Kindle VS Real Books - Will E-Books Replace Real

Reading e books on Kindle or iPad is the biggest thing since Gutenberg invented the printing press. Or is it? The relatively new phenomena of ebooks and the success of Amazon's Kindle is throwing the world of publishing and reading into a whole new age of controversy and turmoil.

Now, I will admit to being the type of person who may seem a bit backward to some, but technologically knowledgeable to my more neolithic type friends. Like (I suspect) a lot of people, especially Baby Boomers and older folks, I am not a tech head. I do not own a lot of electronic gadgetry, but I am no troglodyte. Instead of plunging into the electro-techno revolution, I pick and choose between convenience and what looks to me like rampant consumerism, attempting to find a middle ground.

Sure, I have a cell phone. And understand something of the Internet, but I am just not ready to jump in feet first and plunk out two hundred bucks on what can be perceived as a new toy. But I do love books and love to read. I decided to share my investigations with you.

Kindle - Several Versions

So, when Amazon released Kindle 1st Generation in 2007, I thought that I would wait awhile before I made up my mind about the whole ebook business. But, when Amazon recently claimed to sell 80% more digital books online than hardback books, I decided to find out more about the whole scene.

Amazon originally introduced the 1st Generation Kindle in 2007 with a 6' display screen that cost nearly $400.00 with a 250 MB internal memory capacity, enabling it to hold 200 titles of non-illustrated books. In 2009, Kindle 2 with its longer battery life, and a thinner body, was able to hold 1500 non illustrated books. you can fit an entire private library in your pocket book!

In May of 2009, Amazon released Kindle DX, which can display landscape or portrait payouts when turned sideways! Holy cow! It is like magic.

Not only that, but the price of Kindle has come down. In order to compete with Barnes and Noble's Nook, Amazon reduced the price of Kindle from $259.00 to $189.00.

The digital text platform of Kindle reduces waste, transportation and delivery costs, and cuts down on cutting down trees. And it's the perfect union of the literary life and the electronic revolution.

For book lovers, new releases and best selling ebooks on Kindle cost about ten dollars. Book buyers will be able to afford more books, but publishers are concerned that the low price will lower their profits.

Another bonus for readers is the Gutenberg Project which offers nearly 20,000 books that have expired copyright in the United States of America - for absolutely free! That comes close to convincing any reader to join the ebook craze. 

Imagine - All These Books Compressed Onto Something the Size of a Dress Purse!

(wikimedia commons; photo by Denis Barthel)

Girl Reading - Would the Picture be as Pretty if She Was Reading an E Book?

(wikimedia commons)

Speakng of Gutenberg...

Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, books were hand written. Each book was a work of art, often featuring beautiful illustrations and elaborate calligraphy. In other words, books were real expensive treasures for the wealthy.

People often read books aloud, back then. Let's not forget that the first book that Gutenberg printed was the Bible. Previously, few people actually read the Bible. It was read to them. Scholarly men, clerics, priests, and theologians would read and interpret the bible for everybody else. But the printing press created the ability for anyone who could read to actually read the Bible for themselves. Eventually, the printing press widened the availability of books and, like Kindle, and every other newly introduced technological advance, the prices of books eventually came down.

But, critics worried that people would no longer read aloud and that wonderful experience of sharing books would pass out of fashion. Religious leaders feared that regular people who read the Bible for themselves might come up with their own interpretations of the Bible, producing a whole host of heretics. And, the printing press would put scribes out of work!

Plus, the new books created on a printing press just were not as pretty as the hand made ones. An art form would be lost. And they were right about that.

But the availability of mass made books encouraged a whole new age of education, science, the arts, and religion. It has been called the greatest invention of all time.

Textbooks

As anybody with a kid in college knows, textbooks are hugely expensive. Perhaps ebooks could cut down on the cost and weight of texbooks.

It looks like Apple's iPad may provide the best format for texts. Apples' iPad has a larger color touch screen and integrated WiFi and is better for presenting textbooks with color pictures, diagrams, and charts than Kindle.

Kindle VS Real Books

So, my friends, here are my comparisons between Kindle (or any book on a digital format) and traditional books, the advantages and disadvantages of each:

• E-books are great for travel. They a light weight, compact, and easy to carry. You can take several books with you to the beach with no fuss at all. And unlike laptop or cell phone screens, the display screen on a Kindle reduces glare and can be easily read in strong sunlight. However, when the plane takes off and lands, flight attendants will ask you to turn it off.

