Not so Fast

You know how technology is basically ruining all of our lives? Wait, what?

You know what I mean. Companies are constantly trying to alter how we do something. Sometimes it’s for the better and sometimes it isn’t. And sometimes we humans resist the change with all of our might.

There are apps for just about everything. You can just about avoid stepping foot into any brick and mortar establishment. Heck, if you work from home you could be a hermit and have everything else delivered to you via drone. Okay, not just yet.

Well Pew has once again released its findings regarding our reading habits. Though more people are reading on smartphones and tablets, the overwhelming majority are still reading on the good ol paper. I guess we like having to adjust our reading based on the available lighting. Ha!
Take that, technology! You can’t win them all!

On Kindle

The Kindle has come a long way since it first debuted nearly a decade ago. And Amazon keeps making it better. But seeing is believing, not just reading about it.

Recently I happened upon a co-worker reading in the break room at work. I saw him reading on a new Kindle. I asked which model it was because it looked nice. He said the $79 one, which is the regular Kindle. Now I know I’ve said I’m trading mine back in because I just don’t use it, but his device was great. I mean, I didn’t expect the base model to appear so advanced. The text is so much more clear than mine. The screen is much easier on the eyes. And it appeared about as thin as a strand of hair.

And of course Amazon just announced their newest edition. All this is simply to say that the “regular” Kindle is a great device, so I can’t imagine how superb the more advanced models are.

PS: Still not using mine or buying a new one.

Who Wants a Kindle?

Guys, I’ve had a Kindle since 2010 or 2011. I took a friend of mine to Six Flags for her birthday (four hours away) and she reciprocated by buying me a Kindle for my next birthday. And we stopped talking completely the following year. Eh. Friendships.

Anyway, I wouldn’t have a Kindle device if one wasn’t given to me as a gift. Just because I always prefer print over eBook. And now I think it’s time to give it to someone who will actually put it to good use.

I have a Kindle Keyboard with free wireless. You don’t need to connect it to your WiFi to download books. Just turn wireless on on the device and you can download books instantly. I also have the original charger and two cases. One case is leather and straps the Kindle inside, and the other is really just an additional later of protection should you drop it. I’ve never dropped it. And you can use both cases at once. The reasoning behind this is that I never liked reading with the Kindle hooked into the leather case. So I use the leather case when the Kindle is not in use and the rubber one when I’m reading.

The Kindle Keyboard does NOT have a browser or touchscreen. It doesn’t have a backlight. But it does get the job done for someone who only needs it for reading purposes. And who has adequate light around them.

I’ve never once had any issue with it. No charging failures. No display problems. No button issues.

I’m asking $50 for the Kindle and the two cases that I think work well together. I’ll pay shipping.

If you decide you don’t want it after buying you can send it back to me within 30 days. YOU cover the shipping charge. Guys, I can sell it back to Amazon just as easily as I’m selling it to you. Payment would be made through PayPal.

   

 

So, does anyone need a Kindle to be used strictly for reading?

New Clean Reader App Removes “Offensive Language” From Your Books

Most books I read have some cussing. Not pages and pages of it, but some. Well (if you don’t like characters cussing) you no longer have to read those words. You know the ones I’m talking about. There’s a new app called Clean Reader that essentially barricades you from cuss words in your books. And it’s easy to use. All you do is download the app and set your settings based on how much or how little you want the language to be changed. Oh, the app isn’t only for cussing. It covers A LOT of different words and phrases and is constantly adding more.

But you have to purchase the books through the app. So you can’t read on your Kindle, Nook, and I’m not sure what the app is like on iPhones and iPads.

I understand that some people don’t like “offensive language” in their reading, but I’m not a fan of this. How many rounds of edits and rewrites did it take for the book to reach its final state? Plenty. And all along the way the language could have been changed but wasn’t. I just don’t think an author’s work should be changed (drastically, in some cases) without his or her permission to cater to some reader. If you really don’t like the language THEN DON’T READ THE BOOK. How hard is that?

Anyway, what do you think of an app that essentially censors books? I hope it fails miserably.

You can read more about the app here. It is available in the App Store and Google Play. I won’t be linking to it.

---

On this day in 2014 I published What’s That one Series of Books you Won’t Forget?.