Tw Ice Read Tales

Archive for December, 2011

While the Kindle wireless reading device lets you carry literally hundreds of e-books, newspapers, and magazines anywhere you go, your Kindle is actually pretty picky about the types of documents it will let you read. Free e-books, articles, white papers, and other documents you might wish to read on your Kindle are everywhere on the Internet. The problem is that they are not in a format that is “Kindle-friendly.”

The Kindle “naively” supports the following document formats -

Kindle documents (.azw)

Text documents (.txt)

Mobi Reader documents (.mobi or .prc)

But, if you have a document you wish to read on your Kindle that is in another format – for example = a free e-book that is an Adobe Reader (.pdf) file or a Microsoft Word (.doc) file then you have to convert it to the proper format for use on your Kindle. Fortunately this is not something that is hard to do.

Amazon has a service for which they charge a nominal amount allowing you to convert documents such as .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader) files to Kindle files. To do this you must first have an active Kindle e-mail address. You can make sure you are set-up with a Kindle e-mail address by visiting the “Manage Your Kindle” section of the Amazon web site. Typically, your Kindle e-mail address will be “yourusername@kindle.com”.

1. Make sure the document you want to convert is in one of the following formats

Microsoft Word (.doc)

HTML (.html)

Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf)

2. Check to be sure the file is not “protected.” This can occur with e-books you have purchased with DRM (digital rights management) restrictions. You also might have documents that include passwords or other means to restrict access. You will not be able to convert these files.

3. Create an e-mail to your Kindle e-mail address and attach the file you wish to read on your Kindle.

4. Send the e-mail – Amazon will convert the document and send it to your Kindle via the wireless connection.

5. The cost for this service is $.10 (ten cents) per document.

If you want to convert your document at no charge, or are in an area where you cannot access the Kindle’s wireless service you can do so with a slight change in the steps above.

Rather than send the e-mail with the attached document to your Kindle e-mail address send it to “yourusername@free.kindle.com”. Amazon will convert the document and send it back to the originating e-mail address. When you get the e-mail back from Amazon you can transfer the document to your Kindle using the USB cable connected to your computer.

It’s as simple as that!

A few important things to remember. First, as stated above, if the files you wish to convert have any sort of DRM (digital rights management) restrictions then the file won’t be converted. Also – this is an “experimental” service for Amazon. Documents with complex formatting, or certain .pdf files, may not convert as expected. While this may not prevent you from reading the document, it will make it a bit more difficult to navigate through and around your e-book.

Congratulations! Now you know how you can quickly convert e-books in Microsoft Word, HTML, and Adobe Acrobat Reader format to “Kindle-friendly” e-books. This process can help you add a lot of great content to your Kindle wireless reading device.

It has always been my thoughts that the Electronic Book Readers war would not be won on price alone. It seems that Google and the Sony Digital Book Reader have fired the first salvo across the bows of Amazon, in what has become the new battleground…proprietary file formats linked to on line eBook sales.

One of the main stumbling blocks for people joining the e-book reader revolution has been the fact that if they threw their hat in with one manufacturer, in the future any change in allegiances could result in an e-library that was unreadable and useless on their new choice. It seemed at the time, the time of the newness of the technology and the top ticket prices being asked for the devices, that this was a good idea. Most manufacturers had their own proprietary format, it seemed that only the smaller manufacturers, in their attempt to make their models more appealing, actually thought about this as a long term problem.

Fast forward to today, the electronic book readers gold rush has passed, we have been in the midst of a global down turn and buyers are looking for even more value. They are still there but they are in belt tightening mode and are in no mood to be screwed by anyone, something I have been saying has happened far to often in the past.

So the logical step, by manufacturers of these devices, had to be towards more openness. Sony Corp seem to have stolen a big start on Amazon with the recent announcement by Google that they will be backing the open ePub file format. This format is taking over from PDF as the preferred format to deliver free content, and we all know where Google’s stand on that, with more and more publishing houses using this as their choice.

I don’t think it is any coincidence that the newly announced Edition range of the Sony Digital Book Reader has support for this format and PDF as it coincided with the Google announcement. This must have come as a great shock over at planet Amazon. Their Kindle models, only recently upgraded, don’t directly support ePub so are now at a distinct disadvantage to savvy electronic book readers. Those in the know are just not going to touch a Kindle at any price, and we all know Sony are going to do ever thing in their power to get the word across.

