The Amazon Kindle


Well, I decided to buy myself an early birthday gift. I bought an Amazon Kindle. I have to tell you, it is a good piece of gear. For those who are wondering what it is, it is the electronic book reader sold by Amazon.com. I know what you all may be thinking, "There he goes, buying another electronic gadget!" Hey, I am not addicted to electronics, I can quit them any time I want....oooo wait, I see a new electronic movie poster projector thingy. I have got to have it!!!!!!!

Seriously, it really is a great accessory for me and my library. It is about as big as a paperback book, but weighs much less. The screen is really easy to read, and it looks like real paper. The biggest thing I like about it is the fact that it can hold up to 1,500 books! Since I had to leave all but a handful of books back in the states, this amount of space will allow me to rebuild my library here in Okinawa. No, I do not have that many books, but I do come close. Books for it can range from free to $15.00 depending on where you buy them from. The books that are free, tend to be from the public domain, and most new releases cost only $6.00 to $9.00. Those that cost $15.00 tend to be collector's editions. When you figure the cost of a new hardback can be as much as $25.00, having books that cost so little, helps to make the Kindle an attractive choice.

I know, I know, I could go and check out books from the base library, but I have a small problem when it comes to library books. I tend to forget to return them. I really try to be good and return them on time, but it is so hard to remember when they are due. Think of all the money I am saving on overdue fines! I can finally go into the library with out hiding from the librarian!!

There are couple of things that I do not like about it though. The biggest dislike is that the screen is not backlit. This means that you cannot read from it in the dark. In the sunlight though, it is very easy to read. I guess i will have to buy a travel book lite. I also do not like the fact that you can not add more storage to it. That is really not all that important, but you all know I like tinkering with things.

Well, I have to go go to work. I will talk to you all later.

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