If you like it please, please, please share it. The more views we can get on this, the better. Thanks for watching! And in case you can’t see the video, here’s the link to the YouTube page: http://youtu.be/VEoGXsPIimo.

There are moments when we all become someone else. Something other than what we are. It takes only a moment. But we spend the rest of our lives looking back at that moment in shame. For one instant, out of a lifetime of service, he became his own worst instincts. — Delenn, “Objects at Rest” (Babylon 5, Season 5, Episode 22. Written by J. Michael Straczynski)

There are times in our lives when, because of hurt, or immaturity, or anger, or any other strong emotion, we do things that completely alter the way others see us. At those moments, we reveal the very worst part of ourselves, the part we choose never to show. (Bloggers have documented evidence of these moments, usually because of hitting “Publish” too early.) Some call this “the true self,” but I do not subscribe to that. We are more than the worst of ourselves, more than what we reveal during times of great emotion. The actions we take then are choices we make once, but for which consequences can last a lifetime, especially when they involve others. And sometimes, the very worst of these, happen due to misunderstandings brought about by one simple fact: that to every story there are three sides: your side, their side, and the truth.  

How much different would our lives be if we sought wholeheartedly to understand others, to empathize with them, and to treat them not as we would treat ourselves, but as we would treat those we thought heroes? What if we were to take time to seek the truth, rather than assume we have it? This is not to say there isn’t wrong in the world, nor that people don’t purposely seek to do evil. But if we remember that these are the exceptions, rather than the rules, we would likely be very forgiving: after all, we judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions.

[T]here were bits of plot . . . that necessitated not just suspension of one’s disbelief but the surgical extraction of said disbelief before dangling it over a vat of bubbling acid in the hopes that it would shut up.

– Neil Gaiman, regarding a recent Dr. Who episode

It was a moment like that which finally tossed me over the edge and forced me to pursue the life of a fiction author, in the hopes that one day people would choose to read/watch/play my stories and not have to suffer a full-on suspensionofdisbeliefectomy.

Then again, I wonder whether disbelief can be used in order to enhance a story. Does it always detract?

Now, before you dismiss this as your standard, run-of the mill, Twilight ripoff, you should know: I have a problem with vampires today. Serious problems. As in I hate most of them. (Vampire: The Masquerade gets a pass. Nosferatu FTW.) So when I tell you that you should pick up a copy of this book, you know that it’s more than just a friend talking.

(Disclaimer: yes, she did give me a preview copy, but like any good supporter of amateur authors, I actually bought a copy for myself.)

It used to be that vampires were fearsome, death-bringing creatures of the night, soul-less beings (that’s why you couldn’t see them in mirrors) that were effectively giant stomachs continually seeking to be filled with the blood of humans. Forget sexy, you wouldn’t want these guys to be anywhere NEAR you. Ever. For any reason.

I’ll admit, it’s true that this started changing a long time ago, as far back as Brahm Stoker’s Dracula. (Brahm Stoker, whose only other claim to fame is stealing Oscar Wilde’s girlfriend.) But recently it’s gotten worse, to the point of ridicule. Today, vampires walk the streets during the daytime without so much as a case of solar urticaria to deter them. Instead of being blood-sucking beasts who hunger for humans and stink of death, they’re more like sexy goths with an eating disorder. Sparkly, sexy goths with an eating disorder.

Yes, Garrett’s book follows the sexy goths trend. (The book is, after all, in the YA Paranormal Romance genre.) Does it piss me off? It should. It should piss me off. It should have me railing against it for betraying the potential awesomeness of the vampire. But it doesn’t, because–to my surprise–I’m actually, really enjoying this book. I’ll admit, I’ve always liked Melissa’s writing style, but I wasn’t all that excited about reading this one. I was wrong not to be.

(Frankly, I was more excited about reading her previous book, The Spirit Keeper, which is FREE this weekend, and which I blew through in a couple of days and–for the most part–loved. I’ll tell you this, though, Blood Type is better written.)

In this book, Garrett’s writing style is tight and quite solid. The book is filled with characters you actually want to get to know, tight conversations, wonderful pacing, and even a couple of interesting twists from the start. More than just being competently done, Blood Type is surprisingly well written, and I’m honestly shocked at how much I’ve been enjoying it. (Good thing, too, because it’s the first in a series.)

Anyway, Ill stop here. I don’t want to turn this into a review (I’ll do that later), since I’m only about half-way through. But if you like (or are even vaguely curious about) vampires, well-written YA stories, well developed characters, or supporting independent authors, then you should pick up a copy of Blood Type right now. It’s perfect for weekend reading, and with October just around the corner, this would make a wonderful read.

• Chrome easily the best default mobile browser.
• Android offers, hands down, the best customization.
• Android phones offer the best looking hardware out, bar none. (I mean, take a look at those huge, beautiful screens on phones like the S3, the Note 2, and the RAZR MAXX HD!)
• Android phones have the most exciting technology out there (with Windows Phones catching up, fast)
• I spend a LOT of time using Google products. A lot. An embarrassing amount, in fact.
• Ideologically, it’s quite possibly THE perfect platform for me.

However, more than playing with tech, I love doing my work, and expressing myself through what I create. If I want to get any actual work done, especially in such diverse fields as writing, film, and music then it’s best I embrace Apple’s walled garden. For now.

Note: This may come off as a bit of a rant. It certainly is long enough for that, so I may break this down later to address and expand upon specific points. 

Requirements

In my work, I can see where laptops, tablets, and phones become useful, each in their own right. My work today demands that I have a competent infrastructure in place if I am to be productive, one that provides interoperability between devices, stability, and reliability. I need to be sure it allows for opportunities for expansion through high-quality apps and peripherals, and cannot at any point become an excuse for me NOT doing something which would affect my work. In today’s hyper-mobile, technology-driven market, mobility is paramount in all of this.

Apple has a place of dominance in the mobile market unmatched by any current device maker or OS. Sure, there are nearly a billion users of Android, but in all fairness, there are nearly a thousand different types of Android devices, and at least a hundred different versions of Android. Windows Phone, on the other hand, doesn’t really even show up yet. It may one day, but right now it has about the same market penetration as Palm, and nowhere near the influence of RIM, two very obsolete mobile device makers. (Or rather, one obsolete, the other riding into obsolescence.) As such, effectively, Apple offers me more opportunity to exploit the platform than Android does, by fulfilling the aforementioned requirements, at least in the areas that matter to me: writing, filming, publishing, and gaming.

