Open Thread – Happy Door
Another shot from San Francisco. I was just walking down the street, and this one stopped me in my tracks. Happiest door ever!
Thanks to everyone for the great support of Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, the book I co-authored with Frank Bailey and Ken Morris! I will definitely be keeping everyone posted on all the news and other interesting tidbits here. In the meantime, you can preorder the book on Amazon by clicking the link over there in the sidebar ——–>
Thank you all for the Kindle comments. I just ordered my first e-reader, a Kindle 3 with an estimated arrival of the second week in May. However, I must wait until the Kindle 3 is registered before ordering books on Kindle. Therefore, my wish list contain the aforementioned books. Now, I need to find that special Kindle cover. Any recommendations???
I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to San Francisco. I live across the bay, but SF is my home. Started reading Mudflats since we lived in Palmer for 6 years from 1978 to 1984. My daughters were at Palmer Hi while the beloved Sarah was at Wasilla.
I caught the creator of this film ‘I AM’ on Oprah today. He talked about how animals and humans are designed to be democratic and cooperative. I wondered if anyone has seen it.
Link for movie website:
http://iamthedoc.com/
I saw Oprah today as well. I don’t know much about it but I am head over heels in love with that man. 🙂
I looked around the website and apparently it has only a very limited release right now. It will be more widely released this summer. It sounds like a positive, optimistic movie. And he is kind of cute.
Ding, ding, ding…calling Number Five!!!
Yes folks, the FIFTH Republican Senator from Wisconsin is about to have a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
“Graeme Zielinski, the spokesman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, confirms to me that Democrats will submit approximately 30,000 signatures for the recall of Alberta Darling — nearly 150 percent of the 20,343 required.”
ALL FIVE recall petitions have included many more signatures than needed. From what I’ve been reading, this is the largest overage of signatures collected yet. Appears as though the recall movement is still picking up steam.
Yayyy Wisconsin! 🙂
GO WISCONSIN!
Oops, forgot the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/20/968781/-Wisconsin-Dems-to-file-recall-petition-against-fifth-Republican-state-Senator
marvelous news.
So if I may ask, why are we not organizing recall petitions against congressional representatives
at the federal level? Does it not make sense to do so? Now that republicans have revealed their agenda, instead of the throng of lies they told to get elected, can they not be recalled? I am not in any sense an expert on this kind of thing so I just pose the question. If they are immune to recall, they can still be sent a message by other means.
Just asking.
KN-I checked on the possibility of recalling Iowa Congressweasel Steve King and found out that US Reps. cannot be recalled. Apparently it is the law.
In Alaskaand 17 other states you can recall state reps. and senators and US senators. No US Senator has ever been impeached or recalled,but,it can be done. I can find no provisions for recalling US congressweasels.
In the Michigan news today – in addition to our 6+ inches of snow overnight and continuing snow showers – our carpetbagger governor, after taking away an earned income tax credit from low income families is giving those families each a $25.00 tax credit for every child in their families. How nice of him! Of course, the low income families will be making up the difference in other ways. And the small amounts of money that have been given each fall to low income families for getting children ready for the school year will only be able to be spent at resale shops. The meanness of the Republican Party simply knows no end. But the beautiful bright doorway does help . . . .
I am more than just a little distressed at the amount of meanness I have seen increasing over these last few years. That’s part of the fight my sister and I had on Facebook last week. She got on my case about what I wrote to a jerk on the mayor’s Facebook page who was bashing people on public assistance. It seems like since SP’s failed bid for VP, people have followed her example and given themselves permission to be as mean spirited as possible.
Rethugs have been “mean” since back in the 60’s,as far back as I can remember. Nixon was so paranoid and delusional and he surrounded himself with thugs who apparently were devoid of a moral compass. Winning at all costs is a way of life to these people and then they pretend to be god-fearing christians to cover their tracks.
I have been ordering books right and left today (o:
My father is impressed with Howard publishing/Simon Shuster and believes (as do I) that their reputation will help the book reach more people.
