The Twelve Days of Kindle

On the twelfth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me

Twelve Books To Download

Eleven New Subscriptions

Ten Free First Chapters

Nine Top Newspapers

Eight Gigs Of Memory

Seven Business Blogs

Six Music Files

Five Jealous Friends......

Four Levels Gray Scale

Three Days Of Power

Two Recharge Hours

And A Kindle Of My Very Own!!!

I hope everyone has a very Happy Holiday season!!!!

Oprah Endorses The Kindle

In late October, the Amazon Kindle was announced as one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite gadgets in 2008. I bet Amazon was jumping for joy due to all of that free advertising, especially so close the the holiday season. Oprah said that when the Kindle first came out, she wasn't really all that excited about it, but after a friend of her's gave her one with a preloaded book, her opinion quickly changed. A few of things she says she really likes about the Kindle is it's environmentally friendly nature, the fact that she no longer has to cart all of her books around with her everywhere, and, of all things, the built in dictionary. Who'd a thunk it? And, how cool is it that she already has an established book club where many of the books are already available for the Kindle? It seems like it was only a matter of time that the Oprah Book Club and the Amazon Kindle came together.

So why do I bring this to your attention today? Well, I find it to be an exciting time when a product receives such a high profile endorsement, because it usually means that the product is here to stay and worth considering for yourself. And, I really like the Kindle and want everyone else to like it as much as I do, and if I can jump on the celebrity endorsement bandwagon to promote how wonderful a Kindle will be as Christmas gift, the I am going to take full advantage.

I have been telling you for quite some time now that the Kindle is a fantastic item, one with a future. Also, I just wanted you to know that I wasn't the only one who thought so. And, you know what? Christmas is right around the corner. Isn't there someone in your circle of family and friends who just might like to give the Kindle a try? I mean, come on, if Oprah likes it, I am sure they will too!

Read more about Oprah's Favorite Gadget here.

Happy Kindling!

Upload Documents Right To Your Kindle

I came across an interesting blog that talked about how to upload documents to your Kindle, which has been very helpful to me, so I thought I would pass it along to you.

I have a job that requires me to read a lot of reports. When I travel, I find that airport and airplane idle time is a good way to get caught up on my reading of said reports.

One problem that I have experienced is that when I travel, I end up taking more stuff than I need, and I am not just talking about shoes (you know what I mean ladies!). So, my carry-on bag typically contains, books, paperwork, laptop, music, and whatever else I deem essential for my trip. Since getting my Kindle, I have been able to reduce the number of gadgets I take with me without sacrificing the quantity of items, because I can fit a lot of it on my Kindle.

For example, as you well know, you are able to download 100s of 1000s of books right onto your Kindle, so, I no longer have to take my physical books with me. If you don't know, you can also upload music onto your Kindle, so I no longer have to have an additional gadget for that. Wouldn't it be nice if I could reduce the amount of hard copy paperwork I have, by uploading that onto your Kindle as well? So, now when I travel, I have my Kindle, my laptop, and me. It really makes things a lot easier.

If you are interested in how to upload documents, i.e., word files, PDF files, etc., onto your Kindle practically free, please visit this blog, EduKindle, for instructions and information.

Now, some people may be wondering why not just use your laptop to read the reports and not worry about uploading documents to your Kindle. Whenever I can avoid lugging my laptop through an airport and not have to worry about taking it out of my bag and putting it in a bin by itself when I go through security only to have to put it back in my bag and lug it around some more, I'll opt for the Kindle every time. I still have to run it through security, but it is a lot smaller, easier, and lighter to deal with. That's just my preference.

I just wanted to make sure you knew your options and just how versatile your Kindle really is.

