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Wednesday Night News and Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 08:26:36 PM EST
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The wrongfully convicted youths, now men, from the Central Park Jogger case are suing New York for $50 million. NYC says it won't settle.

Jury questioning begins tomorrow in the retrial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The Chicago Sun Times has re-started its Blago Blog.

Two of the three shut-down online poker companies have agreed with the Government on a refund plan for players.

Big TV night: New episodes of Survivor, American Idol, America's Next Top Model and Justified. And reruns of Breaking Bad from the first three seasons. Most unwatchable show to hit the airwaves in a long time: Mob Wives on VH-1.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Wednesday Night News and Open Thread | 23 comments (23 topical)

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    McCourt's swan song (none / 0) (#1)
    by mmc9431 on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 08:51:27 PM EST
    I think the 30 M loan from Fox to meet April's payroll (after MLB nixed the previous loan deal with Fox) was McCourt's final straw.

    A team that leads the majors in attendance and ranks only 12th in payroll should definitely not be broke.

    It couldn't happen to a more deserving couple.

    Padres win But I am (none / 0) (#2)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 09:23:54 PM EST
    following J's advice:  have a glass of wine whilst watching the sun sink into the Pacific.

    I did love to do that (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 10:34:31 PM EST
    when I was in La Jolla, which is probably not far from you. I can still picture it perfectly.

    Parent
    LaJolla's great! (none / 0) (#4)
    by StephenAG on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 11:20:26 PM EST
    When my middle daughter, now a UCSD grad, asked her dear old dad to help her move into the dorms freshman year, it was a tough decision... but I found the strength to do it!

    Nuthin' like sushi, sunset and a beach in August! Now she's thinking of moving back to the East Bay (she doesn't want to stay and do grad work right now).

    By the way, Justified rocks! And its theme music get me every week!

    Parent

    UCSD graduate here (none / 0) (#5)
    by Dadler on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 12:02:55 AM EST
    Class of, yikes, 1988.  I went to what was then called Third College and is now Thurdood Marshall College.  What college did your daughter go through?

    Go Tritons!

    Parent

    ThurGood Marshall College (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Dadler on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 12:04:14 AM EST
    What a proofreading crime that is.  Egad.

    Parent
    Hmmmm...my brother was there (none / 0) (#17)
    by ruffian on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 10:10:17 AM EST
    in Third College too...but he graduated in '84 or '85.

    Such a beautiful place back then. Still is, but more populated.

    Parent

    And, to top it off, I just moved... (none / 0) (#7)
    by Dadler on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 12:05:41 AM EST
    ...to the bay area from SD.  

    Parent
    Don't worry... (none / 0) (#16)
    by StephenAG on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 09:15:36 AM EST
    The funny thing is that when I read your comment the first time I read it as "Thurgood"! And, she graduated from the Thurgood school in 2008. See, I jest knew we wuz kinfolk!

    Hey, were you able to sell your left kidney so that you could buy an "Obama" ticket and be able to do a righteous Facebook status page update afterwards?

    Parent

    I did not (none / 0) (#20)
    by Dadler on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 11:33:55 AM EST
    The kidney I'm saving for an emergency.  Like the Super Bowl or something. ;-)

    Parent
    Kindling my yen for a Kindle (none / 0) (#8)
    by Towanda on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 12:15:30 AM EST
    was the announcement today that Kindle later this year will be ready with connections with more than 10,000 libraries -- for borrowing books via Kindle, not buying them.  I am a ridiculously fast and voracious reader so rely a lot on my great library -- and, much as I wanted an electronic reader, I know that I would go broke if I had to buy ebooks in the numbers that I borrow.  Plus, all that money going to publishers, and little to nothing to the authors who had no say in how their original contracts were interpreted to the eworld, really riled me.

    But I'd gladly pay a buck a book if it went to a library -- not that the news today on this made clear whether there even will be a borrowing charge.  I have to think so, though, and I almost hope so since library budgets are so strapped now.

    Anyway, I have held off on buying a reader, while looking into the lovely variety of choices and awaiting some factor that would decide which one is for me.  This looks like the long-awaited reason.  Am I right, Kindle readers?  Will I like it?  Or are others of you with other readers ready to tell me to wait a while longer for others to catch up, to have as many ebooks as are available with Kindle aka Amazon?  (I read that the ratio is something like 60 times as many ebooks via Amazon vs. Apple or others.)

    I've been eyeing the Kindle as well (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by sj on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 01:33:48 AM EST
    Had a long conversation with someone at the park today about Kindle vs iPad.  I was leaning toward the Kindle anyway, but hearing about the iPhone tracking has made the final decision for me.

