IS THE KINDLE ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE?

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Department of “I’m reading again.”

I have many friends who have Kindles and all are impressed by the device. True, it doesn’t do color but its great strength is that one can read one for hours – much like a book – and you don’t get eyestrain. That is HUGE – especially as you get older or if you read a lot. Further, you can scale the type so read at whatever size you wish. Yesterday, an elderly man really got my attention when he proudly produced a Kindle DX (the one with the large screen) and said: “I’m reading again.”

This isn’t to put down the iPad – which is a truly marvelous device – but merely to say that when it comes to pure reading, the Kindle (in its various forms) is the best device currently available. It’s easy on the eyes; it’s light and easy to hold; it makes book buying incredibly easy and convenient – not to say fast; its battery life is excellent; and its controls are well thought out and easy to operate.

My only reservation about the standard Kindle is that I find the screen a little small. It is still entirely readable but it is not quite like a paperback – the standard which it is frequently compared with – because it contains fewer words per line at a comfortable reading size. This isn’t a major problem – page change is now fairly speedy – but I am predisposed towards the larger Kindle DX. Unfortunately, the DX is currently priced at $379. Is it worth it? I think so – if you can afford it. It also makes me think that a laptop with a similar screen might be of some interest. True, one would lack color but there is a lot to be said for a screen that one could read from for hours.

The National Networker Department.

www.thenationalnetworker.blogspot.com  I was introduced to this outfit by a professional colleague that I met on LinkedIn (of which more some other time). Essentially TNNW is a mutual help organization designed to give small companies some of the clout of larger organizations through mutual support. At first I was skeptical – I’ve been exploring so many sites – but then I found they had put out a press release about me that had been picked up by Digg. Hmm! We shall see. The internet is an intriguing combination of the truly impressive and the decidedly dubious and it’s hard to tell at first.

The Really Good Movie I missed the first time around department.

I stumbled across TO KILL THE KING quite by accident. It’s a completely compelling costume drama set during the aftermath of the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell (Tim Roth) was pushing for King Charles I’s removal but was somewhat held in check by Roundhead general, Lord Thomas Fairfax. Watch and be fascinated. Marvelous screenplay, acting, costumes, décor and direction.  

THE INTERESTING CASE OF THE UNDETECTED BOMB – A TRUE STORY WHICH COULD AFFECT YOU

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Death by FedEx department: We are indeed a manipulated nation.

I have long found it a paradox that the U.S. Government is willing to spend $150 billion odd a year on foreign wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to defeat terrorism while at the same time refusing to take adequate precautions where air freight is concerned. Little old ladies are strip searched but remarkably little has been done about checking out freight. That means that although the cabin may be clear of lethal devices and the pilots safe behind their re-inforced door, you could well be sitting above a bomb in the baggage department. Why has this situation been allowed to exist for so long? Because even after 9/11 there has been an unresolved debate as to who should pay to check out the vast amount of air freight that is sent. Accordingly, I have been prone to talk about ‘death by FedEx’ for many years – to no effect - though really it could be any carrier. It’s a ludicrous situation and a perfect example of how so much that is done in the name of security is mere theatre. We are, indeed, a manipulated nation.

And for my next departmental trick, I’ll freeze all your electronics. Not good if you are in an aircraft. You die.

The recent discovery of explosive devices concealed in toner cartridges (a major intelligence success) should result in more effective precautions being instituted (though don’t count on it) but that will still leave the much neglected field of e-bombs. E-bombs are devices that send out bursts of energy which zap all electronic devices with in range. A nuclear weapon is an ultimate e-bomb but you don’t need a nuclear weapon to get a similar result if range is not an issue. Instead, a comparatively small device – about the size of a domestic refrigerator – could neutralize all electronics  inside a building; or inside an aircraft if conveniently located in the baggage department. And what does an aircraft whose controls don’t work do? It crashes.

But surely an e-bomb would be detected? Actually no. So how do I know? Well, it’s a strange story department

I’ll make it short. I carry out consulting assignments as well as writing and back in 2004, or thereabout, I carried an assignment for a company researching e-pulse weapons. To test out their detectablity, I suggested sending one (suitably de-activated) across the U.S. by air freight. Without warning me in advance, the company did just that – and sent it to my home.  

Department of: If it looks like a bomb and ticks like a bomb and contains explosives, it probably is a bomb. But supposing it just contains electronics and looks like some kind of computer…

No one will say a word.

Oh, and by the way..  department

I feature just such a device in my soon-to-be-released book SATAN’S SMILE. 