Working Out With A Kindle

I continue to be amazed at the places I see people using their Kindles. Today, I diligently went to the gym again in my quest to lose those few, or maybe more than a few, pounds that have crept up on me as of late. Typically, I attend a spin class or body pump class, both of which I highly recommend, but being a Sunday afternoon, neither class was offered so I opted to pay my dues to the workout gods on the Elliptical Machine. At the gym, all of the Cardio machines are hooked up to the bay of 8 big screen TVs so that you can at least entertain yourself while your heart rate is racing for the stars. Much to my amazement, there was this guy a couple of machines down from me that had his Kindle sitting on the built-in book rack on his Elliptical Machine. He was plugging along with his exercise routine and reading his Kindle all at the same time. I was duly impressed and thought I would share with you one more example that indicates the Kindle is invading our lives slowly but surely. Think about it...a great Christmas present coupled with a New Year's resolution could find you reading your Kindle at your local gym in early 2009!

Amazon Kindle 2

Pandora's box has been opened and the new Amazon Kindle 2 was waiting for us inside. According to The Boy Genius, who has pictures of the new device, the new Kindle looks pretty good. The article goes on to give some specs on the new device which include some of the following.

• the clickwheel has been replaced by a joystick
• the size is a little wider and a little longer than the original
• the buttons on both sides of the device are a little smaller
• the keyboard has been redesigned
• the old charger has been replaced by a universal mini USB charger

For more information about the new Kindle, check out the article at The Boy Genius.

Knowing that each iteration of new electronic devices, whether it be iPods, iPhones, PSPs, Playstations, Wii's, etc., you get more and more functionality, typically for a lower price (according to Engadget, it could be as low as $249, but we shall see). It will be very interesting to see what the new price tag is for the Kindle 2 once it surfaces on the market. One can only assume that Amazon will try to launch it's new product just in time for the holidays. I, for one, can't wait to see it.

Again, if you haven't checked out the Kindleyet, you need to. It is an amazing device and one that is changing the way we read, learn, and help the environment. Happy Kindling!!!!!

The Musical Kindle

Lately, when I read about what people have to say about the Kindle, I constantly see new books available from Amazon.com, articles written about how there is a new version of the Kindle in the works, and how schools are promoting the Kindle as the next best thing for reading textbooks (What's In Your Backpack?), but I haven't seen a lot about its musical functionality.

I know when I was in college (and even now), I often listened to music while I read or worked on projects. The neat thing about the Kindle is that it not only stores books, it can store music too. So, if you have your textbook loaded on your device along with some supercharged educational enhancing music, there is no way you can fail. And, you don't have to have more than one electronic device to serve both functions, which is another nice feature.

If you need some help learning about the musical capabilities of your Kindle, I found a great blog offering some fantastic ideas. It's called Light My Kindle. Look for Tips and Tricks #8 and #9, Putting Music on Your Kindle and Maximizing Your Kindle Music Player, as well as other great information.

Don't forget to constantly explore the functionality of your Kindle and use all that is has to offer. If you don't have one, you should get one. If you have one, you have made a great investment, so use it!!!! Happy Reading and Listening!

Kindle Book Club for Kids

School has started and so has the Reading List that our kids are supposed to get through before the end of the school year. When discussing the list with my stepsons, they were none too excited. I know that is absolutely shocking since reading doesn't really hold a candle to their current sporting activities or Wii playing. However, I hoped that their earlier interest in the Kindle would be rekindled (see Share Your Kindle With Your Kids) if I found a way to make it cool for them to read. As I looked through the list and compared it to the list of available books on the Kindle, I was pleasently surprised to find some Kindle versions.

I thought I would start out with a classic for my initial experiment, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Bramblewood Press Classics). We went through the anticipated argument that they had already seen the movie, knew how the story went, blah blah blah, but reading the book, I told them, is very different. Both of them are currently in Jr. High School, so the book selection would count for both of them if they both read it. While they were somewhat hesitant at first, they agreed if I would purchase the Kindle version for them.

I am happy to report that one stepson has already finished the book and the other is about halfway through, and we are only 3 weeks into the new school year. It must be something about the fact that its electronic, kind of looks like a video game console and not the ole standard book that attracts them to it.

I shared my early success with a Kindle loving friend of mine who has some grade school aged children. She and her husband said, "Why not try it with our kids?" They have peaked their kids interest as well and are having similar early success. We joked about starting a Kindle Book Club for Kids, which may not really be a bad idea if it will continue to peak their interest and keep them reading.

