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Print Story chess report. and, kindle vs nook, ipod touch vs others.
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By gzt (Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 05:23:52 PM EST) gzt, finish the day, chess, squats, ipod, kindle, nook (all tags)
So I played 2 games at lunch, G/10. Was fun. Lost both. The first one I had the better game, I traded a rook and pawn for two pieces, so it was a rook and two bishops against two rooks. This is a better endgame for me, but I didn't really have time to play it right and botched it. The second game, I got creamed by some other guy. It was like a full court press.

Inside: Nook or Kindle?

And: Ipod Touch or other fun device?


A+ would do again, apparently they're down there most days. I'll try to get in when I can. They aren't serious games because you don't have time for seriousness during lunch, but it will be good.

Q: Nook or Kindle? What's the current state of things? No need for color or anything, just a good e-book reader, preferably something that can be used for a lot of free stuff and PDFs. No use paying for Jane Austen, you know, and there are a lot of things in PDF form that I would read.

Q: Ipod Touch or other device? For listening to music, playing games, etc. I suppose it highly depends on what games and other things I'm interested in. Probably chess stuff, maybe a couple card games, maybe a couple board games, maybe fooling around on the internets. Thoughts on what technologies might be good to look into?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/01/23/peaked_performance/?page=full Claims the pinnacle of athletic performance was in 1988. It certainly was in weightlifting. After that, steroid enforcement got a lot better. The current world records for superheavies are still below the marks set in the 80s (they restructured weight classes to wipe out the doped records) and standard performances in the world championships and Olympics are significantly below what they were back then. At least, in the top weight classes. Some of the lower levels are pretty competitive right now with the influx of light Chinese lifters and women's weightlifting is getting ridiculous. Powerlifting, of course, is a farce.

Chess, however, is still undergoing a revolution. I don't know whether anybody is stronger than Kasparov at his peak, but more people are reaching those levels. I think the rise of high-level computers and sophisticated chess databases raised the standard. There's also some rating inflation, perhaps. But, seriously, you can get chess programs for free that will crush the average grandmaster. The old version of Rybka is available for free and its quoted rating is over 3000 (take with grain of salt). A typical grandmaster has a rating in the 2500s. You are expected to get 75% of the points against somebody rated 200 points below you. Rybka does seem to play at about that level against humans given its results in matches.

Okay, time to finish out the day. Adios, cadets.

< I hate my head | Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee >
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Poll
So, which?
- Kindle. 25%
- Nook. 25%
- Other. 50%
- Ipod Touch. 0%
- Other (write-in). 0%
- Drop out and become a goatherd. 0%
- I solved your tetrahedra problem. 0%

Votes: 4
Results | Other Polls
Related Links
- http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/01/23/peaked_performance/?page=full
- gzt's Diary
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chess report. and, kindle vs nook, ipod touch vs others. | 25 comments (25 topical, 0 hidden)
nook color by infinitera (2.00 / 0) #1 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 05:28:36 PM EST
Yes, it's not e-ink, but you can browse the interwebs.

[…] a professional layabout. Which I aspire to be, but am not yet. — CheeseburgerBrown

not really interested in that by gzt (2.00 / 0) #6 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 08:36:56 PM EST


[ Parent ]
Can't use it in bright light. by wiredog (2.00 / 0) #21 Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 08:34:12 AM EST
LCD screen.

Earth First!
(We can strip mine the rest later.)
[ Parent ]
Kindle by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #2 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 07:08:52 PM EST
Don't get a Kindle unless you never plan on getting a non-Kindle device or never plan on buying books for it.  Anything you buy for the Kindle can only ever be used with Amazon hardware/software.

I'm biased, so I'd recommend a Sony, but I've heard good things about the Nook.
---
[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

sony by gzt (2.00 / 0) #5 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 08:35:25 PM EST
What are its strengths? Is it essentially like the other two, just not as prominently branded?

I heard Kindle doesn't read some popular e-book formats.

[ Parent ]
Epub by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #10 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 09:36:30 PM EST
Kindle can't read DRMed EPUB.  Amazon won't let any other device support it's own format.  So essentially, if you buy most devices, you can shop at any store (except Amazon.)  If you buy a Kindle, you can only shop at Amazon.

(Free content, of course, works anywhere.)

The Sony "Daily Edition" has a touch screen which means you can have actual written notes.  Unfortunately, this makes the display a little darker.  Most readers are roughly compatible, the big differentiator being the Nook's small LCD display.
---
[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

[ Parent ]
How about an eBook Reader flow chart? by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #12 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 03:15:39 AM EST
That would kick ass. You got Visio, or the hippie equivalent laying about?

"To this day that was the most bullshit caesar salad I have every experienced..." - triggerfinger

[ Parent ]
It's easy to read Amazon on other platforms by notafurry (2.00 / 0) #17 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 01:01:25 PM EST
The scripts are readily available for download, and with a little fiddling can even by made to work automatically. Convert to un-DRMed ePub and it's readable on any of the major devices (except Kindle).

[ Parent ]
droid by georgeha (2.00 / 0) #3 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 08:08:30 PM EST
it replaces a kindle, ipod touch and phone.


any device in particular by gzt (2.00 / 0) #7 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 08:38:27 PM EST
am not particularly interested in a phone. my pay-as-you-go phone is adequate - i definitely don't want a monthly contract to pay.

[ Parent ]
nm, it seems that you can do that by gzt (2.00 / 0) #8 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 09:06:10 PM EST
with droids and some similar devices

[ Parent ]
those are too expensive by gzt (2.00 / 0) #9 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 09:16:51 PM EST
compared to the ipod touch

[ Parent ]
cricket sells no contract Androids for < 150 by lm (2.00 / 0) #13 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 08:52:36 AM EST
But then there is the 55 monthly plan required for an Android phone. If your present plan is less expensive, then over time you'll pay far more than an iPod touch.

