Vacation!
It's that time of year!
Nos vamos de vacaciones durante más o menos dos semanas.
!Vamos a regresar en Septiembre!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream eBook edition
Perhaps it is the result of growing up as an expat, but I have always had a fascination with American society and social systems. When I heard about this book at Book Expo, I knew it was a "must read." And now, I have just finished it.
Some of the info is fascinating, some of it verifies my opinions and makes me feel smart, some of it made me feel like I was slogging through, just to finish.
This is a book well worth investing in. I am not sure it is one to read the way I did -- linearly from cover to cover. It is probably better read in fits and starts as the spirit moves you.
I am by nature an optimist, although my views have been tempered by reality over the years. Zogby seems to be all optimist. And for the most part paints a much rosier picture of the future than I the one I see.
I like the idea that the generation coming up will change America and American politics. Because of their beliefs Americans will become more tolerant, authentic and informed. I like the idea that we will become more cohesive, agreeable, rational and global in our thinking.
Maybe it is all true, I hope so; but I wonder if human nature is really going to undergo that profound change within a generation. I guess only time will tell!
Interesting and well worth the time and money to investigate!
Here is what the publisher says:
According to super pollster John Zogby, whom The Washington Post calls “the maverick predictor,” the conventional wisdom about the United States–that we’re isolated from the world, politically fragmented, and inclined toward material pleasure–isn’t just flawed; it may be 180 degrees from the truth.
In this far-reaching and illuminating look at contemporary American life, Zogby reveals nothing less than The Way We’ll Be. Drawing on thousands of in-depth surveys conducted especially for the book, Zogby points out where we’re headed–politically, culturally, and spiritually.
The American dream is in transition; it is rapidly being redefined by four meta-movements: living with limits as consumers and citizens; embracing diversity of views and ways of life; looking inward to find spiritual comfort; and demanding authenticity from the media, our leaders, and leading institutions.
Spearheaded by today’s eighteen-to-twenty-nine-year-olds–the “First Global” generation–Americans are becoming more internationalist, consensus-oriented, and environmentally conscious and less willing to identify themselves by the things they do to earn or spend their money. But this is more than a youth tide. Americans of all ages are moving beyond old divides–red state/blue state, pro-life/pro-choice, beer drinker/wine connoisseur–to form a new national consensus that will shape the nation for decades to come. Zogby’s cogent analysis of the data yields an astonishing perspective on Americans’ thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, now and in coming years.
Understanding this emerging reality will be key for
- leaders in all fields who want to reach audiences that are more media-savvy, better informed, and more technologically enabled than ever before
- individuals in search of rewarding and fulfilling careers in tomorrow’s growth fields
- politicians and CEOs looking to marry policies and practices to the rising demand for social responsibility
- anyone who wants to market to the emerging new American consensus
Beyond telling a fascinating story, the conclusions in this book are a must-read for everyone from Main Street to Madison Avenue to Capitol Hill. Filled with expert analysis and insight from one of today’s most successful predictors and trend spotters, The Way We’ll Be will redefine how we view America’s future.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
eBook Discounts -- August 20, 2008
| This week we had some duplicates and some new items; but they are all worth a look. Use coupon code Z2A9GR at checkout to get your 20% discount. |
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| Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us. |
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Android Phone -- It’s Alive and It’s Going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD
Henri is excited about Google's new Android operating system and the new Google phone. Here he tells us why.
Intelligent design has everything to do with the new Google Android phone about to be released by T Mobile. Of course this is only the first in a series of phones using Google’s Android software. The T Mobile version is being manufactured by HTC one of the largest cell phone manufacturer’s in the world.
I'll bet you are wondering why I chose this seemingly ridiculous title. It is simply because the operating system software in this cell phone is designed around an open systems approach. That means that any application software written by anyone for the Android operating system will work on any phone.
This is the cell phone equivalent of the release of Microsoft’s DOS operating system for the PC. DOS revolutionized c0mputing. The ability to write unlimited third party software drove the Personal Computing revolution. Oh yeah, that was back when Microsoft had one revolutionary bone in its still tiny body.