AKM – my Dad has been a fan of your writing since I turned him on to your “Lion Witch and Wardrobe” post – thank you for being true to yourself.
I’m taking care of health issues (finally) so haven’t been commenting. Love and hope to all Mudpups
I’ve wondered where you’ve been- take care 🙂
hugs and love Michigander.
And the repercussions continue to spread from the Citizens United decision by the SCOTUS.
Prior to the decision, companies were not permitted to tell their employees to vote for a specific political candidate. That’s all changed, thanks to the Supreme Court, and there’s no surprise that one of the first companies to take advantage was…you guessed it…Koch Industries (who, no surprise, spent mega-bucks lobbying for the CU decision)!
“Writing today in the Nation, Mark Ames and Mike Elk reveal that Koch Industries mailed a letter to 50,000 employees instructing them on who to vote for in the 2010 midterm elections. The Koch packet given to employees included candidate names, a letter from a Koch lobbyist, and a right-wing screed from the company and the Washington Examiner, an outlet owned by Phil Anschutz, a billionaire who is close to the Koch family.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/20/koch-coerced-employees-during-the-2010-midterm-elections/
First we have election fraud, then it’s the Supreme Court choosing the POTUS, then comes legislation intending to make new voter registration nearly impossible, then come the voting machines that mysteriously flip votes (but ONLY from Democrat to Republican), then they try and destroy all the unions, and now it’s companies that tell their employees who to vote for.
One would think that the Republicans don’t think they can win without cheating.
What country is this anyway? It’s not the one I pledge allegiance to.
They’re trying their damndest to make it the United States of Koch.
Here’s more information on the truly dreadful and dangerous Kochs.
http://www.thenation.com/article/160062/big-brothers-thought-control-koch
It is so important for everyone to know about this, I may repost the link tomorrow if I can.
My first comment has been awaiting moderation since 4:36 this morning.
Check the first comment.
Having read it…… 🙂
here is a delicious morsel:
http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-scottsdale/bristol-palin-gets-invite-to-white-house-correspondents-dinner
Bristol Palin is to actually going meet a real President and a real lady.
Gosh, this is appalling. People magazine isn’t known for its quality or insight, but really, this is a new low.
I guess the editors have no shame in dragging trash-talking, uneducated and ghastly guests to this event. How insulting to the American people in general and to President Obama in particular.
Do you think someone will have to show her which fork to use, and where to put the napkin?
I heard that earlier. Why would anyone invite Bristol to the White House? Unless they want to show her how it really is, instead of the lies her mother tells her.
Bristol has not been invited to the White House. The dinner is being held at a hotel in Washington D.C.
thank goodness. she is still in too close proximity to the President and First Lady. imho.
Jim Wright over at Stonekettle Station has a great write up about trolls. i love this guy.
http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/04/things-that-chap-my-ass-about-being.html
Thx Bubbles! many smirks & giggles:)
I think I have another favorite site in the making thanks to you, bubbles. That was funny.
I love the comment “Trolls can be fun when you poke them with a stick and stuff” lol
Here’s Paul Krugman’s latest about the Ryan-Robin-Hood-in-Reverse budget, and the backlash to the President’s speech:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/opinion/15krugman.html?WT.mc_id=NYT-E-I-NYT-E-AT-0413-L21
“And the hissy fit — I mean, criticism — the Obama plan provoked from Mr. Ryan was deeply revealing, as the man who proposes using budget deficits as an excuse to cut taxes on the rich accused the president of being “partisan.” Mr. Ryan also accused the president of being “dramatically inaccurate” — this from someone whose plan included a $200 billion error in its calculation of interest costs and appears to have made an even bigger error on Medicaid costs. He didn’t say what the inaccuracies were.”
The lead headline on HuffPo right now is “Texas Burning ‘Border to Border.'” Wildfires are blazing across the state.
Not to ignore or diminish the real suffering and loss of the people affected, but I have to be honest in saying that my first thought was whether Governor Perry will ask for help from the federal government.
Perry has been shooting his mouth of about seceding from the union for a long time, and he takes every chance he can to attack the evil feds. Now, however, what do you want to bet, he will go running to seek federal disaster monies or other forms of help.
