Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

With nothing to do as a week long sickness holds me in its grip, television and reading on the kindle are the only two diversions. It’s interesting to see the messages from each and the effect they have.

What television says to me -

1. That it is spring break and MTV shows me images of pop-stars with far too many layers of make-up running through a hotel waking everyone up using a loudspeaker.  
2. Its March Madness and teams play against each other for glory and what it feels to win and be champions. 
3. A reality TV show that focuses on meaningless conversations and living vicariously. 
4. A court tv show wasting millions of hours of people’s lives by talking about some trivial argument that has no bearing or meaning.

It makes me miserable. It suggests that humans are flawed and little more than animals. That my life isn’t good enough because some star somewhere has a tiger for a pet and a yellow Lamborghini. His message to “start a rock band or do something you love, and then come live on the same street as him” is one of the few positives I can take from my TV viewing experience.

My fever slows things down and I can sense all the messages – obvious and hidden – that are flashed through. Television is playing to our weaknesses – its deluding us and dumbing us down and thank god that the Internet has become popular so people can actually get smarter rather than dumber.

What effect Reading on the Kindle has

Having read Assassin’s Apprentice and in the middle of Royal Assassin, these are some of the messages these two books have given me -

1. A talk of honor and keeping your word. 
2. Kings and Queens that sacrifice themselves for their kingdom. 
3. Wars fought to protect your countrymen and loved ones.
4. Of how it is dishonorable to kill someone whose food/salt you have eaten of.
5. An insight into human nature that explains why authority and leadership are so valued. Of how there is a joy and comfort in trusting someone with your own life and letting them make the decisions and you follow out of trust and let go of all your worries.
6. The importance of wariness when people have ulterior motives.

It makes me happy. While it helps me understand human nature and see that there  is good and evil, it also focuses on the good more than the bad and focuses on doing good things. Also, reading is not a spectator sport like television.

There is one thread that comes up again and again in the books – the thread of how certain magics are lost as their practitioners and experts die. Of how amazing it would be if every person could leave behind a record of what they were skilled at and further on their knowledge.

And it immediately makes me think of the Kindle as a publishing platform. Anyone can write and publish – it allows every single person in the world to write about their lives, their skills, and any important lessons they have learned. And then to share these learnings freely with the world.

Filed under: thoughts Tagged: | musings