Of course the iPhone has recently attempted to do this same sort of thing. But that is really only ian attempt to preempt the real revolution in application software for the cell Phone: free operating software in every sense of the word free. Google’s software will open up the cell phone world to all of the creative forces that drove personal computing and more. Even more than that it is going to mean the end of dominance by the systems, hardware and software of computing as it is defined today.
This living breathing model for computing in the future is clearly 
going to do away with the multiple devices that clutter my home. With the power of the Smartphone and the flexibility of the Google Android Operating System who needs a PC? Or for that matter who needs a GPS System a dedicated eBook Reader or any of the other clutter that we deal with daily in the electronic world?
How long will it be before these phones attach to anything your PC can hook up to and run it without a glitch? If I know Google it will be less than a year if not immediately. Driver software for any device that runs on a PC will mean no need to haul a five pound device around just to print or otherwise deal effectively with data.
The freedom of really open computing on a Cell Phone will lead to places we have never gone before. Being able to hook this Phone up to a screen of any suitable size will be wonderful. Soon enough it will be a screen that can be rolled up into the size of a pencil and unrolled to display your images and video. Being able to project those images unto any flat or other reflective surface will also happen quickly.
There will be more to come in my projection of the new world of computing that this approach to Cell Phone Operating Systems will usher in. This is only the first in a series of blogs directed at drawing a line in the sand that the PC will have a hard time crossing.
Who needs a clunky, usually connected, device that sort of uses a network approach to computing? Let’s step out into the brave new world where all we really need is the computing core device that fits into our pocket and connects to everything in the world. This is going to be fun!!!!!!!!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Moon Shell Beach eBook Edition
I needed something light, diverting and entertaining. Nancy Thayer's new book (Moon Shell Beach) seemed like the perfect thing. After all I love her Hot Flash series.
The good news is that the book carried me off to Nantucket and the beach. Obviously, Thayer knows the town well and did a great job of capturing the ambience of the island. And of course, I'm always a sucker for hope.
That is pretty much where the good news ends.
Notice above, I spent a great deal of time dozing. If I had felt any better I would have tossed the book and gone to find something entertaining to do.
My experience with Thayer says that she is a good writer who has mostly delivered credible chick-lit with well developed characters. The plots are usually pretty simple but she makes up for that by developing people you really like and want to know better.
This book is evidence that Thayer has evidently reached the status of author where her publisher will pretty much take anything she writes and put it out there for the unsuspecting public. Too bad!! Trust me, no first time or lesser known author could get this particular manuscript published!
I have the particular good fortune of having a couple of long and close friendships with other women. We have certainly had our petty disagreements, vicious arguments and periods of estrangement. But there are some lines that friends do not cross. And these two women not only cross them but seem to take delight in trampling on them.
It probably doesn't really matter since Lexi and Clare are cardboard women. Thayer tries (and fails) to give them emotions and an inner life; but it (the inner life) is as unbelievable as they are. These are basically immature and rather stupid young women who grow up to be rather stupid and immature older women.
It is really sad to see a fine author put out such crap. Based on her long history of great storytelling, I am will to give her next book a chance. But if it is anything like Moon Shell Beach, she will lose me for once and all!
The publisher says:
Lexi Laney and Clare Hart grew up together swimming in the surf, riding remote bike trails, and having wondrous adventures across picturesque Nantucket. And when it was time to share intimate secrets and let their girlish imaginations run free, they escaped to their magical private hideaway: Moon Shell Beach.
But nothing stays the same. With the complicated pressures of adulthood, their intense bond is frayed, hurtful words are exchanged, and Lexi flees Nantucket to a life of luxury while Clare stays behind.
Ten years later, a newly divorced Lexi returns to make amends with those she left in her wake. Living at home with her father and dating a gorgeous carpenter, Clare still simmers with resentment toward her glamorous friend. And when Lexi opens an upscale clothing boutique next door to Clare’s chocolate shop, their paths are fated to cross.
