Airan Gale
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« on: October 16, 2009, 03:10:45 PM » |
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My Kindle has been ordered and paid for, and while I wait for it to be shipped, I've been trying to learn as much about e-readers and e-books as I can. And one thing I've discovered is that there's no one in my everyday life who even knows what a Kindle or e-book is. So I don't have anyone to talk about them with. S'pose that's what online forums are for. I told my friend at work that I'd ordered an electronic book reader, and she wondered out loud how I was going to read at work, because I always bring a book with me, and wouldn't I now be reading from the computer screen? I tried to explain the Kindle to her, but I don't think she quite got it. I've been compiling a very long list of books I want to buy for my Kindle. Unfortunately there are a lot of popular titles not currently available to Australia, but here's hoping that will change in time. Among the titles that are available, I have barely skimmed the surface. And on browsing these boards, I've stumbled across new authors I'll be trying out too. This morning I had an email from Amazon informing me that my M-edge accessories have been shipped. Originally I'd wanted a Go jacket, but the shipping to Oz was higher than the product. So I solved that issue by ordering a Prodigy jacket and a light, so now instead of spending $60+ I've spent $100+ but at least the shipping wasnt as much as the goods being shipped. There's something not quite right about that reasoning, but I haven't quite figured out what it is yet.  And now I wait impatiently for a notice that my Kindle has been shipped. Hopefully that will come early next week. Thank goodness the shipping on the Kindle wasn't more than the device otherwise I'd have to wait for the DX international version! I have been reading reviews about the Kindle. I've come to the conclusion that some of the reviewers don't understand that it's a book-reading device, not an all-singing, all dancing, every colour imaginable electronic device that does everything computers, MP3 players, cameras and GPS's currently do. One very entertaining reviewer wrote "If you like reading more than movies, TV, music........." or something along those lines. Well, strangely enough I would rather read than watch TV or movies ANY DAY! And I don't see it as a bad thing, or even an odd thing. Please talk Kindle to me, no one else will.  |
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Varin
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... KDX Update, anyone?
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« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2009, 03:21:02 PM » |
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I know how it is, waiting for the new soon-to-be love of your life to arrive.
I spent forever on the computer between clicking buy and it's delivery reading up on as much as I could about it... if I wasn't reading reviews, I was tracking the package or looking outside of the window... Kindle Watch is a very trying time.
Only thing is, even now that I have my K2 and a KDX.... I can't stop talking about it/keeping up with how it's doing in comparison to other readers/haunting the Amazon Kindle page to leave comments on misleading reviews, etc...
When will the obsession stop? I thought it would once I got my Kindles but I've had them for a few months now, and the fan-girl-ness hasn't abated....
Maybe it's terminal.
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Currently Reading: Three Men on a Boat
The Enrichment Center Would Like To Announce A New Employee Initiative of Forced Voluntary Participation. If Any Aperture Science Employee Would Like To Opt Out of This New Voluntary Testing Program, Please Remember, Science Rhymes With Compliance. Do You Know What Doesn’t Rhyme With Compliance? Neurotoxin.
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Ann in Arlington
Inmate # 65
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Go Nats!
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« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2009, 03:28:49 PM » |
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Welcome Airan Gale. . . .you have found the right place!. . . . .Keep is updated on how your Kindlewatch is going. . . . . .
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Ann Von Hagel Arlington, VA  |
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Anju No. 469
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« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2009, 03:32:18 PM » |
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This is absolutely the right place to come talk kindle. Questions, comments, thoughts, ideas, coffee, tea, pet, you name it someone will talk to you about it.
I feel very outdated with my K1, but it is going along just fine with the kazillions of books I have on it so I'll keep it for awhile.
But you apparently are the designated SE Aussie enabler! Just wait until your friends see yours WOO HOO -
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Dona on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico  |
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Jesslyn
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« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2009, 03:44:20 PM » |
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Wow. I remember that feeling; and I am in a family of readers....
Anyway, welcome!
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Betsy the Quilter
Woman in Charge
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I'm here to help. Really.
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« Reply #5 on: October 16, 2009, 03:50:53 PM » |
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That's right, this is an opportunity for enabling! You must become a Kindle evangelist.
