The Vent and Rant Thread

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I've never understood the appeal of the Segway. I don't mind walking but I hate standing. Standing makes my feet hurt. If I had to stand to operate a car I wouldn't have one.

Well, my days of urban living are over (one hopes), so there's really no Segway in my future, that's for sure. But if I lived in an urban environment, some miles from my office--I could see it on nice days, if walking was out of the question. I DO think that walking to work is grossly overlooked in this country.

Other than my days in NYC, back when we took DinoTrans to the job, I've never had the luxury--to me--of taking mass trans. Trains or buses. I have always had to have a car handy, to go out to meetings and all that. I cannot IMAGINE what it's like for folks who HAVE TO take public trans here, where there's not very much of it, it stops running before it gets very late at night, and it's 115F outside when you have to sit at the bus stations and all that.

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I've seen a couple of variants in NYC. One was a platform with a wheel on each end that you stood on, and controlled via foot pressure. It looked a bit like a skateboard that rolled sideways. Another was a unicycle with no seat - simply a powered wheel with a foot rest on either side. I expect balancing on them required a bit of practice, but the folks I've seen riding them seemed pleased enough.

What I see a lot more of are folding scooters where the handle bar folds up against the scooter body when it's not being ridden. There's a woman with two preteen daughters in my neighborhood, and I've seen all three out on their scooters, wearing their helmets, and zipping happily down the sidewalk.
______
Dennis

For recreation, again, in locales with cement/asphalt, they look fun. I'd like to try them. I really liked rollerblades, for a while (until my ankles/knees bitched about them). I can see using them around town, depending on the town, traffic and all that.

Hitch

[Katsunami]

Bah. I think some people are just trying to be contrarian. Always the same questions regarding e-readers:

- How does it handle PDF? (Readers below 9.7 inch? Badly.)
- How are the page turns? (On e-ink? You'll always see them.)
- Is this reader very heavy? (No. They never were. Ever held a hardcover?!)
- Is the light 100% perfectly even without the slightest hint of a shadow anywhere? (Who cares? Ever used a clip-on reading light? Do that, and then compare.)
- What alternatives are there to Calibre? (None. No other program can do what calibre can.)

Same questions, over and over again, for the last 10 years (almost).

Then you have the people who have 'some specific demands' of their e-readers, which basically narrows it down to one device ever created, which has been out of production for 5 years, and then they say they'll never buy anything else ever again... just like the Apple dude at work, who always has 'demands' of a laptop that ALWAYS work out to be only available (in that combination) in the very latest Apple device.

I have demands. I'm picky, especially if it comes down to devices I have to see/look at, like computer monitors, tablets and e-readers. The one thing I demand is the very best screen available at the time of purchase, and most other things are wannahaves. I'm realistic enough to realize that it's a pipe dream to have *EVERYTHING* I'd want in one single device.

The Kobo Aura ONE comes darn close, though.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Well, my days of urban living are over (one hopes), so there's really no Segway in my future, that's for sure. But if I lived in an urban environment, some miles from my office--I could see it on nice days, if walking was out of the question. I DO think that walking to work is grossly overlooked in this country.

For some years, I did just that. The office I worked from was about 10 minutes walk from where I lived. This had a downside - the night shift figured that since I lived so close, there was no problem with calling me after hours if they had a problem. I quickly drilled a mantra into them that they should check that something was turned on, plugged in, and plugged into the right place before calling me.

Then they closed that office and I did the reverse commute, from NYC to corporate HQ in the suburbs.

Other than my days in NYC, back when we took DinoTrans to the job, I've never had the luxury--to me--of taking mass trans. Trains or buses. I have always had to have a car handy, to go out to meetings and all that. I cannot IMAGINE what it's like for folks who HAVE TO take public trans here, where there's not very much of it, it stops running before it gets very late at night, and it's 115F outside when you have to sit at the bus stations and all that.

I'm spoiled. I grew up in Philadelphia and live in NYC now. Both cities have comprehensive 24/7 mass transit. I've had conversations with folks like tech recruiters where I say "Where is the client? I live in Manhattan, and the only people there who own and drive cars there are either paid to do it or are nuts. I am neither. If your client cannot be reached by pubtrans, I am not a candidate for a position."

For recreation, again, in locales with cement/asphalt, they look fun. I'd like to try them. I really liked rollerblades, for a while (until my ankles/knees bitched about them). I can see using them around town, depending on the town, traffic and all that.

I've seen people using them on the street as a faster means of getting around than walking. Next step up is a bicycle, and there is an effort called CitiBike that installed bike stands in a lot of place with bikes that you can short term rent.

I wouldn't want to try to use a scooter on some major throughways in NYC, but in most places it's possible. I got a laugh a while back when the city reduced the speed limit from 35mph to 25mph after an accident. If it isn't 3am, good luck on going as fast as 25mph in Manhattan, let alone 35mph.
______
Dennis

[Katsunami]

Oh, by the way... a few weeks ago, I saw someone travelling by Segway. It's the first and only one I ever saw. To be honest, it looks positively geeky and utterly stupid. (IMHO.) Also, these things are *expensive*... around €6000 here. I'd rather get a well-maintained moped or bike again for €750 or so if I ever decide to take to the road again.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Bah. I think some people are just trying to be contrarian. Always the same questions regarding e-readers:

- How does it handle PDF? (Readers below 9.7 inch? Badly.)