Requirements

I’m looking for, at the very least, a laptop and a phone that work perfectly seamlessly with each other. Both must have astounding battery life, be well supported, and have a history of excellence, both in my own experience and bespoken of others. In addition, a tablet with a robust development community and application environment is also highly desirable. As a writer, here’s why I’m looking for each:

• A smart phone… well, do I even need to explain it? Having a high quality camera, a link to the Web, a place to type quick notes, watch videos, share information, read and send emails, in addition (of course) to making calls is invaluable.
• A laptop that is, to me, a desktop replacement. Luckily, I don’t exactly require much in the way of specs (last year’s model works just fine for me), but I am impatient, so a snappy system is a must (my system should never be responsible for breaking my workflow). It’s preferable that the laptop be relatively light, but more than anything it must have good battery life. This is a non-negotiable. At least 4-5 solid hours of full use. (This is what I get with my MacBook. Well, used to. Its aging means that it now gets closer to 3 hours. Not bad, but could definitely be better.)
• A tablet COULD potentially be a huge space- and time-saver. (Einstein agrees. Arthur Patschke doesn’t.) The tablet would perform various duties: First, it would be an ultra-light laptop replacement for on-the-road work. (A netbook would serve well here, too, though a touch interface would be far preferable.) Next, it would be a place for me to jot and draw notes. (Right now I keep about 3-4 notebooks with me at all times–big notebooks–where I keep all my notes. I’ve still to find a perfect substitute for a notebook, and it may be that I never will.) Finally, it would be a place for me to read, review, and notate things where a smartphone’s screen (even one as large as a phablet’s) may prove too small or uncomfortable. In short, I need something with a really good, robust app environment here, a platform that has been thoroughly exploited, if I’m to use one at all. It’ll take a lot to replace my notebooks, but I’m frankly tired of walking around with a notebook if I don’t have to.

In all of this, a robust application environment, one that is well supported and used by developers, and one which has a history of being used productively by people in my fields of interest, is a must.

Options

Now, I could go with a Windows, a Mac, or even Linux computer, so long as I use an Android tablet and an Android phone. (NOTE: I don’t consider Google’s $300 browser with a keyboard anything more than a nifty tech toy. By “Linux” I mean something like Fedora, or Ubuntu.) In fact, this was my default choice, to go all Google (well, mostly Google). This would allow me to keep my desktop OS of choice while giving me a large choice of devices.

But, interestingly, Google is about the ONLY Android manufacturer I trust to make an insanely great product. (OK, so Samsung makes the Nexus line, but Google controls it.) Samsung’s phones are great, but their implementation of Android isn’t. HTC and Motorola both make great phones with great Android experiences, but both are afflicted by the “forgotten in a year, never to get an update again” bug that beleaguers Android sets everywhere. This is supposed to be getting better, but… we’ll see. Not to mention the fact that, as a writer, spell checking in Android isn’t too good when compared to Apple’s or Microsoft’s. (Some makers of their own Android skin, such as Samsung, make this even worse, with their implementation being so terrible it stinks worse than week-old gym shirts.)

I’m digressing. Back on topic:

Most importantly, it would be philosophically and ethically satisfying, especially if I went with a Google-produced Nexus product. Just like it would be more philosophically and ethically satisfying if I went with a Linux-based desktop OS. (Why I don’t is the topic of another post I wrote.)

My next thought was to go all Windows: Windows on the desktop and Windows on the phone. Considering my heavy use of the XBox and my gaming requirements, this seems to be a no-brainer.  Sure, there are no Windows Phone mobile OS tablets NOW, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any in the future, right?

Microsoft has done a GLORIOUS job with their new mobile platform. Great control over the software while keeping it open enough to let manufacturers put their own spin on the hardware. Innovative interface design that is both eye-catching and wonderfully usable. (Seriously, if you haven’t seen the new Nokia 920 coming out, DO SO. NOW. IT LOOKS FRIGG’N AWESOME.) In fact, combined with Microsoft’s Office productivity tools (I admit, I’ve become a bit of an Outlook fan, despite my hears of making fun of it) and their new design direction, they’re making stuff that is, honestly, beautiful.

With Google, the issue, of course, is fragmentation, particularly in the mobile space.

As I mentioned before, I’d also want a tablet. The Android tablet market hasn’t exactly been good to me.  currently, I have a tablet which I use (and love) for many things, none of which I can’t do with my phone (though this almost goes without saying across the board, for all platforms). I only use the tablet because it’s more comfortable. But I believe this to be more a matter of the available applications and peripherals than the device itself: it’s still running a phone OS (Android 2.3) with phone apps. Problem is, it can’t really run anything better, not without me sacrificing much of the functionality for which I originally got it.

Even with Google doing its thing by having the Nexus series (I’d love to see a 10″ Nexus to compete with the iPad), I’m still left wanting in the opportunity department, largely due to fragmentation. Think about it, how many tools are out there that allow you to turn an iPhone into an actual, high-quality camera, or an iPad to a sound studio, or the combination of the two into a video production and recording environment? Now, compare that to how many tools for Android devices allow you to do the same?

On the other hand, Windows Phone really isn’t even in the picture, but it’s close. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Microsoft’s only sin is in the lack of tools currently available. (Everything is “in the future” with them at this point.) I’m certain this will change, but right now I need tools for right now. It also doesn’t help that I’ve never really had good experiences with Microsoft products. Others have, but me… I really don’t like the way Microsoft tends to build things. They’re not beautiful, at least not the OS. They’re made to look beautiful, but to me it just seems like putting lipstick on a pig.

So then… Apple, I guess

It used to be that the reason people used Macs were because they “Just worked”. These days, it’s hard to argue that Android or Windows phones don’t “Just work.” They do, beautifully.

It’s when you step out of the phone and into a multi-device environment that you start running into issues.

However, neither of these environments (encompassing computers, phones, and tablets) do the one thing that Apple does so well: get out of your way so you can actually work across various devices. At least, they don’t to me: with Android–or even worse, with cobbling together a mix of platforms–I continually have to tip-toe around my own workspace, hoping I don’t trip over a seam and destroy whatever fragile ecosystem I’ve been able to construct. (This has been made better over time via their web apps, however, and services like Evernote.) Windows, on the other hand… well, except for my XBox, I haven’t exactly had many spectacular experiences with Microsoft. History is very much against them in this respect. Also, sure, they have Windows tablets coming out sometime in the future, but the only Windows tablets out now run outdated software and are too expensive.

Apple, on the other hand, offers a seamless experience and updated, forward-looking technology. My photos, my music, my documents, my videos, my calendars, my email, my projects, my recordings, my writings, my research… they ALL work across the various devices I use to do my work. Time and mindshare saved by not worrying about appropriate porting or bugs introduced by a new version of a component is time I can spend doing what I should be doing: CREATING.

Now, this note isn’t a knock against any of the other platforms. I opened up with praise for Android for a good reason: it deserves praise! So does Microsoft and their new OS. In fact, when recommending products to people, Android and Windows Phone are ALWAYS in the conversation. Sure, they have their faults, but so does Apple.

Crapple

In case you have an doubt that going all Mac isn’t an easy move for me, you should know that I find moves like this insulting and philosophically reprehensible, no matter the supposed technical reasons:

From Computer World:

Apple’s new OS X, dubbed Mountain Lion, will exclude some older Macs that can run 2011′s Lion, the company’s website said. The system requirements for OS X 10.8, slated to ship this month, ban older machines including the plastic-encased iMacs introduced in January 2006, MacBooks prior to the first all-aluminum model rolled out in late 2008, MacBook Pros older than those introduced in June 2007, and the first generation MacBook Air, which debuted in January 2008…Microsoft, meanwhile, has said that PCs now running Windows XP — which is nearly 11 years old — Vista or Windows 7 can be upgraded to Windows 8 later this year as long as they meet very lenient hardware requirements

If Microsoft can build a great OS that can run on 11 year old computers, there’s really no reason OS X 10.8 needs to block MacBooks from 2006, with enough RAM and CPU power, from upgrading. My 6 year old MacBook still runs great, and I see no reason why I should have to get a new system to use the latest OS.

