eric135

A World I Never Made, Buy Don't Hold, SLV, a baby crying...

• I just finished A World I Never Made, an ebook by James Lepore. It's gotten an average of 4 stars out of 5 on Amazon. It isn't free any more, but it's still at a good price at about 4 bucks.
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  I've been keeping an eye on SLV, one of the ETFs I've been trading. I got the tip reading Buy Don't Hold, by Leslie Masonson. The book has a companion web site. The main point is that they have identified a universe of 74 ETFs, which they rank by relative strength. For the past while, the top-ranked ETF was SLV, which basically is silver. I got in on it at a fairly good price, but now that ETF is totally taking off, and everyone is watching it looking for signs of the inevitable bubble that is no doubt on its way. My only problem is that the other top ETFs have hardly moved in the past several weeks.
• Our next door neighbors have a little kid. I'd say he's about two. Every time he leaves in the morning, or really any time he leaves the apartment with one of his parents, he absolutely screams. We can hear him screaming out the door, down the stairs, as the parents strap him into the car seat. I swear I can hear him screaming as they turn the car around the corner. I don't know how they stand it. I mean, it really doesn't "bother" me at all but damn all that screaming, three or four times a day... gods how do they stand it? I never hear them yelling at him or acting all mad or upset, they just gradually move from the apartment (an inexplicable 10 or so minutes to lock the door), down the stairs (another 4 minutes -- they must take one step every 10 seconds). The process is reversed when they return. That kid is going to be an opera singer. Parents. God bless 'em.

Jailbreaking Screensaver Hack for Kindle 3.1: Using your own pictures in Kindle Screensaver...

One of the most highly sought-after features that isn't yet offered on the Kindle is for the user to select their own images for the screensaver. As it is now, when the Kindle goes into screensaver mode, it has a pre-set selection of images (many of which I find beautiful but some apparently find them ghastly). Everyone was hoping the latest version of Kindle (3.1) would include this modification, but the latest update released this week was a bit of a disappointment in this regard.

There have been hacks available, which you can download. Here is one of them that I found on How-To-Geek: Jailbreak Your Kindle for Dead Simple Screensaver Customization. The process basically has eight steps:

1. Download the Zipped file containing the Jailbreaking codes (necessary to make the Screensaver hacks work).
2. Copy the correct file (Wifi, 3G and country) to the root drive of the Kindle 3.
3. Restart the Kindle. The Kindle will be "jailbroken" after the restart.
4. Download the Zipped file containing the Screensaver hacks.
5. Copy the correct file (WiFi, 3G and country) to the root drive of the Kindle 3.
6. Restart the Kindle. New folders will be created to receive the new image files.
7. Copy desired photographs into the Screensavers folder (a subfolder under the linkss folder).
8. Restart the Kindle. The Kindle will display your new images when it goes into screensaver mode.

The page is a very understandable guide for installing the necessary files; unfortunately, the latest Kindle update prevented these hacks to be executed.

So I was rooting around on the internets and found this page: Yifan Lu's codes for jailbreaking the Kindle, updated for version 3.1. The link to the zip files containing the codes are in bottom left corner. So instead of using the Jailbreaking codes outlined in How-To-Geek, use Yifan's jailbreaking code. Then you can use How-To-Geek's screensaver hacks.

So, an updated nine-step process:

1. Go to the How-To-Geek site to familiarize yourself with the whole process.
2. Instead of using How-T0-Geek's Jailbreaking code, go to Yifan Lu's and use those. Download and unzip the zipped file containing the Jailbreaking codes (necessary to make the Screensaver hacks work).
3. Copy the correct file (Wifi, 3G and country) to the root drive of the Kindle 3.
4. Restart the Kindle. The Kindle will be "jailbroken" after the restart.
5. Go to How-To-Geek's site and download/unzip the Zipped file containing the Screensaver hacks.
6. Copy the correct file (Wifi, 3G and country) to the root drive of the Kindle 3.
7. Restart the Kindle. New folders will be created to receive the new image files.
8. Copy desired photographs into the "Screensavers" folder (a subfolder under the "linkss" folder).
9. Restart the Kindle. The Kindle will display your new images when it goes into screensaver mode.

Some very important points to keep in mind:

• According to some sources, jailbreaking your Kindle in any way voids the warranty. Others have stated that Amazon will not void the warranty for jailbreaking, but will not support any problems you have with your Kindle if there are jailbreaking hacks installed. Apparently, they can tell.
• As with any jailbreaking activity, this process could potentially brick your Kindle. I haven't run into any situations where this specific jailbreak and hack has bricked a Kindle, but like any other computer device, they can get snarky. BE SURE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING. Generally, if your mattresses still have the tags on them because you are scared the mattress-tag police will get you if you rip them off, jailbreaking is not for you.
• The jailbreaking codes and the screensaver hack codes are unique, depending on which version of the Kindle you own, as well as your country.
• You must download the Uninstall.bin files that specifically matches the jailbreaking code and the screensaver code that you use. First, copy the uninstall code for the screensaver hack, then restart the Kindle, then copy the uninstall code for the jailbreaking code, then restart the Kindle (basically the whole process in reverse). The last part of the How-To-Geek page contains more info. At any rate, you have to keep these in a safe place (I put them in my Dropbox.com folder).
• The images you use need to be re-sized to 600x800 in order to fit on the Kindle's screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes, Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick, Origins by Randolph Lalonde, Borders Books Bankruptcy

One of my New Year's resolutions was that I would blog more frequently...

Well, there goes that...

