Tag Archives: tech

So… you think you need a Kindle???

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Several years ago some people in my church purchased Laurel an electronic Bible. A Franklin, I believe it was called. It worked great, and Laurel enjoyed it. “Enjoyed it.” Past tense. She never uses it any more. It was a hot item, but its centrality in the digital world was very short-lived. After she’d had it a few months, I found one for my Palm IV. That application moved with me to my Palm m-130 and then to my Sony Clie while Laurel’s Franklin sat on the shelf. Then I took the digital text and software to my Pocket PC. The Franklin stayed put. Then when I moved from the Pocket PC to a cell phone, my reader and text came with me.  The Franklin?  Still on the shelf.

That story illustrates the truth that technology that performs a singular function is great until that singular function is integrated into other devices that perform more functions. Then the question becomes, “Why should I carry all those devices around?” I fear this is the case with the Kindle.

Don’t get me wrong — I would not mind having a Kindle or a Nook.

But I’ve not bought one for several reasons.

First, as I have said, I don’t like the idea of being locked into a system that only does one thing. In my world, Laurel’s Franklin has been replaced by Palms, then PPCs, then PDA Phones, then the iPhone, and now the Android. However, since I purchased the text and software for my devices, I’ve migrated through several units. The text and the reader I have is somewhat platform-independent.

Second, I don’t want a black and white device. How about some color and some serious resolution?

Third, I don’t want a device that just reads books. If I am going to have something like that in my hand, it should have wifi and let me read CNN and FoxNews along with the latest issue of National Geographic. And it should let me surf the web too.

Fourth, I believe that Kindle and Nook technology is not current. By that, I mean, I believe they could make a much better device than these, but they are holding back while we buy these. In 2011, probably near Christmas season, they will offer the next generation — the one they should be selling now — and people will take out their wallets once more.

As I was thinking about this, I stumbled across this article:

http://singularityhub.com/2010/01/04/kurzweil-takes-on-kindle-with-new-e-reader-platform-blio/

I like that idea.

Lots.

How to Boot my iBook G4 with Ubuntu

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I am using Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) to try to boot a Mac iBook (’cause the hd in the mac is whacked). So far, it’s been a real challenge. I am learning that nothing is easy on a Mac when they are broken. It makes me chuckle, when people are asking for help in mac forums, there is inevitably someone who says, “Take it into Apple Care and let them fix it.” If someone was willing to pay for Apple Care, why would he or she be requesting help on a forum?

After a considerable time of searching, I found instructions on the Ubuntu Forums, but none of them worked for this Mac. Finally, adjusting the steps along the way, I found a procedure that works for me:

Insert the Mac version of the Ubuntu boot CD into the iBook CD drive and as you power on, hold down the “C” key until you hear it booting from the CD.

At the “boot” prompt, type:

live-nosplash-powerpc video=ofonly break=top

When the busybox comes up, type each of these lines, waiting for the {initramfs} prompt to return:

modprobe ide_core
 modprobe ide_disk
 modprobe ide_cd
 exit

The CD will start to load and then go silent. During this time there will be lengthy periods (minutes) without any sign that the boot is working. Be patient, it takes this iBook exactly 15 minutes to complete the boot to the live CD.

As always — this information is provided as-is and without warranty, express or implied. Any damage that comes to your computer, your data, your job or even your life as a result of using this information is your responsibility. This worked on the computer I was using, but it may or may not work on yours.

Excellent Bluetooth Keyboard

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When we do presentations on the big screen, we sometimes want to do some navigating and even editing that a standard presentation mouse does not afford. As such, we use a wireless keyboard so we can make changes on the fly. There have been times when, realizing something needed to be changed within the presentation, I’ve blanked the screen and made some edits while someone else is on the platform. It’s very handy.

We recently replaced our Globlink ifree GL3001 wireless keyboard. It usually functioned well, but from time to time it would fail to connect with the receiver, requiring removing batteries, restarting the PC, and doing handsprings and backflips to get it to work again. This failure seemed to happen at the most inopportune moment — as people were arriving for a meeting.

The keyboard we bought to replace the GL3001 is the Logitech diNovo Edge pictured here.

Logictech Product Page

This bluetooth keyboard worked right out of the box. Continue reading →