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Condescending bastards


I got this message when I fired up the Kindle app on my new phone today.

It got under my skin, it did.

I’m a Kindle addict, though. Well, a reading-on-screen addict. I’ve completely lost patience with paper books. I was trying to read one the other day and I kept catching myself glancing at the bottom of the right-hand page to check the time.

And you have to hold paper books. Like, with your hands. I can prop a phone or tablet on a pillow and melt into the furniture like the lazy slug I am.

But I’ve got to get one of those eye-tracking things so I can turn the page without moving.

Comments


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: May 16, 2022, 7:12 pm

It creeps me out, too, Stoaty. I don’t really want them paying that much attention to me.

But talk about being a Kindle addict! My “Reading Insights” page says 97 weeks in a row, 470 days in a row, and if I keep it up in another two weeks I’ll beat my longest streak.


Comment from durnedyankee
Time: May 16, 2022, 8:28 pm

I stopped playing the piano (lessons) using the on-line gizmo because I got tired of hearing every day from weird people that I was playing and “YEAH! for me!” Every. Day.

On another front, I found an old copy of Paint Shop Pro 8 on CD that I was going to try running on this machine only to discover….
OMG there’s no coffee cup holder on this device! Aside from the fact that the OS will probably tell me to go attempt anatomically impossible things if I try to install it.

But I long for paint programs that aren’t so damn “helpful”, you know, the kind I don’t have to go to art school to use, and the kind that don’t try and make me store my stuff on the web and things like that. You know, like the kind we had back in the day 20 something years ago.


Comment from Gromulin
Time: May 16, 2022, 8:57 pm

I guess I’m a luddite when it comes to books. I can’t do tablets, and the kindles I had 10 years ago were horrible. Give me a ratty paperback any day.


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: May 16, 2022, 9:44 pm

I’m with you on this one, Gromulin. I had a Kindle way back. Ended up giving it to her Stoatliness when hers was worn out. Mine was almost untouched. Couldn’t get on with it.


Comment from dissent555
Time: May 17, 2022, 1:15 am

I loves me my paper books. When the apocyclypse hits I’ll still have plenty of material to fill my leisure time.

Having leisure time could be an issue though.


Comment from bds
Time: May 17, 2022, 1:20 am

Durned, if you feel ornery enough to persist, USB attached DVD drives are dirt cheap (well, $20-ish).


Comment from fuloydo
Time: May 17, 2022, 1:45 am

Durned, if it helps I’m running a copy of Paint Shop Pro 7 on a Windows 10 system with absolutely no issues. I installed it from a CD that I bought back in the early-mid 90’s that I got for cheap because I still had my student ID and got the discount. And agree with bds, a cheap external DVD drive is a must for modern machines. I don’t know who decided that we didn’t need spinning disks anymore but my back catalog of software makes it a must.


Comment from durnedyankee
Time: May 17, 2022, 1:50 am

@BDS – oh, I’ll get it hooked in on the old backup machine, but I don’t think that version of windows will support this stuff, it’s ages and ages and ages old. As proof it was in a folio box along with 3.5″ disks (I’m told the South Africans referred to them as “stiffies”). There was even an original Microsludge Windows ME install CD in that box!

But maybe old is new again, I got a call today from someone who heard I could program (sic) “COBALT” and wondered if I would be interested in teaching people on contract. I have to chuckle at someone who wants me to teach a language I worked with for…dear lord…42 years….and doesn’t even know the correct pronunciation of the name. But we’ll see, the economy is so awesome these days that my 401K is now, as they say a 301K, and probably on it’s way to becoming a 201K. We could in theory use the extra scratch to bring the 1850 house up to the level of Edison’s electric light or maybe buy 2 dozen eggs instead of just one.

But thanks for encouragement to try and use the software, maybe my old machine WILL run it. I dabble, rather like a kindergardener does in fingerpaints.


Comment from fuloydo
Time: May 17, 2022, 1:58 am

Oops, make that mid-late 90’s. It was definitely Win95/98 era software.


Comment from Pupster
Time: May 17, 2022, 10:41 am

I read with Kindle every night to put myself to sleep, it is a creepy software for sure. I recently had to update to a new tablet when my ancient Ipad-mini stopped working, I lost all my books from BAM (Books a Million) because I no longer had the email I registered my account with. My new Galaxy tablet is OK, but it has troubles I never experienced with the Ipad, the books are in the library but nothing happens when you click on them, I guess they aren’t actually there and you have to go to Amazon and force a download.

We moved 5 times and shed books each time, they were easily the heaviest of boxes, and they were not even unpacked in the last 2 houses.


Comment from durnedyankee
Time: May 17, 2022, 1:02 pm

We had a lot (lot lot) of books we took to one of those used book places, but after getting about $20.00 for 8 boxes of books we vowed that was never going to happen again.

Once upon a time I had dreams of “Library” like Weasel has, gone now.
But printed books never need downloading, and they never run out of power, though they don’t allow you to zoom and increase the font size.


Comment from Deborah HH
Time: May 17, 2022, 2:21 pm

I love my Kindle, and I love what’s left of my books (I’m still in recovery from the culling). What I really love is reading in bed, without glasses or lamplight, with the Kindle print enlarged to highway-sign size. I sometimes forget my cell phone when I leave the house, but I never forget to take my Kindle.


Comment from OldFert
Time: May 17, 2022, 3:46 pm

Excess books? GIs overseas are always looking for things to read. There are several organizations (search for send books to military overseas) that can provide addresses and whatnot. US Postal service can even provide free boxes and stuff.

Or, consider just donating them to a local hospital, old folks’ home, jail, Fisher house, shelter, or some such. The VA clinic I go to has a bookswap shelf.

When Fertson was overseas we boxed up all sorts of no-longer-wanted paperbacks and sent them to him to share with his company. Some were falling apart, all were welcome.


Comment from durnedyankee
Time: May 17, 2022, 5:42 pm

Oldfert! Excellent idea!

Folks should be prepared though, you’d think the post office would cut slack price wise sending packages to the troops, but we sent food/socks/ramen/books to Afghanistan and crazy as it seems it ain’t cheap.

Still, good solution to the problem of too many books!


Comment from BJM
Time: May 18, 2022, 2:08 am

@durned…check out your printer’s software suite…they sometimes have simple design tools and even MS Paint can do some passable stuff considering how lame it is.

@Deborah…Yes! Kindle’s best feature is cranking up the font size to read in bed. However, I often finish up with a print, a Paperwhite and a Whispersync Audible version. I like that I can switch from reading to listening and back. I can’t read in a moving car, so it’s a perfect solution.

I recently read “The Night Circus” but it is a story meant to heard as much as read so it’s in my Audible library too. It’s magical and I heartily recommend it.

Too much? Nah.

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