lending books on the kindle

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/208654/amazon_extends_value_of_kindle_with_new_lending_feature.html

I've been adding tags to my blog today (you can really tell when I'm starting to catch up on my life; I have time to exercise my OCD in more frivolous ways), and one of those tags is on this entry: mocking e-book coverage. I do a lot of that, apparently.

I've been through a few kindles. The first kindle I had didn't charge, so it doesn't count. The second kindle I had for a while, and then I bought a kindle 2 when it came out. I loaned the original kindle out (loaded up with books), which as you can imagine, makes me roll my eyes everyone says you can't loan out your e-books. Sure you can. Just loan out a kindle with e-books on it. The library in Mayberry, where I used to live, does this. Population around 5000. You'd think if they can figure this out, other people could, too.

Then I was looking at the kindle 3 and the book cover with the light. I bought a wifi one for a nephew (husband's nephew) who graduated from high school and was starting college. And I bought one for myself, because I felt so good about being generous I felt I deserved a reward (<--- joke. I bought it because I wanted it, and my gadget budget is rarely maxed out.). That meant I now had 2 functioning kindles I wasn't using, available for loan. Kindle v. 2 went to the nanny indefinitely. Again, loaded up with e-books.

Here's why I'm mocking today:

"So, what's the big deal with the new lending feature? There are plenty of situations where an employee or co-worker might need to use a given title, but not forever. Since the need is temporary, one Kindle edition can be purchased by the business and farmed out to employees on an as-needed basis."

That's just stupid. Because a _business_ doesn't have enough computers/smart phones/physical kindles all hooked up to the same account so they can use the generally 6 copies available of most titles? Lacks plausibility.

Pull the other one, Tony Bradley, contributor to PC World. It's got bells on.

Me, I'm getting a little concerned about all those kindles, and the MacBook, and the iPads and so forth. 3 kindles. 1 Macbook. 2 iPads. If I get a smartphone that lets me read kindle e-books on it, I'm going to be exercising that 6 copy limit. It will be a sad day when that happens. (<--- Sarcasm.)

You don't need to take it with you.

I have a friend, K., who used to bring 3 paperback novels with her to dinner at a restaurant with a group of people. She didn't want to run out of reading material and she reads very fast. To be fair, the dinners tended to go on and on and on, the group dynamic was a little weird, and she was mostly there because her boyfriend and later husband wanted to be there and she's a very nice lady who is not inclined to say no to him about anything.

The kindle lets everyone do what my friend K. used to do, with less weight. In fact, they can bring multiple books otherwise only available in hardcover. But the kindle actually lets you do something else that is even more interesting.

If you own multiple devices which can read kindle e-books, and you leave one wherever you sit and drink your coffee, and wherever you work, and wherever you read before going to bed, you don't actually have to ever carry a book (or kindle e-reader) anywhere. There can be one just sitting there, waiting for you. Conveniently remembering your place in the half dozen or more books you are in the middle of.

You can't do _that_ with a paper book.

I need to find the christmas lights for the bike

I completely forgot I did this last year, but as soon as Halloween is done, I'm putting the light strings on the bike. I saw trees (decorative ones in the store -- not to buy for your own house) up already at Ace hardware down the street.