It all boils down

Yes, I fully realize that, boiled down, this whole argument is a fancy and long-winded way of saying, “Apple offers the most popular platform for what I need, therefore I’ll use Apple, despite my disagreements with many of their practices.” But any time I’ve stated that as succinctly, it has inevitably led to arguments from people trying to convince me that I’m wrong; that somehow by making this compromise between ideology and work, I’ve betrayed some unwritten declaration of war I signed by mere virtue of my being a tech-savvy consumer; that I should be using this platform in that manner, then combine it with these other two pieces of software, which I can grab from this repository here, then make them all compatible by downloading this other package from a company I’ve never heard of, which I then install over here in this cloud-based system (for which I’ll need another login, which is OK, because I should use software to track all my passwords anyway)…and that’s when I tell them that I’ve done the techie thing, and I’m done with it.

Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE tech. I LOVE playing with the newest gadgets. I LOVE messing around with new software and breaking things just to make them work again (although I despise when things not working gets in the way of my productivity.) I also hate all these lawsuits Apple is pulling out against Android manufacturers, because they’re the worst part of our patenting system. I hate that innovation is stifled because someone can patent something as silly as a rounded corner, or a line of code. Yes, there are times that Apple sickens me, even though we all know that Apple has effectively been the design department–or at least, an idea hot-house–for the tech industry since 1997. Still, stupid lawsuits are stupid.

But here’s the deal: that’s grandiose crap I don’t really have time for if I want to get all the work I need to done before my time on this ball of mud we call Earth is at and end. Therefore, I don’t have time to waste setting up 10 different applications across 10 different platforms, which have to be updated all the time and which must be re-set up when I upgrade any major component.

I just want to create. And I want my tools to be subservient to me, and not the other way around, even if it means I surrender some of my own desires.

“Here’s what I did. You should do as I did.”

Sure, I can hear it now: “Oh, but I’ve been able to set it up so that this isn’t that big of a deal.” I don’t want it to be any deal. I just want to write and live my life.

Now, I get that you’re trying to be helpful. Really, I get it. I get that you’re trying to make me realize what you’ve realized: that there’s a better way, one that holds on to your values more closely, one which molds itself perfectly to your whims and wants and neuroses.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but when you offer un-requested advice, more often than not you come out sounding like a blowhard, a know-it-all, and a pampas, self-important jerk. You also put the person immediately in a defensive position, and right there you’ve likely lost an ear. Think about it: I have my own set of values, my own issues, and my own neuroses. If I’m not asking for your advice, what makes you think I’m interested in what you’ve done. At the very least, ask me first whether I even want your advice. Something as simple as, “You know, I think I’ve been in a similar position to yours. Do you want to know how I resolved it?” will do. Following that up with, “Here were some of the issues that were important to me…” is also a nice touch, since it helps set a more subjective standard of judgment.

This isn’t to say that you offer nothing of value when you offer your opinion. On the contrary! You should be very proud of what you’ve created, and that’s awesome, and I’ll celebrate it with you, and if it’s a really great idea I promise to totally steal it, and you can feel totally awesome about yourself that I did. But we have different priorities and goals, different values, different neuroses. Please stop comparing me to you. By thinking my goals are similar to yours you demean us both. We are individuals. We are unique. Let’s enjoy that, and enjoy the fact that we live in the frigg’n future! At a time where all the world’s knowledge can be accessed at any time, from nearly anywhere, with devices that, were they to be sent back in time, would each be seen with the awe matched only by a close encounter of the third kind.

Reaching Heaven

“A mind not to be changed by place or time. The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n.”

–John Milton, “Paradise Lost”

“An angel is often only a demon who stands between us and our enemy.”

–Gene Wolfe, “The Sword of the Lictor”

I have goals. To me, act of creation is my small taste of godhood. In the act of creating I find my heaven, ultimate freedom as brought forth by the realization of potential, and the achievement of goals.

But to achieve ultimate freedom, reality sometimes demands ideology be surrendered.

If you’re a techie, or someone who just wants one mobile device to do everything they need, giving them access to the latest and greatest in technology, then Android and Windows phones are definitely for you.

On the other hand, if you need to work with others, and you need to maximize your chances at interoperability with others, then it’s hard to beat what Apple’s put together. Yes, you will surrender a lot of potential freedom–in the way you use your device, in what new and possibly fringe technologies your device can capitalize upon, the shape and look of your device, and even in how you use your music–but you’ll also gain the freedom to do your work, to accomplish your goals, and to live your life, outside the technology.

This is the art of compromise at work. My apologies to all the ideologues I truly do admire, for not being as strong as you, but my life’s calling (that which I must do) is greater than my pride (that which I want to do).

Sometimes a deal with the Devil is a prerequisite to reaching Heaven.

PS: If you want a great and simple breakdown of each of the 3 environments and what it might mean to you, check out Carl Holscher’s piece, ”Choosing a Platform.”  Clear, concise, and solid advice. 

Mr. Linderman: There comes a time when a man has to ask himself whether he wants a life of happiness or a life of meaning.

Nathan Petrelli: I’d like to have both.

Mr. Linderman: Can’t be done. Two very different paths. To be truly happy a man must live absolutely in the present. No thought of what has gone before and no thought of what lies ahead . . . but a for a life of meaning, a man is condemned to wallow in the past and obsess about the future.

– Heroes, Season 1 Episode 18 (1.18): “Parasite”

Can you have it all? I’ve heard it said that hell is the person you are meeting the person you had the potential to become. That is, of course, presuming you could have become a better person than you are. Makes one wonder whether the only way to be truly happy and have a life of significance is by looking at it from the end of life. After all, if there’s not much to obsess about in the future, then reflection upon the past is something we’ll desire to do, if we’ve led a life worthy of reviewing. This is, of course, accepting the premise that in order to look at the past and future we must both wallow and obsess, respectively. But can we truly be happy without reflection? And can we truly reflect upon a life without happiness and call it meaningful?

Rantings Ravings Dragon Tamings asked:

Dear Mr. Gaiman, I am following your advice on writing and well, writing. I’m even handwriting so as to stop myself from preemptive editing. However, every day it becomes more and more apparent to me that the book I have in my mind is way better than the one that’s coming out. I get the feeling that once I get around to editing the book, it will end up changing A LOT. Is this normal? Is it okay for the plot to undergo lots of changes later as well? Or should I just write a better first draft?

Neil Gaiman responded: 

What you write first is a first draft. When you get to the end of it, you’ve got a first draft. Anything can happen after that.

(In the first draft of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, while Charlie was touring Wonka’s factory, he was accidentally encased in chocolate and sent to Wonka’s house, where he foiled a burglary.)

There’s nothing to stop you fixing anything as you go, but it’s wiser to get to the end first, and then look at what you’ve got.

The book in your mind will pretty much always be better than the one that hits the paper. That’s just how it works.

At first, my thoughts turned immediately to writing. A lot of people write, but refuse to rewrite. Usually they see the first draft as this totem that can only be corrected and cleaned here and there, rather than rebuilt, should the need arise. Often this refusal to rewrite–which just sounds like quitting–takes another, more insidious form: that of incessant editing during the actual process, which certainly delays and usually prevents completion.

