In which one writer defends the (fantastic) Kindle from the assaults of another
Posted 11.23.2010 at 2:08 pm
23 Comments
E Ink Pearl Display on Kindle 3
The Kindle 3's amazing E Ink Pearl screen, here shown displaying one of the several million pages of Infinite Jest.
John Mahoney
A few months ago, when I still lived in San Francisco, I used to go to a monthly event called Literary Death Match, in which well-lubricated writers read their work in front of a heckling panel of judges. It's somewhere between stand-up comedy and a drunk recital, with a tone a bit like that of the nearby-headquartered McSweeney's--slightly precious, highly literate, vaguely experimental, and often funny--only more profane. Once, at the end of the second reading, the author, who had her notes proudly type-written (like, with a typewriter) tossed her retro-affected sheets of paper into the crowd and shouted "FUCK THE KINDLE!"
It got a huge applause. Which was kind of uncomfortable for me, since I had my new Kindle 3 in my jacket pocket at the time.
I had just finished telling my roommate, a Death Match performer himself, how great it is, at some length. Yerp. But the thing is, the Kindle, especially the newest Kindle (sometimes called the Kindle 3), really is great, and writers and authors of every stripe should be embracing it. Readers already have.
The newest Kindle's most impressive achievement (among others, including a reduced size and a slashed price) is its E-Ink Pearl screen, which is just an absolute pleasure to behold. Read a Kindle for more than 10 or 20 pages and you'll forget you're using a gadget in place of an arcane piece of dead tree-pulp bound with glue--you get sucked right into it, and it feels just as natural as turning pages ever did. The newest Kindle's screen increases the contrast, decreases the refresh rate (leading to faster page turns, a common complaint about electrophoretic displays), and increases the battery life to a month. A month! Can you think of any gadget you use daily that lasts for a month on one battery charge?
It's the mix of familiar and new that makes it so easily preferable to books. It's not a computer that happens to be able to display text in book form--it's a book, digitally evolved. Like a book, it presents a static page, with ever-so-slightly lighter than true black text on a barely off-white background. Like a book, it's not backlit: You still need to have a light source, which should be good news to reading lamp makers everywhere, but it only gets more readable with more light. The Kindle loves the beach, just like a book.
But then, the ability to seamlessly and automatically sync your bookmarks between your phone, computer, and Kindle, or the ability to download books on the fly from anywhere, or look up an unfamiliar term right on the device--that's all very new.
It's that combination that's propelled me to forgo podcasts, music, and video clips on my morning commute for books. I've bought more books in the three months I've owned the Kindle than in the two years preceding them. That's largely due to the Kindle's screen: It really does feel like reading a book, sans papercuts and nostalgic superiority. It's the best reading experience I've ever had.
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'The refresh rate is the number of times in a second that display hardware draws the data.' -wiki
'decreases the refresh rate (leading to faster page turns, a common complaint about electrophoretic displays)' -Dan Nosowitz
I think where thinking it decreases the latency not refresh rate.
I like the article, but could we be a little more careful with the profanity? This is a family-friendly website after all, right? I go to great lengths to see that my kids not learn these words while they are still young.
So we're allowed to say FUCK now?
Still can't decide between Sony and Kindle... The Kindle's screen vs. the Reader's smaller size, the Kindle's huge library that's available anywhere vs. the Reader's ability to read more than one type of file, among them lots of open source and free ones... And no, don't even think about mentioning that service Amazon has where you can send them files for conversion. If you ask me, any reader not being able to at least read .pdf's is pretty much unforgivable. And I like Sony's inability to steal back copies of books that I paid for (Amazon!)... I guess maybe I'm leaning towards Sony; anyone care to convince me otherwise? The Nook is out, since I live in Germany.
Also, @ Teknopesant, if your kids are old enough to read Popular Science, then they're probably already familiar with the F-bomb. It's not doing them any favours to shelter them from stuff as harmless as that. Kudos to Popsci for running that; it wasn't gratuitous in any way, and helped to graphically illustrate how strong opinions can be on these e-readers.
