travelling through time.
Well, here I go again, typing out, what's sure to be a long-winded post from my phone. And I wonder why I get these shooting pains in my right hand. Ugh. This is the future, right? Someone must be putting funding into solving the inevitable downfall of my entire generation: carpal tunel... fml. Oh well. If not, maybe I can strike gold creating my own fashionista line of hand braces with dumb ass little sacred hearts and little rhine stones and skulls with top hats and... wait, I'd totally buy that. Ugh.
Where was I going with all this?
Oh, right the Kindle, of course.
So, I've been doing a lot of reading about the Kindle. The kind of future Amazon predicts for it and how it's done so far.
I'd like to clarifiy that I don't own a kindle. It's not even on my list of things I'd soon like to buy. (I don't think its even on my Amazon Wishlist...) There are tons of other electronics and products that I would like to buy before I would consider dropping hundreds on one of these.
Yet, I respect it. I believe that the kindle is, in fact, the future. Truly. Consider this... TEXT BOOKS! They cost so much money, hundreds of dollars. They're heavy, they're bulky. They are a real pain in the ass. Imagine having all your texts books, even for just a minor discount, in this sleek device. As long as you have your kindle, you're prepared for all of your classes. Or "oh shit, I forgot to buy my book! This class starts in ten minutes... oh wait, I can order it right now."
In general, books are still a pretty big deal. People love to read. When popular books come out, the demand is often higher than the supply. These books get back ordered and people get frustrated. I would think with the kindle system, there woulld be no such thing. "Hey this book just came out. I want it.... awesome now I can read it and I didn't even have to go fight the mobs at the book store."
Think of the implications of being able to get books and information sent to you any where at any time. People have been worried about the printed word disapearing with the rise of technology. While I believe this is still far off, I consider the Kindle to be kind of a savior. Though many people still give heavy value to the tangible nature of books, magazines and news papers, think also, about the waste created by newspapers and magazines. These things aren't meant to be kept. They're disposable printed items. News papers give us ONE DAY of information and magazines, at best, go a week or two in my home before we've exhausted every article, perfume sample and examined every photo.
While many people, these days, have embraced recycling, this still isn't happening on as huge of a scale as it could or should. The point is, a lot of people just don't care.
Sometimes, you have to take the power to do things the wrong way out of the hands directly. That's not to say that tossing a magazine in the trash is a BAD thing, but if everyone does it, it can be. Taking the option away from people, replacing these wasteful items with something new, sleek and interesting, delivering them the same exact content with meerly a "delete" option... well, I'm just saying, they could really have something here.
Obviously, I'm thinking beyond the books and beyond what the device even does at this point, but I'm able to see very clearly, that this device is the absolute future of the (not so) printed word. I really admire that they took the time to carefully craft the screen so well. Though I haven't seen one in person, the screen is supposed to look and read exactly like paper. Its not supposed to seem digital in any way. I find this very impressive and feel like this was a genius move to appeal to those outside of this tech-based generation. I stare at screens all day. From the tiny 2.5"x 1.5" screen on this phone, to the big ass, outdated computer monitor at my desk at work, to my 14" ibook screen or my 50" plasma tv in my living room. I am constantly focusing my eyes, taking my glasses off and putting them back on. I used to have stunning eyesight... I used to blame my teenage drug usage on its degradation, but at this point, I realize this makes little sense and is a poor argument. It's probably got a lot more to do with these little screens I've gone back and forth between since I was young.
I remember staring, in awe at my first computer when I was a kid. My father had gotten a copy of the New York Times pulled up in green screen format, on our DOS based system. Email sended/recieving consisted of lines of code and characters... but there it was. The New York Times. How did it get here from New York? I wondered. My father told me, through the phone lines! I didn't even know what that meant.
Now, here it is, anywhere at any time. I understand that this is availbe online and on other mobile devices and has been for sometime, but again, this device offers itself a shine that I believe, gives an appeal to the masses.
(thanks mobile photobucket)
And yes, with it's cripped web browser, the wiki access makes it into a true beta-type Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And maybe I have a soft spot for that.
If anyone is still reading (jesus, what's wrong with you?? This was BORING...) just think about it. Consider the implications. Think about all the ways this could be used. I think Jeff Bezos knows exactly what he's doing and he knows that this is the future. He stands to become a revolutionary, rich motherfucker. He knows he's putting the future into people's hands.