So far so good. Fingers are crossed that our success continues. With new books being added everyday to the Kindle Store and the fact that textbooks are making their debut on the Kindle, who knows what the future holds for our children.

Kindle: What is that?

I was sitting at the doctor's office the other day waiting for my appointment to begin. Granted, I understand that there is an unwritten rule whereby you must wait the allotted amount of time to actually see the doctor which is actually your designated appointment start time plus your age minus your shoe size multiplied by your IQ and divided by your lack of patience, or so I am told. Luckily, I had tucked my Kindle into my bag prior to leaving the house just in case I had to wait. Who am I kidding? Of course I knew I was going to have to wait and had the foresight to plan ahead, thank goodness.

There I sat, reading my latest downloaded book, Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb, minding my own business, when my peripheral vision went into high gear when I started to notice other impatiently waiting patients were straining to see what kind of technical gizmo device I had just retrieved from my bag. I tried to ignore them as long as I could and tried to continue with my reading, but much to my dismay, it wasn't possible. And I did it. I did the worst thing I could've possibly done. I looked up from my Kindle, made eye contact with the man sitting across from me, and smiled. That was the end of my reading and the beginning of my first Kindle promotion session of the day.

"What IS that thing?" he asked.

"It's a Kindle." I answered.

"What's a Kindle?" he asked again and with that, it was all over.

We chatted for about 5 minutes as he repositioned his vantage point from across the aisle from me to sitting immediately to my right. His vacated seat was quickly then taken by another woman who had become interested in our conversation and as I looked around, others were beginning to eavesdrop. I enjoyed my time promoting the new Kindle reading device and encouraged all of them to look into purchasing one. At last, my name was called, as it was finally time for my appointment, or so I thought.

Yes, the second phase of medical waiting began. I was weighed first and then asked to take a seat in the 2nd room on the right. My blood pressure and temperature were then taken and I was told the doctor would be in momentarily, which in medical terms means anywhere from 5 minutes to whenever the heck the doctor is ready to see me. So once again, I sat and waited, and read Conspiracy in Death on my Kindle.

The doctor finally came into the room less than 20 minutes later, which was much better than I had anticipated and I was thankful. But wouldn't you know it....the first thing he asked me was, "What is that?" I just laughed and realized that my second Kindle lesson had just begun.

I continued to be amazed at how many people don't know about the Kindle and at how excited I get every time someone asks me about it. If you haven't seen one yet, you need to so someone can ask you, "What is that?"

The Wind is My Friend

Today's post has more to do with the "Green" aspect of this blog than it does the "Kindle" aspect, but I thought it was worth writing about anyway.

I finally got to take a little mini vacation this past week. While it was only a few days, it was fun, relaxing, and much needed. While driving to and from our destination, I started thinking about energy. Not personally exerted energy, but energy as in "how to get me from here to there and back again." I started thinking about how many miles we were getting per gallon, how much it was going to cost to fill up in the next town, alternative fuel options, solar energy, but most of all, I was thinking about the wind.

Our trip took us through West Texas, the mecca of flat land and lots and lots of wind, so it was a little hard not to think about energy produced by wind if all you are looking at is these.


What the heck are they? you might ask. They are wind turbines that produce electricity. This one picture shows about 75 wind turbines alone, and this was only a tiny portion of what was out there on Interstate 20 between Lubbock and Dallas, TX.

A few questions came to mind while we drove past miles and miles of this scenery.

1. Why has it taken so long for us to realize that we needed to do this?
2. How much energy does just one of these wind turbines produce?
3. How much does a wind turbine cost?
4. Can I get a residential size wind turbine put up in my backyard so I won't have to pay for electricity anymore?

