporate unless you fork over increasingly exorbitant fees.

Now that I think about it, what I might like is a way to buy a regular ink-and-paper book from Amazon, and get the kindle download with it as a free bonus.

you can remove books from your Kindle no problem

re: #115 Thanos

I'm certain that some after marketeer will soon have "Kindle Covers" out...

Nowadays the kids call them "skins," right?

You know what this means? Lots of cheap kindle 1 on ebay.

re: #117 jaunte

Kindle III with heads-up display!

Perfect

BTW, for tech lovers, I am hooked on the Brain Age games for the Nintendo DS Lite.

re: #105 Iron Fist

Only 2 gigs? WTF is up with that? I bought a cheap MP3 player over the weekend, and it has 8 gig of memory.

And it didn't cost anywhere approaching $300.

Kindle 1 allowed for SD cards, which would make it more user-friendly. I agree with you, it would take them NOTHING to really equip this Kindle 2, and they didn't.

re: #110 tfc3rid

O-Fraud is a fucking liar...

Are you watching this? I'm not believing it.

Nothing about taking an added SD card. Only mention of storage is internal.

Amazon does not do a good job of mentioned features. Charles says it has a browser. Charles says the Kindle 1 too an SD card, does this on.

I noticed this a long time ago when the first model came out. Not enough info on the actual features, ports, interfacing, the technical stuff that I usually am interested in.

re: #111 Last Mohican

Seriously? That can't be right. That would be incredibly stupid.

The video says that Amazon backs up any purchases you make. I would assume that would mean you could delete books, and re-load them later. And, if the thing breaks, you've only lost your $359, but not whatever you have spent on books. At least, that would be true until they decide to start charging for the backup service, so that your entire library will instantly evaporate unless you fork over increasingly exorbitant fees.

Now that I think about it, what I might like is a way to buy a regular ink-and-paper book from Amazon, and get the kindle download with it as a free bonus.

Once you fill the allotted 1.4 Gigs, that is it. No way to add more memory, no way to delete what is on there.
Not ready for prime time, imo.

re: #123 Wishing

Kindle 1 allowed for SD cards, which would make it more user-friendly. I agree with you, it would take them NOTHING to really equip this Kindle 2, and they didn't.

This only supports my fear that Amazon is planning to charge a fee for maintaining backups of your library after the first year or two.

Of course, they could accomplish the same thing by adding expiration dates to their Kindle files, so that you can only read a book for a year before it locks up and requires another payment to re-open.

I've never seen real books that do that. Except at Hogwarts Academy.

Obama's demand that Republicans fall into line has everything to do with political cover, and nothing to do with his need for GOP votes. He doesn't need GOP votes to pass this, or anything else he wants.

re: #124 aboo-Hoo-Hoo

Are you watching this? I'm not believing it.

What is he saying?

re: #124 aboo-Hoo-Hoo

Are you watching this? I'm not believing it.

I'm not... I'm very curious about this dog and pony show... I am certain the questions were well vetted...

re: #79 Honorary Yooper

I think paper and ink are very safe for now. They said paper and ink would die with radio, then TV, and then the home computer. Hasn't happened. There's some sort of satisfaction about turning a page, and being able to take it anywhere, anytime, and put it down and take it up when you want it.

Agreed. I feel very strongly about books as physical objects. When my kids were little, I considered defacing a book a major offense. I even have a hard time marking up cheap paperbacks while studying. A used book with notes and highlights is just painful to me.

/Yeah, I know it's weird.

re: #128 quickjustice

Obama's demand that Republicans fall into line has everything to do with political cover, and nothing to do with his need for GOP votes. He doesn't need GOP votes to pass this, or anything else he wants.

He wants to cover his ass so when it explodes, he can say the Republicans were behind it as well.

It's a townhall.

People want their checks.

A few of his people screwed-up, Obama takes the blame.

re: #131 doppelganglander

/Yeah, I know it's weird.

Not from my point of view! Feel the same way.

Listening now on FNC on XM Radio... Wow... Must be a Dem crowd...

Lots of applause...

'HIGHEST STANDARD EVER FOR LOBBYISTS...'

re: #131 doppelganglander

When my kids were little, I considered defacing a book a major offense.

Is this you?

re: #107 jaunte

I wonder if it can stand the vibrations if I'm reading while mowing the lawn.

