Chris Crouch's Blog

Kindle Update #1

For those who did not read the December 12th blog, a Kindle is the new wireless reading device that Amazon is promoting.

After several weeks of Kindle-ownership, my enthusiasm for the Kindle continues to grow. If you are a serious reader, you might want to take a look at this device. When I was waiting for my Kindle to arrive, I told many people that this device would never replace paper-based books; however, I am not so sure of that now. Maybe I should revise my statement and tell people that it will be a long time before such reading devices replace paper-based books. I can now easily imagine the possibility that the Kindle (and future versions of the device) might totally replace paper-based books for me.

At this point, I have already become very fond of turning pages with a slight movement of my thumb, looking up words with two slight movements of my thumb and ordering books (at a significantly lower cost) with a few thumb strokes. Maybe it is just the novelty of the situation...but I already prefer to read things on my Kindle. People know I love to read, so they give me books for Christmas, my birthday and sometimes for no reason at all other than they want me to read the book. It is still my favorite gift...to give and receive. However, I now have several traditional paper-based books in a holding pattern...circling waiting to land and be read. The good news...I am still finding time to read some of these books. I read them when Robin has swiped my Kindle. Twice lately I have gone to get my Kindle to read for a while and found that she has beat me to it. It seems to be growing on her too.

Any frustration related to using my Kindle is mostly due to "pilot error" ...mainly the fact that it is too easy to turn pages electronically. Sometimes when I accidentally turn a page and lose my place, I think I am backing up to find my place and I am actually going forward. I have already developed some habits to deal with this problem and I'm sure future design features will minimize or eliminate the problem. 

So far...still no buyer's remorse whatsoever. I am a very happy Kindle owner at this point.   

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Chris Crouch, president of DME Training and Consulting, has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being productive.

My Kindle Is Here!

A few weeks ago, Robin (my spouse) came into my office and said, "Do you think we should consider taking a look at this Kindle, the new wireless reading device that Amazon is promoting?" I had just finished reading an article about the Kindle in Newsweek and references to the Kindle seemed omnipresent in my life. The buzz on this new gadget reminded me of the early iPod days and a milder, somewhat saner version of the iPhone pre-release frenzy. This gadget looked very interesting! I didn't immediately respond to Robin's question. I thought about it for a few seconds and responded by turning to my computer and ordering a Kindle. After placing my order, I turned back to her and said...yes! Shortly afterwards (which I understand is not currently the case), the Kindle...my Kindle...showed up on my doorstep. I have now had my Kindle for over a week and read a few books on it. Here are my initial thoughts and impressions:

• This thing is very cool! It is sort of the iPod for people who love to read. In the doctor's waiting room the other day people noticed that I was reading a book on my Kindle. It easily trumped all the other electronic gadgets in the room and drew a curious crowd. Thumbs quit thumb-stroking, people with blue-flashing earphones stopped pacing around and talking to the air, laptops were closed...and suddenly there arose such a clatter, that even some of the old fashion geezer-like readers temporarily closed their paper-based books and magazines and sprang from their seats to see what was the matter! I'll give it a +1 for coolness.
• It is easy to see the text, even in outside light. There is something (I can't really define it) about the font that is very appealing to the eye. The best word I can think of to describe it is "pleasant." You can increase the font size if you feel so moved. I haven't found it necessary to do so yet. Another +1.
• If a book has pictures, they are not always easy to see. They are okay...but not as clear as the pictures in paper-based books. I'll give it a -1 on picture quality.
• I find it more comfortable to read with my Kindle. If you consider the physics of reading (motion required turning pages and such), it is easier to maintain your relaxed position in a chair and turn the pages with your thumbs. A definite +1 for lazy readers.
• The process of ordering a book is downright fun. I used to hang out at a bar in Keystone Colorado that kept a large metal urn in the middle of the bar. People would stand around and throw quarters at the urn. You "won" this little coin-tossing game when you successfully tossed the coin in the urn. That's all you won...the satisfaction of being good at tossing money in an urn. The bartenders, of course, won whether you hit or missed the urn...since they kept all the quarters regardless of where they landed. Even though we all knew the game was financially dumb...we enjoyed playing it. Ordering a book from Amazon "just to see how it works" is a bit like tossing quarters at the urn...but at least you get a book in return for your investment. I'll eventually read all of the books I have ordered. Fun factor...+1.
• Books are much cheaper. When Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson was originally released, I started to buy it (at $32.00). When Amazon offered the hardback version of the book for $19.20, I started to buy it again. When I got my Kindle, I ordered it for $9.99! Because of my Kindle, procrastination is my new ally. I am saving money hand over fist! That is...if you don't count the almost $400 I paid for the Kindle!! Forty-four more transactions like that Einsteinian-deal and I will break even on this electronic money-absorption device! We'd better count that as zero points...it's a wash.       
• The highlighting feature is very nice. When you highlight something, it also sends the highlighted text to a separate area on the Kindle and makes it very easy to review your highlighted passages. +1 for highlighting.
• The "look up a word" feature is one of my favorite features. Even without the wireless connected, you can easily look up words you do not understand. With the wireless feature activated, you can roam around Wikipedia and look up things. +1
• Battery life...so far so good! I read one of the books I sucked into my Kindle through the airways in one evening and the battery indicator did not budge from "full." +1 for battery life.
• Accidentally turning pages is a problem with the Kindle. It is so easy to turn the pages on a Kindle that it also makes it easy to accidentally turn pages. Since the power switch is on the back, it is especially easy to do this when you are turning the power on and off. -1 for this minor frustration.