Here is what I found out according to the Pickens Plan:

It has probably taken us so long to realize this resource because everyone in the United States may assume that they will have access to enough oil and be willing to pay for it forever. We can be very arrogant sometimes. The statistics indicate that American's import 70% of their oil from foreign countries, and it doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon. It is reported that in one year's time, a 3-megawatt wind turbine produces as much energy as 12,000 barrels of imported oil. Building wind facilities that could produce 20% of the electricity for the United States potentially costs $1 trillion. And, it would take another $200 billion to build the capacity to transmit that energy to cities and towns. You are probably thinking that there is no way this is possible, but remember this is a one-time cost. Compared to the amount of money spent on foreign oil EVERY YEAR, $700 billion and rising, it is hard to argue this might be a bad idea. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any information about a residential size wind turbine, but I am still looking!

So what did I learn on my little vacation? I learned that some good things can come from the wind. While I absolutely despise the dust storms in West Texas (with good reason in my opinion -- my house is there somewhere around the corner),


the potential the wind has for producing energy and helping out the economy for everyone is very exciting. You might think about reading up on some of this information using your Kindle when you get a chance.

Fantasy Football: The Kindle Way

Football season is upon us once again. There is not a day that goes by where I don't hear someone talking about their upcoming Fantasy Football draft, wondering why on earth Brett Favre is playing for the New York Jets instead of the Green Bay Packers, or speculating whether or not the New York Giants will triumph once again. I, too, am excited about the upcoming season knowing that I now have the NFL Network as part of my Dish Network package so that I can watch football pretty much whenever I want. And, I am just as excited about College Football as I am the pros. So again, what the heck does this have to do with my Kindle? Well as a matter of fact, quite a lot. I am constantly looking for ways my Kindle can help me keep in touch with my hobbies and interests, and my love of football is no different.

Did you know that you can subscribe to several Kindle edition blogs including ESPN - Bill Simmons, NFL: New York Giants, Giants 101, ESPN - The Fantasy Report, ESPN - The Football Playbook, or NFL: Fantasy, Bruno Boys Fantasy Football for just $0.99 per month? Or, you could choose to subscribe to FOX Sports - NFL for only $1.99 per month. There is no doubt in my mind that these Kindle blogs would put you at the top of your Fantasy Football League, while helping you keep up with all of your favorite teams, coaches, owners, and players.

Now you may be asking, why on earth would I subscribe to these blogs via my Kindle instead of just logging onto my laptop to check everything out. Well, here are a few reasons why.

1. Your Kindle only weighs a little over 10 ounces and can be easily shoved into a purse, pocket, backpack, or any other bag, while you usually don't have a laptop that is that lightweight or easily pocketed.
   
2. These blogs are delivered automatically to your Kindle for you to peruse anytime at your leisure, without being in a Wi-Fi spot or using any kind of laptop connect technology.
   
3. It is a whole lot nicer to be able to read up-to-date information while waiting in a doctor's office instead of reading a copy of Sports Illustrated that is 6 or more months old. I think you get my point.

And, if you are new to Fantasy Football, there is a Fantasy Football For Dummiesto get you going. It really is a lot of fun even if you are just starting out.

So, if you haven't gotten yourself a Kindleyet, these are just a few more great reasons why you should. And, don't forget, you are saving trees and helping the environment by doing so. Happy Kindle Reading!

Share Your Kindle With Your Kids

Three years ago, I met the love of my life.....and his two kids (LOL). Along with this meeting came the traditional, extended "divorce decree driven" visits with Dad, consisting of 6 weeks in the summer, spring break, every other Thanksgiving, and either the week before or after Christmas. Whenever the kids came to visit, there were two things that ALWAYS happened. One was that they would ask if they could play games on our cell phones, and the other was them asking if we could read with them each night before they went to bed.

Yes! That's right! His 10 and 12 year old BOYS liked to read. While, I was not always completely thrilled with their choice of books, I WAS excited about the fact that they liked to read. And, during our latest summer visit much to my surprise, the cell phone request was eventually replaced with a different request: Can we read a book on the Kindle? I was completely amazed and encouraged.

