So, while I was on 'hiatus' (sounds like I'm a struggling TV show), I got my Kindle. Last year, when Oprah told us all to buy one if we could afford it, I saved my pennies and was finally able to order myself one in December. By the time I tried to buy mine, they were on backorder for months. I was quite excited when it finally arrived in March.And my verdict?
I have to say...I'm underwhelmed. I mean, it's a supercool toy. Definitely. It's light and easy to tote around. But it's weird for me to read without a) page numbers and b) the ability to flip back and forth through a book. There have been a couple times I've wanted to rifle through pages to find something I'd already read and it was really difficult to find. Plus, the downloads are $9.99 or more so it doesn't feel like a huge money saver. I usually trade great books with friends to save moolah, and that isn't an option with the Kindle. And on top of it all, a couple books I was interested in aren't yet available in Kindle format. I'm a party pooper, I know.
However...I have to say - to all you singles, looking for a man...GET A KINDLE ASAP. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Actually, you should collect $200 because the electronic reader is quite expensive. Everytime I use mine in public, I have men approaching to ask me questions about it. I finally know how it feels to be the belle of the ball. Thank you Amazon.com and Oprah.
Jim said he's secure enough in our relationship that he's not intimidated by all the attention my new gadget brings. What a man.
In other news - Oprah is campaigning for Chicago to be home to the 2016 Olympics. She helped our President get elected, so surely she can get the IOC to come to the Windy City in spite of our recent political scandals. What do you think? Can Oprah put the O in Olympics? (Yeah, that doesn't make a lick of sense, does it? It sounds good, but when you interpret it, it doesn't work at all.)
One last thing...this headline in The Onion made me think of all our talk about Oprah's use of the word "vajayjay" and other cutesy words instead of anatomical terms. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend y'all!
xo
LO
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18 comments:
The part about getting a man was really funny. I personally think that the Kindle is more of a cool gadget for show off purposes than something I'd want to use. Plus what if you spill your coffee/drink on it...it isn't like a disposable newspaper.
I hope the magazine, paper and book are never replaced. I love flipping pages.
I could never being myself to use a Kindle. I'm sure it's great for traveling, but I love the FEEL of a book between my hands. However, if I wasn't married I'd probably run out and get one ASAP!
T. I ended up having to also a purchase a cover for it (and I put all of that inside a plastic bag!) because I'm scared to ruin it!
LMB and Angie, Yes yes yes - it totally lacks that terrific tactility (is that a word?) of a book. The delight in cracking a binding, the surge of emotion that comes when you're nearing the end of a book's pages, even closing a great novel after reading it. Plus, I know it's dorky, but I really like the wear and tear on a book. It's like putting a mark on it...it holds the history of your experience with it in that way. The Kindle? No history, just a thumb cramp from hitting the 'next page' button.
But seriously - the guys are totally fascinated with it.
xo
LO
Oh I'm so excited when I hit my Google home page and there's a new comment under LO!!!! So I must chime in on Kindle topic as that was the first time I was ever brave enough to write anyway!
I have a friend who is completely addicted to her Kindle, loves it totally and completely...but she is kind of a techy geek too. Anyway she told me about "Public Domain" books which I guess you can download for free?! Have you looked into that at all yet? I'll get the addresses she visits and send them on to you LO. It might be a wonderful way to save money and connect with some great past literature. I'll have to ask her about the guy magnet thing!
Unfortunately I think this is our future and we'd best learn to embrace it. I too love the feel of a book,the smell, the papers texture and the wear on the cover.. proving our love.
Staring at a screen all day is not easy on the eyes, but we must admit it makes sense in the long run. Think of the trees we'll save *sigh*.
Even our newspaper here in Ann Arbor is folding and will no longer print, but will be available on line.
I for one have great memories of fighting over the Sunday Comics section with my father (still do, to this day when we're together on a Sunday) and I don't know about the rest of you but there is nothing like a Sunday paper and all the pretty ads to flip thru while you enjoy a leisurely breakfast.
Clicking at a lap top will not be the same. BUT! who knows maybe books and newspapers will come back down the road as a "Nostalgia" item *heavy sigh*, like record players, Monkee's reruns and the like.
Time marches on ladies, enjoy what we have while we have it!
Peace all
Paula in Ann Arbor
To me, there is nothing that will replace the actual book. Books have personality in the weight of the paper, size of the pages, size and choice of font, spacing of the font and text on a page, cover art, and even the scent of the ink on the paper (in a new book, old books sometimes have yucky smoker's scents...but even that is personality!).
