Kindle Scribe Software Update: New Pen Styles

 ... and as if by magic Amazon have released an update for the Kindle Scribe.

An email arrived on Tuesday 28^th Feb announcing an update, which would either automatically arrive on my Scribe at some point, or I could download and install it manually. Of course, I didn't wait.

The update does address a few minor things that appear on my Scribe wish list:

My Kindle Scribe Feature Wishlist

Don't want the back-story & just came for the list? Click here.

I've had a Kindle since Christmas Day 2010. It was a Kindle Keyboard 3G: one of those with a free mobile internet connection so you could download new books on the fly, hassle free. My mum got it for me for Christmas and, twelve-years-and-counting later, it's still going strong. I've always loved it^[1], and I've regularly been tempted to upgrade to a new model but didn't because, well, I had no reason too. None of the following models added anything I needed or even that I particularly coveted.

Amazon's long-discontinued Kindle Keyboard 3G

For twelve years there was only really one thing I could think of that would make me want to upgrade my Kindle to a new model. For twelve years I waited.

And then it came.

The Wreck of the Titan: Fourteen Years On

In 1898 Morgan Robinson wrote a novella entitled Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan. About half way through it a ship, the titula Titan, an 800 foot long 'unsinkable' feat of ocean-going engineering, strikes a North-Atlantic iceberg whilst travelling a bit too fast for the conditions, which carves a gash in its starboard side and causes the ship to sink, killing more than half of her 2500 passengers (helped along by the fact that there aren't enough lifeboats to account for as many as half of them).

Click the image to "buy" the novella (it's free on Amazon Kindle!)

Fourteen years later, on April 12th 1912, the 882 foot long 'unsinkable' Titanic, steaming across the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage, hits an iceberg which carves a gash in its starboard side, causing the ship to sink, with over half of her 2200 passengers perishing (helped along by a distinct lack of lifeboats).

Coincidence?

Well, yes, actually. There are many, many people who like to label Robinson's novella as a prophecy, a foretelling of what is arguably the world's greatest disaster*. This comes, as in so many situations, from a general misunderstanding of things like chance, likelihood and probability. The idea is that if something is unlikely then that means it can't happen, and that if it does then happen some greater power must have caused it is one that pervades much of society.

Creationism/Intelligent Design**'s main argument swings on the fact that spontaneous production of a protein is really, really unlikely. This, of course, means it can't happen, and the fact that it did happen must then be evidence that some kind of magic being had a hand in it all. As a maths teacher I see this kind of thinking all the time: the idea that rolling a 6 on a standard die, for example, is less likely than getting a 2 is the larval stage of the hideous levels of miscomprehension required to 'understand' the I.D likelihood fallacy.

In day-to-day life we all suffer from the same attack of superstition when we're encountered with coincidence: a song comes on the radio, and I was only humming it to myself this morning; my phone goes off and it's a message from someone I mentioned to a colleague only 10 minutes ago; I run into an old friend in Sainsbury's by chance. We notice these events because they are unlikely: their very unusualness makes them stand out like a sore thumb. If we take a step back and see them against the background of our lives, it's fairly easy to see that they're nothing out of the norm, as long as we can get it into our heads that something being unlikely isn't the same as it being impossible. In fact, if unlikely things never happened, then we'd have real cause to be concerned.

Coincidences happen because they're unlikely: things that are impossible simply don't happen; things that are likely happen so often that we're used to them, so they don't stick out.

That said, delving into a fantasy world now and then isn't necessarily a bad thing. We just need to make sure we can still tell which is which.



Incidentally, the novella mentioned at the beginning of this post is available for free if you have a Kindle. Here's the link: Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan, by Morgan Robinson.






* I'll pre-empt possible comments about the September 11th World Trade Centre attack. Whilst nearly twice as many people lost their lives in that horrific event as did aboard the Titanic, I don't see it as being even nearly in the same league: The Titanic tragedy was a culmination of human error, incompetence and plain bad luck - an accident - whereas 9/11 was a planned, malicious attack.
** Yes, I know they're not the same thing, but if you can find a real difference that stands up to mediocre criticism, I'll give you a twix.

#nokindle - "It's a Hassle to Recharge it all the Time."

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

The e-ink pearl technology that I've already gushed about means that the Kindle uses approximately no power at all* to keep a page on the screen. Unlike other handheld devices, then, the only time it's using battery power is when you press a button or it's using the wireless connection. When you turn the wireless off...