The first one I'm aware of that did was the Kindle DX. It was aimed at the education market, had a larger screen, and included Adobe's Mobile SDK to provide PDF viewing, because the assumed content to be viewed was textbooks that were issued as PDFs.

My viewer device is a 7" Android tablet. I can view PDFs on it, but seldom do. Most are simply not designed for reading on a smaller screen. By preference, I get ePub, but my viewer software handles Mobi, FB2, and several other things as well.

What alternatives are there to Calibre? (None. No other program can do what calibre can.)

There are programs that can handle parts of Calibre's job, but nothing that can do all of it.

Do they state why they want an alternative?

Then you have the people who have 'some specific demands' of their e-readers, which basically narrows it down to one device ever created, which has been out of production for 5 years, and then they say they'll never buy anything else ever again...

I have a device like that, which was a pass along from a friend. It's an Android tablet with LCD and eInk screens. The company that made it was ahead of its time and is long gone. Fortunately, there was a support forum on MobileRead for it, with pointers to things like a newer version of Android (2.1 Froyo) , pushed out the door in beta by engineers just before they went belly up.

It was fun to play with and get working, but isn't my main device.

I have demands. I'm picky, especially if it comes down to devices I have to see/look at, like computer monitors, tablets and e-readers. The one thing I demand is the very best screen available at the time of purchase, and most other things are wannahaves. I'm realistic enough to realize that it's a pipe dream to have *EVERYTHING* I'd want in one single device.

The Kobo Aura ONE comes darn close, though.

The thing I'd like on my tablet is a higher res screen. It's a low-end device, and the screen is 800x480. But the main function of the device is eBook viewer, and the resolution is adequate for that, and devices with higher res screens cost rather more than the $30 US the tablet cost me...

The first one I got cost $20, as a grand opening promotion for a retailer. A 7'' Android tablet running Jellybean for $20? Sold. If all I did with it was view eBooks, it would be more than worth the purchase price, and I could do rather more with it. The current one is a newer model from the same vendor. It has quirks rooting mostly resolved. (Like, no, I don't want Google Play Music as my listening app, and why on Earth is it installed as a System app I can't uninstall? The stock Android Music player is entirely adequate for me, and is now in place.)
______
Dennis

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Bah. I think some people are just trying to be contrarian. Always the same questions regarding e-readers:

- How does it handle PDF? (Readers below 9.7 inch? Badly.)
- How are the page turns? (On e-ink? You'll always see them.)
- Is this reader very heavy? (No. They never were. Ever held a hardcover?!)
- Is the light 100% perfectly even without the slightest hint of a shadow anywhere? (Who cares? Ever used a clip-on reading light? Do that, and then compare.)
- What alternatives are there to Calibre? (None. No other program can do what calibre can.)

Same questions, over and over again, for the last 10 years (almost).

Then you have the people who have 'some specific demands' of their e-readers, which basically narrows it down to one device ever created, which has been out of production for 5 years, and then they say they'll never buy anything else ever again... just like the Apple dude at work, who always has 'demands' of a laptop that ALWAYS work out to be only available (in that combination) in the very latest Apple device.

I have demands. I'm picky, especially if it comes down to devices I have to see/look at, like computer monitors, tablets and e-readers. The one thing I demand is the very best screen available at the time of purchase, and most other things are wannahaves. I'm realistic enough to realize that it's a pipe dream to have *EVERYTHING* I'd want in one single device.

The Kobo Aura ONE comes darn close, though.

Can I recommend you stay out of the "What should I buy" forum?

Oh and you forgot the "I don't want a kindle because it is a closed ecosystem and you can't sideload books." (Note that is not true) I have seen that one more times than I can count.

Gotta love those light discussions. I saw one where the guy took I think the Voyage or maybe an Oasis into a totally dark closet and turned the light on the device to 100%. That was to prove all kindle whatever has splotches. (That hurt my eyes just reading that.)

Personally I just want a Rosie.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

There are programs that can handle parts of Calibre's job, but nothing that can do all of it.

Do they state why they want an alternative?

The main complaints are:

- It is extremely complicated
- It is ugly
- It's slow
- They don't like that it is updated every week or two weeks

Well, it's as complicated as you make it. If you want, you can use only the Metadata window, convert books, and send/remove them from your device. That is exceedingly simple, and for many people, it's enough; Calibre's defaults are sensible.

With regard to looks, I'm not a fan of the default interface either, but I have removed all the big icons. I only have three menu's: Main, Add Books, and Preferences, and all book-related options are in the context menu. I've also installed an alternative icon set (Monstre), and Calibre looks very clean now.