I'm done rambling now, I suppose. Someday, I will have time to sit and do some reading again and when that time comes, I probably will make the investment in this.
Where was I going with all this?
Oh, right the Kindle, of course.
So, I've been doing a lot of reading about the Kindle. The kind of future Amazon predicts for it and how it's done so far.
I'd like to clarifiy that I don't own a kindle. It's not even on my list of things I'd soon like to buy. (I don't think its even on my Amazon Wishlist...) There are tons of other electronics and products that I would like to buy before I would consider dropping hundreds on one of these.
Yet, I respect it. I believe that the kindle is, in fact, the future. Truly. Consider this... TEXT BOOKS! They cost so much money, hundreds of dollars. They're heavy, they're bulky. They are a real pain in the ass. Imagine having all your texts books, even for just a minor discount, in this sleek device. As long as you have your kindle, you're prepared for all of your classes. Or "oh shit, I forgot to buy my book! This class starts in ten minutes... oh wait, I can order it right now."
In general, books are still a pretty big deal. People love to read. When popular books come out, the demand is often higher than the supply. These books get back ordered and people get frustrated. I would think with the kindle system, there woulld be no such thing. "Hey this book just came out. I want it.... awesome now I can read it and I didn't even have to go fight the mobs at the book store."
Think of the implications of being able to get books and information sent to you any where at any time. People have been worried about the printed word disapearing with the rise of technology. While I believe this is still far off, I consider the Kindle to be kind of a savior. Though many people still give heavy value to the tangible nature of books, magazines and news papers, think also, about the waste created by newspapers and magazines. These things aren't meant to be kept. They're disposable printed items. News papers give us ONE DAY of information and magazines, at best, go a week or two in my home before we've exhausted every article, perfume sample and examined every photo.
While many people, these days, have embraced recycling, this still isn't happening on as huge of a scale as it could or should. The point is, a lot of people just don't care.
Sometimes, you have to take the power to do things the wrong way out of the hands directly. That's not to say that tossing a magazine in the trash is a BAD thing, but if everyone does it, it can be. Taking the option away from people, replacing these wasteful items with something new, sleek and interesting, delivering them the same exact content with meerly a "delete" option... well, I'm just saying, they could really have something here.
Obviously, I'm thinking beyond the books and beyond what the device even does at this point, but I'm able to see very clearly, that this device is the absolute future of the (not so) printed word. I really admire that they took the time to carefully craft the screen so well. Though I haven't seen one in person, the screen is supposed to look and read exactly like paper. Its not supposed to seem digital in any way. I find this very impressive and feel like this was a genius move to appeal to those outside of this tech-based generation. I stare at screens all day. From the tiny 2.5"x 1.5" screen on this phone, to the big ass, outdated computer monitor at my desk at work, to my 14" ibook screen or my 50" plasma tv in my living room. I am constantly focusing my eyes, taking my glasses off and putting them back on. I used to have stunning eyesight... I used to blame my teenage drug usage on its degradation, but at this point, I realize this makes little sense and is a poor argument. It's probably got a lot more to do with these little screens I've gone back and forth between since I was young.
I remember staring, in awe at my first computer when I was a kid. My father had gotten a copy of the New York Times pulled up in green screen format, on our DOS based system. Email sended/recieving consisted of lines of code and characters... but there it was. The New York Times. How did it get here from New York? I wondered. My father told me, through the phone lines! I didn't even know what that meant.
Now, here it is, anywhere at any time. I understand that this is availbe online and on other mobile devices and has been for sometime, but again, this device offers itself a shine that I believe, gives an appeal to the masses.
(thanks mobile photobucket)
And yes, with it's cripped web browser, the wiki access makes it into a true beta-type Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And maybe I have a soft spot for that.
If anyone is still reading (jesus, what's wrong with you?? This was BORING...) just think about it. Consider the implications. Think about all the ways this could be used. I think Jeff Bezos knows exactly what he's doing and he knows that this is the future. He stands to become a revolutionary, rich motherfucker. He knows he's putting the future into people's hands.
I'm done rambling now, I suppose. Someday, I will have time to sit and do some reading again and when that time comes, I probably will make the investment in this.