Woe be unto ye

with families and such inscrutable encumberances!

My sister, dog bless her oh so connected heart, somehow got wind of
the rumor that I read books and that this is the holiday gift giving
season and that I have a birthday coming sometime in the next year or
so. So, what does she do? She calls me and says "HEY! putz, the post
office says package is too large for PO box and we are going to do
something you won't like very much if you don't do something else
about it SOON!

Huh?, sez I.

Go to the damn post office and DO something!

Oh.....uh.....o.k.

So I hie me to the PO, arrive 5 minutes after the service counter
closes, hear voices behind the rollup (or down, as the case may be)
window, and knock. Whaddaya want, says a voice.

Um, y'all closed?

We are if you want to mail something.

Well, uh, actually, I want to pick something up.....too big for the
box.

Oh. O.k. What's your box number.

I confess.

Window opens, package is shoved forward.

Thanks.

No problem. (the beauty of small town life.....even the official USPO
is casual about hours).

I look but do not touch.....could be an Ayrab or a commie in there.
Hm.....looks ordinary and safe enough. Matter of fact, looks about
the right size and shape to hold......a BOOK!

I pick it up. Nope. Not a book. Too light for the size of the box
(sister is economical and efficient).

Hm......

No pot of boiling water handy and it's five miles to home.....could go
off at any moment. Well then, might as well open it and be done.

I was right. Not a book. Quite. (not exactly a bomb either).
Actually, a booklike substance. It's a "Kindle."

Well.....what the ****?

I take it home, staring balefully at the unholy object at odd
intervals on the ride. It is not (and has not) moved. I take this as
a bad sign.

Arriving at the farm, I finish unwrapping and stare at some sort of
welcome message (like I'm going to be taken in by that, right?) pasted
onto the front of the thing.

O.k., I'll peel that off and then get started. Um.....hm.....no loose
corners, nothing to grab. And then......

And then the goddamn thing disappears! Not the Kindle, the message!
AAAAHHHHH!

Turns out it was NOT a piece of paper pasted onto the screen......it
WAS the screen! Looks exactly like paper with ink on it, sort of
like (well, a LOT like) a page from a book, a piece of paper with ink
on it.

Witchcraft! Sorcery!

I've had this thing for less than ten minutes (excluding travel time,
which really can't be counted under the circumstances) and I'm already
liking it!.....and I don't like that.

So, what does one DO with this......this.....this bookie thingie?

What one does, it turns out, is spend an entire evening ready a
tediously long, explicit, and surprisingly sensible user's
manual......or parts of it anyway.....it turns out to be amazingly
intuitive.....one can skip over many of the details.

Ah, but then!

Then, they want you to register the thing at Amazon so you can spend
your children's inheritence.

So, I went to Project Gutenberg and my own archives and downloaded a
hundred or so books. Cool. Always wanted to read some of Burroughs'
Jon Carter books.

O.k., three gigabytes to go. ?! Three gigabytes? That may be more
books than I own (excluding illustrations, of course......this baby
only does black and white [or shades of gray] so it's pretty much
useless for field guides) and who has time to scan and format all that
****?

So, o.k., I'm going to have to register and look at Amazon and whatnot
all. Maybe even buy more "books" (not REAL books, of
course.....ersatz, virtual books). What the hell, I got no children
anyway.

THIS is what comes of having a family! I do not recommend it. :
(

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

On 05/01/2011 8:22 PM, Giles wrote:
with families and such inscrutable encumberances!

My sister, dog bless her oh so connected heart, somehow got wind of
the rumor that I read books and that this is the holiday gift giving
season and that I have a birthday coming sometime in the next year or
so. So, what does she do? She calls me and says "HEY! putz, the post
office says package is too large for PO box and we are going to do
something you won't like very much if you don't do something else
about it SOON!

Huh?, sez I.

Go to the damn post office and DO something!

Oh.....uh.....o.k.