I need to charge my phone every night, my iPad every few days, but my Kindle easily manages a month between charges. That's about as hassle- free as you can get with a battery-powered device.

* Actually, this is a lie. The truth is that the Kindle uses actually no power at all to keep a page on the screen.

#nokindle - "... But an iPad Does So Much More."

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

Yes, it does.

But that's like saying I'm not going to buy a digital music player because I can't drive to places in it. My car and my iPod have different purposes, much like my iPad and Kindle. I can listen to music in my car, but there are limitations to that functionality that make my iPod (or other such player) a worthwhile purchase.

O.k, that's a bit of a flippant analogy, but it's not a billion miles from the truth. Yes, I can read ebooks on my iPad, but it's not as good an experience as reading them on an e-book reader because that's not what it's for. No, I can't play Bejeweled Blitz on my Kindle, but that's not what it's for. You buy the two items for different reasons. If it's reading books you're into, the Kindle wins hands down. If it's a tablet PC you want, then why are you even considering a Kindle?

Another thing to consider is the price. As I type, the lowest spec iPad2 from Apple costs £399. The lowest spec Kindle from Amazon is currently retailing at £89. The iPad costs nearly four and a half times as much. Of course it does more!

#nokindle - "You Can't Read it in the Dark."

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

How many glow-in-the-dark books have you ever seen?

You can read the Kindle in the dark in exactly the same way as you can read any book in the dark: by switching a light on. This is possibly the most ludicrous anti-e-book argument of the lot.

No, the Kindle (and most other e-book readers) is not backlit, and many of the anti-tech brigade scoff and cite this as a failing: It really isn't. The difference in screen technology is precisely what makes arguments such as "computer screens make my eyes tired" and "you can't read it in bright sunlight" null and void. It also contributes to a significantly longer battery life than any other portable device beyond the wristwatch.

If it really is a big problem for you, you can buy a clip-on reading light for under a fiver, or you could fork out a few quid more for a protective case with built-in reading light. Do you see this as a particular failing with traditional books? Then why should it be one with an e-book?

#nokindle - "You Can't Read it in Bright Sunlight."

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

For the same reasons as in yesterday's post, reading your kindle outside is not the same as using your phone, tablet or laptop outside. The contrast is so much better and the reflectiveness of the screen so much less that it really isn't as far, again, from a real book as you may imagine.

Over the summer I read my Kindle whilst walking into town in the midday beating sunshine on a number of occasions and suffered no discomfort for it*. The only respect in which a real book wins in this situation is that it provides better cushioning when walking into lamp posts.

* In terms of being able to read, that is. It was far too hot and I got sweaty and grumpy, but that's not the Kindle's fault.

#nokindle - "Computer screens make my eyes tired."

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

Same here, but what's that got to do with a Kindle?

The kindle doesn't have a computer screen in the classic sense: it's not backlit and doesn't even use the same technology (no LCD, TFT or even CRT going on at all). It uses what, to me*, is the niftiest thing about the whole kerboodle: e-ink pearl. In short, the screen is made up of pockets of ink that are moved around whenever you 'turn' a page. The result is the most 'real book'-like screen that I've ever seen, with excellent contrast and next-to-no glare**.

The Kindle (and other e-books worth talking about) are about as close as you can get to a real book without picking up a real book, in terms of visual comfort. I haven't noticed any eye strain beyond that generated by reading a traditional book: my eyes are tired out by computer use as much as anyone's, and my Kindle's closer to the bookshelf than it is to the desktop in this respect.

* A big, raving geek.

** I've managed to get a level of glare which makes my Kindle's screen unreadable, but only after trying.

#nokindle - "You Can't Use a Kindle in the Bath"

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

Of course you can. You just need to make sure your hands are relatively dry, and that you don't drop it. These rules are identical to those for reading a traditional book in the bath, although I will concede that the stakes are higher due to the cost of replacing a Kindle compared to that of most books*. However, I'd be prepared to bet a couple of peanuts (and maybe even a brazil or two) that my Kindle could take a quick dunk as long as it was thoroughly dried and then left in a bag of rice soon afterwards (although I wouldn't want to try this on purpose), which wouldn't necessarily be the case with a standard paperback.

