E-readers

[Les.]

Drezha, it is amazing how that happens, the old “wait for a bus thing”. Late last night, I did another pointless Ebay search, only to find it was not pointless. A Kobo Aura one, the larger 7.8″, “returns” at £130, so I just grabbed it.

Otherwise this would have been to you with a “Yes please”.

Hopefully I will return in a few days with a good report.

Thanks again, Les.

[blacklion1725]

That’s good news Les. Be interested to know how you get on. I can recommend this case

If you don’t have it already then Calibre is godsend for ereader management (hosting, conversion, WiFi transfer to kobo), along with the DeDRM plugin and the “kepub” format (“kobo epub”) which is an optimised version of epub (although standard epub is fine for most “normal” books.

Happy Reading – you’ve had a result at that price and I think the form factor is better than their newer, dearer 8″ model.

 

 

[Les.]

New Ereader arrived this morning whilst we were out.

It looks OK, but it will be later or tomorrow before I can assess it properly.

BL, I already have Calibre, but will look at the other stuff.

Cheers, Les.

[Les.]

I have had two days of a sort of migraine, could not do work (needing concentration) on the PC, so I have read one book and halfway thro another.

Very pleased with this reader, though I would have been happier at half the price.

Thanks for suggestion BL.

Cheers, Les.

[blacklion1725]

You’re welcome Les – I agree ereaders seem overpriced – and this particular model probably more so due to being discontinued. Happy Reading !

[Bob Williams]

If you get migraine Les, you have my sympathy: I was struck down with those after a bad injury some years ago, only after an RAMC doctor sent me for a scan was the problem found and solved. A tiny sliver of bone in my sinus was intermittently contacting a nerve, was removed and my nose re-sectioned. I have never forgotten that pain. There is apparently a relief from symptoms:

http://tinyurl.com/y36qpg23

Although I don’t know how cold the Irish Sea might be at this time of the year!

Glad you like the reader, Happy Reading!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Les.]

Bob, your link did not go anywhere, but if it has me bathing in the sea mid winter, or mid summer for that matter, it can stay invisible.

I think I was destined for migraine from infancy. I remember in (probably) 1946, the local school (Church funded?, fairly involved anyway) had us visit the little village hall on Ash Wednesday after the Vicar “did his talk”, where we had a minor bean feast. (lemonade and cake probably). However, we were all given a small tin of “Horlicks tablets”. Never seen them since. Obviously some sort of powdered milk and Horlicks mixture. I had a couple, and shortly afterwards got a “behind the eyes” headache, which 70 odd years later says “Migraine” to me.

The following year (or that same one) we had a Christmas party at school as usual. I came home sick and with headache, again typical.

At age 9 I had rheumatic fever, which does affect the heart of course. Very many migraine sufferers have a history including heart problems.

In my teens, at work, I would feel very sick, vomit, and often urgently visit toilet. 10 mins later, as right as rain, go and eat a cream cake.

It was 1964 when I first had the visual disturbance typical of migraine, and it was diagnosed as such. Back then an attack meant bed and wishing to be dead (almost) and would maybe clear late evening. More in next few days.

Now most attacks may or may not have some form of visual disturbance, may or may not include headache, but all slow me own. A common factor now is always to feel “weak at the knees”, walking slowly, struggling up stairs, which I almost run up normally.

Generally, I just try to ignore it, but sometimes, like last week, it is worse than normal. But I survive, and that weakened heart with leaky valves has not bothered me in the least so far.

Les.

[Bob Williams]

Les my slightly older cousin Alan Peach from Porthill had Rheumatic Fever. He was more than a cousin, more of an older brother: I spent a lot of time over in N.Staffs over my younger years, with him and my cousin Bill from Wolstanton, all 3 of us maternal cousins. Alan contracted the fever after jumping in the Etruria Canal to rescue a drowning puppy, one of 5 in a bag with a brick, obviously intended to kill all 5. All 5 survived, which made our Al glad, he loved animals.

He married and had a son and daughter, but in his early 30’s developed serious heart problems. As this was long before transplants were carried out from human donors, he had 3 separate surgeries to replace leaking valves with pig equivalents. I was on leave from the Army shortly before his 4th op was due and went to see him, something I did every time I came home on leave. As I got ready to drive home, he said “I’ll show thee a shortcut our Bob.” I was puzzled: he knew how many years I had been driving between Notts and Staffs and he knew that I probably knew all the roads and routes better than he did. But something in his voice and face told me to let him drive in front and he went the tried and trusted route, pulling over in a layby near Ashbourne. I got out and he put out his hand, “I shan’t see thee again cuz.” I was obviously affected, even though he was very thin, he still seemed OK. “Don’t be daft our Al – you’ll be here next time I come over.”

But he told me he had nothing left and could not see himself surviving the last op. Apparently one of the pig valves was failing, so he might need two. We hugged and I left, driving through what appeared to be a blurred windscreen. Next month my dad wrote and told me had not made it. If heart transplants had been in operation then, with two kids he would have been at the front of the queue I think. If they had not talked him into the pig valves, he might have survived just as you have.

Whenever I contact his son nowadays, I am reminded of his dad. His 6’4″ son left the Army as an RSM, Alan would have been very proud of him.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[blacklion1725]

Just a quick update on adding web content to your ereader (kobo or kindle). Spent a few hours yesterday trying out various options for getting content from Wiki and other sites on to my Kobo. Tried a good few but short answer is that this one won hands down. It is more reliable in getting all the content in a sensible format from a web page. The resulting files are smaller than other plugins with no apparent loss of quality. You can also create your own “books” by opening multiple sources on different tabs and then picking what you want when you activate the add-on (an icon in the menu bar). Can create .epub (kobo) or .mobi (kindle).

I know you can do a lot of this with “pocket” for reading offline on a tablet or phone, but specifically for an ereader this add-on is excellent.

[Bob Williams]

If my missus did anything with her (original Mk.I) Kindle other than just read books, that might be useful for her BL. as it is, she won’t consider any other function.

You’re right about Pocket though, it’s very useful and it was Steve who first put me on to it. Got it on my phone, tablet and desktop, also installed on SWMBO’s laptop, although she still just saves webpages in Firefox. Resistant to anything different and/or new, my missus.

Pocket is now part of Firefox.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[blacklion1725]

Bob and it was you put me on to pocket so cheers ! I read mainly non-fiction so I appreciate the feature is not for everyone. As an example though, there is a Wiki page which links to the four individual battles of Kharkov during WW2.  If you open each of the four links in its own tab then click the “epubpress” icon you can create your own ebook where each tab (battle in this case) is a chapter. If you have other tabs open you can exclude them. You also retain the “table of contents” for the individual sections too. Not restricted to Wiki – makes a good job of converting most pages. I made an ebook based on the Wiki stuff and other sources of the Normandy glider landings, Pegasus Bridge etc – came out great. Ideal for killing 10 minutes to half an hour.

[Author]

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