WE THE CONFUSED

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Holy Cow! Department

I’ve sworn not to write about the Mid Terms in this blog – I have moved my political and economic stuff to http://vortitanicnation.blogspot.com  (after my book TITANIC NATION) – but ‘We The Confused’ sums up my reaction. Exactly how voting back in the very party that caused the economic mess in the first place will help the situation is a mystery to me – not that I hold the Democrats in much higher regard. But I’ll write about all of that separately after all the results are in. Personally, I’m in favor of doing what the Founders expected to happen after a couple of decades – changing the Constitution to make it work better. It’s a very fine document but it’s not a sacred cow.

Gold Watch Department

I used to think that when I reached retirement age, and was supported by the large pension contributed by a grateful nation, corporation or academic institution – I would probably have won a Nobel Prize - I would spend the morning reading the newspapers and the afternoon tending my roses – before relaxing with a glass of wine (and a woman who looked like Diane Sawyer) in front of TV after the stresses of an exhausting day. Instead, though I’m 66, I’m working about 90 hours a week (not an exaggeration) trying to develop a modus vivendi for the Internet; and, instead of a Diana look-alike, I find myself chatting to a companionable three legged Ninja cat called Charlie (Charlotte to strangers). But I’ll confess I’m enjoying myself; I love to write.     

Overbooked Department

Thanks to recent developments, getting published is now relatively simple but how does one get noticed – let alone bought – in a world where thousands of new books are being published every day (and no book ever goes out of print)? True, I may have as many as one to two million readers out there but will they remember me in this age of distraction?  I look forward to finding out. If forgotten here, I may be forced to write in Chinese. They seem to be the coming country and even a small slice of 1.3 billion readers should enough for a civilized lifestyle. My friend, Chet Vanek, inventor extraordinaire (I met him during a supergun shoot at Livermore Lab) thinks I should give up on Diane and get a Chinese wife. It certainly works for him. New baby too. Nice people.

Where were you? Department

I stopped blogging for a couple of weeks because I wanted to give the digisphere my full focus (akin to descending into the bowels of the earth – and it was a successful mission) - but I’m back to writing with some relief. Exploring is wonderful, but if I don’t write my appendages drop off and my ears droop.

Interesting People Department

I’m privileged to know some very interesting people – and fortunately they span the political spectrum - so I’m forced to exercise my little gray cells. Jed Babbin is one..  He’s forthright, intelligent, thoroughly entertaining and an excellent writer. We don’t quite agree politically but he makes me think, gets me out of my comfort zone. Google him!

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AN APACHE...

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Dear You—

Being Irish, I don’t really approve of working seven days a week (arguably certifiable behavior) but that is pretty much what I’m doing right now as I prepare to get my books up on the web. Initially, they will go up as e-books, but print will follow as soon as possible afterwards. 

I tend to think of this phase as THE GREAT LEVITATION in the spirit of: "I've never actually seen anyone levitate but I'm told it is possible."

I’m a great believer in the future of e-books, but suspect that the formats will be complementary (up to a point). The latter is a subject for another day, but I have noticed that if I really like an audio book, I will look for a physical copy as well, perhaps as a way of appreciating the original somewhat better. One’s cognitive abilities are definitely affected by the method of presentation.

I confess I had no idea how much work would be involved though that is scarcely surprising given that I have never done anything like this before. Previously, I always had help with my web site – my son Bruff being my webmaster and co-designer. Now, I’m doing everything myself both because Bruff has his own commitments, I currently lack the resources to hire talent, and because I am finding that I’m achieving a greater level of understanding of this new world by operating in such a hands-on way. 

It’s taking as long as it is for a number of reasons. I’m going to list only 10 this time around: (1) This is the first time. (2) I have no natural talent with computers. (3) Although I have a good visual eye, I’m neither graphically trained nor do I have the software required. (4) I’m constantly revising what needs to be done as I learn more. (5) Each social website has its own little ways which need to be understood and mastered. (6) Mastering the interaction between the social media is no easy task in itself, both in practical terms and conceptually. (7) As I learn more I’m constantly raising the bar despite being very aware that time is critical. (8) I’m dealing with five titles. (9) I am cursed with a perfectionist streak. (5) There is a great deal of writing and re-writing involved.

All of this reminds me of my experiences flying in an AH-64 Apache helicopter back in the Nineties. There it was explained to me that although no one switch or control was impossibly difficult to learn, a pilot was faced with some 17,000 possible combinations – the whole experience being given a whole new perspective when people were shooting at you. Well, I don’t have tracer coming at me as yet – it’s a relatively uncommon hazard in Seattle – but I suspect the number of options an e-world explorer like myself is faced with would make even an experienced Apache pilot (and they don’t come any tougher) raise an eyebrow.

I was going to write “sweat a little” but Apache pilots are so cool they don’t sweat. They claim that Blackhawk pilots certainly do sweat and are inferior human beings. You have to love aviators! 