End of rant — almost. I am so fed-up with those who carp about taxes but don’t mind corps paying none, states that want to deny implementation of federal law on civil rights, workers’ rights, and deny development of job-creating programs then run to the fed to get help with no apologies whatsoever.
Federal monies belong to all of us. I have to no problem seeing it go to help people in times of emergency. That’s one of the best uses of our tax money, but to see hypocrites like Perry be a critic of convenience and then expect and demand assistance is just plain aggravating.
Okay – end of rant except to say I hope the fires get under control soon, and damage to life and property is minimal. My heart goes out to the people affected – but not to Perry.
I hope the Tea Party and corporate-oriented GOP in TX are finally realizing how important firefighters are and will fully fund them as well as the police. Funny how cost-cutting doesn’t seem to cross their minds when it is their home being threatened, huh?
I think all of us here bless those who dedicate their lives to helping others. I doubt whether the firefighters care whether they are helping people who want to cut their benefits and jobs. They do what they do because they believe in it. I just wish everyone would appreciate their efforts and stop trying to undermine these brave men and women.
My goodness, I had better take a break. Second rant on the basis of a headline is rather over-the-top. My apologies.
tres ditto.
Agreed, also, too. Our DS1 is in EMS (medical and fire are separate, here) – nationally certified and licensed, on-going training every 3 months, 8-years on the job. He works 24-hour shifts and then is off for 48-hours.
In his 24-hours on, he handles everything from bs (“I got a bee sting two days ago and it still hurts, I need to go to the ER” –invariably that call comes in at 3am); to poisonings (alcohol and/or drug overindulgence); to ‘catching’ babies that arrive before Mom thinks its time for said to arrive; to motor vehicle accidents; to shootings and stabbings; to 3rd-degree burns; to heart attacks; to asthma attacks and allergic reactions; to concussions; to broken bones; to, well, you name it.
He not only assesses the patient, administers life-saving meds, and stabilizes them, if needs be (as most often happens in our small hospital-ed town) goes with the patient/transports them to a larger facility…all the while, monitoring the pts condition and administering meds and care. IOW, the patient’s life is, literally, in his hands (and those of his partner.) For this, he makes a whopping $11.37 an hour…with medical (that he pays into and for which he has a co-pay.)
The only way any of the EMSers here can make enough money to support a family is if they work 24-hour shifts…anything over 40-hours a week jumps their pay to time and a half. He makes less than $35K per year (before taxes.) Yes, I know that is ‘good money’ to those who have nothing, and, no, he isn’t in danger of going hungry, but it’s another example of how little we value the services of EMS et. al until we *need* them. ‘sides which, having a first-responder responding to an emergency 15 or 16-hours into their shift is just playing with fire — having them respond at hour 20 even more so, and at hour 23, forget about it! Yes, they are always spot-on in their care of the patient and always ‘in the moment’, but one of these days…
It irks heck out of me that EMS isn’t paid a decent wage, up front, so they don’t have to work 24-hour shifts. As any of them will tell you, shifts that long not only put their life in jeopardy as they race to and from incident sites/care facilities, but it also puts the patient and the general public’s lives in jeopardy, too….all because the human body was not designed to stay awake and alert for 24-hour stretches at a time. Arrrgh!
OK – end of my rant. beth.
And a good and deserving rant it was. You are simply telling it like it is. I bet we all agree with you. I knew they didn’t get near enough pay for the service they provide, but it is very important for all of us to hear the details.
Amazing that the very people we look to to save our property, our lives and the lives of our loved ones cannot get decent pay. I suspect most people have never thought about the pay and benefits issues for them (or for any public service such as police, firefighters, EMTs). They just assume they are being well paid.
Thank you for making it clear this country needs to reevaluate its priorities. We need to make sure the people who truly help us get paid more than the ones who simply use us (I would say screw us, but I am trying to be civil – such a difficult task when the richest amongst us fail to do their fair share).
(((((( beth and hubby )))))))
Ditto! beth.
dos ditto
This story also reminds us of the dangers of privatizing services like firefighting.
