Disqus - Latest Comments for perlgurl

Re: Lost!

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:49:10 -0000

I know exactly how you feel. Although this cannot be the third visit this summer... it feels much more like the 6th. :)

Re: Reading Recommendations, Anyone?

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:32:09 -0000

I've heard very good things about Harold J. Mcgee.

Re: Happy Friday the 13th!

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:57:41 -0000

I wrote about Triskaidekaphobia...

http://www.perlgurl.org/arc...

Re: Fun Map Finds

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:49:50 -0000

So. This is really funny. This island is where my balloon turned up for my 2nd grade graduation balloon sendoff with little postcards attached.

Mine came back after being found on the shores of this island by the officials on the island. I then gave a speech in third grade to the next 2nd grade class about why nukes are bad.

Now balloon sendoffs are bad too, cause they choke baby seals.

Good ole times.

Re: New Kindle 2 Features Fail Us

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:19:07 -0000

I see the college market as "private cost" and the lower grades as "public cost." And that was sort of my intention: let the students already paying for their textbooks (and who have a vested interest in not losing them, etc.) drive the first few generations, and also hopefully bring the cost down enough such that students in the lower grades could conceivably use a Kindle (or similar device) for school much like they would a graphing calculator. Provided the school could back up the originals textbook files, they could license them in bulk. Schooll library loan could go digital on certain items. It seems to me like a no-brainer. The consumer market is much harder to crack, and much more cost-conscious.

Re: New Kindle 2 Features Fail Us

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:59:50 -0000

I have to agree. I wish the Kindle really addressed the problems which a book reader device could solve: save paper, lower costs to readers and make books more available to new readers. While this device saves paper, it falls short on the other two items.

1. I understand that publishing books, even e-books, does cost money. But I am not convinced its costs are more than the cost of say, publishing a song (and maybe even, in some cases, an album). I have some idea of the fiction publishing industry and these high costs are not going back to the authors.

2. I want to be able to share books with my friends. I can hand them my copy of a book, so why can't I give them my digital copy, or sell it on eBay. Figure this out. I am not saying COPY the book, I am saying: digitally sign it so it's unique and authentic, and let me sell it "used". Yes, I realize that's not your revenue model, but tough.

3. I want to be able to use my Kindle in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse. In Africa, in a lead-lined room with no cell signal. I cannot use the subscription model because I don't have Sprint coverage? Lame. Figure out how to send me these updates electronically. I am willing to sync them. Oh, and the book previews, too. They only work with Sprint. Silly.

4 Yeah, the buttons. Not all people hold books in a sitting upright position. "Curl up with a Kindle" does not work-I've tried.

5. If you really needed to charge $400 and high book prices to get this kind of tech rolling-And I do think it needs to get rolling-then WHY did you start in the consumer fiction market? Who wants to pay MORE for a book they will likely only read once? I expect many fiction book choices are impulse purchases. What I don't understand is why Amazon didn't target the student textbook market first, and revolutionize it. Here, textbook prices break the bank, are super heavy and hard to carry around for studying, and students actually use the dictionary feature and the "take notes/highlight" features and search features. The screen is too small, but generally, the student would want to keep all their textbooks around for four+ years for reference. The price tag, especially if the textbook cost was even 75% of what it is retail hardcover, would make this kind of market ideal, and train a generation to use the technology, iron out issues with backing up textbook and notes data, and drive a whole new exciting industry around education.

Re: Crazy Weather: Record High and Record Low

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:24:00 -0000

Does this count as "climate destabilization"?

Re: The Palin TrooperGate Report (Cliffs' Notes Version)

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:56:04 -0000

There's another interesting take on this at Slate:
Skategate:Sarah Palin could teach Alberto Gonzales a thing or two about avoiding political scandal.

Re: MySpace MyDebates Still Has Wrong Time

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:47:34 -0000

Ironically, its the new generation who isn't bothering with cable. They just watch Youtube and stuff. So really, it's the parents who are chumps.

Re: The Modern Command Line (or How Vista and Chrome Are Making Me Lazy)

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:12:38 -0000

Heh. That's pretty cool. But does it work with typos?

Meaning, can you train it to find noetpad? or the CtrlPanel?

Re: The Stuff of Conspiracy

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:59:45 -0000

Yeah, all those safety features would really weigh down the car. It's kinda cute. I wish we'd see a plug-in Mini Cooper.

Re: Chromium is not Google Chrome: Switching

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:47:01 -0000

So what's the difference? What is Chrome vs. Chromium?

Other than Chrome is shiny stuff people like to buff and Chromium can cause highly aggressive behavior when misused...

Re: Another Game Down

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:44:32 -0000

Shane's wife Laurie is glad there will be no more robot talking about cake while she is trying to read a book.

Re: Cool Polyphemus Moth on Our Door (Updated)

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:56:04 -0000

So cool! Maybe they are too busy mating to eat...

Re: New MovableType AntiSpam Service Supports WordPress?

Laurie (perlgurl.org) — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:03:32 -0000

Are there any benefits for using Disqus over the new MT spam stuff?