I implemented one decision over the weekend. I’ve decided to give each non-fiction book its own blog site so started the process by setting up the TITANIC NATION: How to Avoid Icebergs: The Case for Fundamental Change In The American Way Of Life website at http://vortitanicnation.blogspot.com 

In future all my blogs on the U.S. Economy and related matters will end up there – conveniently leaving this site free for writer’s angst.

Apache pilots might not sweat – but authors certainly do.

Victor.

IDEAS TOO-BIG-TO-GRASP: A GOOGLE TOO BIG TO CONTROL? A CONGRESS UNSUITED TO HANDLE COMPLEXITY

Dear You—

GOOGLE SELF-DRIVEN CAR: SUCH VEHICLES HAVE
ALREADY DRIVEN 140,000 MILES.

Yesterday, I wrote about the too-big-to-grasp implications of the Internet, and today a perfect illustration of the profound changes that a globally linked knowledge society is bringing turned up in my Inbox in the form of The Official Google Blog (worth subscribing to, by the way).

Such technology will almost certainly save lives although equally certainly, it seems likely to put millions of those, who drive for a living, out of work.

Google’s philosophy of wanting “to help solve really big problems using technology” is admirable, but its application needs to be extended to such thorny issues as: quality of life; sustainability; excessive corporate power; unemployment; the inadequate U.S. educational system - and other thorny perennials. This isn’t to criticize Google, who are doing much that is admirable (as well as much whose implications are a cause for concern) but to argue for a more holistic application of their ethos.

I am not unhopeful. There are certain aspects of Google’s ethos which makes me hope that they might be the precursor of a new type of corporation, profit driven, but socially concerned and involved, and with a genuine belief in the benefits of empowering their employees. Or am I being naïve?

It appears that Big Brother, who already knows an extraordinary amount about us, will soon be driving us as well. I'm far from sure our current system of government is set up to handle these kinds of complex issues. 

Idle thoughts on a wet Seattle day.

What we’re driving at

10/09/2010 12:00:00 PM

Larry and Sergey founded Google because they wanted to help solve really big problems using technology. And one of the big problems we’re working on today is car safety and efficiency. Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use.

So we have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. Our automated cars, manned by trained operators, just drove from our Mountain View campus to our Santa Monica office and on to Hollywood Boulevard. They’ve driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe. All in all, our self-driving cars have logged over 140,000 miles. We think this is a first in robotics research.

Our automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to “see” other traffic, as well as detailed maps (which we collect using manually driven vehicles) to navigate the road ahead. This is all made possible by Google’s data centers, which can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by our cars when mapping their terrain.

To develop this technology, we gathered some of the very best engineers from the DARPA Challenges, a series of autonomous vehicle races organized by the U.S. Government. Chris Urmson was the technical team leader of the CMU team that won the 2007 Urban Challenge. Mike Montemerlo was the software lead for the Stanford team that won the 2005 Grand Challenge. Also on the team is Anthony Levandowski, who built the world’s first autonomous motorcycle that participated in a DARPA Grand Challenge, and who also built a modified Prius that delivered pizza without a person inside. The work of these and other engineers on the team is on display in the National Museum of American History.

Safety has been our first priority in this project. Our cars are never unmanned. We always have a trained safety driver behind the wheel who can take over as easily as one disengages cruise control. And we also have a trained software operator in the passenger seat to monitor the software. Any test begins by sending out a driver in a conventionally driven car to map the route and road conditions. By mapping features like lane markers and traffic signs, the software in the car becomes familiar with the environment and its characteristics in advance. And we’ve briefed local police on our work.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We’re also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow." These highway trains should cut energy consumption while also increasing the number of people that can be transported on our major roads. In terms of time efficiency, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that people spend on average 52 minutes each working day commuting. Imagine being able to spend that time more productively.

We’ve always been optimistic about technology’s ability to advance society, which is why we have pushed so hard to improve the capabilities of self-driving cars beyond where they are today. While this project is very much in the experimental stage, it provides a glimpse of what transportation might look like in the future thanks to advanced computer science. And that future is very exciting.

Posted by Sebastian Thrun, Distinguished Software Engineer

Related articles

• Google reveals autonomous car software advances (v3.co.uk)
• Google robo cars drive selves on public streets (go.theregister.com)

MARCO POLO, EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

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Dear You—

It’s been an extraordinary week. I’m continuing to explore the Internet as part of developing a marketing plan for my books, and am just plain fascinated, enthralled and vastly cheered by what I’m discovering.

What is taking place – literally under our eyes – is the greatest explosion of both creativity and exploration the world has ever seen; and yet I don’t think most of us have, as yet, grasped its scale and scope – let alone . either its significance or its potential. I know I hadn’t until recently, and I don’t think I’m fully there as yet. It’s going to change everything. It’s not just a means of communication, and a way of tapping into knowledge, but it is an intellectual force multiplier on a scale I suspect few can imagine. It’s awesome.

