Kindle 2 – Audiobook Controversy, Review

I’ve had quite a few folks ask me what I think of the Kindle 2, because I’m a huge advocate of the Kindle. Thanks to a friend, I’ve had an opportunity to use one. As a previous Kindle user…well, frankly, I don’t like it. I think the 4-way navigation is slower and more annoying than my Kindle’s scrollbar navi. The Prev/Next buttons were intentionally made harder to press because of all the whiners who kept complaining about them, and they’re so damn hard to press now that I feel like I’m going to bruise my finger to get through a book. (Amazon – You could have solved the problem just by making the buttons smaller, as you did…you didn’t need to bump up the force sensor to max, too.) They didn’t improve the software in any particularly helpful way. Yeah, text to speech is nice, but I can’t ever see myself or any common consumer using it for very long. What Kindle desperately needs is folders, and Kindle users have been screaming for them since the beta period. Kindle also desperately needs to promote its browsing capability. They need to get textbook manufacturers on their e-bandwagon. And really, they need to stop using Apple’s walled garden model. It’s particularly stupid since THEY…yes, Amazon…managed to kill Apple’s music store by offering DRM-free content. They need to innovate a way to resolve content provider’s DRM concerns but yet still allow a post-purchase marketplace for re-sale and lend/borrow. The technology is out there to bridge the gap until content providers latch onto the DRM-free bandwagon.

Then, there’s the Authors’ Guild controversy over the Text-to-Speech. The controversy is stupid, and I can’t sum up why anywhere near as well as these folks, so here’s some links:
Engadget’s Interview with Paul Aiken, Executive Director of the Author’s Guild – Paul Aiken’s circular and terrible logic really speaks for itself.
Wil Wheaton vs. Text 2 speech – I adore Wil, and stuff like this is why.
Neil Gaiman’s Excellent Summary

We just won a trip to Mexico!

Or rather, my DH won a trip to Mexico, and he’s nice enough to take me along. To quote a desk clerk from the casino, he “had a shitload of entries” in the drawing for a trip to Quintana Roo in Mexico. You have to be present to win, and the drawings are on Thursday nights. Also, the trip is not transferrable and has to be taken on the dates they specify. We were there for the drawings last Thursday evening, but neither of us were picked. Someone else who got picked decided later that they didn’t want to go. So, the casino had to draw more names…and specifically, it had to be people that were there on Thursday. (I’m actually kind of curious…did they just pick from among people who had “checked in” that evening, which doesn’t necessarily mean that you were present for the drawing? Or, did they pick from those people and then check to see who was “active” at the point of the drawing? We were comped to the buffet during one drawing, and he was in the poker room during one…basically, we were doing things that proved we were actively present. But, that could just be coincidence.)

You can read more about the hotel here: http://bit.ly/1163Ne (If you prefer to Google on your own, it’s the Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort & Spa.) The trip is completely all-inclusive, i.e., airfare, food, beverages, transportation. The only things we will be paying for are souvenirs and excursions. I will definitely be getting an excursion to some Mayan ruins. That, I guarantee.

Thoughts on the Oscars

I’m writing this before reading anything written by anyone else on the topic, including my friends list and Google Reader feeds…even before reading tweets.

• I liked Hugh Jackman, to a point. Every now and then, he became cloying rather than adorable. For example, when he was like, “There’s [namedrop]…how ya doin?” like some kind of Vegas lounge act, that annoyed me.
• The tribute-style award presentations were okay. I’d like it better if it was always someone who felt a special connection with the honoree instead of (especially in the case of whoever it was that honored Kate Winslet) a clearly memorized and recited speech. I’d like to know if the people doing the honoring got to choose who they would talk about and if they had any input into their speech. Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s was okay. Halle Berry’s was great. But, some of them just felt forced.
• I liked it being in the order of the movie production.
• I loved the big musical dance numbers, particularly Baz Luhrmann’s montage with Beyonce and Hugh Jackman. I’m a Baz fan, so I may be biased. And, the opening dance number ending with “I’m Wolverine!” was priceless.
• As always, Anne Hathaway could wear a brown sack and be the most gorgeous thing on any stage or screen.
• I think the dresses with the f-ed up asymmetrical “straps” that look like someone just threw a wad of fabric over the gal’s shoulder and tied it off are stupid. That style can die any time now.