You can also buy special cases, such as the Aquapac, to make bathtime reading safer, and this is something you just can't do with a 'real' book unless you only get through one page per soaking session (in which case, again, you're doing it wrong). In fact, with my covered Kindle I can even read a book in the shower. Beat that, Luddites!

It just crossed my mind that you could probably manufacture your own cheaper but less reusable waterproof e-book cover with a sandwich bag and some duct tape. But don't quote me on that.




* Although it's not necessarily, as my friend experienced, as high as you might think.

#nokindle - "For me, a book is about the smell, the feel of the paper etc..."

This is part of my 'nokindle' series addressing a few misgivings about e-book readers (with a specific focus on the Kindle because I have one) that I feel are unjust. The introductory post is here.

If the title of this post describes you then, in all honesty, you're doing it wrong.

If, for you, a book is largely ornamental, then you certainly won't like an ebook reader. I've known people like this; people who buy books purely for their prettiness and without any intention of actually reading them. For me, and I assume many bookworms, books are about the words; specifically which words, the order they've been put in, their sum total, and their abstract emotional and intellectual effect on the intangible 'me'. That these words are written down somewhere, that they're clear and comfortable to read, is enough to convey the purpose of a book. To me, a book is not about what the words are written upon, but the words themselves.

Don't get me wrong; the smell of a musty old book is something I find particularly pleasurable, and the feel of crinkly paper between my fingers only adds to the sensation. But owning an ebook reader does not mean that you have to renounce books in their physical form; I have solid, tangible bookshelves with solid, tangible books on them, and no desire to get rid all, or indeed any of them. Now, however, I concentrate on buying in hardcopy form those books which hold a particular attraction to me and go towards defining who I am. I own copies of some books both in traditional form and on my Kindle.

Owning one does not preclude ownership of the other. In fact, I have downloaded copies of a couple of books for my Kindle for free (The Picture of Dorian Gray, for example) that I intend to find solid versions of in particularly aesthetic form; hardback, first edition, limited edition, or the like. If I had bought a paperback version of the book in its cheapest form (as I no doubt would, not knowing how much I'd like it before I had read it) I'd struggle to justify looking for a particularly nice version for my bookshelf.

So, to summarise: you won't want an e-book if books, to you, are primarily something to look at. If, however, they're something to read, then I don't see this issue - given that you're still allowed to buy paper-based books - being a problem.

#nokindle - Introduction

My name's Tom, and I'm a Kindleholic.

I acquired mine last Christmas as a gift from my mum, and I love it. If I could have received some level of commission for each one that friends and acquaintances have bought since I've had mine, then I'd have a little more beer money to hand.

[If you don't know what a Kindle is, take a look here: Amazon's Kindle Store. Other e-book readers are available, but whilst specifics differ, the principle remains fairly consistent.]

Aside from these folks, however, I have heard a number of arguments from people who are opposed in varying degrees to the very idea of an ebook reader. Far be it from me to try to change the minds of those who wish to stay faithful to the classic book form for their own reasons; I wish only to iron out some creases in what I see as misconceptions and some outright fallacies harboured by those who haven't truly experienced the technology.

Don't get me wrong; there are some very good reasons not to buy an e-book reader which include, but are not limited to the fact that you have to download and read an inordinate amount of books before the device comes close to paying for itself; we've all already got huge stacks of real books that we haven't read yet (so you can at least wait before parting with your readies); some of us don't read that much anyway. Some of you may feel that I'm cherry-picking the silly and/or misinformed arguments against Kindles and other e-readers, and those of you who do will be absolutely correct: why would I bother attempting to debunk a perfectly good argument?

So I shall be posting my responses to some of the more prolific misguided ant-ebook sentiments under the "nokindle" tag. As a brief disclaimer, my own experiences are mostly specific to Amazon's Kindle device, but much of what I have to say is, I assume, applicable to many electronic book readers.

As always, feel free to comment, agree, disagree, and ask questions!

How to play minesweeper on your Kindle

I was gutted that Jo found this out before me, but it turns out that the developers of Amazon's Kindle ebook reader have included a couple of Easter eggs for customers to discover. Not least of these are two games: the classic Minesweeper and a possibly more classic noughts and crosses style game.

- To access the minesweeper game, make sure you're on the home screen of your Kindle, then simply hold down the 'alt' and shift (up arrow) keys and press 'm'.

- To access the Os & Xs game, open up the minesweeper game and then press 'g'.

Your comments, please: do you know of any other secrets, tips or tricks for the Kindle?