There was a story a few months ago about a family in rural Tennessee who failed to pay the required beyond-town-limits fire fee. The firefighters stood in the street and watched as everything the family owned was completely destroyed. Can you imagine if that kind of policy was in place in Texas? Okay folks, we’ll try to save YOUR house because you paid the fee, but too bad about the house next door because they didn’t. It would make containing and fighting a fast moving fire absolutely impossible.
But that’s the direction a lot of these callous and greedy Republicans are going because they can get campaign donations from a for-profit company that they can’t get from a municipal agency.
I wonder, too, if the Perry administration is going to treat anyone who lost everything to the fire as lazy, welfare cheats because they need government assistance.
At least the Republicans are no longer claiming to be ‘compassionate conservatives’. These days it’s ‘all profit all the time’ and to he!! with anyone who’s not rich.
I remember that story. Keith followed up on it several times.
I worry about those who rent or can’t afford insurance. I cannot imagine everyone in Texas can afford their own homes or insurance. Imagine how those fires are hitting those on the low end of the economic ladder.
Let’s all keep an eye on what Big Hair Perry does and let him know how we feel if he goes after federal money. We know he is a hypocrite, but he needs to know we know.
Oh yes, our own Governor Goodhair (best nickname ever courtesy of the late Molly Ivins) has wasted no time clamoring for federal funds. He is a disgusting weasel. Although I will say the Dallas TV reporter who was so incredibly rude – and with his smarmy little smirk – while he repeatedly interrupted the president yesterday was more embarrassing, but only just. These republicans are increasingly the party of liars, thugs and thieves.
Oh, Perry has already asked for Federal Emergency Assistance – for all counties, not just those currently afire. Gov Goodhair is such a poser.
I feel safe today snug in central Austin, but the skies are gray and I don’t think it is all clouds of water vapor.
Being a Texan is always such a paradox.
My sympathies to you Lilith and to you TrueBlue Girl for having to live under the reign of Perry.
Is there any hope of ditching him in the next election? Any recall possible? I guess just being a hypocrite is standard for a Republican and isn’t seen as a dastardly act in and of itself.
Everywhere that there is federal assistance, you should have to have a sign saying, “Other States Tax Dollars Bailing You Out.”
I had the same thought – what would he do if he succeeded in seceding. I did notice that he has the Federal Forest Service helping now.
According to Juanita Jean, he already has asked for Federal help. There are also numerous states and I think a couple of countries have sent firemen.
I mentioned in an earlier post (last week) that one firefighter gave his life to a state that is/was trying to take away his rights. These brave men and women aren’t allowed to decide if they want to do their jobs,they do them at great risk to themselves and yet their rethuglican guvs want to piss on the,m.
oops–I meant shopping! Hmmmm, I wonder what “sopping local” could actually mean?
Enjoying Fat Tire, or imported Baileys!
I was wondering too, and goggled it. THEN I saw your correction 🙂
When wet through, you stay w/in the city limits?
BHT–good idea. I keep sopping local whenever possible. Can’t wait for this book!!!
When getting a copy of “blind allegiance” don’t forget your locally owned bookstore. Most will allow you to pre-order books, and requesting a copy will put it on the owners’ radar that they need to order some copies for the shelves…
If only I had a local bookstore………
Have gone out of business,probably because there wasn’t enough taxcuts for the wealthy. Nearest town to me that I know has at least one bookstore is Sioux City-70 miles away.
This is hilarious. If you look at the tags suggested on amazon for Blind allegiance; Suggestions: greedy, bad mom, ignorant hatemonger, liar, ignorant, unfit for office, narcisist, wasilla hillibilly, pathological demagogue, jesus wept
i added “danger to america” as my tag. you are welcome to “like” it if so desired. : )
I also saw that someone added grifter and quitter
I want that front door!!