So what is ePub and why, all of a sudden, have two monster companies seemingly set out to shaft Amazon?

ePub file format is an open standard, lightweight format, specifically for text based electronic books, or eBooks as we all know them. Unlike PDF, ePub automatically shrinks or expands text for various display sizes. This makes it far more electronic book readers friendly than PDF which was always intended as an image based format and does not react kindly to down sizing text for smaller screens. To answer the second part of the question we just need to look deep into Go ogles mind. They have always been firmly on the side of freedom of choice and delivering, to the masses, relevant content. It is not in their psyche to limit there reported million plus titles, available at Go ogle Books, to only certain readers who own certain models of ebook reader and so have come down firmly on the side of the Sony Digital Book Reader by choosing to use pub. This has brought together, either intentionally or unintentionally we will probably never know, two giants squaring off against the current market leader.

People new to studying Buddhism often struggle with finding a place to start. Here’s a list of some of the best books on Buddhist studies out there.

The Top Five:

1. Harvey, P. 1990, An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices.

Harvey offers a comprehensive introduction to the Buddhist tradition covering not only its historical developments, but also its main concepts and practices. This is a huge amount of information, but the book succeeds in being highly readable and its clear structure means that the information is easy to digest.

An Introduction to Buddhism is great for anyone looking for an encyclopaedia of Buddhism to dip in and out of. However, the comprehensive picture one gains of the religion if the book is read from cover to cover should not be underestimated.

This book is at the top of the list because it serves two functions. Firstly, it is a very readable book absolutely crammed full of detailed information. Reading it will give you a very comprehensive view of Buddhism. Secondly, it is a great reference book. With a simple structure and decent index it’s great to quickly remind yourself of particular points if you’re faced with an awkward question. No one should be without it.

2. Bechert, H. & Gombrich, R. (eds) 1984, The World of Buddhism: Buddhist Monks and Nuns in Society and Culture.

This is a beautifully presented and produced book. The level of writing is academic but very clear and the illustrations are exquisite. Like many of the books here, The World of Buddhism gives a ‘big picture’ of Buddhism. No attempt has been made to be fully comprehensive in discussing the religion, but the pertinent points have been pulled out and presented in such a way as to enable easy understanding.

The World of Buddhism may be slightly outdated, now 24 years old. However, its illustrations help to give a real flavour of Buddhism in all its incarnations. This, combined with the books inherent readability and academic value, makes it a must have.

3. Gethin, R. 1998, The Foundations of Buddhism.

This is a great complement to Harvey’s book. Gethin concentrates on the ideas and practices which constitute the common heritage of the different Buddhist traditions. Starting with the narrative history of the Buddha, he analyses the textual tradition, the Four Noble Truths, Karma, rebirth, the various paths, and the interaction between monastic and lay life.

The Foundations of Buddhism is extremely easy to read and easy to understand. It is not as comprehensive as some of the other books listed, but it is certainly a page-turner. As a way into the religion you couldn’t ask for anything more readable.

4. Williams, P. & Tribe, A. 2000, Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition.

Buddhist Thought is not an introduction to the religion as whole, rather it is an introduction to certain ideas and concepts that developed on the Indian subcontinent. A certain amount of background knowledge is assumed. However, the book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in taking their knowledge of Buddhism to the next level of detail.

Williams takes a historical approach and applies this to many of the common myths and beliefs traditionally held by Buddhists. This endeavour is particularly rewarding in his analysis of the origins of Mahayana.

All in all, a great book for someone wanting to delve a little deeper into Indian Buddhism.

5. Cush, D. 1994, Buddhism (A Student’s Approach to World Religions).

This book is particularly aimed at the world of RE. As such, the writing is set at a school level and the layout has a textbook feel. This means that Buddhism (A Student’s Approach to World Religions) is extremely easy to use and very readable.

The book, given its target audience, doesn’t go into as much detail as some of the other books in the list. However, it still manages to find the balance between more scholarly works and overly basic introductions and a large number of topics are covered.

If you’re in a hurry Buddhism (A Student’s Approach to World Religions) could well prove to be one of the most valuable books on your shelf.