I’ve been guilty of that. Nearly every writer I’ve ever met has. But maturity in the craft brings with it the realization of the beauty and power of a rewrite, of getting that story in your head just right. It’s not always enjoyable. In fact, sometimes it feels like the original work was for naught, and that all this extra effort is keeping you from getting that next story out, which is what you should be doing, right?

Remember: if the story on the page, once finished, is not really the story you wanted to tell, then your brain is passing you an editorial order to rewrite the thing. Do as much as you need to fix it. As much, but no more. Unless of course, an editor looking to publish your work says otherwise.

Can this be applied to more than just writing?

Here’s what really got me thinking, though: what if we replace “writing” with “living”?

Dear Mr. G- I am following your advice on living and well, living…However, every day it becomes more and more apparent to me that the life I have in my mind is way better than the one that’s happening. I get the feeling that once I get around to thinking about things, it will end up changing A LOT. Is this normal? Is it okay for life to undergo lots of changes later as well? Or should I just have made a better first set of choices?

What would your response be? Every leadership lesson I’ve ever come across says that you should, once you have all the facts, make up your mind quickly and be slow to change it. How applicable is that to life?

What you choose first is a first path. When you get to the end of it, you’ve got a first path. Anything can happen after that.

There’s nothing to stop you fixing anything as you go, but it’s wiser to get to the end first, and then look at what you’ve got.

While not guaranteed, it’s a safe bet you’ll get to the end of your first path before you get to the end of your life. And like anything else, once you reach the end, it’s best to move on: hanging around the end of a path without moving to a new one is ultimately destructive.

That path may end when you finish school, when you finish a big project, or when you’ve advanced enough in a certain field that you no longer feel like there’s any growth. But while going through it, if the path is rough, as something like school might be, it’s tempting to quit and move to proverbial greener pastures. Consider that the wiser choice might be to finish what you’ve started (presuming the path you’re on is not inherently destructive).

Don’t forget: anything can happen after that.

All of this improvement and knowledge has come by that I’ve finally realized I am truly most passionate about: books, hence the recent (and continuing) theme of the posts here. But books aren’t the focus of this particular post. Rather, the focus is on my recent projects.

Here’s what’s been going on: 

Suicide Run

A few years ago, I was asked by a friend to write some descriptions. This led to my being brought on as the lead writer for the upcoming video game, Suicide Run, produced by Berserk Entertainment. Here’s a synopsis:

By the year 2200, humanity had finally united under one banner, that of the Unified Solar States. Of course, like all governments, this one didn’t go unchallenged, and during the first part of that century, a separatist movement, the Independent Colonial Movement, arose. Under the leadership of Callis Ven, the movement engulfed the outer regions of human controlled space, at first through voluntary association, but then–when that didn’t prove expedient–through war and subjugation. Unwilling to see humanity divided and its citizens fall prey to a tyrant, the USS responded by launching history’s largest military engagement.

The war lasted for nearly two years before an armistice was reached. During this time, however, a new war has been waged in secret between the USS and the ICM, unbeknownst to the mass of humanity.

In this story-driven action RPG, you play as the captain of the USS Glory, the most advanced cruiser in the Unified Solar States’s military, and the result of the top-secret Project Nova. The Glory carries in it a prototype for a new weapon, the Saint Drive, a technology that promises to shape the course of human history, one way or another. Your job is to find the best fighter pilots and gunners you can and defend the Saturnian system from an all-out ICM invasion.

Anyway, so that’s still in the works. I’ve finished my first, second, third, and 137th drafts, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

Wicked Window Productions

A few years ago, a couple of friends from high school started a movie production company, Wicked Window Productions. Seeing as they needed help, I joined them mostly as a show of support: I love watching people chasing after their dreams, after all, and I really like movies, so it was just natural. Not wanting to just be a cheerleader, I started actually working as part of the crew, doing lighting, sound, food deliveries… whatever. These days I’m the Audio Design Manager, as well as a writer (and anything else they need me to do).

Currently we’re wrapping up on a production that was started this summer, a live-action version of the Powerpuff Girls. I did the lighting for that, as well as a little bit of writing and voice work. (“The city of Townsville…” Yeah, I’m The Voice.)

Bubbles missing from this picture.

Next we’ll be starting production on a script I just finished writing. The working title is “Tina’s Terrible, Horrible, and Not at All Pleasant Haunted House Event”, but I think the title will change, probably to “Influence”. Yes, it’s a ghost story.  It’s about a woman who keeps seeing her dead husband and contacts a psychic to help her communicate with him. Of course, if you’re thinking Ghost right now, think again: her husband’s ghost is an ass, so the movie is closer to Event Horizon. Not usually my thing–I don’t do horror–but it gave me a pretty nice challenge, and feedback on the script has been largely positive.

It’s unlikely the second story will be completed before January. Until then we’ll be working on smaller projects, like commercials and skits. Needless to say, I’ll post them here.

For now, check out “A Grave Misunderstanding”, 6 minute short, and one of their first films.

ReformHealthCare.us

OK, so the health care system in the US is as dystopian as congress has become dysfunctional. ReformHealthCare.us (which only has an “under construction” page on it) will eventually feature news and information about health insurance reform in the US, analysis of different health systems in the US (the VA, Medicare, Medicaid, employer-provided insurance, etc) and across the world, stories from people (good and bad, because it’s not ALL broken), and information about doing the best with what we’ve currently got.

• 30% annual premium increases?
• Nearly 1/6th of the population without insurance?
• Doctors coming out of college with hundreds of thousands in debt?
• A shortage of primary care physicians?
• Emergency room bills that could put a family into bankruptcy from just one visit?

This is unconscionable, and needs to be resolved, now. The recent Affordable Health Care Act is a step in the right direction, but we still have a VERY long way to go.

By the way, if you have any health insurance stories you’d like to share, email Info@ReformHealthCare.us.

Additional Projects

In addition to this, there are a few other projects I’ve sidelined for now–tech/book review websites, finance and business websites, writing and selling novels–because there’s only so much time! And, of course, I’m trying to figure out a way to get myself back to school: I’ve reached a point in my life where I’m certain what (general) direction I want to take, what I want my life to mean, and I’ve come to realize that I’m currently ill-equipped to pursue that destiny.

What About This Site Here?

I’ll be frank (while still being Gnorb): I don’t know what the future holds for this site. I expect to keep writing for it for the foreseeable future, but I really don’t know where to take it. My original thought was to talk about books, pull quotes, and talk about things I learn about health, business, and life (mostly through books). Also, I would focus on the technologies used for story telling and all aspects of that technology (ereaders, tablets, phones, apps). In fact, you’ll no doubt have noticed that the focus has recently shifted heavily toward books and things relating to books, stories, and writing. That’s because over the past 2 years I finally came to the realization that that’s what I love.

But even with that as the central “focus”, it seems like too broad a spectrum for one space, especially if I’m looking to develop any sort of business.

Some of you read this to read about my life and observations. (Thanks to all of you who’ve provided feedback over the years.) It’s pretty obvious that taking a site in a more professional direction would diminish that aspect, something I’m not certain I want to do. As it is, I’m still deciding. For now what’s here shall remain. Mostly. I plan to reading through a lot of my older posts and getting rid of the crappy one- or two-liners. No point in keeping the cruft, right? Unless I’m looking to keep this as a chronicle of some sort.