I don't know, but it might be better for reading while on a treadmill or exercise bike.

re: #136 tfc3rid

Listening now on FNC on XM Radio... Wow... Must be a Dem crowd...

Lots of applause...

'HIGHEST STANDARD EVER FOR LOBBYISTS...'

Union town

Mentioning Sean Hannity again...

re: #136 tfc3rid

Listening now on FNC on XM Radio... Wow... Must be a Dem crowd...

Lots of applause...

'HIGHEST STANDARD EVER FOR LOBBYISTS...'

As in they require more kickback

re: #129 opnion

What is he saying?

Let me guess:

The stakes are high. If we do not immediately spend $50 billion on researching the mating habits of the Tasmanian tree sloth, the entire financial infrastructure of the world will disintegrate forever, and we will all die horrible deaths within two weeks.

re: #140 tfc3rid

Mentioning Sean Hannity again...

Its almost like he is trying to deflect attention to his detractors rather than answer questions as to how he will deal with the problems. I wonder why that is?

/

Ahhh... Green Revolution question...

A tee-up question on Green jobs...

re: #136 tfc3rid

Listening now on FNC on XM Radio... Wow... Must be a Dem crowd...

Lots of applause...

'HIGHEST STANDARD EVER FOR LOBBYISTS...'

I know this has been posted (some time back) but if you haven't seen it, it's a hoot (and on target for this lobbyist stuff Obama's trying to pull):

Iowahawk

re: #138 doppelganglander

I don't know, but it might be better for reading while on a treadmill or exercise bike.

Be grateful you're not exercising next to this guy:

Cycle of Violence [Mark Steyn]

This chap may be taking the famously Arabist inclinations of the British Foreign Office a wee bit too far:

A high-ranking diplomat at the Foreign Office has been arrested after allegations that he launched a foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade.

Middle East expert Rowan Laxton, 47, was watching TV reports of the Israeli attack on Gaza as he used an exercise bike in a gym.

Stunned staff and gym members allegedly heard him shout: 'F**king Israelis, f**king Jews'. It is alleged he also said Israeli soldiers should be 'wiped off the face of the earth'.

Don't worry. In a spirit of diplomatic compromise, he'd be willing to hammer out an agreement for a phased wipe-out of only half of them off the face of the earth.

Obama just said something amazing at his town hall meeting regarding the questionable nominees with tax problems. "I think these were honest mistakes, and I made sure they were honest mistakes beforehand."."

So he knew they had "issues" before he nominated them?!

re: #128 quickjustice

Obama's demand that Republicans fall into line has everything to do with political cover, and nothing to do with his need for GOP votes. He doesn't need GOP votes to pass this, or anything else he wants.

Correct.

If this works, I get the credit

If it blows up, you get the blame.

Let's pray the Republicans have better sense

re: #149 Iron Fist

"I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Hey, that's how I feel about my Glock!

;-)

re: #130 tfc3rid

I'm not... I'm very curious about this dog and pony show... I am certain the questions were well vetted...

This is one of those times when one cannot help but remember where the expression dog & pony show came from.

God help us.

ow...ow...ow...ow...inflated

re: #115 Thanos

I'm certain that some after marketeer will soon have "Kindle Covers" out...

If you scroll down- there are already Kindle covers, but none in green. I will make my own.

Printing the NY Times costs twice as much as sending every subscriber a free Kindle

The thing is - these devices have a lot of utility, but for many the cost is a negative. For the same money, I can get a netbook PC, do all the basic PC needs on it, listen to books via Audible or read via eBooks, and do so with a device that has a 10" screen and 3lbs weight.

For these devices to take off, newspapers and magazines need to embrace electronic distribution and effectively subsidize the prices of these devices to eliminate the cost as a barrier. According to the Kindle page, a monthly sub to most newspapers is only $1.99. This makes this far more attractive than books in my opinion. Granted it will not help with the fundamental problem of newpapers - that of lousy content - this will help papers tackle the distribution costs and challenges that they face.

re: #150 buzzsawmonkey

Goddess, I think you have the wrong link.

The Mark Steyn blub is further down the page--sorry for the confusion!

re: #152 unreconstructed rebel

God help us.

...and please make it real damned quick.

re: #32 Charles

This seems to be a fabulous gadget, the only reason I can think of why it is not more out there is the name. Not remotely catchy enough to kindle some kind of imagination.
That name sounds like Edsel, they should call it the "Phenom Reader" or "Phantom Reader" in short a PR , something along those lines will make it more likely to fly off the shelves.