I haven’t seen a single one of the big Oscar movies. I had seen Wall-E, but we just saw it this past weekend. I was disappointed that Wall-E didn’t get at least one sound or music award, considering that 90% of the damn movie is told musically to great effect. But, having no knowledge of the eventual winner, I’m in no position to criticize the selections.

Survivor Rules

1. Do not be overly affectionate with a woman who clearly isn’t inviting it.
2. If you are overly affectionate, particularly if you lick said woman’s face, vote her out before she convinces everyone of what a horrible tooly creep you are.

I want Coach Maestro gone ASAP. Can I get a hell yeah?

Ryan started the fire

Grandma Update

Grandma RC passed away yesterday afternoon, around noontime. It had been kind of uncomfortable for a few days, because they really thought she was going on Wednesday (hence me flying out that night)…and then she was moved to hospice care at the hospital, and she held on (albeit drugged and mostly asleep) until yesterday. On one hand, it felt very morbid to me to be sitting around essentially waiting for her to die. It made me angry, too. She was ready to go. She wanted to go, and the last thing she would have wanted was to have everyone making a fuss because she wasn’t gone yet. Yet, we as a society don’t trust each other enough (and probably with good reason) to let a family and the grandma they love just decide that it’s time. The closest equivalent is hospice care…and while nothing there is there to prolong life, it feels like in this day and age, you ought to be able to press a button and just be done, peacefully. But…that’s neither here nor there.

Grandma RC lived a very long life. We were looking at some of her papers last night, and there’s some really cool history there. There was a tax form from 1944. There was a marriage license from her mother as well as her own license.

We’re headed over someone else’s house this afternoon to listen to the Rabbi and then take visitors. The funeral will be tomorrow morning.

My Zune Card

(a smaller version can be found in its permanent home, in the sidebar at right)

Hasty Road Trip

DH’s grandmother (his dad’s mom) has been in and out of the hospital (in MI) for the past 4-5 days. We’ve been getting regular status updates via e-mail, and as of this past weekend, it seemed like she was okay, hence me not mentioning this already. But…things change fast. DH’s parents have been in FL, but they’ve been told to come back. Not to be callous, but I’m not sure how else to say it: grandma is at the “see her now or you might not see her again” point. So, DH is headed to Detroit. I’m staying here for now and doing normal things.

Our ski trip for this weekend is in jeopardy, of course. If things continue to get worse, I’ll be headed to Detroit, too.

Happy thoughts welcomed…

Cruising to Alaska

I really really really REALLY want to cruise to Alaska. DH has little or no interest in it, however. I’ve looked into cruises, and I could take a cruise leaving from Vancouver toward the end of May (not ideal but not horrible time, and I could put it over the Memorial Day holiday to minimize vacation days) for ~1K per person for a balcony room or ~$700 for an oceanview room. The exact dates and exact cost depends on which cruise line. (I pretty much have narrowed it down to either Royal Caribbean or Princess for my part, although I’m open to input. I’ve sailed on RC, and I liked it, and they’re cheaper. But, Princess goes to better places in Alaska.) I can do the flight that I need to do using frequent flier miles on United…it’s even something I could feasibly do on a “saver” mile award.

Here’s the problem: If DH isn’t going, cruising is not a good thing. I don’t want to go on a cruise alone; it’s too damn expensive that way. I don’t want to find a random roommate, either. I’m picky and easily annoyed. So, I’m in the market for a cruise buddy, someone who could pick up all or most of their end of the tab and wants to go to Alaska…and someone I like hanging around with generally. I mention this here as many of the prospects read this…and also for general advice from the folks in my readership who have done Alaska cruises.

Not quite a dropout, just a drop

My new manager has earned my undying support. She went to HR, Finance, and a number of other teams on my behalf trying to get this school thing resolved. She even found a loophole in the wording of the agreement that she was going to help me slide under if the funding wasn’t found. On Tuesday, she told me that they would most likely be able to cover one class for the term but not two. Today, she confirmed that to be definite.

Now, of the two, I think the Negotiation class would be more useful. But, the Negotiation class is offered several times a year. The Effective Leadership class seems like it will be kind of fun, and it is only offered in the third term, because it’s a core class and that’s when you should be taking it. So, I’m sticking with Leadership for now.

Two of my friends from class were thrilled for me. I do have some really good friends in the class, which makes me happy. One benefit of being Class Rep (kind of like the benefit of being Registrar at a Mensa event) is that everyone knows you.