steven n fettig's Jitterin' Thoughts

Around Thanksgiving in 2007, I posted some thoughts on Amazon's ebook reader, the Kindle. When I originally ordered the device, I thought it would hit a sweet spot in the arena of reading-on-the-road despite reservations I and others had about the 'you are locked into our system' nature of the service. As we are finally beginning to see, DRM (digital rights management), the most glaring issue I have with the Kindle, is a subject not to be taken lightly. The music recording and distribution industry had steadfastly refused to allow consumers to purchase their products without being locked into a system of their approval. Besides the inherent issue of circumvention, DRM simply confused and frustrated people. I, myself, stopped buying DRM'ed digital downloads of music shortly after losing a good number of albums because a hard drive failed on me between the time I had purchased the tracks and albums and before I had scheduled my next backup. It simply wasn't worth the frustration and I went back to buying (primarily) used and new CDs.

I still have philosophical issues with the Amazon Kindle Terms of Service. In relation to the paper version of a book, my user rights are severely restricted with the Kindle. I can't rip, cut, copy, paste, modify, extend, remix, etc. much of anything. If Amazon ceases to exist or the Kindle becomes a defunct product, I lose access to the device and product I paid for. I feel I am personally taking a gamble with Amazon on a number of fronts. A) I believe they will eventually use their clout to rid the Kindle of DRM so that we can access purchased content on whatever device we wish as long as it is capable of reading the Kindle formatted text. B) I believe, especially with Amazon Web Services, that Amazon will be around for some time to come. They are not only a provider of discounted products (it is ironic; I purchase more electronic gadgets from Amazon than I do books), but also utility style computing/data services. C) There is nothing that I have the time to do that would void my agreement with Amazon's Kindle Terms of Service, so I am fairly secure in thinking that Amazon will not terminate its agreement with me (thereby disallowing use of the Kindle) because I have done anything against the Terms. Reason 'c' is pragmatic and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I really shouldn't enter into agreements with which I have serious reservations. I often do so, however, because I want to have access to something that I otherwise could not live without (read: sarcasm). This is regrettable, but not entirely senseless.

All of the limitations are meaningless from where I sit today - i.e. I love device and use it almost every day. After a good six solid weeks of use, 16 downloaded books (six of which have been completely read and the others in process), and various trips, long and short, I can't live without it. I wish there were more books available because I would read that much more. I find myself reading more varied because I can easily carry so many topics with me. As I write this, I'm on a plane to Sacramento, CA. Throughout this trip, I've spent the better part of three hours reading two books and the Wall Street Journal. One is James Patterson novel and the other a book on Wikinomics. I'm also slowly moving through some old Hume writings. I didn't think I would find value in having the WSJ delivered to me on the Kindle, but it has turned out to be convenient and reminiscent of the way I used to read the Journal in its paper format. (I haven't had a paper subscription to the WSJ for over six years; only electronic.)

The most significant difference between the Kindle and my previous I'm going to use a laptop to read from now on is the simple fact that the device is light (enough) and very easy on the eyes. It reads like paper (as marketed) and does, indeed, come close to the feel of actually reading a book. The test that proves whether or not something is going to work in the long run for reading in all types of situations (i.e. office, plane, bed, couch, car, etc.) is how well the device sits in your hands. There were comments by people that the iPhone really represents the best of all worlds and would make a better book reader. This is simply not true. The iPhone, while amazing in every respect concerned with internet usage (other than AT&T's lamentable EDGE network - which performs horribly on so many levels I could write a book about it), does not really make a good book because it is actually too small. I've thought about whether or not my opinion is driven by the fact that I grew up with paper books and am simply unused to the manner of reading required when using an iPhone. In other words, does a newer generation of people who don't know books (a stretch statement) find the iPhone or like device an easy reading device? I think that just as in human interface design, there are simply good and bad designs that are decided by our biological functions/capabilities. It seems to me that the iPhone and like screens are simply too small to focus on for long periods of time (for the general population). The typical paperback book has met the needs of economics in not being too big to publish and distribute and not be too small that people don't like reading of its pages. So, in this respect, the Kindle (and Sony Portable Reader) really hit a sweet spot. I would heartily agree with other users that some buttons are misplaced and the design reminds me of an 80's style laptop. It really is a frumpy looking device. In use, however, it really performs well and it is for this reason only that I have found it so enjoyable to use.