Oopps, I mean, front entrance! I’d replace the brown door with a red one =D hahaha Too much? hee
I have a red door! I painted it red last fall. I’ve been thinking about ways to dress up my boring concrete porch and steps. Maybe a tile mosaic like this will do. Hmmm wonder what the neighbors will think of that? Lol
You can also do colored concrete (use lines to make a grid, different brush strokes), and create beautiful patterns. Here in Denver it fades in about 5 years, so you can change it easily when you get bored. 😉
they will love it! especially the one across the street.LOL.
I see a red door and I want to paint it black…
Oh dear, that reminds me of the time the Duke and Mick went running through Dublin in the middle of the night with their paint cans and brushes.
🙂
We have a fire-engine red front door and I love it!
DH painted it as a surprise Anniversary present for me a dozen years ago. We have written “Enter in Peace” on it; black outlines to the letters with ‘gold’ filling. The inside of the door (its other side) is painted a light brown (to go with the woodwork in the foyer) and has “Go Gently and Do Good Things” written on it in the same black/gold.
Even after using the fancied-up door daily for all this time, I still get a huge smile out of it. I do love me my red front door! beth.
–For the lettering, I found me a font I liked (Harrington, bold) and wrote the sayings as large as I could to fit on a standard piece of printer paper (centered: 172-point for the front, 93-point for the back/inside). I taped the printed-out paper to the door with a piece of carbon paper under it…and traced (hard) around each letter. I then removed the tape and papers and used a black paint pen to outline and fill in the traced letters. Once that was done, I took a gold paint pen and went over each (letter), leaving just a hint of the black showing all the way around. Super easy to do, and in 12-years, the lettering is still as vibrant as it was when I first did it. b.
What a great idea! Love what you printed on both sides of your door.
Thank you for the clear instructions as well. If we didn’t rent, I’d do the same idea in a flash, and thanks to you I would be able to do it well (or at least better than if I were to try it without knowing your process).
This is just another perk for clicking into mudflats. Every day is a joy in one way or another.
You can always print out a saying, ks sunflower, stick it in an appropriate frame, and hang it on the door — that ‘tape’/stick-um specially made for college dorm walls should hold it in place nicely and not mar the door when it comes time to move/ when you take it down.
Heck, you can do the same with a photo you really enjoy…I’ve taken those inexpensive [read: cheap-o] thin-cardboard-backed prints of a few of the classics that strike me as outstandingly beautiful, and tacked them by their four corners onto the wall to the side of our front door.
We’ve got a long, pretty much useless, front porch that runs from our front door –below the width of our living room’s 7′ front window– to the [facing] right-hand side of our home…all sorts of photos and prints and interesting pieces of lightweight metalwork have found their way to the wall, there, over the years. The porch is only 4′ wide, but it’s covered — so while it’s a good 30’ long, it’s not hospitable for sitting (no chairs or swings comfortably fit into the space), it works most excellently as a ‘gallery’. 😉 beth.
Your door sounds beautiful and the craftwork, cleverly done — what a brilliant way to tackle that!
That is a wonderful thing to do! I love that.
That is hip, slick and cool!
What does your door say on the reverse side,pray tell?
There’s a house at the end of my street that must have 4 different doors that they switch out.
There’s a white door, an olive green one, a plum one and a lavenderish-magenta-y one. At first I thought they repainted a lot but they keep rotating them every few weeks because the same color reappears every so often.
They’re on the corner facing me as I turn down my block so the front door is very noticeable.
I’ve never heard or seen a homeowner do that. That’s fascinating.
You’ve never heard of Restless Door Syndrome?
Has anyone else noticed that Trump and Palin share a couple of attributes? First, they have an odd relationship with the hair on their own heads, apparently feeling the need to augment and artificially “pretty it up” in a sadly failed manner. Second, their speech patterns are disturbingly similar, with the speeded up passages, then the unfortunate attacks on the questioner, and the obvious difficulty thinking and responding. Although, I will say, the Donald had a few imperious “Excuse me, excuse me” tactics Sarah has not mastered. Third, neither seems, well, very bright. Fourth, they’re both con artists and grifters (just listen to his explanations of the many bankruptcies in which creditors and investors were unpaid but he received millions for his “genius”)
So let’s sum up: weird thing with the hair, manic and defensive, not very bright, con artists.