CNN is at it again... confused kid or teen terrorist...

Omar Khadr begged them to do it.

"Kill me," he said. "Please, kill me."
Omar Khadr, is shown here in his early teens, when he was first accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.

Omar Khadr, is shown here in his early teens, when he was first accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.

The men looming over the bullet-riddled 15-year-old were stunned. How was he still alive? The Special Forces unit had fired several rounds into him, shooting where a grenade had been thrown that mortally wounded their medic, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer.

The air in the Afghan compound, which had been blown to bits, was a thick fog of dust. Hearts pumped from the adrenaline of a firefight. Speer was immediately choppered away. The 28-year-old father of two would die 10 days later.

The wounded teen, whose parents once lived with Osama bin Laden, was patched up and flown away too, headed for questioning at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. He would become one of Guantanamo Bay's most controversial detainees.

Khadr, now 22, is the youngest inmate and, as a Canadian citizen, the only Westerner still held at Gitmo. He is accused of receiving one-on-one training from al Qaeda and was allegedly caught on a surveillance video making and planting roadside bombs where U.S. troops traveled -- video the Pentagon will not release.

[deleted]

re: #155 Athos

Printing the NY Times costs twice as much as sending every subscriber a free Kindle

Granted it will not help with the fundamental problem of newpapers - that of lousy content - this will help papers tackle the distribution costs and challenges that they face.

But what will we line birdcages and puppy crates with?

I heard just now o-Fraud call this a 'Recovery and Reimvestment' Package...

I can't stand this guy...

All I can say is I can buy a lot of books for 360 bucks.

But the tech is way cool, there's no doubt.

I'll wait for someone to give me one.

O/T: Lizard hunt in south, central Texas.

Maybe they should look right in San Antonio...

re: #163 Cato the Elder

All I can say is I can buy a lot of books for 360 bucks.

But the tech is way cool, there's no doubt.

I'll wait for someone to give me one.

If we estimate the average price of a book at $10.00, my Kindle 1 has already paid for itself.

Someone mentioned on a thread yesterday about the sometimes stupid, and in this case lethal ;) 'recommendations' that Amazon has for you if you buy from them. I have had a lot of really funny ones that escape logic, but this one, that I just had? It had me laughing and shaking my head in dis-belief at the same time!

Seventh Generation Liquid Laundry 2x Ultra Concentrate, Free & Clear, 32-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6)
by Seventh Generation (Aug 25, 2008)

See all 13 customer reviews...
(13)
In Stock
Price: $32.91
2 used & new from $32.91

Recommended because you purchased Kashi GOLEAN Crunch! Cereal, 15-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6) (Fix this)

/After much deep thought, I decided that I would stick with skim milk, and forego the bleach.

re: #52 Last Mohican

Doesn't it seem like they've limited themselves by using only 16 shades (!) of grayscale with no color available? It seems like that would take all the fun out of books with pictures (travel books, art, architecture, cookbooks, etc).

Unfortunately, I think that's the state of the technology today. This is e-paper, the sort of thing where each "pixel" consists of a tiny, tiny, tiny ball with black on one side and white on the other that is adjusted by hitting it with current. To do color that gives justice to photographs and art books, you'd need thousands, even millions of shades of each color for it to be other than disappointing. If you tried to do 16 shades of each color, it would be neat for illustrations, pie-charts, and stuff... but that'd be about it.

But, you're right... I'd love to have full color on one of these e-book reader things, too. Maybe in a decade or so... :-%P%

re: #167 NomadOfNorad

But, you're right... I'd love to have full color on one of these e-book reader things, too. Maybe in a decade or so... :-%P%

A lot sooner than that:

[Link: www.engadget.com...]

re: #131 doppelganglander

Agreed. I feel very strongly about books as physical objects. When my kids were little, I considered defacing a book a major offense. I even have a hard time marking up cheap paperbacks while studying. A used book with notes and highlights is just painful to me.

/Yeah, I know it's weird.

I'm like you, I never wanted to mark up my textbooks, either...

And one time, an instructor wanted us to correct a printing mistake in the book which the publishers had notified them of. I refused to do even THAT, and it drove her nuts. :D

I don't buy that many books.
I just looked up a few that I WAS considering buying in the near future. The Kindle store doesn't have them.
Yet.
I don't want to read newspapers or magazines on it.

