Amazing Kindle too

The aftershocks have worn off and I find myself alone with my Kindle and I love it. The only piece that makes me wish for something else is the lack of lighting, but after seeing the other devices that are backlit I can say, YAY. I chose right again. I didn't want a Nook, because of the ties to Barnes and Noble not thinking about it being a book replacement. The screen on the Nook was not designed well for reading long periods of time and I found out that it was built with a LCD screen (which is bad on your eyes over long periods of time.) I also found out that is how the screens are backlit. LCD technology is fantastic for when you need it, but it is not perfect for long periods of reading. Go me for dodging the backlit screen. The glare on the LCD screens are bad as well, so that was another dodge. I love the Kindle for so many ways, and the most I love the Kindle for is reading of PDFs. Transfering them over like a PDF is not very readable but converting them to a PRC and then transferring them over is a whole lot better. I mean that I can change the font size, bookmark a section, and read it without a concern. I have not seen a PDF on the Nook or any of the e-readers but I have to say that PRC formats are the way for PDFs. I was also asked what about lending from the library, I do not go to the library now, so why change? I can see going to the library to check out the book, but only the new books are being converted and the library still has to have the technology on hand to handle the loaning out of books through that method. 21 days is all you get with a library book too, so why not download a sample and see if it works for you and then buy it that way? I understand the draw but the technology has not been proven concrete yet, and I don't want to be on the bleeding edge of it just in case it works. I am happy to see something like this come about but the technology has got to be concrete before I throw a few hundred dollars at it hoping that it works. All in all, I am happy with my decision and if you are looking for a reader for books, that I would refer you to the Kindle.

Amazing Kindle

My Kindle came exactly when it was supposed to and I have to say that I am above all else, impressed. Lots of people have asked why I went with a Kindle and my answer is simple. It was said by the CEO of Amazon, why the Kindle and he said that they wanted something that gave would act as a book and boy does it. I wanted something similar. I was looking for a reading device that supported PDFs so that I could read the PDFs that I have and receive. I also wanted something that I could read from instead of buying book after book and having no where to store them. Win and win, I get to read PDFs through the PRC format that I use and they read like a Kindle book. I also get to read other books that I want to read and I do not have to store them anywhere. This doesn't say that I replace all of my books with digital formats, but the ones that I want to hold onto, I can and vice versa. So, after all of this I got the right device for my needs.

Amazon Kindle

I have purchased an Amazon Kindle 3G Wi-fi edition and it should be here in 5-8 days. I bought it because I wanted to have a reading device that I could use to read PDFs and books that I do not have to buy and store. I also wanted to share my device with my wife and let her read her selections on it as well. This was a really easy decision after seeing my brother-in-laws Kindle. He also helped me to know what a PDF would look like on the Kindle and how easy it was to convert them. I will write more after I receive it.

Installing All-in-one

We received our printer yesterday, but didn't get it until today. UPS did a crappy job of delivering our package, let alone alerting us that we received a package. They put the package on our garage door entrance so that no one would see it and steal it. Kudos for that but still, some sort of notification would have been best.

Good thing the printer was wrapped so kindly by the folks at HP because pulling the printer from the box was a chore in itself. Here is a picture of the printer and the stuff it came with. It is a little larger than our old HP 932C, but a scanner and a printer in one makes up for the size. However, installing the printer was a whole other story.

I think that from a technology stand point this all-in-one was easy to install other than the software/drivers freezing during the install and the driver install wanted to print a picture with paper supplied that was not supplied. I am, however, more than happy with the print quality, and the scans offer a lot more than I was expecting. I will post more as I play with it but other than the few hiccups this was an easy install and a great buy.

New Printer - or All-in-one

Today we bought our new printer and it comes in 5 - 6 days. I will talk more about it then, but for now the ordering process was easy and it could have been easier. I knew that we needed a new printer so I began my process looking in Consumer Reports, I also knew that we needed to replace our broken scanner. Consumer Reports directed us to the HP Premium All-in-one as the best and set the price point at $199. So I began my look at HP's website and then I quickly looked at Amazon.com. HP had a great price but it was with an instant rebate that lost my luster a day later when I saw the price had changed the next day. Amazon kept their great price and it still beat the instant rebate from HP. Once we could get the order finalized the long and short of it came to $112 and I will talk the all-in-one when it comes in.