Don’t you just love the Republican party these days? And that along with the usual liars, thugs and thieves!
like to see them both in a strong wind.
they are very much alike. as a matter of fact when we look closely at their compatriots they all seem to be cut from the same mold.
good catch TrueBlue.
His use of “excuse me” sounds so phoney, just like his hair. It’s because he doesn’t say it like most people would, but in a tone of a bully. It sounds more like “shut up” when he says it. It’s clear he is using the phrase to re-take control of the interview whenever the interviewer strays into an area where he doesn’t want to go.
The other thing that bothers me about Trump (just one of many), is the way people refer to him as “The Donald”. I know it’s from his former wife, but it sounds like he’s part of some mafia family. His business dealings sound shadier by the day whenever they bring up a question about it. Clearly, he doesn’t want to talk about it. Yet, if he runs, he will have to disclose all that. And then everyone will know what a sleazy business man he is.
I’ve never watched his show and don’t intend to start now, but I really hope it stays on the air. I don’t think he’d be willing to give up that kind of control and fame for the real hard work that goes with running a campaign or with being the president. He doesn’t have what it takes to understand the issues or to do anything postive about them. He’s more bombastic and smarter than Sarah, but he doesn’t really have any more substance to offer.
you described him in a nutshell. you are correct. the phrase “excuse me!” is used a lot here in New York to say “STFU. i wanna talk now so zip it!”
Pat – I agree – he’s a real bully. I had to chuckle the other night when a couple of commentators made mention of how long his ties are, and I started taking notice. They are right, some of them seem to reach down to his crotch! I also chuckle when I hear him referred to as “hair-brained”!
I hope everybody saw “Doonesbury” today, where Trump named Palin to be his lead “investigator” in the cse of the Hawaiian birth certificate. Trudeau has often proved prescient in the past, and I fear this may be another time where he calls it before it happens.
Personally speaking, I think the Trump/Palin relationship is just that she shot that animal-looking pelt that he wears on his head.
I know that doorway! Valencia Street, right?!
Lovely! Haven’t met that one, but hope to some day.
Inspired by an old “Doors of Dublin” poster, I’m gradually collecting photos, on our evening walks, under the working title “Foyers of Frisco.” It will feature the ugliest, ill-lit, flocked-wallpaper/smoked mirror lobbies, from the flat-front multi-unit apartment houses that replaced the earlier generation of little houses here. Insipid statuary gets extra points. One problem is the smoked mirrors tend to reflect my flash…
This door would definitely not make the cut. 🙂
Good luck with the collection. Because you have a “working title,” I assume you will publish a book of those photos, correct? Good luck with that as well. Great idea.
This door would look great on the Church of the Primary Colors 😉
*inside joke*
Inside joke or not, I wouldn’t mind visiting a church like that. 🙂
Ha!
Beautiful, happy SF door. Last night, I attended the pre-party before The GreenShows (our baby!) Spring Designer Ecolux Pop-Up at Bloomingdale’s SoHo, and had a terrific time. The shop will be open through Saturday, so all eco-minded (or simply fashionable) ladies in NYC and environs, please visit! If you’re not in the mood to shop, do walk by and see the fabulous windows on Broadway, which will be featuring all the designers until the 26th. (Can you tell I’m excited?)
Hurray :~) I am alerting my eco fashionable NYC family members.
I can hardly wait for thee book, wish I could budget a kindle this month ….’if wishes were fishes..’
( we would be fighting to protect them from the greed of our species, too)
Thank you, marlys! Our designers are on the fifth floor, adjacent to the elevator, around the corner from the escalator. We’ve got a great assortment: Samantha Pleet, Ajna, Study by Tara St. James, Artists and Revolutionaries, The Battalion, Suzanne Rae, Robin Brouillette, Luis Valenzuela (in the window), The Sway, and Sprout Watches. This is the culmination of months of hard work, and we’re as proud as parents!
Thanks, marlys! They’ll have a great time.