I find myself looking at ebook readers more and more now (especially with the gifting season fast approaching); I've been considering purchasing one for a family member ;)
It's nice to know they're only getting better... i'm curious how this newer kindle stacks up to the newer versions by other manufacturers tho, so more googlin time ahead.
Your right Dan, authors should definitely be embracing it!
> Uhm..It's called "context," don't misinterpret a quote by the article writer with blatant vulgarity, they are completely different things.
I couldn't gaF less what is said in the article btw, if someone is old enough to read a popsci article and correctly interpret it, they should be old enough to understand that being sheltered is not permanent ;)
The Comments should stay civil and relatively un-needing of a censor tho, plz don't abuse your right to free speech :P
Re: Vankrugermeer: I've used both the Sony Reader and the Kindle, and the Kindle's far better. Yeah, the compatibility thing is kind of annoying--not to excuse it, but there's a program called Calibre that'll convert everything to a Kindle-friendly format for free, easily and quickly. The Sony Reader's hardware is just okay; the screen is okay, the refresh rates are okay, the store is okay, etc etc etc.
But the Kindle store is huge, better priced, and syncs bookmarks to my phone and computer. The screen is super fast and super clear, and it has nice extras like a surprisingly decent web browser. Basically: I have both, and I use the Kindle. That pretty much says it all, I guess.
@teknopesant
The fact that you're letting your children read PS should be reason enough that they should know what fuck means. There's far worse things on this site (e.g. the sex files, stem cell research) than a little profanity. This is the first time I've seen profanity in an article so don't get your panties in a bunch over one example.
Bought Kindle 3 this week. I love it.
@vankrugermeer kindle 2 got pdf support with an update, k3 had it from release. So your argument is invalid; just get one, you wont regret it.
@TEKNOPESANT and cambo 351. I olddy agree. I cus a lot!!! all the time. I am also a teacher and know when to turn it off. I try to see the internet as public place. I dont walk into a public place and drop F bombs like I do in the car or basically everywhere I am not in public. On most website, they do have moderation, but I think it is still a good idea to try and hide bad words. 99% of us can figure them out anyway. I am a little surprised at popsci for this. and good luck keeping your kids away from bad words. basically 100% not going to happen. I like to think of them. As a time and a place. for kids that time and place is basically never. they want to say them with their friends in private with no adults around. fine with me. in class, in public. No way!!! same rules for adults too at least in my book.
This whole down-with-the-Kindle thing cracks me up. I've always thought less of it because I've never seen a need for one, and also because I'm holding out for iPad's next-gen. (For the record, I co-created the Literary Death Match.)
In terms of shouting it at a lit event, it's the same as saying "Give it up for the teachers!" (before Waiting for Superman, at least). Easy applause, and misdirected anger.
The issue with the Kindle is that Amazon screws up book prices all around — especially for hardcovers, but most people just shout about how the Kindle's awful because it's new and strange, and they love reading paper books, because that's what they're used to.
My girlfriend bought a Kindle, hasn't used it beyond three reading sessions. Now I have stolen/inherited it, and thought: awesome! But, I couldn't buy Bright Lights, Big City on it, and now its back where it was before: at the bottom of a drawer, slowly losing its charge.
Still! I travel a ton and see the value of it. My daydream: I buy a paper book, and get to pay $2 more for the ebook edition. Or some such agreement. I want both, as I might be traveling, etc.
As for the F#*K argument: seriously, people? It's a direct quote.
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I was not aware that "Freedom of speech" excluded any certain expressions? I always thought it an absolute. I'd personally be hard pressed to find that quoting someone is profane - even if said person did say "fuck"
Isn't "Freedom of speech" one of the fundamental rights that separates a civilized democracy from totalitarian rule? A right that must be defended - even when we ourself disagree with what is said?
"I May Detest What You Say, But I Will Defend To The Death Your Right To Say It" - Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
The future will not be kind to the kindle or iPad for that matter. Your children and grandchildren will laugh at people having all these gadgets with their demands for attention, special user controls and electric power.
E Ink deserves kudos for its 25 year overnight success in the kindle, although I doubt the poor bastard who invented it has ever made a buck.