Motorcycles and Laws

A dear friend of mine sent me a link about Utah motorcycle laws changing and I wanted to share my thoughts. I have been riding a 150cc scooter for one year now and I have seen some of the craziest things done on a two-wheeled motor vehicle in my life (this of course does not include professional stunts). I saw a teenager texting while driving, a teenager pulling wheelies in a professional building's parking garage, a gang of teenagers swerving between lanes on scooters and man wear shorts and a t-shirt riding a v-6 Harley without a helmet. Yes, I have only been riding for one year, and I only ride a 150cc scooter, but it is not the laws that need to be changed; it is the mindset.

Mindsets are a funny thing and I believe that the general publics' are getting worse everyday. This goes beyond motorcycles but think about the things that kids did 25 years ago and what kids do today. Teenagers were probably still pulling wheelies on motorcycles but they were not allowed to go 70 mph on a freeway. Bikes weren't as a powerful as they are now, and most kids under the age of 19 were not able to afford them.

We need to do a better job in specifying what the correct law is and then enforce it. If more people are being injured and those people are not wearing helmets than establish an approved helmet law. What about the shops that are selling motorcycles to people without licenses? I purchased my scooter without ever driving one and without a proper license for one. Shouldn't they be fined? Convenient stores are being fined for selling cigarettes or alcohol to minors, but I can walk in to a bike shop and buy a motorized vehicle without ever driving one or being properly licensed for one.

Motorcycles are a fun way to get around town and they are great on the gas budget, but they are also dangerous.

• Dangerous because we are not always properly educated
• Dangerous because other idiots are out there too
• Dangerous because it may be too much power for what we can handle
• Dangerous because we are not paying attention or preoccupied
• Dangerous because were are showing off

These are reasons that we should live by with everything. Showing off can get you into a lot of trouble, pay attention to things around you, do not get in over your heads, beware of the idiots and remember to educate yourself about the things that you are interested in doing.

iFrogz - iPod case

I have to admit that my iPod is not the latest and greatest, but it does play video. Although, I digress, I have been in need of a case for a long time and a coworker mentioned iFrogz and I thought the name sounded familiar. Sure enough, I had them in my favorites at home.

I looked into them more and really liked the products that they offered. After about a month of research I finally decided that I would go with iFrogz and then I had to wait because the one I wanted was out of stock; I thought that a little weird. However, payday came and I ordered my case. The ordering process was not too bad, but I did get to choose a band color and a wheel cover if you go with the full package. BTW - The package is the best deal and besides, I really wanted the wheel cover. I chose the iPod video case I wanted, the Treadz design, because how cool it looked. I did think it was weak that I had to choose the main color even though they only offer one color. I chose the Gunmetal Gray band color because I wanted the two-tone look. I also went with the jumbled numbers wheel cover because it reminded me of my mind set. I added it to my cart and sticker shock about knocked me off my chair. $30 seemed a bit steep for an iPod case, but after the few cases (not made by iFrogz) that I have seen and handled I was hoping that I was making a good choice. The shipping time was also discouraging because it said like 10 days. 10 days? That is almost like ordering "Media Mail" from Amazon.

I received an email two days later that my case had shipped and I became giddy like a little kid. iFrogz, is located in Logan, Utah, which is two hours from West Valley City, where I am. Thus, I knew it would be here within a day or so. I saw it in my mailbox and skipped/ran to my desk to open it and see how it looked. It was exactly like I thought and exactly like iFrogz showed on their website. The three piece system seemed a bit hokey for me at first, but I really enjoy the added protection when I am working outside or when my two year-old gets a hold of it and thumps it on the floor. While at work I have the band attached and the only time I don't is when my iPod is syncing. All in all, I love the system and $30 doesn't seem too bad now. I am overly happy with my purchase and I commend iFrogz for a solid product and a decent ordering process; that is hard to say in today's world.