They thought the Kindle was the coolest thing ever. They asked if we could buy a couple of books for them and read those each night before they went to bed. Even the boys commented on how it was really neat that they could have more books on the Kindle than they could carry if they physically had each book. It was at that moment I realized you are never to young (or old for that matter) to start thinking and learning about the environment and how the Kindle positively contributes to that line of thinking. So, if you have kids and you haven't bought a Kindle yet, what are you waiting for?

Here are some of the kid's summer book choices, all for the Kindle. Enjoy!

What's In Your Backpack?

The start of school is upon us again, and we find ourselves shopping for school supplies for students of all ages, including those who are college bound. A binder here, a laptop there, some pens and pencils, paper of all sorts, and a Kindle. Why not?

This year, several universities have begun to adopt the idea of e-book versions of textbooks that can be loaded onto a Kindle. What an obviously fantastic idea!

The lastest university publisher to join in the e-textbook game is Princeton. They join Oxford, Yale, and the University of California at Berkeley in publishing some textbook titles in e-book format for the Kindle. Some die-hard college students may balk at the idea of an e-book version of their textbook because they like to make notes in the margins and highlight passages, which when I think back to my college days, highlighting didn't work for me because I found I highlighted more on a page than not, making it difficult to figure out what the heck I was trying to do. Regardless, the Kindle offers highlighting, searching, and notating options, as well as bookmarking, thus making it easy to search an e-book instead of the traditional, manual page flipping in hopes that you find the page you are looking for.

Let's consider a couple of other issues that all college students must face: Finances and the Weight of the Backpack.

Financially speaking, it's no secret that Kindle version books are cheaper than regular books, so why not apply that same logic to textbooks that have become more and more expensive every semester. According to Dr. James V. Koch who, in 2006, published the report: An Economic Analysis of Textbook Pricing and Textbook Markets, textbook prices have risen 186% in the U.S. alone over a span of 18 years. This equates to 6% per year over those 18 years that students have had to pay more for their textbooks. Additionally, Dr. Koch stated that approximately $4.9 billion is spent on textbooks with only 39% of that amount being spent on used textbooks. Most bookstores are owned and operated by the colleges and universities themselves, although some wholesalers, such as Barnes and Noble, have gotten into the textbook game which means that if the idea of Kindle e-textbooks catches on, there could be some heavy duty competition down the road.

When approaching the notion of the Weight of the Backpack, one must remember that the Kindle weighs just over 10 ounces. We all know that textbooks tip the scales A LOT higher than that. Just for kicks, I retrieved 2 of my old college textbooks (Mechanical Engineering and Anatomy & Physiology) and placed them on the bathroom scale which topped out at 9.5 pounds. Add that to the weight of a binder full of paper, a laptop weighing anywhere from 3-5 pounds, along with other miscellaneous items, it is not a wonder so many people experience back problems, especially if the backpack is not used with both shoulder straps or if one chooses a messenger type bag instead.

With that said, I think the idea of merging Kindles with e-textbooks has tremendous promise and merit. Further I think this idea will gain momentum and see a lot more support in the future, especially with the potential future upgrades for the Kindle that include a bigger screen, additional graphical support, and color. It is not only a logical cost savings for the student, it is also a health conscience choice so that everyone can enjoy their post college life back pain free.

Sources: Kindle's Bright Idea: College Textbooks, Kindle Goes to College, Kindle Textbooks, Princeton University to publish Kindle textbooks, College textbooks go digital for Kindle, and E-Textbooks -- for Real This Time?.

Go Camping with a Kindle

Vacation was finally here, and I was going through my final checklist to make sure we had everything we needed. Of course, you are always going to forget something, and typically, you could run out and get it, but when you are headed to the mountains for 5 days of camping and hiking, that may not be the best plan.

As I went through my list, I was able to check everything off with ease until I got to #9.

1. Tent
2. Air Mattress
3. Sleeping Bags
4. Backpack
5. Cooler (food is on a different list)
6. Lantern
7. Stove, butane, and cooking/serving accessories
8. Clothes and shoes/boots
9. Books

Ok, so which book(s) do I want to read? Will I still be interested in the same book I packed when I get there or will I go through the never ending wishful thinking of "why didn't I bring the other book?" Once I realized that the solution was staring me in the face, a huge smile graced my lips as if I had figured out one of the world's greatest problems. Well ok, maybe not that huge, but you get where I am going with my excitement. I realized that I had all of my favorites already loaded on my Kindle and marked through the word Books and wrote in the word Kindle, and all was good.