Their emotional reunion is beset with major challenges: Lexi’s return sets off a series of startling events that fracture the status quo and set the town gossips’ tongues wagging. And as Clare’s life takes an abrupt detour, Lexi wonders if the happiness and peace they once knew on Moon Shell Beach will, in the end, prove to be as fleeting as time and the tide. In the turbulent adult world, awash in failed loves and romantic disappointment, can childhood dreams still come true?
Irresistible reading, Moon Shell Beach explores the evolution of a tumultuous lifelong friendship, the power of forgiveness, and the rewards of believing in miracles.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Discounted eBooks - August 13, 2008
| A little music - The Eagles and Mama Mia. A little travel: India an Greece. Outright Fatasay. It is all here this week special discounted prices. Use Coupon code DH59Y at check out. Happy reading! |
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| Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us. |
Monday, August 11, 2008
Good News for Sony eBook Readers . . .
As reported a couple of weeks ago the new generation of Sony eBook readers can read protected Adobe Digital Edition eBooks.
That was great news for those thinking about buying a new eBook and wondering about the Sony.
The Sony is readily available at Borders. And at $299, is about the cheapest eInk reader around.
The major drawback had always been that if you owned a Sony eReader you had to buy all your books from the Sony Connect store. So opening up the reader to a new format and other retail outlets was great news for new purchasers. The really early adopters, those with older Sony readers, however, were still stuck with the Sony Connect store.
Evidently Sony decided to do something about it has just announced that they are offering a $100 rebate to all first Generation purchasers of the Sony Reader who upgrade to the newest Sony Reader.
MobileRead has all of the details:
- Customers doing the upgrade will buy the 505 first and then send in their old 500 to get the credit. This means you may have to wait a bit to get the credit, but it also means that you won’t ever be without a Reader.
- There is a shipping cost to send back your old unit. But when buying the new unit, SonyStyle.com often offers free shipping.
- This is a Sony-only promotion, which means you can buy online at SonyStyle.com or in person at a SonyStyle store, not third party retailers.
- If you bring the old unit into the store and do the trade right then and there, the credit will be applied at purchase. If you do the trade later or purchase online, the credit comes back when Sony receives the 500.
- This is a US-only promotion. (Not good for UK 505 purchases.)
- Extended warranties do not appear to be transferrable to the new device
- The offer is good until January 31, 2009
If you are the owner of a first generation Sony and wondering if it is worth it -- go take a look at the eBooks About Everything store and see all the great titles you will suddenly be able to buy and read.
How's that for shameless self-promotions?!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Bitter is the New Black eBook Edition
Jen Lancaster is sarcastic, self-involved, shallow and condescending. She is also direct, clever and funny.
It should come as no surprise that I had a little trouble in the beginning. The title says it all: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass. Guess what? She isn't kidding.
The first part of the book is a view into her high powered job and self-reported extravagant lifestyle. Maybe I am just too old to be impressed by designer clothes, Prada handbags, expensive restaurants and spas and "everyone who is anyone in Chicago".
Things begin to change when she gets downsized. Resumes, interviews, unemployment and temp jobs. Moving, selling shoes on eBay, car repo and all. Great material for her wit and and snappy one liners.
The first time you see the other side of Jen is when she volunteers to be a dog walker for an animal rescue organization. She ends up with two of the dogs because she can't bare to let them go. Behind the wisecracks and cynicism there is a woman who is loyal and cares about her family and friends. A committed partner in her marriage, a dutiful daughter and a caring aunt. OK, so sometimes the caring comes out sideways, but she does care; deeply. Little by little I began to see behind the tough facade.
Months go by and life becomes harder and harder; yet Jen manages to keep her sense of humor and not take herself to seriously (most of the time). Whatever character flaws she may have, she is frank and painfully honest about her sense of losing herself. After all, what happens when you lose all the things that make your identity -- your wonderful apartment, your high powered job and your bank account?
What happened for Jen was a serious evaluation of her choices, her priorities, her career choices and ultimately her toughness. She is a creative survivor and by the end of the book I developed an admiration for both she and her husband Fletch.