Betsy
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"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." -Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird
"Oh come on! Stake through the heart. A little sunlight. It's like falling off a log" -Buffy, the Vampire Slayer |
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Airan Gale
Status: Madeleine L'Engle
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« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2009, 03:53:01 PM » |
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I remember that feeling; and I am in a family of readers.... My 15yo daughter reads as much as I do, so she's excited and I can see that I'll be getting her one for her birthday in Feb. My husband reads sports scores and that's about all. My other 3 kids (grown up and moved away now) aren't much into reading despite being exposed to tons of books when they were little. It's either in them or it isn't. They do read a bit, but not enough to be excited about a new book or a new reading device. I have already downloaded some freebies I found....childhood favourites. Heidi, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables. I grabbed some screensavers from the thread on these boards, then had a go at making my own. I can't figure out how to convert the picture to 16 shades of black and white in Photoshop, or even if I need to, but once I get my Kindle I'll load what I've made (using the instructions I found in the hints and tips section here) and see how they look. |
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Airan Gale
Status: Madeleine L'Engle
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« Reply #7 on: October 16, 2009, 03:56:09 PM » |
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That's right, this is an opportunity for enabling! You must become a Kindle evangelist. Haha, I sure will. I expect it will create a bit of a stir when I first take it to work. I frequently have people stop by my desk to see what book I'm currently reading and to get a bit of a review on it, so I imagine there'll be loads of interest in the first ever Kindle to come into the office. |
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911jason
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« Reply #8 on: October 16, 2009, 04:49:14 PM » |
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I can't figure out how to convert the picture to 16 shades of black and white in Photoshop, or even if I need to, but once I get my Kindle I'll load what I've made (using the instructions I found in the hints and tips section here) and see how they look.
First, convert it to Grayscale if you haven't already (Image > Mode > Grayscale), you can convert it right back to RGB if you need to use filters or other features that require it, the point is just to get rid of the color information. Then when you're ready to save your finished work, you need to save as a PNG file (File > Save For Web & Devices) which will bring up this menu:  You should select PNG-8, 16 Colors, 100% Dither, then you can play around with the menu that shows Perceptual in my screenshot and the type of dither which shows Diffusion in my shot. After you find a combination of settings you like, you can use that dropdown icon in the upper right hand corner to save the settings as a new preset, which I named Kindle. Makes it easy for future screensaver work. |
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Airan Gale
Status: Madeleine L'Engle
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« Reply #9 on: October 16, 2009, 05:40:06 PM » |
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Cool, thanks for that. I use channel mixer for BW conversions, then play around with blending modes to get the correct contrast for the photo, but I don't usually convert to grayscale....this time I did though. I will follow the rest of your instructions to finish them off.
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911jason
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« Reply #10 on: October 16, 2009, 06:19:03 PM » |
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You don't have to use the convert to grayscale option, that's just a quick and dirty way when I'm creating lots of screensavers.
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imabkrdr
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« Reply #11 on: October 16, 2009, 06:36:00 PM » |
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i too looked at kindle for a while. i was an early adopter k1. mine was a birthday surprise. just today i found someone that wants one.. she is the first person that even really knew what i was talking about! i'm looking for any K owner in lake charles louisiana.
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idolguy
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« Reply #12 on: October 16, 2009, 07:03:07 PM » |
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My Kindle has been ordered and paid for, and while I wait for it to be shipped, I've been trying to learn as much about e-readers and e-books as I can. ... Please talk Kindle to me, no one else will. Welcome to the world of Kindle. I've learned a lot by reading this board as well. Once you get the Kindle, you can "try out" subscriptions to various magazines and newspapers for two weeks before you're charged. I found this feature quite helpful in determining which were the most interesting for me. |
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cagnes
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« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2009, 07:19:19 PM » |
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Hi Airan Gale! I feel exactly the same, I'm anxiously awaiting my kindle2 & have no one share my excitement or talk kindle with. I was happy to find this board!
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Susan in VA
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« Reply #14 on: October 16, 2009, 07:21:23 PM » |
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And one thing I've discovered is that there's no one in my everyday life who even knows what a Kindle or e-book is. So I don't have anyone to talk about them with. S'pose that's what online forums are for.
This particular forum will become your everyday life pretty soon...  |
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Vivete con gioia e semplicità
State buoni se potete
Tutto il resto è vanità.
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Airan Gale
Status: Madeleine L'Engle
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Posts: 81
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« Reply #15 on: October 16, 2009, 08:02:09 PM » |
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This particular forum will become your everyday life pretty soon... Hahaha, it's sad isn't it. Like I don't spend enough time online as it is! Since ordering the Kindle, I've browsed away hours and hours looking at e-books and reading this board. I keep finidng books I just HAVE to read, authors I never heard of before but who seem to be writing just for me. I have a few paperbacks to get through while I wait. I am currently reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (Vol 3 of the Millenium trilogy by Steig Larsson). I discovered last night that it's not yet been released in the US. It hit the shelves here two weeks ago. I also have New York by Edward Rutherfurd to read too. Last night I was shopping with my 15yo daughter who just absolutely had to have a particular book to read for the weekend......The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. We looked in the local discount department store and they'd sold out so we went to a bookshop and bought it there. $33 for a large format paperback! No wonder I buy most of my books from Amazon. Bring on the Kindle! |
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911jason
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« Reply #16 on: October 16, 2009, 10:56:16 PM » |
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Last night I was shopping with my 15yo daughter who just absolutely had to have a particular book to read for the weekend......The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.
I just saw a test screening of the movie based on that book, and it was really, really good. It releases in the US next April, not sure about Australia though. |
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Seamonkey
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« Reply #17 on: October 16, 2009, 11:42:08 PM » |
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Airan, you have come to the right place! And even with so many kindles that I know have to be here in California, I've seen only ONE "in the wild" and had one person see mine and start raving about hers. It was like we were sharing a language of our own, though I did teach her a few new words, like "naked Kindle" and "Kindleized" and "Dead Tree Book".
