I am a bookish girl, and nothing pleases me more than libraries, notes in margins and the smell of binding glue. But recently I was given the super lovely gift of a Kindle (thanks Ma & Pa!) – and now I’m a convert.
{My Kindle, snug in its blue case – the device itself powers a light in the case!}
Why I love my Kindle:
All the hits, for free. I HEART HEART HEART that most of the classics are available for free. Doing some top-level math, the cost of a kindle would be covered by just a tiny stack of Penguin Classics. So far I’ve read Pride & Prejudice, Little Women and Anna Karenina, without trotting down to the library.
Simply buying digital saves you money. Book prices are at least a few dollars cheaper, and you save on shipping. (Although of course if you buy at Book Depository there is free worldwide shipping.)
Space (and back) saving. It lets me cut down on the space required to store my belongings. Currently most of my possessions is books… and moving house is painful. Books are heavy! With the Kindle I can store hundreds in my satchel.
DIY magazines. You can push long articles from the web to your Kindle to read later as a separate ”book”. A Chrome extension gives you this ability with just a click. I am looking forward to making my own awesome magazines to read on flights and more.
Freedom to connect. I got the 3G model, which seems superfluous in the age of wi-fi. But should I ever make it to the backwaters of Borneo again, I’ll never spend hours searching for an internet café. A 3G Kindle will let me check email and the web (albeit slowly) from anywhere on the planet.
Books I have lined up to read:
Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox. I did a few anthropology papers at university and loved them, so I ordered this book for a bit of nostalgia. Social anthropology starts at home for Fox; rather than trot off to the Amazon, she looked at her own tribe.
Here She Comes Now (3 short stories) by Chad Taylor. ‘Here She Comes Now’ is a collection short stories about modern relationships and family tensions, with a focus on dialogue. The author’s 2004 novel, Electric is one of my favourite New Zealand books.
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield. A productivity guide aimed at writers, based around the Art Of War. How could I resist?
Just Kids by Patti Smith. Just Kids chronicles Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe’s time in New York before they found fame. I’m sure many of you have read this already and you’ll agree, it’s captivating. I am half way through it already and I don’t want it to end.
The Wasp Factory: A Novel by Iain Banks. I have read some of the science fiction, and rather like his 2003 novel Dead Air. A friend recommend this book to me as “life changing”, and I can’t think of higher praise than that.
I think at this stage the Kindle and I are entering into a long-term relationship, but if I fall in love with a book, or appreciate its design aesthetic, I’ll probably buy a hard copy. Or should I happen to drift into a second-hand bookstore, I’m sure I’ll emerge with a bag full of new-to-me books.
There’s more than one way to stop a bike thief! This video showcases an innovative device that’ll stop jerks making off with your trusty steed. Skip to 1.20 if you just want to gawk at the final result.
My mini laptop has finally given up the ghost. Fair enough though, they weren’t designed to stand the rigours of so much travel and abuse from a full time writer. Good news however – I get to welcome a shiny new computer into my life – an HP Envy. And the perfect accompaniment to a new piece of technology (that must be protected from coffee & knock at all costs), is one of Saben’s designer laptop bags.
Saben’s designer Roanne Jacobson also offers this bag in in black, or if you have a mini machine, you could case it in canary yellow. Personally, I adore the candy coloured geometric shapes. Sweet as.
Daniel Johnston’s recent outing at the fantastic Laneway festival reminded me of a little something I saw at the end of last year.
It’s hard to believe at first, but in our iPhone obsessed world there is even an app dedicated to the music and art of Johnston. It’s entitled, ‘Hi, How Are You‘; and suprisingly is not just a vanity project, but a well thought out puzzle game that is pretty fun to play!
Hi, How Are You the game features classic Johnston characters like Joe Boxer and Jeremiah the Innocent; the stalk-eyed-froggy-creature who is famously depicted on a mural in Austin, Texas, Johnston’s adopted home. The game focuses on a couple of motifs common to Johnston’s work – fighting the evils of the outside world, and searching for the girl of his dreams through that quagmire.
The game itself was created by two Austin based developers and costs around US$0.99 (or a more splashy NZ$4.50) – it’s an affordable, fun experience for any technologically endowed Daniel Johnston fan.
This limited edition HP Mini designed by Studio Tord Boontje is making my HP Mini jealous. It’s used to being the centre of attention – stunning people with its rapier wit and tiny size.
But it pales in comparison (well, no, mine is black, this is icy white) to this laptop, with ethereal illustrations of endangered animals dancing all over the cover and touch-pad.
You will know Tord Boonjte from his fantastical light shades, chairs and other industrial designs; and now his pretty patterns have been applied to the Mini using an image technology HP calls Imprint 3D. Basically the layers get built up for an even lusher look and feel.
If you go to the HP mini-site you’ll get a sense of just how striking this collaboration is (and some free desktop wallpapers).
Most of us look at our computers/laptops all day long, so it makes sense that they should be visually pleasing. But does it make sense for me to get a new one, just because it’s cute? Maybe…
Hello! My name is Amber Parkin. I'm a New Zealander living in London. I'm a writer obsessed with fondue, chesterfield sofas, vintage dresses, foxes, and 35mm.
by Steven Pressfield. A productivity guide aimed at writers, based around the Art Of War. How could I resist?
by Patti Smith. Just Kids chronicles Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe’s time in New York before they found fame. I’m sure many of you have read this already and you’ll agree, it’s captivating. I am half way through it already and I don’t want it to end.
If you go to the 