I love to hold a book for just a minute before I open it. I love to smell a brand new book. I love to see if a lender has left a bookmark in it if it's a library book.
A Kindle is just a gadget with too many limitations to me. Something that was created to fit into a market that was created. Pocket PCs can download books as well, and you aren't limited to the selection of Amazon. It seems to me that a Kindle is just another thing that the media wants people to own. IMHO.
LO, I'm so glad you're blogging again!
I apologize that this is going to be off-topic, but as I caught the 11pm reruns (God it's great to live in Chicago where Oprah airs 2x per day!) of Oprah from the last two days where talking to girls about sex was the main topic, I wondered what you thought of those shows.
Personally, I thought they were two of the best Oprah shows I've seen. Granted, Friday was just a few minutes of follow-up, but the topic was still discussed quite a bit.
I agree with Laura Berman 100% that girls need to be educated completely about sex and I loved her advice about teaching teenage (14-16 yo) girls about self-stimulation and orgasms so they're not swept away and completely caught in the moment and thinking only a boy can make them feel that good.
I've been pondering writing about it over at LMS, but was curious what you thought.
I miss your insights too... i've never commented before, but wanted to say something now. have u ever tried to make some money with your blog? On Oprah show in early April sometime, a blogger @ dooce.com was saying she makes 40k monthly with the web advertisements on her site. I was shocked at that so i had to look at her site... It was sooo boring and not entertaining at all to me but what do i know(i only have one kid)? Anyway, I loved your blog and hope your book does well.
Can you highlight sections of text or make notes on a Kindle? Just wondering if it has a text book application. It would be great if students only had to spend $10 on their textbooks (granted the intial Kindle price is steep but so are new books each semester).
LO, I miss you. :( Glad to hear these check ins.
I live in Chicago, and re: the Olympics: I wish Oprah would shut her yap. The huge tax increase we will suffer, while still rolling over gazillions of potholes, won't faze the talkshow queen, because she won't notice the huge tax bill. Us small folk will.
IOC: Do Not Bring the Olympics to Chicago.
I just can't get into the electronic book thing. I like to hold a book. Plus I like to read till I fall asleep and I am pretty sure I would break one of those things.
I always (ALWAYS) read the last page of a book at some point after I've read the beginning and know the characters, so I don't think I would like the Kindle. $10 downloads hardly sounds like a bargain.
I'm all for having the Olympics in Chicago. I think the Olympics will be great for the worldwide profile of our city as we look into the long term future. I hope Oprah can help with the cause, but I think there are many other factors that will go into the winning bid that are not related to celebrity.
Did you see the Dr. Berman appearance on Oprah last week? She wants us moms to get our older teenaged daughters vibrators. Um... no thanks. I won't be doing that.
I'm curious about the kindle, but not $200 curious. I'd much rather have an iTouch.... I got R. one of those for Xmas and it's wicked cool.
Seriously though I like books way too much to be stuck with an electronic version. Not to mention the fact, my thumb cramps up even when I text too much.
PS... I merged 4 of the old blogs I had going into a big new shiny blog. I was feeling a bit schizo by seperating my various hats into seperate blogs.
I need to chime in, I actually own a Kindle. I bought one because I can't hold a book anymore. Due to medication side effects(thank you Human Growth Hormone)my hands and underarms have become numb and painful.
Books have always been my passion, I can't throw them away or even lend them to friends. Not to be able to read anymore because I couldn't hold them anymore was devastating.
So I tried the Kindle. it's light weight, easy to push the page forward and back buttons, the small up and down knob not so user friendly. It's tiny, for people like me or older people with arthritic hands this might be a nightmare. The buttons to type something are really tiny as well. But other than that it does the job. I can read most books, note that I write 'most'. Non-fiction books with graphs or images in it containing tests or so are not readable at all. I also tried a subscription for a newspaper but that really was a disappointment as well.
I purchased Judith Orloff's book 'Emotional Freedom' and to my disappointment I could not read and take the tests she has in her book. All images are printed in grayscale and get really fuzzy when there's text in an image. I complained, but there's no solution other than return the book and get your money back.
I bought a skin for my kindle, it's a kind of vinyl coating that can be removed again and they have some pretty designs. Not that the Kindle isn't pretty enough but it makes the buttons stand out more. And I put that in a cover. I'm afraid I'll drop it and break it.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it, I do admit I do not have the same emotional attachment to the books on my Kindle that I have with a book with a beautiful cover and nice typography and I do miss that.