Instead of rewarding the inventors we reward the exploiters and these days even find it fashionable to berate and denigrate inventors and educational and small companies that invent our future as "trolls" or NPEs.
Jobs never invented a damn thing nor Gates nor Bezzos. But people like the selfish and self serving Ms Nosowitz don't give a crap.
Perhaps some other commenter has mentioned this--sorry I don't have time to wade through all the spam to confirm it--but folks for goodness' sake check before you buy your e-reader or you're gonna be in for an expensive shock.
Kindle's media is completely proprietary which means every thing you read on it's gonna cost you more. A great deal of e-literature is available for free at public libraries--but kindle will NOT allow you to read any of it.
Library-to-go and the Guttenberg project publish their media (hundreds of thousands of titles) in open format like epub and .pdf and you can d'load it all for free at your local library--but not to your kindle.
It's analogous to the printer companies reeling you in with reasonably priced printers and then bleeding you for the cost of ink carts.
Don't fall for kindle unless you really do have $ to burn.
@bobSciVi
Project Guttenburg books are available for download in Kindle format.
Many other sites also offer public domain books in Kindle's format.
Many sites, other than Amazon of course, offer books of the non-public domain variety.
See the light. Buy books, support authors. Stop printing anyway.
Like someone else here said you will not keep your youngsters from learning swearwords. I taught my son every swear word when he was about 4 and had started playing with other kids and came home uttering the odd swear word at inappropriate times. After teaching him all the words and meanings I also taught him when he should not use them ie at school, in front of his Mother and other adults and also told him how unnecessary it was in life generally but if he hit his thumb with a hammer (he loved woodwork like me from a young age)then cursing was acceptable (after all I do so why shouldn't he?). Any way by not banning him per se he never bothered with it again till he started work and now unfortuneately he swears like a trooper but still mainly out of earshot of his Gran.
ok i'm prepared to be shouted down over saying this, but seriously guys, this site's on the "safe" list for my kids!! Would it have caused immense amounts of pain to just say F*&^ the Kindle? Any adult would know what she said...
I just read the comments and I'm literally “Lol'ing” the suggestion that FREEDOM OF SPEECH ITSELF is under assault by a few family minded individuals asking that the forums and articles not be laced with profanity (JUST AS THE POPSCI MAGAZINE ISN'T). I mean REALLY? REALLY!!?
Let me say this since it's obviously something that needs to be said: there's a difference between repression and self-control, crass and CLASS. I'd bet someone a Coke that this is the first time in Popsci's over 100 year history that a writer lowered the bar to profanity to make a point.. quote or not.
As to the "kids will hear it anyway" any educated person need NOT make their points using profanity, it's a word filler for the ill-informed and the idiot without an argument. That's exactly what we ought to teach our kids and encourage in our society. Also well said by another poster, it's a public forum and it's just as inappropriate and low class to use profanity here as in a room full of strangers. You CAN, but you bring yourself and the level of conversation waaaaaaay down.
So, drop the fake martyrdom please, if your ideas cant be expressed without being crass then you dont really have any ideas.
put another way: you're better that this Popsci.
Good online converter
http://www.2epub.com
It's free
The First Amendment only limits Congress, not popsci, and not other people who tell you to watch your language.
But profanity also distracts many people from your ideas and turns some people off. For example, note how many comments focus on the language rather than the ideas of this article. Those are readers you lost by poor word choice. So whether you have a right to or not, recognize that profanity limits your audience and distracts your listeners. Then do what you please.
Kindle 3 was purchased instead of a sony one.. the screen seems to be the #1 issue, I didnt even bother comparing the battery life of the 2 but after seeing some shoddy reviews of the software for the sony & seeing pdf support [check] on the kindle.. the blackfriday deal was too much to pass up. ...my father should be pleasantly surprised come xmas ;D
Now, the hard part.. to somehow keep him from buying any more books before xmas gets here without somehow giving it away lol
Seriously, are you actually arguing about this? It was one word, and he wasn't even saying it! Popsci has a good history of keeping things clean. Just don't worry about it!