Given that my Kindle weighs a little over 10 ounces, my backpack just became lighter and roomier considering I wasn't going to have to bring 3 of my bulky books with me, that I may or may not have read. I started to worry about battery life, but realized the battery would last over a week without wireless access, which would get me through the entire trip. I already had a rechargeable booklight and a fancy little solar charger (this is really cool) just in case.

Solutions to life's little problems are always staring us in the face if we take the time to look. My vacation was phenomenal. We camped, hiked, enjoyed the outdoors, and I was able to read almost 3 books on my trip. I even loaded a copy of Haunted Heritage: A Definitive Collection of North American Ghost Stories, just in case I was called upon for a campfire story or two. Verwy Scarwy! Have a great time on your next trip to the great outdoors!

Kindle vs. Recycling

I was watching the show "Ax Men" on the History Channel the other day and was floored as to how many trees are cut down during each episode, which I know pales in comparison to what is cut down everyday by those in the industry. But, it got me thinking about how inefficient the world, more particularly the United States, still is when it comes to recycling paper. While recycling has increased year over year, we still have a lot more that we can do.

I know that everyone has a choice about whether or not they want to take the time to recycle or not, and it may seem easier for some than others, meaning you have curbside recycling services provided by your community vs. whether you have to drive to a drop off center. Hopefully, more and more people realize the impact making the right choice, that to recycle, can have in the long run.

Some of the other ideas people have had regarding recycling magazines and newspapers are

• Ask magazine producers if they print on recycled paper and cancel your subscription if they don't
• Ask newspaper manufacturers if they use recycled paper to produce your favorite pages and cancel your subscription if they don't.

While these are good ideas, I am not sure how passionate people will be about canceling their magazine and/or newspaper subscriptions if they aren't printed on recycled paper as much as I hope they are. Regardless, I have an idea for you. Buy a Kindle and have your favorite magazine and/or newspapers delivered directly to it. Poof! Now you have the best of both worlds. You still get to enjoy your favorite reading materials AND there is no need to recycle any paper. You have helped the environment, saved a tree, and made yourself happy.

This same thought process applies to books as well. I typically bought paperbacks because they were cheaper. As you know, books are typically released in hardback version first and then made into paperbacks after a certain time frame. Because of this, my bookshelves are filled with many, many paperbacks that I will probably not read again. While the quantity of books on my shelves may be impressive to visitors because they think I am really smart because I always say, "Why, yes I have read all of these books!" the books are really doing nothing but taking up space. (I am sure my friends aren't thinking I am really smart, but one has to dream, don't they?) Regardless, my point is, I never recycled the books or traded them in for others. Instead, I went out and bought more books, paid for more trees to be cut down, and didn't really think about how my choices may or may not affect the environment. Now, I just buy electronic books (ebooks) and have them delivered directly to my Kindle. No fuss, no mess, environmentally friendly.

Make a change. Make a difference. Buy a Kindle.


Interested in Kindle Books or Magazines and Newspaper Subscriptions?



Sources: Conservatree and American Forest and Paper Association

Kindle is Green!

I think the Kindle product is one of the more amazing products in that it still promotes reading as a hobby. It seems as though we continue to move to a world of having someone read to us, perform for us, or tell us what to do all while creating more waste in the world. I like the fact that by using a Kindle, you can help reduce the amount of paper produced and decrease the cost of book production without sacrificing the quality of good writing. If you haven't seen the Kindle or don't know what it is, you should check it out. There are thousands of book titles available for very reasonable costs that once you buy are yours to keep. Additionally, there are magazines and newspapers available to you at reduced costs and in a very timely manner. Finally, the great thing is the Kindle is a relatively new product with more and more features yet to come. Check it out today.