You know as a young pup I always wanted a special gift...watching it on the RCA on Saturday morning during Jonny Quest...was almost too much to bear as I dreamed of this plastic spring loaded very loud manifestation of American industrial might...
...There was a lot to like about Jonny Quest...heck Jonny had a cool dog...I mean, who wouldn't want to have a dog named "Bandit"...and a buddy named "Hadji"...shaping our little Ovaltine laced brains to look ahead to multi-culturalism...and his dad was a silver haired scientist Dr. Benton Quest with a personal bodyguard...WOW!...named Race Bannon...seriously...I still knew all of their names nearly 45 years later...although I can't remember what I had for dinner last night......anyway...so I asked Santa for a Kindle this year....since I didn't get it for my birthday...sniffle...but hidden in a big box with a couple of bricks and a ton of newspaper...sneaky ole Santa!....was a small brown cardboard box with this key to the knowledge of the world...or at least Amazon's version of the world...holding a Kindle!....how cool...
...for the sixteen of you in the world who have not heard of the Kindle...it is Amazon's E-Book...what's Amazon?...if I need to explain that you should probably stop reading now and return to your Guideposts and Readers Digest...anyway...the Kindle is an electronic book that downloads automatically books, mazagines, newspapers and other reading material to a very slender and lightweight device about the size of a small journal...
...now speaking as an aspiring bibliophile I initially was pretty skeptical of products such as the Kindle...as there really is nothing like the feel of a well worn leather bound volume in your hands...and I have frequently said that only two things tend to look better with age...leather and wood...and a vintage text is just beautiful and historic and exciting all at one moment...so you have to understand I tread towards the Kindle somewhat lightly...
...but a few months ago at my cousin Linda's house I picked up her Kindle sitting on the living room table...thinking it was some sort of a small logbook or journal...and was pleasantly surprised by its feel and possibilities...
...so I promptly downloaded several items and got cracking on this newfangled form of reading...the early verdict?...here are some observations...
*The wireless connection is amazing...easier to use than any cellphone or laptop...
*Trying out products for 2 weeks free or getting extended samples of book is brilliant...and a great marketing technique...
*Not being distracted by ads when reading a newspaper is wonderful...I had never thought about this until experiencing it...
*It is very simple to use and easy to read...even with old man eyes...and an old man brain...
*Navigating through the newspaper section is easier than I would have supposed...with a section guide that lays it out with the number of articles in a section...
*Reading in bed is as easy as reading a book...I would have thought there was a built in light but when I tried it a soft reading lamp worked just find...and when I fall asleep and it hits me in the face it doesn't hurt nearly as much as a book...
...so at this point I have to give it 4 stars...well done Amazon!...
....and what was the special gift of my youth?...that I never got?...
...maybe next year!
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Questionable advancements thanks to Apple
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