    Parent
    Yep, seeing on the same day that Apple (none / 0) (#13)
    by Towanda on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 07:45:11 AM EST
    is tracking its users everywhere -- how Big Brother is that, tracking what we would read on IPads?  I know users who like them a lot, but no way.  And no IPhone for me, either, with that news; my cell phone is fading, but I'll find another brand.

    Parent
    I don't like the location tracking either (none / 0) (#19)
    by ruffian on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 10:17:41 AM EST
    but that is a separate issue. All of your online purchases are stored forever no matter where you bought them. Amazon knows every book I've bought from them since they opened.

    Parent
    I love my Kindle (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by Rupe on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 07:06:51 PM EST
    I do however still buy hardcovers of interest, to build my physical library, which has always been important for me.  Personally I love the screen, it doesn't at all wear on your eyes, you can read for hours just like a real book.  And its brilliant outdoors, or in any light really.  I don't think you can really compare a Kindle (at $139) to an iPad (at $429), as their feature sets are entirely different.  If you're already planning on getting an iPad then it would be a question of whether you would also want a Kindle.

    One great feature obviously is the access to classics, well cataloged and very cheap (free to $2 usually).  Once they open up libraries that will be absolutely fabulous.  I do like to read a lot of post-modern literature, which is sometimes lacking in the Kindle library, but that's a publisher issue less than an Amazon issue.  I'm sure eventually it'll come around.  Rhapsody started out pretty limited (I've been a member since its inception) but is now extraordinarily expansive in its selection.  Netflix also.

    I'd say go for it, as a long time book lover, once you get a nice case for the kindle it feels like holding a hardcover without having to turn the pages, which personally I didn't miss as much as I thought I would.

    Parent

    And you don't have to pay for 3G coverage (none / 0) (#23)
    by Rupe on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 07:08:05 PM EST


    Parent
    I don't like the kindle nearly as much (none / 0) (#9)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 12:23:25 AM EST
    as reading a book on the iPad. The iPad is much brighter and in color. If you read outside though, the Kindle screen is better. But it's very gray and depressing. I returned the first one thinking something was wrong with the screen, but the replacement they sent was the same. It doesn't have the feel of reading a book.

    There's also a Kindle app on the iPad where you can read your Kindle books on the iPad and it's much more pleasant. Anything you buy for a Kindle can be read on your iPad.

    If libraries let Kindle users download books, I suspect they will let iPad users do it as well. Plus the iPad has so many more uses than the Kindle.

    Parent

    I like being able to read outside (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by nycstray on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 01:11:09 AM EST
    and on public transport (sunny days on a bus etc). I like my Kindle for the fact that it is just a reader. And that makes it affordable if you just want the read feature vs an iPad. I don't need an iPad at the moment. I don't find the screen depressing, it's actually rather soothing after working on my Mac all day  ;) I have a little e-lite for reading in bed or in low light.

    And, I'm not being tracked by my Kindle (afaik)!

    Parent

    Thanks -- from what I've read, though (none / 0) (#14)
    by Towanda on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 07:49:53 AM EST
    Amazon is far ahead of Apple on the library project, so we'll have to see in coming weeks whether Apple is ready to compete on this or still years away.  Readability is important, of course -- but the array of reading choices at low to no cost is what I need.  And Apple tracking what I read?  No way.  

    Parent
    Yes Jeralyn, the Kindle library (none / 0) (#18)
    by ruffian on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 10:12:00 AM EST
    service will be available on you Kindle iPad app as well.

    Really does seem like a great idea.

    Parent

    Just saw that additional info (none / 0) (#21)
    by Towanda on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 04:43:36 PM EST
    re a free Kindle app, too, for Macs and the like for this function.

    Hmmm, so I still may be shopping around for the best machine for readability -- but not trackability. . . .  (That Amazon has my list of purchases from Amazon is not the same as Apple having ALL of my info.)

    Parent

    what matters to me (none / 0) (#12)
    by observed on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 07:35:59 AM EST
    Is  whether i could read up to date academic monographs, and at a reasonable price


    Parent
    That's what I've been waiting for (none / 0) (#15)
    by lilburro on Thu Apr 21, 2011 at 08:35:33 AM EST
    I want to be able to read via Kindle, iPad, whatever, independently printed or out of print books I'd otherwise have to go to some pretty obnoxious lengths to read.

    BTW, any Cali folk here familiar with BookSoup?  I just started reading their blog, it's pretty great.

    Parent

    Wednesday Night News and Open Thread | 23 comments (23 topical)

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