You are soon to fall in love at first click.
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Ariadne
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« Reply #18 on: October 17, 2009, 03:24:37 AM » |
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I really understand you! I ordered my International Kindle the first day it was available for preorder. Then I came to this board. I read for hours (I started to plan a vacation in the US-but that's another story  ), I was very happy that the Kindlers here were so nice and helpful and didn't seem to have lots of complaints about the K. Then I found out that I definitely needed an Oberon Cover. I looked at the Oberon homepage for hours and fell in love mit nearly every design. Then I came back here to look at the Oberon picture thread. I fell in love with one cover, two pages later with another. I finally ordered the red Ginko design.. It is on its way, so I am busy checking where it is... Then another very nice and helpful person told me that I could already order books before the Kindle even arrived... So I HAD to browse amazon and see which books I needed to start the Kindle experience... Well and now I am back to square one:reading this board, reading the amazon discussions, reading reviews, telling my father about the Kindle who was interested for the first six times and isn't so much sincde the seventh... I am really happy that I am not the only one. I hope on Monday my Kindle will finally ship and maybe, just maybe I will have it by Wednesday. That would be just amazing!!!And then someday perhaps I can work again without interruptions for lloking at this board, at my kindle order status..but then I will have my Kindle to look at...oh my So, dear Airan Gale, enjoy your Kindle experience like I do |
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911jason
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« Reply #19 on: October 17, 2009, 05:20:09 AM » |
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That was GREAT Ariadne! I got all excited like it was me waiting all over again! =)
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Airan Gale
Status: Madeleine L'Engle
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Gender:
Australia
Posts: 81
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« Reply #20 on: October 17, 2009, 05:37:56 AM » |
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telling my father about the Kindle who was interested for the first six times and isn't so much sincde the seventh... Yep, I think my husband is pretty much bored with the subject too. How do you order books before the Kindle arrives? I looked at Amazon, and there's just the option to send it to my Kindle, which I don't have so where would they go? There isn't an option to dowload to my PC, by the way. That seems to be just for the US folk. I doubt I'll have mine Wednesday if it ships Monday. By the following Monday if I'm very lucky, maybe. Stuff from Amazon generally takes 8-10 days to get to me. |
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« Last Edit: October 17, 2009, 05:53:51 AM by Airan Gale »
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Ariadne
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« Reply #21 on: October 17, 2009, 06:36:42 AM » |
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Dear Airan Gale, as far as I know-informed Kindlers please correct me if I am wrong here-you can buy books now, before you even have your Kindle, which will be sent to your Kindle when it arrives as soo as you turn whispernet on. So you are ready to start reading the second you take it out of the box. Yes,you could just wait and buy when the Kindle is actually there, but deciding which book to read first and ordering it was a good way to spend some time with Kindle related actions... And it looks really good, when you go to "Manage your Kindle" and you see some books you love or really want to read on your bookshelf there... Yes,it IS pathetc, the Kindle makes me pathetic and I love it;) Well, I think that my Kindle arriving Wednesday is a really optimistic guess on amazon's part. But in my order it says that it should arrive between Wednesday and Thursday so I choose to believe that now,because it gives me the opportunity to go completely crazy and check my account every five seconds on Wednesday...And I once got a DVD from amazon.com which really arrived within two days, so it isn't impossible-just rather improbable I hope you don't have to wait too long for your hopefully fantastic new toy!! |
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drenee
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« Reply #22 on: October 17, 2009, 06:48:21 AM » |
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You can have the books sent to your Kindle before your Kindle arrives. When you turn it on, and turn on Whispernet, or whatever the equivilant International version is called, the books will download in a few seconds and you will be ready to read.
Welcome to the Boards, and a big congratulations.
deb
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Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life.   Books read in 2012 - 20 Audiobooks - 10 WwF and HwF - DRA60 Miss you, Dona. |
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Someone Nameless
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« Reply #23 on: October 17, 2009, 07:24:42 AM » |
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My Kindle and I just returned to the USA from two weeks in Australia, first time I'd ever been. My friend there is so happy that Kindle is now being released Internationally.
Welcome to the world of Kindle!!! You are going to love it!
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. ~ Groucho Marx  |
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ElaineOK
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« Reply #24 on: October 17, 2009, 08:39:09 AM » |
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When I bought my Kindle I got 2nd day shipping, K2 was in stock; so, I had it 2 days later. I don't think I could have stood this kind of a wait. Just wait until you take your Kindle out with you. Just TRY reading in public again. Ok, so the first 50 times you read 1/2 a page and someone interrupts you with a what's that? You'll think it is fun. The next 50? Oh, ok, so showing off K2 never gets old. Kindle going International is really cool. I don't travel outside the country enough for it to be a huge problem that mine isn't, but I think my K3 or K4 or whatever my next one is will be. Enjoy! Elaine Norman, Oklahoma USA |
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