So I hie me to the PO, arrive 5 minutes after the service counter
closes, hear voices behind the rollup (or down, as the case may be)
window, and knock. Whaddaya want, says a voice.

Um, y'all closed?

We are if you want to mail something.

Well, uh, actually, I want to pick something up.....too big for the
box.

Oh. O.k. What's your box number.

I confess.

Window opens, package is shoved forward.

Thanks.

No problem. (the beauty of small town life.....even the official USPO
is casual about hours).

I look but do not touch.....could be an Ayrab or a commie in there.
Hm.....looks ordinary and safe enough. Matter of fact, looks about
the right size and shape to hold......a BOOK!

I pick it up. Nope. Not a book. Too light for the size of the box
(sister is economical and efficient).

Hm......

No pot of boiling water handy and it's five miles to home.....could go
off at any moment. Well then, might as well open it and be done.

I was right. Not a book. Quite. (not exactly a bomb either).
Actually, a booklike substance. It's a "Kindle."

Well.....what the ****?

I take it home, staring balefully at the unholy object at odd
intervals on the ride. It is not (and has not) moved. I take this as
a bad sign.

Arriving at the farm, I finish unwrapping and stare at some sort of
welcome message (like I'm going to be taken in by that, right?) pasted
onto the front of the thing.

O.k., I'll peel that off and then get started. Um.....hm.....no loose
corners, nothing to grab. And then......

And then the goddamn thing disappears! Not the Kindle, the message!
AAAAHHHHH!

Turns out it was NOT a piece of paper pasted onto the screen......it
WAS the screen! Looks exactly like paper with ink on it, sort of
like (well, a LOT like) a page from a book, a piece of paper with ink
on it.

Witchcraft! Sorcery!

I've had this thing for less than ten minutes (excluding travel time,
which really can't be counted under the circumstances) and I'm already
liking it!.....and I don't like that.

So, what does one DO with this......this.....this bookie thingie?

What one does, it turns out, is spend an entire evening ready a
tediously long, explicit, and surprisingly sensible user's
manual......or parts of it anyway.....it turns out to be amazingly
intuitive.....one can skip over many of the details.

Ah, but then!

Then, they want you to register the thing at Amazon so you can spend
your children's inheritence.

So, I went to Project Gutenberg and my own archives and downloaded a
hundred or so books. Cool. Always wanted to read some of Burroughs'
Jon Carter books.

O.k., three gigabytes to go. ?! Three gigabytes? That may be more
books than I own (excluding illustrations, of course......this baby
only does black and white [or shades of gray] so it's pretty much
useless for field guides) and who has time to scan and format all that
****?

So, o.k., I'm going to have to register and look at Amazon and whatnot
all. Maybe even buy more "books" (not REAL books, of
course.....ersatz, virtual books). What the hell, I got no children
anyway.

THIS is what comes of having a family! I do not recommend it. :
(

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

My wife has a Kindle. I have a Kobo. I really like the e-book readers,
especially how light they are.

Project Gutenberg is also excellent, as is manybooks.net

I can also check out e-books from our library.

Tim Lysyk

On Jan 5, 9:30*pm, Tim Lysyk wrote:
On 05/01/2011 8:22 PM, Giles wrote:





with families and such inscrutable encumberances!

My sister, dog bless her oh so connected heart, somehow got wind of
the rumor that I read books and that this is the holiday gift giving
season and that I have a birthday coming sometime in the next year or
so. *So, what does she do? *She calls me and says "HEY! putz, the post
office says package is too large for PO box and we are going to do
something you won't like very much if you don't do something else
about it SOON!

Huh?, sez I.

Go to the damn post office and DO something!

Oh.....uh.....o.k.

So I hie me to the PO, arrive 5 minutes after the service counter
closes, hear voices behind the rollup (or down, as the case may be)
window, and knock. *Whaddaya want, says a voice.

Um, y'all closed?

We are if you want to mail something.

Well, uh, actually, I want to pick something up.....too big for the
box.