Yup,that certainly is a San Francisco area piece of artwork according to the 415 area code on the door. Interesting mosaic. Looks like pieces of glass.
San Francisco is a “happy door” city. Did you happen to go to the Exploratorium, AKM? It’s amazing.
Or ride a bike or rollerblade through Golden Gate Park? We’re very proud of our Park. 🙂 (Welcome to my ‘hood!)
Can you still see the indentations made by the landing gear of the Romulan bird of prey?
Love the door.
I have a question. I’m thinking of buying a kindle in order to read Blind Allegiance as soon as it is published. I know absolutely nothing about kindles and was wondering if before you bought a kindle book do you need to have the kindle first for codes or something? I just have no idea how it works. Thanks for anyone out there who can help me.
You might want to take a look at the Nook instead. The Kindle is proprietary to Amazon. Nook has a variety of sources including your library to download books, newspapers, and magazines.
Thanks but I don’t think you can download books with Nook if you are in Ireland. From what I have just read one can only download in the US and Canada only.
You can order a book for the Kindle with out having a Kindle. When you get your Kindle you register it to your Amazon acct and then you can download it. You can also read Kindle books on your PC or cell (mobile) phone. I have a Kindle and I LOVE it!
I bought a Kindle for my son, and have really liked borrowing it. I think I may always prefer holding a book and turning its pages, but the Kindle offers two wonderful advantages: you can immediately begin reading your next book (I live in a town with a poorly stocked library and two small used book stores), and if you download the (free) dictionary you will have a marvelous feature which allows you to move your cursor to a word and immediately see its definition displayed, very cool!
Thank you all so much. I’m going to buy the kindle and the book. I’m still going to buy the hardback but I won’t need the priorty shipping now. I have Dunn’s ordered too, so what I am saving from the shipping (which is expensive to Ireland) on both books I will put towards the kindle. Yay!!
I was going to mention that, you don’t need a “kindle” apparatus to read Kindle books. Just download the free program for your PC, and the book will show up there about 30 seconds after you order it. Also there are a lot of free books on the internet that you can read on the kindle. You can adjust the color of the page to an eye pleasing sepia, or a darker shade of gray to avoid the normal eye strain of a PC. Also on Kindle for PC you can see the book in color, but not on the “kindle” apparatus. Sounds like a commercial, but in addition you can be anywhere in the world and access the books you have purchased, ie read them on any PC. I love my kindle and I sure hope that the gadgets like ipads don’t kill the demand for the dedicated reading devices.
Thanks again. I have just downloaded it onto my PC and ordered one of the free books. Everything is up and running but when I try to pre-order Blind Allegiance and Dunn’s book, Amazon tells me it is not available. I don’t know whether that is the case for everyone or is it just because I’m in Ireland?
Hi Irishgirl,
Just a thought! If you don’t want to BUY a Kindle, you can download (free) the kindle app to your computer and read books there. I actually downloaded the software, as well as a free book, just to test it. Works great. I will delay buying a Kindle at least for the time being. Love my library!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_85832051_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=auto-sparkle&pf_rd_r=1KQQGGVQMPAVTW453K0Z&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=1285988542&pf_rd_i=kindle%20for%20pc
I downloaded the kindle app to my IPad. I absolutely love it. I live in the mountains far away from my favorite bookstores. I used to order the books from Amazon and wait a few days. Now, as a previous poster said, it is on my IPad almost as soon as I place the order. As far as turning pages, my motion with my hand is basically the same as if I were turning the pages of a book.
I love books, and thought I would always want the traditional kind, but my motivator was that I wanted to read a specific book, and I wanted to read it that evening. Presto! Got it!
You register your Kindle with Amazon and set up an account. Then you purchase and download through Amazon either your computer and then to the Kindle through a cable or wirelessly using a WiFi connection.
The Kindle Store at Amazon has more info, this will take you to Kindle info at amazon.com/uk
http://tinyurl.com/3g5cm7h
I thought kindle was something you lit with a match to start a fire. Is that how Sarah got her start in the book burning business?
Heh heh. Good one.