Conclusion

So that’s what’s been going on. To say that I’ve been busy is an understatement. As I posted today on Twitter and G+:

So. Many. Ideas. Too many. Time, too little. Feeling Salarian. Need Asari lifespan.

(Recognize the Mass Effect references? Congrats: go get yourself some Omnigel. That stuff does everything.)

If you like what you’re seeing and are interested in supporting my work, there are a few things you could do:

1. Comment: There are few things that stroke my ego more than comments. Nice ones. Without profanities aimed at people. By which at mean me, please don’t call me names.
2. Visit the sponsors: Yeah, it’s mostly Google Ads here, true, but those still pay the bills. Of course, if you’re interested in advertisement space, let’s talk. (Unless it’s related to this site’s content, I don’t do paid posts. Tried it once, but felt dirty. Which is funny because it was about an air filter, one that I still use and love.)

(On a related note, you’ll probably notice the links to products in reviews. It’s no secret that companies have affiliate programs, and shouldn’t be a surprise for me to reveal I participate. So if you read a review for a book or product that makes you say, “Hmm, I’d like to buy that,” please use my link. Here’s my promise to you, though: reviews will be fair and will never bought, even if they’re paid for in some way. If I think a book or product stinks, I’ll tell you. If I think it’s good, I’ll tell you, too. I’m less interested in sales than I am in honesty, but if sales happen thanks to me, it would be stupid not to try and capitalize some on it, no?)

I create this content for one reason: so you enjoy it and, hopefully, find it useful. It would not be unfair to accuse me of being an attention whore, true, but to me it’s one and the same: I need to entertain and educate. It’s in my nature, my raison d’être. Whenever I teach people something useful, or help solve a problem, or tell stories that comfort and provoke thought I come to life. And that can only happen with you.

But I think I’ll be moving back to once per week. Given all that’s going on, I think that’s what I can handle right now.

And now that I’ve said my peace, I’d really like to know your thoughts on a lot of this because, honestly, I could use the advice.

“Cheshire Puss…Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

– Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Too often we abandon paths we’ve started on because of the false belief that it is now so natural to be on that path it’s inevitable that we follow it. The fact is nothing is inevitable — nothing — and destinations are only arrived at by continual effort, through a planned and continually refined process, towards a definitive goal. It doesn’t matter whether we think of ourselves as goal oriented or process oriented, if either the process is not in place or the goal has been forgotten, then it’s not a matter of whether we’ll get somewhere, but where, and whether it’s somewhere we wanted to be.

Take a moment to review where you are now. Is there something you feel you’ve slacked on? Have you started resting on your past accomplishments? Is there something you truly feel you should “get back into” because you feel it moves you closer to your desired goals? And have you defined both your goals and why you want them?

If you need a little direction, I highly recommend you read “You Graduated. Now What?” It was meant for a friend of mine who had just graduated college, but it’s really for everyone who may be at a crossroads about their future. Truth be told, that post is a condensed version of Become Who You Were Born to Be by Brian Souza, which you can pick up at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Audible.

Finally, you can download Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from Project Gutenberg.

[I]f the question of perfection means wading through hell and back for some minuscule attempt to be better than you already are, because I love what I do, I see nothing wrong in that. I guess that’s what passion is about.

– Edrei Zahari of Footsteps in the Mirror, in response to Quality: When Enough is Enough

The desire to make something not just good, but perfect — especially when it comes to more esoteric pursuits, like composing music, or writing — is one which can become consuming to the point of stagnation. On the other hand, without that constant striving towards betterment and perfection, improvement, both particular and in the whole, is impossible. The easy thing would be to say “just strike a balance.”

This is complete bunk.

How about we agree that you should keep improving a work until the deadline or satisfaction, whichever comes first?

Recent Review

If you read my recent full review of the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet, you’ll note that most of the review’s conclusions remain the same, although my recommendations change somewhat: While Barnes and Noble’s Nook app market is still anemic, the tablets are now well priced, and I’d recommend them to anyone considering a tablet mostly used for reading. At $179, the 8GB Nook Tablet should definitely be one you consider: it’s cheaper than the Kindle Fire and includes a MicroSD memory expansion port. At $20 more, the $199 16GB Nook now becomes the default option when considering a Nook, and at that price, I don’t think you can go wrong. (Because of its weight and laggy performance, I’d still recommend you avoid the Nook Color, unless you’re on a very tight budget.) Unlike the Amazon Kindle Fire, you still have face-to-face support in the Apple-inspired Nook kiosk lording over the entrance of most Barnes and Nobles, and the current generation of Nook Tablets will obviously be supported by Barnes and Noble for some time to come.

Of course, this move is ostensibly a response to competition now that consumers have more options at the $250 price point, like the Google Nexus 7 Tablet, and the $199 price point is being eaten up by Amazon’s Kindle Fire. But is there more to this move?

How this will affect any future releases (likely in November, though maybe earlier) of the next Nook Tablet line is anyone’s guess: will they continue their tradition of starting at the $250 price point, or has competition and technology reached a point where $199 is a must for a tablet aimed at readers?

Versus the Amazon Kindle Fire

Barnes and Noble was there first: first reader, first tablet. Amazon came in later, sometimes looking as if they had done more than taken a page from Barnes and Noble’s book (albeit with better marketing). But the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes and Noble Nook aim to please audiences in very different ways.

Barnes and Noble aims to please audience with face-to-face service, great hardware and lots of onboard memory, a reader-centric interface, a curated market, in-store freebies, and a focus on kids, with, for example, the ability to record yourself reading a story for your kids.  Your purchases (books, magazines) can be downloaded from anywhere with a WiFi connection, and are stored in Barnes and Noble’s servers in perpetuity (or as long as the company agrees to keep up the service), where you have unlimited space for Barnes and Noble digital content purchases.

Amazon aims to please its audience by focusing on their strength: the vastness of their market and their cloud services. To that end, they offer you 5GB free on their servers for you to store music, books, and other items you upload your computer, and unlimited space for you to keep all the digital media you’ve bought from them: movies, music, books. While Barnes and Noble focuses on readers (and does well with the Netflix and Hulu Plus crowd), Amazon caters to all your interests. The hardware is not as good as Barnes and Noble’s (the Kindle Fire has 8GB of on-board storage, and no memory card expansion slot, plus the device is notably heavier and not as comfortable to hold), but they make up for that by having great services, a large app market, tons of freebies like free MP3 and movie credits, and the Amazon Lending Library, where you can “check out” Kindle books and read them for free. OK, so that last one is only for Amazon Prime members, really, but if you own a Kindle Fire it’s hard to justify NOT becoming a Prime member.

Advantage Amazon.

Now, Barnes and Noble doesn’t offer a bad product at all, and it’s well suited for its business.  For example, I think BN is doing the right thing by allowing users to expand the memory on their devices, while Amazon basically forces users to use the cloud. But given the competition, it’s a good idea to at least price hardware appropriately.  It might also be a good idea for the company to revisit its indie author programs, and while that plays a role into the popularity of the Kindle line, it’s something I’ll explore later.

Versus Other Tablets (Google, Apple, etc.)

Recently, Google released their Nexus 7 tablet, pricing its 16GB model at $250, and its 8GB model at $199. This is a full featured tablet with a front facing camera, a great screen, and a whole lot of kick, not to mention the latest version of Android, with its hundreds of thousands of apps, including the Barnes and Noble Nook app. On that same note, Apple is expected to announce a 7-inch iPad (which I’ll call the iPad Mini) sometime around September 12th, pricing it somewhere between $199 and $299. And, of course, that, too, has the Nook app.