Oh. *O.k. *What's your box number.

I confess.

Window opens, package is shoved forward.

Thanks.

No problem. *(the beauty of small town life.....even the official USPO
is casual about hours).

I look but do not touch.....could be an Ayrab or a commie in there.
Hm.....looks ordinary and safe enough. *Matter of fact, looks about
the right size and shape to hold......a BOOK! * * *

I pick it up. *Nope. *Not a book. *Too light for the size of the box
(sister is economical and efficient).

Hm...... * * *

No pot of boiling water handy and it's five miles to home.....could go
off at any moment. *Well then, might as well open it and be done.

I was right. *Not a book. *Quite. (not exactly a bomb either).
Actually, a booklike substance. *It's a "Kindle."

Well.....what the ****?

I take it home, staring balefully at the unholy object at odd
intervals on the ride. *It is not (and has not) moved. *I take this as
a bad sign.

Arriving at the farm, I finish unwrapping and stare at some sort of
welcome message (like I'm going to be taken in by that, right?) pasted
onto the front of the thing.

O.k., I'll peel that off and then get started. *Um.....hm.....no loose
corners, nothing to grab. *And then......

And then the goddamn thing disappears! *Not the Kindle, the message!
AAAAHHHHH! * * *

Turns out it was NOT a piece of paper pasted onto the screen......it
WAS the screen! *Looks exactly like paper with ink on it, *sort of
like (well, a LOT like) a page from a book, a piece of paper with ink
on it.

Witchcraft! *Sorcery! * * *

I've had this thing for less than ten minutes (excluding travel time,
which really can't be counted under the circumstances) and I'm already
liking it!.....and I don't like that.

So, what does one DO with this......this.....this bookie thingie?

What one does, it turns out, is spend an entire evening ready a
tediously long, explicit, and surprisingly sensible user's
manual......or parts of it anyway.....it turns out to be amazingly
intuitive.....one can skip over many of the details.

Ah, but then!

Then, they want you to register the thing at Amazon so you can spend
your children's inheritence.

So, I went to Project Gutenberg and my own archives and downloaded a
hundred or so books. *Cool. *Always wanted to read some of Burroughs'
Jon Carter books.

O.k., three gigabytes to go. *?! *Three gigabytes? *That may be more
books than I own (excluding illustrations, of course......this baby
only does black and white [or shades of gray] so it's pretty much
useless for field guides) and who has time to scan and format all that
****?

So, o.k., I'm going to have to register and look at Amazon and whatnot
all. *Maybe even buy more "books" (not REAL books, of
course.....ersatz, virtual books). *What the hell, I got no children
anyway.

THIS is what comes of having a family! *I do not recommend it. * * * :
(

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

My wife has a Kindle. I have a Kobo. I really like the e-book readers,
especially how light they are.

Project Gutenberg is also excellent, as is manybooks.net

I can also check out e-books from our library.

Tim Lysyk

Wow! Manybooks is new to me. THANKS!

giles

On 2011-01-05 22:22:02 -0500, Giles said:

with families and such inscrutable encumberances!

My sister, dog bless her oh so connected heart, somehow got wind of
the rumor that I read books and that this is the holiday gift giving
season and that I have a birthday coming sometime in the next year or
so. So, what does she do? She calls me and says "HEY! putz, the post
office says package is too large for PO box and we are going to do
something you won't like very much if you don't do something else
about it SOON!

Huh?, sez I.

Go to the damn post office and DO something!

Oh.....uh.....o.k.

So I hie me to the PO, arrive 5 minutes after the service counter
closes, hear voices behind the rollup (or down, as the case may be)
window, and knock. Whaddaya want, says a voice.

Um, y'all closed?

We are if you want to mail something.

Well, uh, actually, I want to pick something up.....too big for the
box.

Oh. O.k. What's your box number.

I confess.

Window opens, package is shoved forward.

Thanks.