• If you drop your book in the bath tub, down a flight of stairs, or into a vat of boiling molasses, you lose one book. If your Kindle meets with the same fate, there goes $189.00 (or a teensy bit more for the DX version), not to mention the library that you have amassed.

• You can't use a stack of Kindle ebooks to hold up a corner of the sofa if one of the legs has broken off.

• Regular books do not include a dictionary or keyboard.

• You can't cut a hole in an old ebook to hide your stash.

• Hitting someone in the head with a Kindle does not pack the same wallop as it does if you bop them with a good old fashioned hard back book.

• You can't slip some papers into a Kindle for ease of carrying.

• The battery on your traditional book will not crap out just as the hero is dangling off the cliff and you have to send it off somewhere for repair or buy a new battery online before you find out what happens.

• You can't use a pile of Kindles to smooth down papers. Well, you could but that would entail purchasing quite a lot of them.

• If you become lost in the wilderness with your Kindle, you can't use it as kindling for a fire on a cold night. (But, if you also have a GPS, you can find your way back to civilization)

• With a Kindle, you can't switch book jackets to make it look like you are reading something significant and so impress strangers at the dentist's office or on the bus.

• Crack pot political groups can burn a pile of Kindles with the same affect as burning a pile of real books.

• You can't collect old or rare Kindles.

• You can't press flowers with a Kindle.

• Kindles do not lend themselves to secretive or clandestine exchanges which could harm espionage.

And there is, of course, the ultimate question - how cozy is it to curl up with a Kindle and a cup of tea on a chilly night? In that case, I guess it depends on what you are reading.

 

Chocolate Orange Torte Recipe

 

 

Flourless chocolate cake is spiked with orange juice and orange liqueur. The addition of the coffee intensifies the flavor of the chocolate. Great for Passover or any special occasion. Plan ahead to refrigerate the torte at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. This is quite rich, so cut the slices thin.

Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 45 minutesTotal Time: 65 minutesIngredients:

• Strawberry Sauce:
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, cut in half, divided use
• 1/2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
• .
• Torte:
• 3/4 pound margarine, unsalted or pareve
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 Tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/8 cup miniature chocolate chips for garnish, optional

Preparation:Place 1 cup of halved strawberries (retain the rest for garnish) in a ziptop bag. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and shake to coat. Refrigerate while you make the torte.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Place margarine, sugar, orange juice, orange liqueur, and coffee in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until combined and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Add chocolate and stir until completely melted and blended. Let cool.

When chocolate mixture is cool, whisk in the eggs until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until top has a slight crust and center is set.

Let chocolate torte cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, place sugared strawberries in a blender or food processor and pulse to puree. Pour strawberry sauce over the cake, sprinkle with chocolate chips, and decorate with remaining strawberry halves.

Green screen

Using the Green Screen Technique

‘The world is but a canvas to the imagination.’

This quote reflects the fact that with a little leap of imagination, you can go to places that never were, do things that were never done and bring your dreams closer to reality.  Unfortunately, imagination without the right tool is limited only to remain its creator's fantasy.  Whether it is the right brush while you paint, or the right software while editing videos, you need the right tools to do the right things.

The Chroma Key Color Transition in Video Edit Magic is one such tool.  Also known as the Green or Blue Screen technique, it can help you create truly startling illusions.  You may never have visited the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids of Egypt but with this technique you can at least make it seem that you actually did.

Basically, in this technique a subject is shot in front of a green or blue screen.  (Any solid color will work, but these two are the most common.)  Video Edit Magic then removes this color from the video clip, and fills in the empty space with the picture from another video clip, or a still picture.  A good example is the weather reports shown on television.  The video is created by combining a video with an animation.  The video shows weatherman standing in front of a green screen while the animation displays maps and graphics.  The green background of the video is replaced by the animation.

Things you need

The beauty of this technique is its simplicity.  To achieve this effect, all you need are 2 videos or images, a green/blue screen and Video Edit Magic.

Green/ Blue Screen

You can purchase a ready made screen.  No matter which color you are using, Green or Blue, care has to be taken that the screen is uniform in color and shade.  You can also make an inexpensive screen by using a table cloth or even a wall that is evenly painted and lit.  Spend some time to remove dirt, discolorations, folds and wrinkles.  Uneven colors in the screen will result in a video with floating objects and blotches.