So at the old $250 price point, why would anyone choose a Nook over a Nexus or an iPad Mini? In-store service? (Something Apple already offers, and which Barnes and Noble all but copied wholesale.) The ability to read any book, in-store, for an hour? Friday Freebies? Are they really worth that much to anyone?

The fact is that at $250 there would be no reason for you to choose a Nook over a Nexus 7. (No word yet on the Apple front.) At $199… that’s a maybe.

Both BN and Amazon have been experiencing competition from inexpensive, quality tablets. (For example, I currently own a HTC View which cost me $239 when I bought it 8 months ago, and has expandable memory and a faster processor than the $250 Barnes and Noble Nook.) Amazon struck first by pricing their tablet at $199, which they previously sold at a loss. (They make their money back by hooking you into the Amazon ecosystem.) But at the new $179 price… that’s where the Nook shines. Coming in at $20 lower than Google’s or Amazon’s tablets, the Nook is now both inexpensive and a great quality product. Only the frequently discounted Lenovo A1 tablet may serve as a marginally better deal, largely due to the network-independent GPS on the device, a very useful feature. (As of this writing the tablet is $199, but it often dips to $169. Keep an eye out.)

Of course, we still need to see what happens should the iPad Mini be announced. A $199 iPad would likely do exceptionally well in the 7-inch tablet market.

As far as the future goes, Amazon is already poised to take on the challenge of more competition in this space with their market and online options. Barnes and Noble still lags behind in this arena, and they’ll feel the squeeze sooner rather than later as people choose functionality over intangible market bonuses and a lackluster digital marketplace. A price drop is a great first step, but the overall market strategy must be reconsidered if the Nook is to stay a viable product long-term. Ebook sales have been great for the company, but just like with their book business, competition from faster-moving foes can quickly pull them under. (If you’ve walked into a Barnes and Noble recently, though, you’ve seen how well they can adapt: walking into one these days feels like someone stuffed a Starbucks inside an Apple store inside a Toys R’ Us, and crammed the remaining space full of books. It doesn’t help, though, that an increasing number of folks are using their smart phones to find cheaper prices online for the products they find while browsing at the Barnes and Noble Bazaar.)

Edit: We recently learned that Google currently gives a $25 Google Play market credit if you buy the Google Nexus 7 and have, or add, a form of payment to their Google Wallet account. This is something to keep in mind if considering a tablet.

For the Fans

There’s a general rule of business that says that 20% of people will hate you no matter what, and 20% will love you no matter what: it’s up to you to work on that remaining 60%. Just like any successful company, Barnes and Noble has fans, and they’ve kept that 20% that loves them relatively happy. But how long can this hold, especially with an increasingly tech-savvy populace? It’s not enough to lure someone into your walled garden, you have to be sure that there’s enough within the walls to keep the people that come in. The $199 price is a great invite, and will likely net them some sales, which will invariably net them ebook and periodical sales. The question now is “what’s next?”

Conclusion

Overall, this looks like a pretty good deal, and a great first response by Barnes and Noble to recent competition. An Amazon Kindle Fire update is obviously in the works, as is a Nook update, so we’ll have to wait and see whether this will really do anything for Barnes and Noble’s bottom line. Still, at $179 for a great 8GB tablet? Yeah, I’d buy that.

Final tip: If you recently–within the last two weeks–bought a Nook at the old prices, you should probably go see if you can get a refund for the difference between the old and new prices.

Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes

If you’re reading this review, there’s a good chance your narrative of history goes something like this: civilization developed in the Middle East and then the Egyptians, and the Greeks arose. The Romans then showed up and took over most of the world before converting to Christianity. When their empire collapsed, there were about a thousand years without any technological progress (but a lot of kings, wars, plagues, and churches). Suddenly, in the 1500′s, the Renaissance occurred, and people like DaVinci and Michelangelo appeared on the scene. During that time we had the discovery of the New World and the Age of Exploration, and the destruction of the Native Americans. This was followed by the Napoleanic wars and the American Revolution, then the Industrial age and finally the modern era.

What’s conspicuously missing from all this is a second major historical player, the adherents of Islam, whose citizens share an entirely different narrative for a thousand years, but who also share foundational roots with the West. That’s what Destiny Disrupted seeks to clue you in on.

Overview

The book starts by warning you that it’s not a scholarly history book, but a book that reads like a conversation you’d have over dinner with a friend. This is entirely true, though throughout the conversation you never forget that your friend is also an expert on world history, both Middle Eastern and Western. But like a friend over a dinner conversation, the book keeps a light, brief tone that is easy to keep up with, meaning that most readers, no matter how unfamiliar they might be with Middle Eastern names, will still be able to keep up.

Throughout the book, Ansary takes special care to cover not only the historical events that shaped the Islamic historical narrative, but also the development of ideas, their consequences, and later interpretations. In fact, it is how history is interpreted which ultimately creates the very disparate versions of Islam we see today, from religious extremists like the Taliban to the secularized Muslims of the West. He clarifies why our civilizations grew up oblivious to each other, what happened when they intersected, and how the Islamic world was affected by its slow recognition that Europe–a place it long perceived as primitive and disorganized–had somehow hijacked destiny.

A good example of the differences in the historical narrative comes by the way each of our cultures view the Crusades. In the West, we learn about the Crusades as the great wars which took place over the course of about 200 years in order to secure Jerusalem for Christianity. (Spoiler: we failed.) But to those in the Middle East, the Crusades proved to be not much more than a nuisance, an incursion by the barbarians inhabiting the lawless wastelands between Constantinople and Andalusia. (“Why, they still eat pig’s meat!”) This holds especially true in the face of what would happen next: the invasion of the Middle East by the Mongol hordes. Where the Crusades were merely a set of skirmishes which ultimately solidified the superiority of Muslim ideas and the righteousness of their cause in their own eyes (thanks in large part to the leadership skills of Saladin), the Mongol invasion was a paradigm-changing event which had many Muslims believing that they had lost God’s favor. Ultimately, this brought about Middle East’s version of the Dark Ages.

On a personal note, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will put this one up there with Mann’s 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus as a must-read history text for people who want more than just a European-centric understanding of history and the development of the modern world.

You can pick up a copy of Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes from one of the following retailers:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Audible.com

Note: I didn’t read, but instead listened to this book via Audible.com. If you haven’t signed up for their service, you can actually get Destiny Disrupted for free, or get it (and 2 other books) for just $7.49. This is what I did, and boy I’m glad I did it.

We are all now being manipulated by corn . . . [The idea of ethanol] is the final triumph of corn over good sense. It is part of corn’s scheme for world domination. And you will see, the amount of corn planted this year will be up dramatically from last year and there’ll be that much more habitat because we’ve decided that ethanol’s going to help us.

– Michael Pollan, TEDTalks 2007 

We are the corn. Resistance is futile.

If you look at nature as a system where one species attempts to manipulate others in order to impose its will, you quickly realize that the greatest example of dominion of one species over another is the agricultural revolution. Here, plants–food plants, specifically, followed by flowers–figured out that the best way to become superior to their competition (other plants) was to entice humans to start planting them. More habitat is therefore created for those plant species. They’re so good at it, in fact, that they’ve gotten us to wipe out entire forests in order to help them propagate. The kings of manipulation are, of course wheat, rice, and corn.