That's enough Kindle-stuff for now. I'll keep you up to date on my Kindle experience (pros and cons) as things unfold. I don't really care about the plusses and minuses. The truth is...my Natural Child wanted to buy this toy...I mean educational resource. If you are a serious reader and have four hundred unencumbered bucks to spare...it is a great buy. I have no buyer's remorse so far. If you are not a serious reader...you would probably get more value out of doing something else with your four hundred bucks...perhaps visiting Keystone Colorado and tossing quarters in an urn. In any case, it is probably worth visiting Amazon's website, scrolling down a bit (skip the short video) and watching the six-minute video to get up to speed on what the Kindle is all about. You will probably be hearing a lot about it in the near future.   

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Chris Crouch, president of DME Training and Consulting, has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being productive.

Flatland: The Movie

We often hear people talk about "thinking out of the box." How would you like to help a group of people not only "think out of the box"...how would you like to help them "think out of the dimension?" If so, consider showing them a video titled Flatland: The Movie (not to be confused with Flatland the Film...which may also be good, but I have not seen it yet and am not recommending it at this time). This 34-minute video is based on Edwin Abbott's book Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions written in the late 1800s. First of all, if a book was written in the late 1800s and it is still currently in stock in most bookstores...there must be some pretty good stuff in the book. Watch the short trailer on the website if you want a sample of the ideas presented in the video. Here are just a few thoughts Flatland:The Movie triggered for me:

• The power of truth and profound knowledge.
• The limiting power of false beliefs.
• The joys (and normal frustrations) of helping lift others to a higher level of understanding.
• That the real role of a teacher is to encourage and nurture curiosity.
• That a master teacher should disrupt the current beliefs of their students or no new learning will take place.
• That many of life's so-call certainties are illusions.
• That many people operate in a false economy...valuing things that are of no real value and ignoring things of real value.
• Don't let your advanced knowledge shut down the possiblility of further learning.
• The value of coming up with novel ways to help people understand abstract concepts.
• Chance really does favor the prepared mind.
• A little imagination can change your world.
• Different people look at the same information and see opportunities or threats.

It is difficult to ignore the potential religious and political implications of the video, but this is neither a religious or political blog...so I will wimp out and stay away from those topics in this forum.

This video only touches on the zero through fourth dimensions. Well...actually the fourth dimension is only mentioned a few times (and we are warned by the all-knowing character Spherius that the idea of a fourth dimension is "utterly inconceivable"). Quantum physicists, especially the String Theory and M-Theory crowd, are speculating that at least 10 or more dimensions exist in the world we inhabit. Maybe someday we will all meet in the forbidden zone Area 33H (it's in the movie) and have a multi-dimensional experience together. Or who knows... maybe we are already together in some other dimension!      

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Chris Crouch, president of DME Training and Consulting, has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being productive.