Great book to read on the patio, by the pool or beach or on a plane. Jen will make you laugh, cry and reflect.
Here is the publisher's words:
Jen Lancaster was living the sweet life-until real life kicked her to the curb. She had the perfect man, the perfect job-hell, she had the perfect life-and there was no reason to think it wouldn't last. Or maybe there was, but Jen Lancaster was too busy being manicured, pedicured, highlighted, and generally adored to notice. This is the smart-mouthed, soul-searching story of a woman trying to figure out what happens next when she's gone from six figures to unemployment checks and she stops to reconsider some of the less-than-rosy attitudes and values she thought she'd never have to answer for when times were good. Filled with caustic wit and unusual insight, it's a rollicking read as speedy and unpredictable as the trajectory of a burst balloon.
del.icio.us Tags: ebook,e-book,eBook review,memoir,jen lancaster,downsized,unemployed,prada,bitter is the new black
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
A Special Discount on Stephenie Meyer eBooks
Saturday was a very good day for Breaking Dawn.
Hachette Book Group estimates the fourth book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series sold 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours!
This week take 20% off every Stephenie Meyer book in the eBooks About Everything store -- use coupon code C2MJ4 at checkout to receive your discount .
Breaking Dawn - eBook edition
Meyer, Stephenie
Twilight tempted the imagination. New Moon made readers thirsty for more. Eclipse turned the saga into a worldwide phenomenon. And now, the book that everyone has been waiting for.... Breaking Dawn, the final book in the #1 bestselling Twilight Saga, will take your breath away.
List Price : $22.99 Your price $17.47 (Using your 10% discount and $ .92 iin eBook Reward points)
TWILIGHT - eBook edition
by Meyer, StephenieIsabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.
List Price : $10.99 Your price $8.35 (Using your 10% discount and $ .44 in eBook Reward points)
Use coupon C2MJ4 to receive your discount on any of these books.
And remember you earn additional points for writing and posting a review.
Monday, August 4, 2008
eBooks have Arrived, and How!
Here is an excellent guest post from Heather Johnson -- all about eBooks. She is probably "preaching to the choir" here, but the points she makes about eBooks are worth revisiting and remembering. This is a great article to pass along to your friends and relatives to explain the importance of eBooks.
The world we live in is increasingly becoming digital, and books are no exception. Paper and print have transitioned into bits and bytes that are floating around in cyberspace ready to be downloaded to your computer or mobile device at the click of a button. You no longer have to set foot in a bookstore if you choose – your reading habits are taken care of by your friendly cyber-neighborhood e-store. True connoisseurs of the art of reading are yet to become eBook aficionados, but what they do not realize is that there are various advantages to the electronic version of books that their papery counterparts do not offer:
· Most of them are free: The Gutenberg Project, the brainchild of the inventor of eBooks Michael Hart, is an initiative to convert as many books to eBooks that are available to all as free downloads.
· They last forever: Paperback novels and books tend to tear and lose pages with time and improper handling. Digital books are not prone to such damages.
· They take up no shelf space: Your eBooks need virtually zero physical space and don’t demand shelves and libraries. They only occupy space on your hard disk which is a part of your computer anyway.
· They reside on your computer: Anywhere you take your laptop, your whole library comes along. You don’t have to tote heavy books in your luggage just so that you have something to read on long flights and journeys.
· They can be read with PDAs: Various eBooks are available as downloads on your personal digital assistants and smartphones. The Gutenberg Project offers free software called Plucker to help read your eBooks on your mobile handheld device.
· They are also available as audio files: Most eBook readers provide options to listen to the books as audio files.
· They protect the environment: eBooks do not consume paper which means that a smaller number of trees have to be cut in order to produce books.
· They are cheaper to publish: Anyone can make eBooks of their work and get it published online with just the minimum number of resources.
· They have a larger reach: With the popularity of the Internet, eBooks reach more people than regular books ever will.
The Internet has made avid readers out of those who have never before shown interest in the habit of reading, and it’s all due to the easy availability and access that eBooks provide.
By-line:
This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of teaching certificate. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
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