My friend, Chris Carrdus commented that it was akin to an “alternate universe.” Well put, but it’s our universe. Is it a force for good? I don’t think it comes equipped with a moral dimension. I do think it has the potential to enable us to solve most of our problems, though equally it could lead to mass unemployment and Big Brother. It is certainly the greatest tool for both true democracy and/or social control every conceived.

So much for the macro level. In the course of my odyssey I ran across a book called THE METAL GIRL by Judy Sandra – a fellow member of LinkedIn’s Writing Mafia - which sounds intriguing. Check out her website at http://judysandra.com/  The trailer is an evocative little movie with no voice-over at all though it sets the mood perfectly. And here was I expecting a reading. I guess I’m still not thinking  multimedia as yet because before long, you’ll open a book and it will set the scene with music.

The following is the blurb from Amazon.

JUDY SANDRA

During the dreary month of March in Copenhagen in the early 1970s, a 25 year old American woman travels on a solitary quest to become, in her mind, a "woman of the world." In fact, she is lost, adrift, dislocated, not only from familiar surroundings but from her innermost being: "It was the era of rising feminist consciousness, but my mind had not yet caught up to my age and my consciousness was not the part of me that was rising up that winter." The memoir-like narrative of The Metal Girl is told by the mature woman who looks back on her younger, more naive self. Describing a timeless and highly personal milieu, she tells her story with intimate candor as it unfolds in a lyrical, ironic and insightful voice.

She takes a room in a cheap pension, which, unbeknownst to her, is located on the edge of the city's red light district. The hotel is run by the enigmatic Elke, a quintessential blond, Scandinavian beauty, and Manfred, a German man of beefy proportions and portentous looks. Venturing out one evening to a jazz club, she meets Olaf, who attracts her with his handsome face, kindness and charm, and his friend Elizabeth, whom she finds the most alluring of all beautiful, poetic, intelligent, mysterious, wise and tragic.

Her journey through these relationships climaxes late one night when she discovers the raison d'être of everyone else and, even more surprising, the disillusioning truth about herself.

Nice quote from talented illustrator Duncan Long:  “Never judge a book by its publisher.”

MONTANA AUTHOR WRITES ENTIRE NOVEL ON FACEBOOK

Dear You--

I ran across this gem today and have copied the press release in its entirety. Congratulations to the author for his enterprise - and for writing a compelling press release into the bargain. I hope his book is an enormous success. He deserves it. Read and shake your head in admiration.


Victor.

Montana Author Writes Entire Novel on Facebook

A Whitefish, Montana author may have the bragging rights to claim the first-ever novel written serially on Facebook.

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The Facebook Novel

This book had me logging onto Facebook the minute I got home every evening. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

Whitefish, MT (PRWEB) September 7, 2010

During the winter of 2009, Leif Peterson was challenged by a friend to write a 1000-word story about a man who discovers a Missing Person poster with his own face on it. He wrote the story, and on February 10th, he posted it on Facebook for his friends to read.

But the friends who read it didn’t realize he was done; they thought he was just beginning. Messages began pouring in demanding to know what happened next. Encouraged by their responses, Peterson decided to continue the story, which he called "Missing." For the next four months, five days a week, Peterson posted new installments to the story as a growing readership eagerly followed along.

As the story developed, certain readers emerged as steadfast fans, leaving comments almost daily and sometimes voicing their frustration at having to wait twenty-four hours for the next installment. In an interesting development, Peterson began rewarding those readers by naming new characters after them.

On June 10th, 2009, four months after he began, Peterson posted the eighty-fourth and final installment to the story concluding what could very well be the first-ever novel written entirely on Facebook.

“Essentially, it’s a story about a man who begins to question his own identity,” says Peterson. “Without quite knowing why, he soon finds himself in another city, in another country, in another hemisphere, searching for a woman he knows by name, but who he’s never met. I never thought I’d write a page-turner, but that’s what this turned out to be.”

The story is now published in book form and is available at online retailers. Except for some light editing, the printed book appears exactly as it did day by day on Facebook as it was being written. But is it really the first time anyone’s ever written an entire novel on Facebook?

“There are some other people out there that have claimed to have written a novel on Facebook,” say Peterson. “But as far as I can tell no one actually wrote day by day on the site, but instead used Facebook to serialize something they’d already written. When I posted the first installment, I hadn’t written the second. And it was another eighty-four days before I wrote and posted the conclusion. I was writing daily and posting daily. There was no opportunity to go back and make plot changes.”

Leif Peterson is the author of three other works of fiction, including "Catherine Wheels" published by Random house in 2005. A free excerpt from "Missing" is available to read at: www.leifpeterson.com