BUT I STILL WANT ONE!

But golly gee Batman, that's a lotta geetis.

Sigh.
Pout.
Close out Amazon.com page.

re: #132 buzzsawmonkey

Everybody sing!

How do I know my money's all spent?
I just watch the growth of new entitlements
The bankers, car builders, bankrupt mortgagees
The government throwing 'round cash as they please

Each morning I wake up and hear a new vote
The Congress building the debt bloat upon bloat
There's hardly a business that I have seen yet
That isn't in line for the cash it will get

How do I know my money's all spent?
I just watch the growth of new entitlements
The bankers, car builders, bankrupt mortgagees
The government throwing 'round cash as they please

On top of this mad spree, as you're all aware
Obama has promised us cost-free health care
But how we will pay for it nobody knows
Consid'ring how quickly the cash we have goes

How do I know my money's all spent?
I just watch the growth of new entitlements
The bankers, car builders, bankrupt mortgagees
The government throwing 'round cash as they please

Perhaps Barack thinks he can fund things when he
Starts gutting the cost of the military
But whatever he saves will fast go down the drain
When jihadis attack our nation again

How do I know my money's all spent?
I just watch the growth of new entitlements
The bankers, car builders, bankrupt mortgagees
The government throwing 'round cash as they please

I wish the Republicans all would stand firm
Instead of some turning like a craven worm
Here's hoping that next time election rolls round
A few candidates with some backbone are found

How do I know my money's all spent?
I just watch the growth of new entitlements
The bankers, car builders, bankrupt mortgagees
The government throwing 'round cash as they please

We have GOTTA set this one to music and distribute it! Muahahahahaha!

re: #168 Charles

A lot sooner than that:

[Link: www.engadget.com...]

It talks about there being a color display, but they don't have a picture of anything except the black-and-white one. Unless that on the right is the color one, and that one doesn't really look like it's in color to me either, other than maybe having a bit of a brownish tinge to the seemingly greyscale photograph.

re: #172 NomadOfNorad

Okay, I take it back, looking at the last picture, the close-up, on that Chinese-language edition of Endgadget linked to on that page, I DO see color in there... just not very much IN the picture is in color. Hehe...

It sounds great, but I wish there were an actual place to see one and hold one in my very own hands.

Why doesn't Apple make something like this? Or a really small computer? (Larger than an iPhone.)

Can I put .pdf files on it?

re: #176 Steve Rogers

Can I put .pdf files on it?

Yep:

[Link: thekindle.wordpress.com...]

I pre-ordered one this morning. I'm curious and excited to see what it's all about. Looks and sounds like it's pretty slick.

Pay the mortgage, or buy a Kindle?
Pay the mortgage, or buy a Kindle?

I just can't decide.

Just found out that the Kindle 2 does NOT have a slot for an SD card. But they've boosted the built-in memory by 7x, so it's not much of an issue.

I am definitely buying this puppy. I have a lot of free time at work but the rules don't allow me to browse, for instance, LGF. There are some 1500 blogs you can subscribe to including this one. There is a subscription cost to that which I am wondering if its an annual thing or one time. They seem to go for .99 to 1.99. Even so, Surf Control will be spinning its wheels while I ride my Kindle. Its worth while to watch the little Kindle video. It answers a lot of questions. I agree that this feels like a $200 item to me. My second reason to get it is to eliminate the large piles of books I have all around the place. I am probably buying and reading 50 books a year and I don't have much storage.

Kindle-illuminate, Light as in a fire

I really do like it, but I can see no reason to pay Amazon.com $359 so that I can spend even more money buying books from Amazon.com at a 'slight' discount. They need to lower the price of the Kindle by at least half to get my money.

re: #183 sparky

Agreed. I can't see having to spend nearly $400 for a Kindle and then more on top to buy the books--and a fairly limited selection of books at that. You can get quite a number of used and remainder books for that kind of money.

re: #183 sparky

I could not agree with you more.

Just think how much money they would make on Kindle books and subscriptions if the thing only cost 99 dollars!

Where are the marketing people?

We need to talk.

;-)

$360... plus an average $10 more for the book text O_O

and i thought paying $14.99 for an actual book was getting a tad expensive

yikes!