No problem. (the beauty of small town life.....even the official USPO
is casual about hours).

I look but do not touch.....could be an Ayrab or a commie in there.
Hm.....looks ordinary and safe enough. Matter of fact, looks about
the right size and shape to hold......a BOOK!

I pick it up. Nope. Not a book. Too light for the size of the box
(sister is economical and efficient).

Hm......

No pot of boiling water handy and it's five miles to home.....could go
off at any moment. Well then, might as well open it and be done.

I was right. Not a book. Quite. (not exactly a bomb either).
Actually, a booklike substance. It's a "Kindle."

Well.....what the ****?

I take it home, staring balefully at the unholy object at odd
intervals on the ride. It is not (and has not) moved. I take this as
a bad sign.

Arriving at the farm, I finish unwrapping and stare at some sort of
welcome message (like I'm going to be taken in by that, right?) pasted
onto the front of the thing.

O.k., I'll peel that off and then get started. Um.....hm.....no loose
corners, nothing to grab. And then......

And then the goddamn thing disappears! Not the Kindle, the message!
AAAAHHHHH!

Turns out it was NOT a piece of paper pasted onto the screen......it
WAS the screen! Looks exactly like paper with ink on it, sort of
like (well, a LOT like) a page from a book, a piece of paper with ink
on it.

Witchcraft! Sorcery!

I've had this thing for less than ten minutes (excluding travel time,
which really can't be counted under the circumstances) and I'm already
liking it!.....and I don't like that.

So, what does one DO with this......this.....this bookie thingie?

What one does, it turns out, is spend an entire evening ready a
tediously long, explicit, and surprisingly sensible user's
manual......or parts of it anyway.....it turns out to be amazingly
intuitive.....one can skip over many of the details.

Ah, but then!

Then, they want you to register the thing at Amazon so you can spend
your children's inheritence.

So, I went to Project Gutenberg and my own archives and downloaded a
hundred or so books. Cool. Always wanted to read some of Burroughs'
Jon Carter books.

O.k., three gigabytes to go. ?! Three gigabytes? That may be more
books than I own (excluding illustrations, of course......this baby
only does black and white [or shades of gray] so it's pretty much
useless for field guides) and who has time to scan and format all that
****?

So, o.k., I'm going to have to register and look at Amazon and whatnot
all. Maybe even buy more "books" (not REAL books, of
course.....ersatz, virtual books). What the hell, I got no children
anyway.

THIS is what comes of having a family! I do not recommend it. :
(

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

Moron.

D.

On 01/05/2011 08:22 PM, Giles wrote:
with families and such inscrutable encumberances!



I love books. Always have. I grew up in a home without television. So
books were our escape, our entertainment. Especially during those long
Idaho/Wyoming winters.

I love to have books. I like their smell, their look, their heft. I love
to see rows of them on my bookshelves.

When I first heard of the Kindle a few years ago I considered it a
damnable object to be scorned. I saw it as a threat to those books that
I loved.

But, the more I learned and the more I thought about it the more I
realized that as much as I love books, I love more the words in those
books. I came to realize that the Kindle is a great way to carry around
those words. Lots of those words.

August 1st I preordered the new "Kindle 3" and it showed up the first
week of September. In short, the Kindle is a great reading tool. I have
read more books since September than I have in the last year and a half.
The simple reason is because I always have it with me and find all kinds
of opportunities to read. That dreaded forty-five minute wait in the
doctor's office is now a pleasant escape into some book until that
annoying nurse pops out and says, "The doctor will see you now." It is
much easier to carry around than a book (or books--I'm always reading
several books).

So congrats on the new Kindle. I think you'll enjoy it. I highly
recommend getting a cover for it. Not only does it protect it, it makes
it seem more bookish. The Amazon.com covers are very well made, but
there are lots of others out there.

I love my Kindle.

Russell

On Jan 6, 5:56*pm, "Russell D." wrote:


I love books. Always have. I grew up in a home without television. So
books were our escape, our entertainment. Especially during those long
Idaho/Wyoming winters.