You can have a look at the attachment to see how my main calibre interface looks. (Yes, I'm running over 500 jobs, because I've changed some options, and I now need to polish those into the EPUBs, and I also own over 50 Delphi Classics, of which I won't ever read everything )

On speed, I have to say that calibre indeed isn't very fast, but it's fast enough for most things. It doesn't NEED to be blisteringly fast. Some people just state that "it should have been written in C++", unhindered by any knowledge regarding programming. If Kovid had written calibre in C++, we would probably have seen one release every half a year, and it'd probably have 20% of the features it has now.

On updates, I can only say: "Who cares?" Would you rather wait 6 months for a bug fix? Nobody forces you with a gun to your head to install all updates. For my part, Kovid could update calibre twice a day, or every hour, should there be a way to do so short of running from source. I'm not obliged to install them. Sometimes, I don't connect my reader to the computer nor do any organizing for weeks on end. Calibre then just sits idle, or is used very little. Then, at some point, I'm starting to use it seriously again (adding new books, organizing unorganized parts of the library), and then I'll update everything.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Can I recommend you stay out of the "What should I buy" forum?

I sometimes look in there, but almost never post.

For me, it's either a Kindle or a Kobo. All of the others are either hard to obtain in the Netherlands, or have drawbacks such as no or very few third party covers, or shaky firmware support. Some brands I really dislike, such as Icarus, who just rebrand generic e-readers manufactured somewhere in China (at least, last I checked).

I've used a KPW1 for four years without problems. I really like the KA1 after tinkering with it a bit, and I'm sure I'll eventually find a cover I like. Then I'll probably keep looking at 'meeh...' advances for the next 3-4 years, until something big happens. The only two things I can think of that would now entice me to upgrade the KA1 would be official full screen reading support by Kobo (which is now unofficial/experimental, and somewhat buggy, but fixable), an 8 inch Kindle with more fonts and the same options as a Kobo with regard to fonts or layout, or a 7.8 / 8 inch reader with a color screen.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I sometimes look in there, but almost never post.

For me, it's either a Kindle or a Kobo. All of the others are either hard to obtain in the Netherlands, or have drawbacks such as no or very few third party covers, or shaky firmware support. Some brands I really dislike, such as Icarus, who just rebrand generic e-readers manufactured somewhere in China (at least, last I checked).

I've used a KPW1 for four years without problems. I really like the KA1 after tinkering with it a bit, and I'm sure I'll eventually find a cover I like. Then I'll probably keep looking at 'meeh...' advances for the next 3-4 years, until something big happens. The only two things I can think of that would now entice me to upgrade the KA1 would be official full screen reading support by Kobo (which is now unofficial/experimental, and somewhat buggy, but fixable), an 8 inch Kindle with more fonts and the same options as a Kobo with regard to fonts or layout, or a 7.8 / 8 inch reader with a color screen.

Oh so you are seeing those same exact comments in other forums.
And I will keep my basic Kindle with buttons.

[Bilbo1967]

I arrived in Kiev for a week's work last night. Unfortunately, my luggage didn't! It was too late go out and get anything, so it's the same clothes back on today for work on my client's site.

The hotel were able to provide a toothbrush and toothpaste, so at least that's OK and the bag should turn up at some point today we believe. Still, a bit inconvenient to say the least.

[trewelu]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

I arrived in Kiev for a week's work last night. Unfortunately, my luggage didn't! It was too late go out and get anything, so it's the same clothes back on today for work on my client's site.

The hotel were able to provide a toothbrush and toothpaste, so at least that's OK and the bag should turn up at some point today we believe. Still, a bit inconvenient to say the least.

I heard some people advising on bringing one set of clothes in your carry on just for situation like that. In case the luggage is missing you have a spare one while waiting or arranging to get temporary one

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by trewelu

I heard some people advising on bringing one set of clothes in your carry on just for situation like that. In case the luggage is missing you have a spare one while waiting or arranging to get temporary one

Yes - that is certainly something I shall consider from now on!

[Rumpelteazer]

Cleaning up isn't my favourite thing to do, but it has to happen.

What I especially hate is that when my father is going to the dump/recycle station and I put things in the pile to be taken away he always goes through my stuff and pick out items that I'm not allowed to throw out because they are still good (enough, according to him).

Yesterday I put a bunch of bags on the pile. These are bags I haven't used in years, normally I would have put them on the pile to give away but these smell of smoke and nobody would want them. But he picked them out and tried to hand them back. However, since my closet is full of stuff I know my father doesn't want me to throw away it was a battle I needed to win. Luckily I did win this battle, so hopefully for the next dump ride he won't go through my old stuff.

[Katsunami]

It was the same here before I moved out.

If I threw something out the back door, he would bring it back in through the front. In the end the house is just filling up with useless junk that 'could be useful someday in the future.'

Dad. You're 77. A 30-year old industrial hammer drill that doesn't start is not useful in your future. Even if it DID start, it wouldn't be useful, because it'll rattle your teeth out at your age. You can't even lift it anymore, for frack's sake.

[CRussel]

Time for a garage sale. (NA term. Not sure what the EU/UK equivalent is - it's not really a car boot sale, that's more equivalent to what we call a flea market.)