Last night, as I was moving onto my seventh book, I thought a little more about the Kindle's design and what last words I would have. I know by now that this will be a gadget that will be a long-term companion. It just works for what it was designed for. There are a few items I hope will be dealt with over the long run:

- I hope Amazon rids this device of DRM. It is frustrating on so many levels because it prohibits me from using the content the way I am allowed in respect to a real book.

- I hope the e-ink technology advances enough to bring color and a light backlight to the device. I do not want to sacrifice battery life nor readability for this, but in thinking that some situations require a backlight and color would be nice for pictures, etc, it is a development I see happening over the long-run.

- I really hope they re-design the thing to not only look better but also fit even better into your hands. I think they've done a decent job. It could be better, though.

I hope I was able to answer questions that some may have had about real world usability. I know that I was concerned that it somehow would come up short in the areas where it matters most. It doesn't. In fact, it does better than anything else I've seen or used.

I am always disappointed and yet amazed that approximately six years after I try something, the real thing comes out that actually works. I saw the Cintiq 12WX mentioned on Moose News Blog and said that at that price, it just had to work. I tried my first tablet about six years ago. Actually, I used one with some odd cad software much further back, but I never really saw it as a way to draw - or get back to drawing; something I haven't done seriously since I was in grade school.* By golly, it just works. The hardest part about using a tablet (either the type you need to use a normal screen with or a screen-based tablet) is getting used to the tools you need to draw. Adobe Illustrator has some odd ways of defining brush strokes. Don't even get me started on the pen.

I'm loving it, though. It makes photo editing and simple drawing oh-so-easy. Like most things, I'll write a more detailed review when I've had much more one-on-one time. For now, if you're on the edge and aren't sure if it really is better than their normal tablets, it is. Hands down.

* No, not your doodle-because-you're-bored drawing, but real, landscape, animal, people drawing. I would love to think it is art, but it isn't... not yet. Maybe with practice.

...or, said another way: sitting on your Windows Vista machine, if you want to access an SMB/Windows share on a Mac running Leopard (aka 10.5), then following the instructions found on a MacTalk Forum solved my problem:

I couldn't get the Vista (Business) machine to access an SMB/Windows share on my Mac Pro. For some reason, it simply wouldn't accept my username and password combination. The answer is actually quite simple. In the Username field of the dialogue box on the Vista machine, you need to type in DOMAIN\yourusername instead of simply yourusername. Leave DOMAIN as just that. Worked like a charm. Click on the image above for a higher resolution view or simply click on the link to the MacTalk Form thread where I found the solution. Thank you to MacTalk Babysitter.

I won't pretend to know everything (or anything) specific about Paul Ryan. He has been my Congressman since I became really aware of politics in southeastern Wisconsin. I dig Ryan. It is that simple. The few times I've met him, he has been down to earth beyond measure. I can hear him echo the complaints I and those around me have about the current status of government in Washington each time we've met. He doesn't seem to have fallen off the back of the truck and turned to the mudslinging and politicking of his predecessor. (Not that I disagreed with his predecessor, but I think he made some huge political and philosophical mistakes in his campaign against Feingold.)

Ryan publishes a report every year; it is a type of report card on the government. While overly simplistic, it is a poignant statement of how our federal government spends money like drunken... whatever. Monkeys. That would make for a good caricature. The second page of the report details spending and revenue changes. It is staggering. Our federal (remember, this is not including state and local governments) has spent $3.136 TRILLION in fiscal year 2007. Trillion. Not Trillian, but Trillion...* A rounding error could easily be cause for $100 million more being spent than intended. I could do a lot with $100 million and I'm sure many others could. This is absolutely insane.

Take a look (click on image to see larger version):

LINK to original

*Tech buffs should get this one... hopefully.