I love to have books. I like their smell, their look, their heft. I love
to see rows of them on my bookshelves.

When I first heard of the Kindle a few years ago I considered it a
damnable object to be scorned. I saw it as a threat to those books that
I loved.

But, the more I learned and the more I thought about it the more I
realized that as much as I love books, I love more the words in those
books. I came to realize that the Kindle is a great way to carry around
those words. Lots of those words.

August 1st I preordered the new "Kindle 3" and it showed up the first
week of September. In short, the Kindle is a great reading tool. I have
read more books since September than I have in the last year and a half.
The simple reason is because I always have it with me and find all kinds
of opportunities to read. That dreaded forty-five minute wait in the
doctor's office is now a pleasant escape into some book until that
annoying nurse pops out and says, "The doctor will see you now." It is
much easier to carry around than a book (or books--I'm always reading
several books).

So congrats on the new Kindle. I think you'll enjoy it. I highly
recommend getting a cover for it. Not only does it protect it, it makes
it seem more bookish. The Amazon.com covers are very well made, but
there are lots of others out there.

I love my Kindle.

Russell

Great stuff, Russell.

I can find only one minor point to disagree with; "It is much easier
to carry around than a book...". My Kindle (with cover.....thanks for
the advice on that, I'd have followed it, but my sister is nothing if
not thorough) is roughly the size and weight of an average trade
paperback.....actually, a bit thinner, but otherwise very similar.
Not particularly "easier" to carry than a book.....but certainly AS
easy.....and, yes, most certainly easier than several books, an
affliction we share.

Meanwhile, the jury is still out as to whether these things are a
genuine damnable threat to our shared love. A year ago I'd have said,
hell no. Actually, I did.....although not so moderately. Now, I'm
not so sure, for various reasons that would bore the vast majority
here. In any case, the extinction of the book (if, indeed, it occurs
in the not too distant future.....as seems ever more likely) will be
brought about, primarily, by other more sinister agents than a device
which, after all, preserves the words you and I love so much.

Wolfgang
read on bruthas and sistas!

On Jan 6, 12:40*pm, D. LaCourse wrote:
On 2011-01-05 22:22:02 -0500, Giles said:





with families and such inscrutable encumberances!

My sister, dog bless her oh so connected heart, somehow got wind of
the rumor that I read books and that this is the holiday gift giving
season and that I have a birthday coming sometime in the next year or
so. *So, what does she do? *She calls me and says "HEY! putz, the post
office says package is too large for PO box and we are going to do
something you won't like very much if you don't do something else
about it SOON!

Huh?, sez I.

Go to the damn post office and DO something!

Oh.....uh.....o.k.

So I hie me to the PO, arrive 5 minutes after the service counter
closes, hear voices behind the rollup (or down, as the case may be)
window, and knock. *Whaddaya want, says a voice.

Um, y'all closed?

We are if you want to mail something.

Well, uh, actually, I want to pick something up.....too big for the
box.

Oh. *O.k. *What's your box number.

I confess.

Window opens, package is shoved forward.

Thanks.

No problem. *(the beauty of small town life.....even the official USPO
is casual about hours).

I look but do not touch.....could be an Ayrab or a commie in there.
Hm.....looks ordinary and safe enough. *Matter of fact, looks about
the right size and shape to hold......a BOOK! * * *

I pick it up. *Nope. *Not a book. *Too light for the size of the box
(sister is economical and efficient).

Hm...... * * *

No pot of boiling water handy and it's five miles to home.....could go
off at any moment. *Well then, might as well open it and be done.

I was right. *Not a book. *Quite. (not exactly a bomb either).
Actually, a booklike substance. *It's a "Kindle."

Well.....what the ****?

I take it home, staring balefully at the unholy object at odd
intervals on the ride. *It is not (and has not) moved. *I take this as
a bad sign.