One cannot conclusively say that the blue color is better than the green color or vice versa.  The choice mainly depends upon the subject (the person or object in the foreground video).  It is important that the subject contains as little of the screen color as possible whether in their clothing or as part of an object.  For example, if the person has blue eyes, choose a green screen.  Another handy hint while deciding the color is analyzing the color scheme of the video which will be inserted as the background.  For example, if the background you are going to insert contains images of the sea, then use a blue screen.  If the background contains an image of a park or trees, use a green screen.  This way you can hide and minimize the impact of the edges that appear due to non uniform or unevenly lit screens.

Proper lighting

Once you have decided on the color of the screen, the next step is to shoot the subject standing in front of it.  If you are aiming for perfection, make sure that the subject has a well defined outline.  There should not be small parts of the clothing or even hair hanging loose as you want a sharp separation from the background.  The camera's focus should be on the subject (and not the background), to prevent a blurry effect.  Be sure no one's clothing matches the background color—if you're using a blue screen, and a man is wearing a blue tie, in the final movie it will seem that he has a hole right through his chest!

The lighting of your background is very important.  It should be evenly lit.  If it is too brightly lit, then some light will reflect off the background producing visible circles in the final combined movie.  Also, make sure that the subject is not too close to the background screen.  This is to avoid shadows, which disturb the uniform color of the background.

Since getting the lighting absolutely right is challenging, the easy thing to do is to shoot outdoors.  The Sun is a great light source, as the distribution is even.  Just make sure that no shadows fall on the screen.

Applying Chroma Key Color Transition

Now, that you have created your video with the green/blue background, the next step is to use the Chroma Key Color Transition in Video Edit Magic.  This transition replaces the green/blue background with another video or image.

Superimposing two videos:

1. Add the video / image with the blue background to the Video 2 track on the Timeline.
2. Add the video / image you want to superimpose to the Video 1 track on the Timeline.
3. Position the Seek Slider so that it coincides with the point on the two videos from which you want the superimposition to begin.
4. Select the Transitions tab in the Collections window.  Right-click on the Chroma Key Color icon and select Add Transition to Timeline.

Configuring Chroma Key Color Properties:

To configure the Transition properties, right-click on the Chroma Key Color Transition in the Transition track of the Timeline and select Transition Settings.  
You will see the following window:

How to Get Real at Home Work or Employment

Want to know how to get at home employment? Are you searching for that at home position but running into scams?

Legitimate home employment does exist. That is what this particular "Hub Page" is about. However it does take work to get to the point where you have at home employment. The information in "How to Get at Home Work Jobs"
Try the temporary employment agencies where you live. Tell them what your skills are. Ask if there is any employment that you can put these to use in telecommuting.
Advertise in the local supermarkets, wherever there is a bulletin board, etc.
Can you do desktop publishing? Put up a web site illustrating what you can do in desktop publishing. You can also ask to local publishers, printers or places like Office Max if they have a need for your skills or could refer you to their customers.
Charities sometimes have at home positions. I, at times, do at home calling for a local charity. A friend of mine makes phone calls for the Salvation Army. This is not a way to get rich but it is at home.

Drawing Fantasy Art: How To Draw A Robot

First Sketch Of A Robot

Constructing your robot design from circles and cylinders.

Drafting The Robot

 Here we try and go for the framework of a robot design, we want to just capture the basics of our robot and we do this as mentioned above sausage and balls circles and cylinders, these create the arms, legs and all the joints, it's only the body that is another shape entirely.
Try drawing your robot design with fatter or thinner circles and cylinders or even larger, this could create a totally different robot design altogether, right now at the drafting stage anything goes!!

Building Up Your Robot Drawing

By adding slight robot designs here you are building a robot the easy way.

Developing The Robot Drawing Further

 The further development of your robot becomes easier when you just go with the flow, robots are clunky looking things, but if you follow the steps of using the circles and cylinders you can end up with humanoid looking figures for your robot which looks more better, but really that's not important, it's the structure of your robot design that matters at the very beginning.
I have added a gun on the robots left arm and other design elements that make it look like a robot.

Finalising Your Robot Design

Everything comes together here and you should be happy with your robot!