I'm dubious about reading books on a phone (or iPod) sized screen but quite a few people seem to like it just fine.

What dedicated eReader will give over and beyond a phone or iPod is relatively long battery life. During the storm this past week, my wife was stuck on the bus for six hours. She ran out of juice on her Android after three. A dedicated eReader would have easily gone that distance even if she hadn't charged it the night before.

There is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best.
Cicero, The Republic
[ Parent ]
these are separate questions by gzt (2.00 / 0) #14 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 09:24:31 AM EST
I'm consider getting an ipod-thingy and an e-reader. I definitely agree that an ipod/phone is not a good e-reader.

yeah, present phone plan is a pay-as-you-go and with my usage that usually means ~25/month.

[ Parent ]
I have no advice for you today. by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #4 Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 08:12:42 PM EST
On the gripping hand, no criticism either.

"To this day that was the most bullshit caesar salad I have every experienced..." - triggerfinger

nook v. Kindle by LilFlightTest (2.00 / 0) #11 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 12:23:20 AM EST
I had the same question several months ago. nook had the formats i wanted, but i greatly preferred the kindle's interface. The nook's interface did nothing but annoy me in the ~20 min of playing with it here and there.

in the end I went with the Kindle. I have no regrets. Amazon has enough free stuff available to keep me reading for a long time, and I don't intend to buy things for it. We've gotten a bunch of free ebooks from a couple other sources too. I still love the interface. I've noticed that the device tends to "disappear" in my hands, and I'm just reading a book. The evidence of this is the fact that more than once I've found myself picking up a bookmark and bringing it to the page before realizing that I don't have an actual book in my hands.

I know most people favor the nook, but I didn't. If you want more "actual user" impressions of it, let me know.
---------
if de-virgination results in me being able to birth hammerhead sharks, SIGN ME UP!!! --misslake

android. by garlic (2.00 / 0) #15 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 11:29:45 AM EST
While you can get iPod touch functionality out of an android phone, cost is not a compelling reason to choose the phone. I went with the phone to reduce things in my pockets.


That all depends on one's budget by lm (2.00 / 0) #16 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 11:53:49 AM EST
For some people, the $20 - $50 difference in a monthly fee for a plan that works with an Android isn't worth having more free space in their pockets. I don't know what the technological reason is but, for example, my wife's Android won't function with a SIM card for a line that doesn't have a data plan. (At least as far as I can tell. Once at a campground where I couldn't get any signal, I tried my SIM card in her Android. It wouldn't detect any signal until I put her SIM card back in.)

But that said, I think most phones play tunes these days. My bottom of the line Nokia does. Unfortunately, the headphone jack on the phone only worked for about 9 months before shorting out. What the iPod and Android phones really offer is playing games, etc.

There is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best.
Cicero, The Republic
[ Parent ]
yeah but... by gzt (2.00 / 0) #18 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 01:01:57 PM EST
...that's not worth ~$30/month to me (at the least). my phone is very small and i pay ~25/month (a little less, actually, since i refill less than once per month). a cheap contract for one of these things is like $55/month. unacceptable. i'm willing to carry two devices, currently a phone and an old ipod nano, on the occasions i need more than just my phone. frankly, i don't think i'd like to have the bulk of one of those things always with me...

[ Parent ]
who said anything about paying phone fees? by garlic (2.00 / 0) #20 Sun Jan 30, 2011 at 09:39:48 PM EST
I have a nexus one. I'm also pay as I go with tmobile.


[ Parent ]
hmm by gzt (2.00 / 0) #23 Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 09:41:12 AM EST
Seems like for the current nexus, it's 199 with a required plan and 2 yr contract. The old nexus you bought on your own is at a significantly higher price than the ipod touch. unless I'm missing something.

[ Parent ]
that sounds about right. by garlic (2.00 / 0) #25 Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 06:00:44 PM EST


[ Parent ]
I ended up going nook, by toxicfur (2.00 / 0) #19 Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 07:43:16 PM EST
after talking to Stacky and adhoc. I've played with a Kindle very briefly, and I liked the interface, but the nook interface is fine for me. I find I'm reading more than I did when I needed to carry a book around (this may be in part because of the novelty factor - it's a new fun toy still). The reason I went with the nook is because it's much easier to borrow books from the Boston public library with the nook. I haven't done that yet, but I wanted the option, and the Amazon drm bothered me (not that B&N is much better, I'm sure).

I had no desire for a color nook -- if I wanted something like that, I'd get an iPad. And, speaking of iDevices, I've had an iPod touch for a couple of years, I guess, and I love it. Good for music, audiobooks, and the sorts of games I like to play (repetitive things, mostly -- like Angry Birds, Bejeweled, etc.).
--
The amount of suck that you can put up with can be mind-boggling, but it only really hits you when it then ceases to suck. -- Kellnerin

Calibre. by wiredog (4.00 / 1) #22 Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 08:37:20 AM EST
Ebook conversion and management software. Whatever you buy, use Calibre to handle getting other formats on to the device. There's a program called DeDrm which supposedly strips the DRM from B&N titles.

Earth First!
(We can strip mine the rest later.)
Because of Calibre by barooo (2.00 / 0) #24 Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 11:16:07 AM EST
you can also make do with an ipod touch.  epub books on the ipod touch are tolerable unless you really want something with a bigger screen.  Then you might wait until the new ipads come out and try and get someone unolading a wifi only 1st gen ipad. 
man, i need a beefy taco now.
-gzt
[ Parent ]
chess report. and, kindle vs nook, ipod touch vs others. | 25 comments (25 topical, 0 hidden)

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