One other thing to consider is that the kindle apparatus (if you don’t want to just read on your PC) is very slippery. So if you fall asleep as you are reading in bed, it could fall and hit the floor, no problem if you have a thick rug, but it could break otherwise. There are non slippery covers for sale, but the leather one that amazon suggested actually damages the kindle, because it fastens to the kindle through some hardware that bends the frame of the kindle, so be careful. One other really good thing about kindles is that you can download files like pdfs, things you might want to read while on the road. Also you can download MP3s to play, but it is primitive, you can’t adjust the order of the playlist, it just plays in the order you load them. The bigger kindle gets 3G wireless for free.
Amazon has free “Kindle for PC” sw. You download it, and you can read Kindle books on your PC. Not the same experience, but a way to see (a) if you like reading ebooks and (2) access to ebooks without the hw investment.
hi, girlfriend
i have an ipad and can download books from any source…amazon, our big chain book stores, etc.
i will go now to see what happens if i pre-order the book with the kindle option. i would imagine that there is a notification sent when it is actually available for download.
There is. I ordered mine for the IPad on the day they announced the book. It says it will be available to me on May 24th.
I haven’t been able to use Kindle-PC for downloading or getting acknowledgment of pre-orders either. I think it might have something to do with the fact that the books are indeed not available yet. Will check on that though for us both.
Irishgirl, see if this link will help.
http://www.amazon.com/kindlesupport
I’d be sure to let them know you are in Ireland while you are asking about the pre-order downloads.
I noted in the Q&A section that your credit card does not get charged until they actually send it to your Kindle (or Kindle-PC), so that’s why I think you won’t get the book until May 24th – probably just after midnight.
Thank you for the link and the advice.
I recently bought a Nook (not the fancy color one). I am very happy with it. It’s easy to use and the prices are reasonable for books. Many older books are free or only cost 99 cents (plus tax). The one thing that made my decision was that the battery is rechargeable and replaceable. Most of the eBooks have rechargeable batteries that can’t be replaced. It also has the ability to add some memory with an SD card.
Happy Kindle, Irish! Two things that have not been brought out here, is that you still really need to
go to the Amazon site on your computer to compare the prices. (Probably not in your case, come to think of it, since it’s way cheaper for you because of the shipping.) But others thinking of buying one ought to know that sometimes the Kindle edition is actually more than the hardback! I bought Ken Follett’s latest book $2 cheaper in hardback! Go Figure.
Also, you can select to have it read to you! I, personally don’t like to be read to, but do find it handy when I don’t know how to pronounce a word. Perhaps you have already discovered this. If you haven’t go to your instructions, and if you have a problem pm me and I’ll walk you through!
What is your first book?
I have found my kindle books to be cheaper. Then when you consider the shipping cost, way cheaper.
I am totally hooked on my Kindle. I got it three weeks ago and am now addicted. I love the feel and smell of books and did not think I would enjoy the Kindle as much as I do. I have one with 3G so that I can also check emails when at work and our one internet-access computer is tied up. The Kindle is light and handy.. Go for it, Irishgirl! You won’t regret it one bit.
I was somewhat reluctant to get an electronic bookreader because I always thought I enjoyed physically holding a book and turning the pages. After receiving a Kindle as a Father’s Day gift, I’ve since changed my mind. Two great advantages that I never expected: I find that I can read faster, and find that when I get halfway through the last line on a page I push the button for the next page and it pops up just as I finish the last word of the previous page… no waiting for the eyes to adjust to a different spot on a page. Also, I find that reading outdoors in direct sunlight is far easier than with a regular book (too bright) or a laptop computer. The Kindle seems to have the right amount of brightness and seems to be easy on the eyes. Just my two cents worth.
David – I find the Kindle easier on the eyes, too. And, althought I haven’t had to use it, the fact that you can adjust the size of the font is just one more reason to get one! I got hold of a book recently that we were reading for book club, and print was so small I just put the darned thing down.
A labor of Love!
What a wonderful entryway! I love that. I think I will put that in my “Things to Do When Himself is Out of Town” file.
Blago’s second trial starts today. Should be interesting.