One thing that really bugs me is the nasty scary pictures they used to prevent the screen from burning in, kind of screensavers. I find them scary looking and depressing, not one of them looks happy to be there and every time I pick the Kindle up I get that same depressing feeling. Really Amazon, wasn't there some there more happy images that you could have used to stimulate reading?
LO, I've missed you! I didn't get the message that you were back, but I popped in as I do monthly, "just in case." Woohoo, you were here!
I love the link to the Onion. So hilarious! Especially about her getting her "doctorate in lady parts." Thanks for the laugh!
I don't have a Kindle, and I'm taken, but I have a friend who's single and looking. I'll let her know what you said about it; maybe she'll pick one (or the other) up. :>)
DM, tell your single gal pal the Kindle is a man magnet! But a new outfit that makes her feel like a million bucks and makes her confident can be A LOT cheaper than the gadget.
Tink! I'm having trouble with images in one book I downloaded too. That's good to hear I can at least get a refund. I'm glad you're making good use of it and that it's allowing you to read when physically you might not be able to. I have the same issue when it comes to carrying heavy weight (because of spinal trouble). I'm happy I can carry my reading material around now. OMG - I TOTALLY AGREE about some of those images! Who on earth decided to allow the image of Emily Dickinson?? That gives me the major nightmares. I hate seeing it right before I go to bed.
HofPaula. Cool beans about your blogs. That's smart. How on earth did you do that? I've become so tech stupid, I can't figure that out!
Iamsusie, no visits with your daughter to the Pleasure Chest in chicago? I can totally respect Berman's message, but I would have died had my mom bought me a vibrator. Although, I guess that is the point - for girls not to have shame when it comes to sex and their bodies. Still...
Celia, I'm waiting to break mine. I promise it'll happen. I just dropped my laptop on the floor and it barely survived...the Kindle is sure to be next!
EB, wait - I didn't think of that. Will that be our tax dollars for sure? OY!
American Girl - Yes, you can - but it's clunky and hard to do/read/revisit IMO. Still, if one were used to it, I think it'd get easier. They keyboard is slow and hard to use, though!
Hey Anon, I don't know what to do. I'm so torn. On one hand I could actually afford to continue the blog (maybe I wouldn't teach as much) if I did advertising...but on the other hand, I'd feel so lousy filling the site up with banner ads and links and such. I wouldn't want you guys to run screaming from it...AND I also do a lot of speculating about how advertising impacts Oprah's message to us...what would it say if I did the same thing? I'm so on the fence about this. Maybe I'll talk about it in my next post and get some feedback from the gang. Thanks for your support and advice! xo
LMS, this is a hard one. I don't have kids, so it's easy for me to say I think girls should have as much education as possible and should masturbate to their hearts content and not feel guilty or dirty about it. But, I don't have fear surrounding my own child when it comes to the downsides and dangers of being too casual when it comes to sex. I have to respect moms who don't want to buy their girls vibrators...but then I think I'm not so sure what the harm would be. BUT I must reiterate: MOM, PLEASE DO NOT BUY ME A VIBRATOR. Not only would I be embarrassed but I'd never be able to use it because I'd always think "this is the vibrator my mom bought me." Not so sexy.
Robin, I'm with you sister. Plus, the Kindle only seems to read Amazon.com books, so it's a bit of a racket.
Ann Arbor Paula, Hiya! I agree with you, too...I think that books are making their exit and everything will be electronic at some point. How depressing is THAT. After 15 years of trying to get my work published, I get a book contract as books are on the decline. And irony of all ironies, I have to buy the device that will help kill the book business.
Have a great day, y'all. I'm at a new cafe writing today and the people watching is so amazing, I might have to return to my old place. I'm not getting anything done with all the entertainment around me!
xo
LO
lo-- re: the "vajayjay" and onion headline--reminds me of a gyne i used to see who was fresh out of med school, looked like a cheerleader, had a voice pitch higher than kristin chenoweth's, and she kept referring to my nether-parts as "down there." and i thought, "you're a *gynecologist*?!!!!"
LO -
I am getting a Kindle and can't wait! I have finally convinced my husband to buy me one for Mother's Day. My SIL is also getting one - so we are buying them on the same account. This way - if I buy a book - she can access it too since they are on the same account. We figure we would get "more bang for our buck" that way! I am interested in the free domain websites that anonymous posted. Can you post them if you get them?
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