Arriving at the farm, I finish unwrapping and stare at some sort of
welcome message (like I'm going to be taken in by that, right?) pasted
onto the front of the thing.

O.k., I'll peel that off and then get started. *Um.....hm.....no loose
corners, nothing to grab. *And then......

And then the goddamn thing disappears! *Not the Kindle, the message!
AAAAHHHHH! * * *

Turns out it was NOT a piece of paper pasted onto the screen......it
WAS the screen! *Looks exactly like paper with ink on it, *sort of
like (well, a LOT like) a page from a book, a piece of paper with ink
on it.

Witchcraft! *Sorcery! * * *

I've had this thing for less than ten minutes (excluding travel time,
which really can't be counted under the circumstances) and I'm already
liking it!.....and I don't like that.

So, what does one DO with this......this.....this bookie thingie?

What one does, it turns out, is spend an entire evening ready a
tediously long, explicit, and surprisingly sensible user's
manual......or parts of it anyway.....it turns out to be amazingly
intuitive.....one can skip over many of the details.

Ah, but then!

Then, they want you to register the thing at Amazon so you can spend
your children's inheritence.

So, I went to Project Gutenberg and my own archives and downloaded a
hundred or so books. *Cool. *Always wanted to read some of Burroughs'
Jon Carter books.

O.k., three gigabytes to go. *?! *Three gigabytes? *That may be more
books than I own (excluding illustrations, of course......this baby
only does black and white [or shades of gray] so it's pretty much
useless for field guides) and who has time to scan and format all that
****?

So, o.k., I'm going to have to register and look at Amazon and whatnot
all. *Maybe even buy more "books" (not REAL books, of
course.....ersatz, virtual books). *What the hell, I got no children
anyway.

THIS is what comes of having a family! *I do not recommend it. * * * :
(

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

Moron.

D.


Ah, the hate is back and in full flower. Sounds like someone is on
the fast track to full recovery!

Well, that's a goddamned shame.

g.

On Wed, 5 Jan 2011 19:22:02 -0800 (PST), Giles
wrote:

THIS is what comes of having a family! I do not recommend it. :
(
*snippage*

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

Cool. I looked at my first e-reader this holiday past and I too have
to admit that I was impressed. I downloaded books into my Palm Z22 for
years and when you had the auto scrolll set right it wasn't a bad way
to read books. But the Nook I looked at had fantastic resolution on
the print in comparison. I am considering a purchase.

Geo. C.

n Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:44:08 -0600, georgecleveland
wrote:

On Wed, 5 Jan 2011 19:22:02 -0800 (PST), Giles
wrote:

THIS is what comes of having a family! I do not recommend it. :
(
*snippage*

giles
who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

Cool. I looked at my first e-reader this holiday past and I too have
to admit that I was impressed. I downloaded books into my Palm Z22 for
years and when you had the auto scrolll set right it wasn't a bad way
to read books. But the Nook I looked at had fantastic resolution on
the print in comparison. I am considering a purchase.

Geo. C.

I used to travel 20 weeks a yr and I read a LOT as I always had a book
I was reading w me
I use to search the NY Times Biook review fior paperbacks so that I
could carrry them more easily

I do not read a s much now
If I did I would buy the Kindle or another type reader in a minutye
My granddaughter uses hers all the time

Now - If I could get music scores on a reader?????

Fred

On Jan 6, 10:01*pm, Todd wrote:
On 01/06/2011 06:15 PM, Giles wrote:

giles
* *who, like he ain't already got enough to do!

*Moron.

*D.

Ah, the hate is back and in full flower. *Sounds like someone is on
the fast track to full recovery!

Well, that's a goddamned shame.

g.

Gees Condescending One. *That was not hate. *Calling
you a "Moron" is "High Comedy". *I laughed loudly when
I read it. *On his recovery bed he brought cheer into
my life!

Good news. *Not any kind of shame. *And, get a sense of
humor!

-T

Moron.

g.