Friday, May 11, 2012
The message from Bezos of Hogwarts
A good news from everyone who likes Harry Potter books. I have read a year and half ago three of them and started the fourth. Though even three books of one author is pretty enough to cover author's language, I'm planning to finish reading somewhere in the future.
Of what I'm talking about? The message from Bezos promises that we'll be given Harry Potter books through book lending service in June.
An enchanted kindle or a broom, there are offers you may choice from.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Sooner or later, today I decided to start learning English speed reading. I have bought Kump's book and a couple of books to be used as a self-study material. Both of them a general reading, what is highly recommended. The first book is written by a journalist and quite popular, the second is also on a general topic, but it slightly closer to my everyday doings.
Today I started and the speed I've been reading at was 120 WPM (words per minute). Actually, I called the dictionary for one word and not being accustomed to these tests is also a factor. I'd speak that my speed could be 150 WPM, for example. Despite this, what was measured was measured.
Okay, 120 WPM is a result. Fortunately, I managed to be at the very speed, below which students are to be sent to a specialist before taking a course in speed reading.
This is the same speed that I read when I was learning in the 1st class approximately 10 years old. Was it my speed or a normative, I was taken to the 3rd class to demonstrate there how to read. :)
This was the speed youngsters should be reading at aloud. Here is the need to say that when I eventually decided to be proficient in English, I started reading with intentional internal speaking aloud, even though I was aware that this is a brake for reading. I simply had not any interlocutor to practive my English, and I started to read books with internal articulation.
Today I started and the speed I've been reading at was 120 WPM (words per minute). Actually, I called the dictionary for one word and not being accustomed to these tests is also a factor. I'd speak that my speed could be 150 WPM, for example. Despite this, what was measured was measured.
Okay, 120 WPM is a result. Fortunately, I managed to be at the very speed, below which students are to be sent to a specialist before taking a course in speed reading.
This is the same speed that I read when I was learning in the 1st class approximately 10 years old. Was it my speed or a normative, I was taken to the 3rd class to demonstrate there how to read. :)
This was the speed youngsters should be reading at aloud. Here is the need to say that when I eventually decided to be proficient in English, I started reading with intentional internal speaking aloud, even though I was aware that this is a brake for reading. I simply had not any interlocutor to practive my English, and I started to read books with internal articulation.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Oops, LG folds e-Ink screen
This week is generous with news that better match the Fool's Day's papers than being published on regular days. BElieve or not, one more news hits the market:
LG unveils flexible plastic e-paper display, aims for European launch next month
And what would you prefer, a black-and-white kindle in your back pocket or a color kindle fire.
This week, the announcement has been put out that a 4096-color e-Ink screen has been released and shipping comes soon. I lost the link, but it was Hanvon's.
Okay, after the Fool's Day is over, who would be a fool, who believed in the news or who didn't?
LG unveils flexible plastic e-paper display, aims for European launch next month
And what would you prefer, a black-and-white kindle in your back pocket or a color kindle fire.
This week, the announcement has been put out that a 4096-color e-Ink screen has been released and shipping comes soon. I lost the link, but it was Hanvon's.
Okay, after the Fool's Day is over, who would be a fool, who believed in the news or who didn't?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wow, Amazon! We're going to read more
Today's announcement is what was promised moths ago: the public library for kindlemen (kinelepersons? kindlepeople?).
Not without a big fat hornet in the ointment of course: you should be a client with the Prime membership. What, in turn, means that you'd be better the US resident as only there you can benefit most of Prime.
Well, even if not absolutely free, it's a small step for a man and a big one for the Internet giant.
The exact quote says:
Dear Customers,
Today we're announcing a new benefit for Kindle owners with an Amazon Prime membership: theKindle Owners’ Lending Library.
Kindle owners can now choose from thousands of books to borrow for free, including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.
Not without a big fat hornet in the ointment of course: you should be a client with the Prime membership. What, in turn, means that you'd be better the US resident as only there you can benefit most of Prime.
Well, even if not absolutely free, it's a small step for a man and a big one for the Internet giant.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Kindle for PC 1.8.0: working with collections improvements
As I noticed while've been testing 1.8.0 on two desktops, there has been done some bugfix. Many may remember, that when one created a collection on a device in a locale not the same as at the time the collections have been imported from the device, suffixes applied to collections names like
collection@sp for a collection created when the locale has been set to es-es,
collection@sv is a result of creating collections when the locale was set to sv-se and so on.
Today I changed the locale thrice, every time creating a collections, and after importing, these collections appeared without suffixes. Maybe the reason is that I haven't restarted the device, since the collections I created previously still have the suffix, even to delete and to re-import them.
I'll continue testing the app and describe if possible the logic of creating and import collections.
Kindle for PC 1.8.0 for serious language learners
Amazon delivers a new version of Kindle for PC on a two months' or quarter basis.
First and foremost, why one should use a desktop application if the goal to make reading comfortable for eyes? I use the desktop version as well as web and cloud versions (are there now two or one web-based version?) primarily to read technical books. That is, if I need search and read from several sources, I put on my Kindle on a cradle (a $1 cradle for paper books :)), open cloud and desktop version and it's better than navigate on a slow device.
Well, about the news: since several days ago, Kindle for PC support several language GUIs as well as several mono-language dictionaries. Gratis.
Okay, may you say, there is nothing useful if you use Kindle for PC only for technical reading. Yes, of course, no more languages for technical reading than English. However, there may open possibilities to take a time for foreign-language reading. Along with excellent Oxford and New American Oxford, and Duden, Amazon blessed us with Portuguese-to-Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish-to-Spanish, French-to-French and Italian-to-Italian dictionaries. Enjoy, learners, enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)