Maybe the Paleo diet crowd is right: grains are evil. Evil geniuses!  

Admittedly, this might be giving plants a lot more credit than they’re due. For example, we created corn and modified to our liking; it didn’t have much say in the matter. Nor did apples, when we began to breed them in such a way as to make them sweeter.

Still, the thought is entertaining. The idea that plant populations would evolve to be more pleasing to species that will help them propagate isn’t that far fetched, at least from an evolutionary standpoint.

All hail our old plant-based overlords.

Before you start reading, let me make something clear: I reviewed the Nook Tablet, not the Nook Color. The Nook Tablet was released in November 2011, and currently retails for $199 $179 for the 8GB model and $250 $199 for the 16GB model. The Nook Color, on the other hand, was released in November 2010, and currently retails for $169 $149 for an 8GB model. Both can be found at your nearest Barnes and Noble.

So here’s the short of it: The tablet has good hardware, a great screen, and a splendidly crafted interface. But the experience marred by the Barnes and Noble App Market, which needlessly fails in nearly every measure. Want more details? Keep on reading.

Editor’s Note 8/15/2012 - Barnes and Noble recently updated the pricing of their tablets. You can read more about this and my thoughts on the move here. The observations and conclusions for this review still hold, however.  

Meeting the Nook Tablet

When you first open the Nook, it’s obvious Barnes and Noble took a hint from Apple’s playbook, with packaging as minimalist as that of the iPad (I’m talking more about the visual design than anything else: extra packaging has become so very passé.) Actually Barnes and Noble’s Nook team has said as much, even going so far as citing the Apple store as an inspiration for the Nook section’s sales floor in Barnes and Nobles stores. Left unsaid is that the Apple influence also shows up  in the way Barnes and Noble treats their app market, something covered later.

Looking at the device itself, it’s light, has a great tactile feel and focused on simplicity. There’s no camera, few buttons, and no extraneous bumps. The device has a very smooth feel. The only odd quirk is Barnes and Noble’s distinctive corner loop, inside of which you’ll find the MicroSD card port. This touch doesn’t get in the way, and in fact adds to the device’s visual and tactile aesthetic.

Turning the device on, you’re greeted by a standard setup screen and after that, your Nook interface.

Barnes and Noble took care to simplify the Android interface, and made it more immediately usable for readers, by listing all the most recently read items along the bottom of the screen. For readers, this is a thing of beauty, and it was one of my favorite design changes. (Seriously, I was making dolphin sounds. It’s that awesome.) Apps and books can all be accessed via the Nook’s cataloging interface, which is accessed by clicking the nook “n” below the screen and clicking on the appropriate selection from the pop-up options.

But, speaking of apps…

The Nook Tablet App Market: Its Biggest Liability

The BN market really is anemic, to say the least. About 2000 apps, most of which are over-priced and/or meant specifically for kids. Now, Barnes and Noble is hitting hard and heavy at the parents with small children market with the Nook Color and the Nook tablet, but this is needlessly done at the cost of everyone else. If you’re looking for a tablet, don’t expect to find one here. This is, very squarely, aimed at readers.

And it gets worse. Side-loading apps on the Nook–that is, installing them by downloading them from a website or uploading them from a computer or memory card, instead of buying them from the Barnes and Noble market directly–is not that easy of a task on the Nook Tablet. Barnes and Noble did this specifically to “encourage” people to use apps from their pathetically small, sadly overpriced app market. Of course, you can get around that by either rooting the device (basically going in there and turning it into a regular tablet), dual booting using a memory card, by following these instructions, if you don’t care for either of the previous options. You can also find YouTube videos on the subject.

Once that’s done, you can side-load any of the Android markets, and download apps from those. I chose to go with the Amazon market because when I tried the standard Android market the tablet became unusable to me. (“I done broke somethin’!”)

But here’s the thing: while side-loading the Amazon market helped out, it should never have come to that, as Amazon has proven with their Kindle App Market, which I quickly installed on my device. Yes, I understand BN has been trying to follow Apple’s walled-garden approach, but really, all its doing is inconveniencing users.

Using Amazon’s market, I was able to install Go Launcher Ex, where I could actually load all the other side-loaded apps I’ve installed, since these didn’t even show up in the Nook installed app listings. (I prefer the Nook’s skin over standard Android.) And by “side-loaded” I mean “through the Amazon market”, not “through the MicroSD card.” After that I was able to install the Dolphin browser, the Google+ app, the free version of Angry Birds (the BN market version is, inexplicably, almost $2), better music and media management tools… you get the picture.

There’s More Good Than Bad

Despite its prominence, the BN market was about the only real negative I could find on the device. As far as reading is concerned, the Nook is quite nice. Reading text on it is wonderful, I love having magazines on it (RPG manuals look great on this, too, by the way, so gamers take note!), and the interface optimization really do emphasize that this is a device for readers. If BN offered to trade me a physical copy of my book for the ebook version I… don’t think I could turn them down. (I’d keep my Gene Wolfe collection, though.)  Video on it looks great, with no noticeable jerking, which plagued the Nook Color.

From a hacker’s perspective, it’s one heck of a device for the price, especially if you can find it used. In fact BN sells the them “certified pre-owned”, which I’ve never had a bad experience with: 8GB for $159 and 16GB for $179. (If you’re in the market for something cheaper, there’s also the pre-owned certified Nook Color 8GB for $139.) You can see the technical specs for the Nook Tablet at the Barnes and Noble Nook Developer website.

As a personal note, this thing with a standard Android market and the current interface would be pretty darn good, though I can see now why BN would want to discourage that: because of their screening, it’s less likely that the device would be infected by any sort of malware, whether from apps in the Google Market or sideloaded apps. The fact that they make more money by locking you in (and jacking up the prices on apps) is incidental, right? If the Barnes and Noble App Market had more than just 1/10 of Amazon’s apps, it might be worth staying BN-only. Hardware-wise, you can’t beat the expandable memory slot. Sure, you can use it to add more space on the device (which you’ll need, since you’re limited to 1GB of your own stuff, with the rest dedicated to BN-specific material)

Nook Tablet vs. Nook App for Smartphones and Tablets

Throughout all this you may have been thinking, “Well, Barnes and Noble has a Nook app for just about every smart phone and tablet out there.” You’re right. The company even has a Nook for Web interface (which I haven’t yet used), which means you can buy and read Nook books and magazines from just about any computer device.

So with all this, what’ the big deal about having the Nook hardware itself?

From a business standpoint it makes sense for them: a device that serves as a storefront for all their wares, specifically their books and magazines. But face it, they’re in this to make money. If you’ve read this far, chances are you’re OK with that, provided it’s an equitable exchange. (I have a few thoughts on what’s wrong with the publishing industry today, especially in regards to ebooks, but that’s a topic for another day.)

From a consumer’s point of view actually owning a Nook device entitles you to a few Barnes and Noble perks while at their stores. (And if you’re buying a Nook there’s a good chance that you already enjoy going out and relaxing at your local Barnes and Noble cafe.)

