Carrying Books Around

Cryptonomicon really is an interesting read. I keep bringing it with me everywhere I go. Although it feels good to be reading a real book for a change, it's a tad bit inconvenient. An ebook reader would definitely be more convenient. I mean the size of ebook readers doesn't make it more convenient. It's actually how many books you can carry around in them.

Just think of it. Right now, I am in the middle of three novels. I have a paperback copy of Cryptonomicon, a paperback copy of Whiteout (Ken Follett) and a PDF copy of Bourne Legacy saved in my Treo 650. What if I had all three in ebook form? I could conveniently switch from one to the other, carrying just one book - I mean ebook reader. 

Take the Amazon Kindle. It can take in around 3,500 books (Kindle DX only, 1,500 for the 6" Kindle). Since  going international, Kindle owners from over a hundred countries can  now connect wirelessly to Amazon buy books, a big plus for people living outside the US. Users can read their existing PDF and TXT format ebooks  and play Audible audio books or MP3's. HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP files are supported when converted for the Kindle's software. It is limited by its e-ink display, as it can only display in black and white. But that display uses less power than color LCD and can last about a week with the wireless turned on and about 2 weeks with wireless off. That's from a single charge. It definitely beats the amount of time my cell phone can last on a single charge. So it's power-saving, can carry a lot of books, can play music and you can buy books using a 3G connection (books within minutes, they say).

Then there's also the Nook from Barnes & Noble, a great device that one-ups the Amazon Kindle by giving users the ability to share ebooks with each other free of charge. The Nook also comes with WiFi, so you can still download books if 3G in your neck of the woods is spotty. It has a color touch-screen near the bottom instead of buttons to control the interface. It does lend the Nook a better, cleaner look overall. The main reading display is still e-ink though to conserve energy in between charges. It has a smaller capacity when compared to the DX, holding approximately 1,500 books. That's less then half of what the Kindle DX can carry, but plenty enough to give you a few years worth of reading - LOL. If you need more storage though, you can add to it by using a Micro SD card. The Nook supports EPUB, PDB and PDF ebook files. In addition it can also play MP3's and use photos in JPG, GIF, PNG and BMP formats as screensavers (full specs here). Downside is no love for geeks living outside the US. The Nook is US-only for now.

These two are the most viable ebook readers today, since both are tied to each company's bookstore and make buying books really easy. They also allow readers to read (to some extent) their existing ebooks. As with any new-fangled gadget, the contention is still price. Personally, I can't afford them. And until I can, I'll stick to paperbacks and the ebooks on my Treo 650. 

Libravox

The spirit of volunteerism has always amazed me. People find varied ways to contribute to the intellectual growth of others or of their communities. Prime examples would be Project Gutenberg and many Open Source projects. While browsing around the audiobooks in Manybooks.net, I downloaded a few and found Librivox. This is a boon for anyone into audiobooks. I'm not going to go into the value of audiobooks. Anyone who has tried them will give you different reasons why its useful to them or why they find it bad for lit in general.

As for me, I downloaded a few books. One of which I plan to let my son hear. I got the audio version of Poems Every Child Should Know from Kara Shallenberg's site. Maybe listening to them will have a positive effect on my son. Poetry is a beautiful thing to have in one's mind. It brings the mind and the heart together in a harmony that speaks to the soul.

Anyway, try it out. And while you're at it, subscribe to the Librivox podcasts. Oh, and you might as well use Gpodder or Jpodder to subscribe. Keep everything Open Source and support the them to encourage participation in these projects that benefit the public.

Reading Again.

I've been meaning to do some serious reading while on my day-off, and read I did. You've probably read from my Jaiku page that I had read Blind Shrike (Richard Kadrey), which I really didn't like but still finished as was my habit with fiction. I started reading Halo (Tom Maddox) shortly after that and like the light way the story presented what a future with machine-intelligence would be like. It was a light read and entertaining. I finished Halo late-morning yesterday. I promptly started reading Geek Mafia (Rick Dakan) after that, which is a bit more contemporary and somethign I liked since it was about a comicbook-geek-turned-con-turned-fugitive-turned-redeemed-hero. I just finished Mafia and I went online to briefly update my blogs. And here I am again, searching through ManyBooks.net for any interesting eBooks I might find.

I am reading again, is the good news. I've always loved to read, though my love for books has waned over the last few years. I've only read an occasional book or two each year. Having a Treo650 has changed things a bit. I save all these books on it, and since I always have it with me I just flick it out whenever I feel the urge to read. No more I-want-to-read-but-I-forgot-to-bring-the-book situations. I'm using eReader (and the associated file format) to read these books. I've found it better than PDF , even if I do have PalmPDF on my Treo. I've reserved it for the "need-to" situations when I have no other choice but to view documents in PDF. I hate the fact that its so resource-hungry, especially when loading long books. I simply find it hard to read stuff using PalmPDF. eReader files are small by comparison, so I get to save more stuff to my media card. Who could say no to that?

Anyway, I'll post about more books I read as time goes by. Right now, I need to catch some ZZZ's...

Linux System Administration

It would be nice to receive this as a gift, wouldn't it?