Thursday 29 September 2011

Fuming about Kindle.

For a long time I’ve been playing with the idea of a kindle. I really like them but that initial outlay added to the fact that despite zero production costs eBooks are the same price as physical books has stayed my hand (see eBook Prices for details). Yesterday Amazon threw another spanner in the works with their release of the Kindle Fire and Kindle touch. Now the kindle Fire is a so called “iPad killer” in that it is designed to go head to head with the lord of tablet computers the iPad. The kindle touch is a smaller lighter cheaper faster version of the kindle that drops all controls in favour of touch technology. I was pretty much instantly sold on the kindle touch.

That’s when it all went wrong. When will these two fab products be released in the UK? The answer….Not now and maybe not ever. Don’t worry I thought I’m going to the states in November I’ll buy one and bring it home! Oh no I wont, Touches and Fires are for US residents only, they can not be registered with Amazon.co.uk and buying sufficient eBooks from Amazon.com would lead to the tax man paying me a painful visit.

Instead what do we get. We get the new entry level “Kindle” that has none of the ergonomic controls of the current kindle (now called “Kindle keyboard”) or the current kindle at the new low low price of ….£10 less than it was yesterday.

American news agency’s are asking “will the Fire at half the price of the ipad2 be able to knock it off its perch.” I can answer for them. No. As they have completely ignored the potential of other markets.

Monday 26 September 2011

eBook Prices revisited.

Reading a forum post recently lead me to review what was happening with eBook prices. I was surprised to find quite a few blog posts supporting the rather extortionate prices currently charged.

Quite rightly they point out that the production and distribution of a book actually accounts for only around 13% of the book cost (not counting mass edition paperback were this percentage rises significantly as the price drops.) They forget to point out though that all the remaining costs are fixed, and that the percentage is to cover those costs, once they are covered this percentage changes into profit. They also are blind to the idea that lower costs might mean increased sales. This would mean higher revenues and as all costs are fixed increased profit.

..but don't let me preach to you. Here are two very good reads putting forward both sides of the argument.

For or Against

(Even the one defending the pricing does admit he thinks they are slightly over priced and would never buy an eBook were a cheaper paper back was available.)

Personally I can't accept that eBooks are not significantly less than physical edition books, and am outraged by eBooks 5 times the price of the physical book. (e.g. The Da Vinci Code is £1 in many shops in mass edition paperback. eBook price £4.99.)

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Dune Rant

I have just started listening to the Heretics of Dune Audiobook, and I have come to the crashing conclusion of why have been avoiding it. It is not anything to do with the quality of the audiobook Simon Vance is as always on top form, and portrays the characters with the gravitas they deserve. Neither is it to do with the fact that the last 2 books are my least faviourite (..cause they aren't and having listened to about a third of Heretics I've got to admit its so far only 2nd to Dune(and Messiah) at the moment.) It is because this is the point where the depth of the Frank Herberts work comes to startling clarity. Why is that a bad thing? As this clarity is brought by comparison to the non-Frank Herbert written Sequels. As most who have got this far in this rant will know Frank never finished his great work. He tragically died leaving one book un-written and seemingly few notes on how he planned to continue and finish the narrative.

....before I get into trashing the sequel let's get things straight I enjoyed them. They were never going to be up to scratch. Herbert (senior) was a master of the art and dune was his masterpiece, while Kevin J Anderson is not. Don't get me wrong his work is enjoyable but he is not the literary genius the Frank Herbert was. The sequel(s) give me a conclusion to the story it just wasn't the conclusion to the story.

Over the years I have come to feel that the story may not have needed a conclusion, Daniel and Marty representing Herbert himself and his wife and the passage representing the narrative breaking free of his or any control. Dune always had the feel of a window into another universe and this ending is fitting for such a story. Maybe that's why the sequels angry my blood so, they cast dune as just a story through their inconsistencies, convenience and logical gaps. While Herbert's dune is filled with genius philosophers, deep motivations and abilities based in the existing mythos of the series. The sequels are filled with dim witted action heros, villains of the mustache twirling cape wearing variety and magic powers (both
Duncan's energy less super speed and Paul's telekinetic healing.). In handing over the dune universe to a super human saviour they miss the entire point of the dune universe, that to put ones faith in messiahs is dangerous, its Leto II's most important lesson.

But let's talk my specific reason for this rant and this is just from the first third of heretics

The drastic reduction in scope of human space. Let's give them that dune's definition of the known universe may well be ignored as a label rather than descriptive. That aside in god emperor of dune. Leto explicitly states he rules a multi galactic empire and that the intentions of his pressing ix to make no tech and his breeding program was to ensure that the scattering that would be the inevitable consequence of his death would allow humans to spread so far and so wide as to never again be vulnerable to a single threat. The no-ships and Siona's inheritance making sure that not even presience could find them all.

Let's now move to heretics were so far almost every single character has described the scattering as entering universes beyond measure. One (or was it 2)even described humanity as now being infinite and occupying infinite space. Let's skip ahead to the end of chapter house were to escape Duncan explicitly jumps his no ship to another universe devoid of the hunters.

Now let's look at the sequel. Human space (old empire and scattering) is compressed into a small part of our galaxy. So small that a well placed gamma ray burst or other large scale astronomical event could wipe all of humanity out (bit of a flaw in your golden path there Leto call yourself a God Emperor.) So small in fact a probe carrying an Ominus(?) clone has managed to beat the instantaneously traveling ships of humanity in such a way that we are now enclosed by its machines (despite space folding drives that could pass any barrier and out run any ship. See logic flaws.)

This downsizing is fact and was done to allow a threat to effect all humanity (a threat that leto would have seen easily.) From a foe that was only introduced in the prequels. It robs the life of leto of its meaning and therefore trashed 2 of the 6 original books. I'm not qualified to speak for frank but it seems to me the final trilogy is about the peril to the old empire of those returning from the scattering (chapter house shows that the Honoured Matre's are just the first and not even the worst,) the threat to the gold path (or the threat to the old empire's branch of the golden path, but not necessarily the whole golden path) of the wild talents to see no ships. Dune 7 being the resolution to these threats and the continuation of the golden path in to the infinite future.


Rant over.....for now.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Fitness Classes In St Helens

Class 1 : Abs and Pads Monday 6pm-7pm

Abs and Pads is very good. It consists of around 45 mins of boxing based circuits. Followed by/inter spaced with around 10 mins of abdominals. Watch out for the 2 minute burn-out (one minute continuous punching with each arm.) The fitness suite is well stocked with 2 heavy bags and ample boxing pads. I would advise you bring your own gloves (available for a tenner from sports direct.)

Class 2 : Circuit Training Wednesday 6pm-7pm

Classic circuits. 2 rounds of around 14 stations. 1 minute 30 on each station with 30 seconds rest. Stations are varied to keep you on your toes. Were as abs and pads has a upper body bais, circuits is balanced and will have you using all you muscles even some you didn't even know you had.

Classes are at central fitness in St Helens town centre (in the old YMCA building), and cost £2 for Go Active members or £3 for non members. Classes start at 6 so you'll need to be changed and ready.

Classes are delivered by Joe the man behind such blogs entries as First Experience with a personal trainer and Personal Trainer : Welcome to The Hurt Locker! While the classes are not as hardcore as the personal training sessions, these blog posts will give you some idea about what to expect.

I can personnally recommend both classes.