Kindle Myths and Partial Truths

[europas_ice]

I take my sony PRS 500 through the xray machine at the airport all the time. Never had a problem with the xray ruining it.

There was one time when I had about 3 significant size metal gadgets in my bag, including my reader, my gps unit, and something else, and there was so much metal that they didn't feel that they could get a good view of what was in the bag. So they pulled me over and went through the bag by hand. Now sometimes I pull the reader out and put it in its own bin just to preclude any security delays. But that's just me.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

One thing you have to be careful here is that many non-technical people who don't know how stuff works attribute cause and effect when it was nothing more than co-incidence.

For example, My tire is low and now I can't start my car. You notice the tire is low, then you can't start your car. But, that doesn't mean one item caused the other.

BOb

That is precisely what I meant when I said that it's a classic case of post hoc ergo propter hoc - literally "after this, therefore because of this". ie a false assumption that because "event B" occurs after "event A", event A is the cause of event B.

[weaver]

Thanks for your quick responses to my query re airport security x-ray. Sounds to be very low risk -- but with enough anecdotal evidence that I tried to find some possible explanation. Did find a possibility on a forum at flexbeta.net:
"...The reason why it is implausible, but not impossible that chips are damaged by X-Ray's is the following:
Chips are creating with a technique called 'Laser-guided etching'
This technique involves a light-sensitive sort of goo that is spread thinly on a main-board. Then, a mask is applied and a high intensity laser beam etches the pattern, because the light-sensitive goo will react to the light and harden and will also become conductive.
This way, a lot of layers can be created, by adding non-conductive layers, which are etched there where there is NO connection wanted, and another layer of conductive goo is applied, which then offcourse will connect at the places where there is no non-conductive goo, you get the point I hope.

This goo is usually rinsed off very very very thorough, but despite that, sometimes (a 1-in-a-million chance) some conductive goo will stay on the board, without being lasered, thus won't be conductive, but will become conductive when exposed to a high enough dose of light/electromagnetic energy (light is a form of electro-magnetic energy)

The chances, even when there's goo residu in your chip, of X-Ray etching this residue is very tiny, but it is possible.

If this might happen, the chances of the card working after this kind of accident is very small though, because the newly etched goo will basically shortwire your chips..." [Sphere's post].

Thoughts?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That is precisely what I meant when I said that it's a classic case of post hoc ergo propter hoc - literally "after this, therefore because of this". ie a false assumption that because "event B" occurs after "event A", event A is the cause of event B.

Ah... guess I need to study up on my Latin.

[What Harry said!]

BOb

[europas_ice]

Originally Posted by weaver

This goo is usually rinsed off very very very thorough, but despite that, sometimes (a 1-in-a-million chance) some conductive goo will stay on the board, without being lasered, thus won't be conductive, but will become conductive when exposed to a high enough dose of light/electromagnetic energy (light is a form of electro-magnetic energy)

Thoughts?

I think if the chances of problems are 1 in a million, you're safe.

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by europas_ice

I think if the chances of problems are 1 in a million, you're safe.

It's a well known fact that a one in a million chance comes up nine out of ten times. Just sayin'.

[CRoss]

If there were even 1 in 100 Kindles being fried by going through x-ray machines there would be more than a handful of complaints on the Amazon Kindle forums. People who buy eBook readers are people with disposable income, people who travel and don't like carrying tons of books around, and people who are very comfortable with computers. I have a hard time believing that there's a large contingent of fried Kindle owners out there who aren't raising hell with Amazon.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by CRoss

If there were even 1 in 100 Kindles being fried by going through x-ray machines there would be more than a handful of complaints on the Amazon Kindle forums. People who buy eBook readers are people with disposable income, people who travel and don't like carrying tons of books around, and people who are very comfortable with computers. I have a hard time believing that there's a large contingent of fried Kindle owners out there who aren't raising hell with Amazon.

Well.........not so much. I have very little disposable income. I saved long and hard to pay for my toy.

Lots of the people on the Amazons discussions forums are older, on fixed incomes, and rave about the ease of reading on one because of health issues, arthritis, etc.

I do not travel....who the hell can afford it anymore.

I'm okay with computers, but only mine.......and then I have to be dragged kicking and screaming from under the table to try downloading new scripts and running them......ask Leep.

People who make such broad assumptions about other people..................really shouldn't.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

I do not travel....who the hell can afford it anymore.

Is travel more expensive than it used to be?

[wallcraft]

Partial Truth:

The only dictionary available is the built in New Oxford American Dictionary.

Truth:

Unlike some other reading devices, the Kindle can have only one primary dictionary at a time. However, any suitable dictionary from the Kindle store or DRM-free MOBI dictionary can be used as the primary. Until recently there were no suitable dictionaries in the Kindle store, but now Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition is available and there may be others.

The Kindle supports only the simplest kind of MOBI dictionary, and most of the many dictionaries available for sale in MOBI format are not suitable for the Kindle. The following DRM-free MOBI dictionaries do work on the Kindle: GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English, and Wordnet Dictionary for Mobipocket. It is also possible to build your own MOBI dictionary, see How to create your own mobipocket dictionary for any language:. For example, the Encarta dictionary works on the Kindle but its license requires you to convert it to MOBI yourself, see Converting Encarta Dictionaries to Mobipocket Tutorial.

Dictionaries are large, so on a Kindle 1 it is a good idea to put them on your SD card.

[daffy4u]

Thanks for the new addition Wallcraft. It's been added to the wiki.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Cannot be converted (at this time)

.lrx (Sony's secured format)
Adobe Digital Editions

I have removed ADE from the list on the wiki.

So it now seems there are only 2 formats which cannot be converted. Sony's .lrx and Amazon's .azw1 (Topaz).

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is travel more expensive than it used to be?

That is not the only side of the equation.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I have removed ADE from the list on the wiki.

So it now seems there are only 2 formats which cannot be converted. Sony's .lrx and Amazon's .azw1 (Topaz).

Adobe Digital Editions is not a format type. Use PDF or ePub. Adobe Digital Edition is just a program to view PDF and ePub. Granted it's what used to view DRM infected PDF and ePub.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is travel more expensive than it used to be?

It is in the U.S.; the psychotic changes to airport security cost money, and those costs and the privacy invasion have convinced a lot of people to stop flying--which has resulted in several airlines going bankrupt, and others running at less-than-capacity flights--which results in higher prices, and more decisions not to fly. We've got a nice vicious circle going, and no end in sight.

The two-hours-early guideline for flying, and the insane baggage check requirements (to prevent you from blowing up the plane your shampoo) means that a lot of formerly short, simple business flights are several hours + baggage check. People who need to fly, do so; people who don't, often pick another form of transit, or forgo travel altogether.

This means the cost of running the planes, which is fixed, is loaded onto the remaining passengers. Higher costs all around, and less bargain flights.