Not only do you get free face-to-face tech support, but you also have access to their “Free Book Fridays”, where you can download a featured book for free. (Two of my favorite downloads have been Leland Gregory’s Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Through the Ages and Kenneth C. Davis’s Don’t Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned. Of course, they’re not just limited to non-fiction and history, I just happen to read a lot in that genre.)

In addition, while at the store you can read any book from their ebook selection for an hour, including books they don’t have in-store. If you’re thinking you can travel there for an hour every few days and finish off that book you’ve been meaning to read for a while but just can’t bring yourself to buy, don’t worry: this is sort of what they’re expecting. You also have access to coupons and specials that are updated regularly and sent directly to your tablet.

Note that these perks apply to owners of all Barnes and Noble devices, not just the Nook Tablet. They do not, however, apply to people who simply downloaded the free Android or iPhone app.

In short, if you’re only interested in another store from which to buy books, then downloading the app will do just fine. If you’re a bit of a Barnes and Noble fan and (like me) spend more time at their stores than you sometimes care of admit, then buying a Nook comes with a number of perks you’d enjoy.

Verdict

The Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet is an interesting device, one which I want to absolutely adore, which I want to be able to sit here and tell you, “Yes, buy this device because it’s awesome.” After all, they were the first big bookseller to the reader and tablet parties, and have been a trend-setter with their design choices. But I have to cap my excitement, due entirely to the Nook’s promise being stifled by by Barnes and Noble’s restrictions on the device’s usage and on the paltry app market options they all but force on consumers via those restrictions.

Still, my complaints are largely ideological. There is an audience for this kind of device and the functionality it offers, including its tightly controlled market. I would recommend to people (especially non-technical folks) looking for a device specifically meant for reading, watching Netflix or Hulu, or who have little kids and plan to buy a lot of children’s books. But even to them, I can only really recommend going with the 8GB model: the anemic Barnes and Noble app market–to which 7 of those 8 gigabytes are dedicated–all but guarantees that you will never use more than that, even if you plan to download thousands of books and magazines. In case you need more space, just buy a MicroSD card and put it into the expandable memory slot the device so wonderfully provides. (That feature alone may be the single biggest selling point for the device.)

If you don’t specifically fit into one of those categories, however, and are looking for the full tablet experience, you might do better to skip the Nook and find yourself for something else, especially at the $250 $199 range. Unless, of course, you spend a lot of time at a Barnes and Noble store. The perks might actually make it worth it.

Editor’s Note 8/15/2012 - Barnes and Noble recently updated the pricing of their tablets. You can read more about this and my thoughts on the move here. The observations and conclusions for this review still hold, however.  

Pros

• The device is light and has a wonderful tactile feel. Important if you’ll be using this as a reading device, since often the biggest complaint about tablets is that they’re too heavy to be used as reading devices for long periods.
• The Nook’s interface design is pretty good–I love the integration of books/magazines/apps in the “recently used” timeline, and the dedicated “take me to the last thing I was reading” button.
• The print media integration is even better, and it’s evident that’s exactly what this device is intended to do.
• For people who need a simple tablet, mostly for reading (particularly if they don’t have a smart phone or an E-Ink reader) this works great, and in fact, I’d recommend it: it’s light, has a beautiful screen that’s easy on the eyes, has marvelous features for readers, and has astounding battery life.
• If you’re willing to hack this thing some then it’s a nice, cheap tablet if you can find one used.

Cons

• The BN ecosystem stinks out loud. It can’t compete with the Amazon ecosystem, not to mention the standard Android ecosystem.
• The 16GB model is pricey considering its age, unless you can get one either used, refurbished, or with that nifty deal BN keeps running where you also get a free $50 gift card.

Final Thoughts

There are a few things about this device (or rather, this class of device) that make me leery of the tablet-for-reading concept:

1. First, maybe it’s  just personal preference, but when it comes to reading, I’ll take E-Ink over a backlit screen nearly every day. The exceptions to this, are, of course, magazines and textbooks. For my books, I currently own a Nook Simple Touch, which my wife and I both adore. It’s easy on the eyes, better than paper in many respects, and the device itself is the perfect size.
2. Second, as much as I thought I’d like the 7″ format… I think it’s a bit small for a tablet. Sure, it’s great for comic books and movies, but the size is too small for most magazines and textbooks, two markets for which BN has been pushing this device. (The third, as I mentioned, is parents with small children.)

(Speaking of comic books, if you want a tablet for comics, keep in mind that Marvel has a deal with Amazon while DC has a deal with Barnes and Noble.)

The Nook Tablet itself is not a bad reading device, and its design aesthetic is spectacular for the task, especially if you like the trade paperback format. The screen is crisp and clear, making for an enjoyable viewing experience, whether it’s words on a page, images in a magazine, or a movie from Hulu Plus. But if you’re looking for a tablet, go with a newer or more powerful model. At $250 plus tax for the 16GB device, this tablet is currently overpriced. (An argument can be made that the 8GB/$199 plus tax version is actually well priced, although even that pushes the envelope some by now.) If you need to pick between the two, get the 8GB model, no question: there’s not enough BN content to fill 16GB (and make no mistake, 15GB of that 16GB is for BN-downloaded content only), and you can always add extra memory via the MicroSD card slot. A 32GB MicroSD card will run you about $30 these days.

I hope you enjoyed this overview of the device. If you have anything you’d like to add, or if you have any questions, please drop me a line in the comment section below.

For more information about the devices listed, or to snag one for yourself, check out Barnes and Noble’s website:

• Nook Color
• Nook Tablet 8GB
• Nook Tablet 16GB

…[W]e are alive and that it is gift and privilege, not right. We must earn life once it has been awarded to us. Life asks for rewards back because it has favored us with animation.

– Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

When was the last time you looked at the world around you and thanked–or even thought about–the splendor of existence and life?

I’d like to say that I walk out every morning, look at the sky and trees and grass on the ground and say a big thank you to the universe (or whatever created it), but in fact I don’t. I’m often thinking about other things — bills, work, breakfast, that movie I just saw — that I’m oblivious to not only everything that’s around me, but everything that is. The cliche here is, of course, that one should live like today’s the last day because one day they’ll most certainly be right, but how many of us actually do that? Face it, to most of us this is nothing more than an intellectual exercise. The only time we actually do live like it’s our last day is on those days right before we go back to work. “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we go back to the office and sit in our cubicles for 8 hours…”

Take a minute today to enjoy your environment. If you’re not happy where you are, go somewhere you think you’ll be happier. Still not happy? Find somewhere else. When you eventually find a place–a grassy field, a basketball court, your back porch–take a minute to thank life for being within you, for allowing you the chance to experience this, even if it never gets shared with anyone else. Realize for that minute that the you’re the universe’s consciousness. Think about it, we don’t know whether there’s any life out there, so for all intents and purposes, if there’s any thinking or appreciating that’s going to be done in this huge dark universe of ours, where the vast majority of things would kill us in an instant, it has to be done by you. More than that, you’re in the best time in all of human history to appreciate, as Richard Dawkins put it, “the magic of reality.”

If so inclined, take a notepad with you and write down a bit of what you see, and why you’re thankful for it. And don’t be afraid to let yourself write whatever comes to mind. (And if you’re embarrassed by it–even though you shouldn’t be, “To thine own self be true” and all–destroy the paper soon thereafter.)

Commit to doing this one minute of every day, and see where your mind leads you. Chances are it’ll be closer to that place where you can thank life than you were the week before.