Some general things (in lieu of a more coherently cogitated post):

• This is the second year in a row that we've done our taxes way ahead of time. What usually happens is we wait until the night of April 15th, fretting over Turbotax or Taxcut software with sweatty palms, and then we just mail our returns late (the IRS has never given us any hell over it, regardless if we owe additional tax or are owed a refund). But then we thought that, if we could get our act together, we could use the refund from the State of Arizona to pay for the tax bill from the IRS (the two usually match within a couple hundred dollars). This year we sent our Arizona return in and got our refund after about a week, and we just mailed off the IRS return. Sweet, for us...
• I continue to be amazed at how much reading I've been doing, thanks to the Kindle I got for Christmas. Looking back at the books I've downloaded since Christmas day, I've read 18 books, the vast majority of which were totally free. About half of them are books about trading stocks and leadership, the other half are fiction. Of the fiction titles, about half of those are science fiction, the rest are mystery/thrillers. I'm currently reading an interesting diversion from my usual fare:
    Greatest Knight, by Elizabeth Chadwick. I know it looks a bit like a Harlequin Romance but it's actually a well written historical novel. I can't remember the last time I read one, and it was getting pretty good reviews. The author reportedly spent years researching the historical record, participating in re-enactments.
  I just finished Origins, by Randolph Lalond. Another free ebook, it is the first of a six-book series. I had never heard of the author but it was actually pretty good.
   And just to prove I really do read non-fiction, another book I'm currently working on is Firms of Endearment, by Sheth Sisodia and Wolfe. I know a few of my co-workers read my blog... let's just say I agree that the place could use a bit of endearment... ahem...
• All these weeks of reading my Kindle has made me feel a bit guilty over the recent announcements that Borders is going through Bankruptcy. It turns out that our local Borders will be one of the stores closed, and it was a favorite hangout for me to read books in big comfy chairs. I hate that the convenience of the Kindle has meant that all of my book business is going to Amazon. Their decision to have Kindle apps on just about every kind of device, and allowing syncing among all of them, has made the Kindle experience an excellent one, and then when you get it free, it makes everyone else look bad.
  
  
  
  

Free Kindle Book: Serial, by Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch

 Serial, by Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch: This short (three chapters) ebook is still currently free on Amazon. From the Amazon page:

Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking?
# 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.
# 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.
So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?

When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an "After School Special," SERIAL is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides. Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, SERIAL is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other's opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.

I love murder novels (and I have no idea what that says about me). This one is the story of two serial killers, one that picks up hitchhikers, the other a hitchhiker that preys on the dopes that pick them up. It is a bit gorey, but the good ones usuallly are. Some of the book had me giggling deliciously at the characters' sheer mean-spiritedness. From what I've read, the two authors basically collaborated via email, fleshing out the story over three chapters. Very entertaining. 

Listening to Podcasts on the Kindle

I've been experimenting more with my Kindle. I downloaded a few podcasts onto it, but it wasn't that great of an experience using the Kindle's experimental "Play Music" function. It turns out that function can only play the mp3's in the order you loaded them onto the Kindle. The mp3's didn't appear on my Home menu. Also, if you stop the mp3 and then turn off the Kindle, there is no way to start up where I left off. I had been loading mp3's into a folder that was automatically titled "Music".

Then, a couple of days ago, I noticed, instead of a "Music" folder on my Kindle, there was a folder called "Audible." When I loaded the mp3's into this folder, they appeared on the Home menu so I could listen to the podcasts in whatever order I wished. Plus, while the podcast was playing, I could skip forward or backward by 30 seconds. If I turned the Kindle off, I could pick up right where I left off. Overall a much better experience loading into the "Audible" folder instead of the "Music" folder.

I still enjoy listening to podcasts, even though there seem to be fewer and fewer good podcasts being produced.

My favorote podcasts:

 This Week in Tech: I used to watch Leo Laporte back when he was on TechTV on The Screensavers. After that show passed on, I kept track of him through his Leoville website. He has a way of making technology accessible, whether you are a complete technophile or you're the kind of person that can't program their Tivo.

 Power Trading by Online Trading Academy: Just about the only (if not the only) podcast that publishes daily when the US markets trade. You not only get commentary on that day's market news, but good advice on how to assimilate news. You also get good general advice about trading, market indicators, trading platforms and trading strategy. From the RSS feed:

Power Trading Radio is a daily progressive trader focused program, hosted by long time trader Merlin Rothfeld, who offers expert analysis of the market from a trader’s perspective.  Fueled by Online Trading Academy, the show is designed to take average investors and give them the skills that they need for real success.  The show covers issues relating to Stocks, Forex, Futures, Options, Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, IRA’s and more.  http://www.powertradingradio.com

I have started listening to these podcasts at work on my break. I don't know if it's just a phase, but I usually eat by myself when I am at work, and enjoy the peace and quiet. Usually sitting in one of the empty surgical waiting rooms, I can eat a meal away from patients and without the distraction of talking about nursing while I'm at work. Many of the folks that I have worked with have left, or are looking to leave, so it can sometimes be discouraging. Listening to Leo Laporte or listening about the stock market can make it more bearable.

Free Kindle Books: The Three Secrets to Trading Momentum Indicators, by David Penn

This is another ebook that I downloaded from Amazon for my Kindle. The current price is up to 9.99 but it was 0.00 when I downloaded it shortly after Christmas.

 The Three Secrets to Trading Momentum Indicators, by David Penn: from the book's Amazon site:

You can't predict the future, but if you see a car going 100 miles an hour toward a picket fence, you have a pretty good idea. In trading, this concept is called momentum and it is one of the most widely used factors in creating effective, profitable technical indicators. Penn shows you three secrets that allow you to capitalize on the power of momentum indicators. Momentum indicators are excellent for getting on the right side of the trend and spotting the reversal before it happens. With a mastery of momentum, traders can put this predictability to work making them money.

The thing that totally got my attention when I first started reading the book was when the author spelled out the Three Secrets in the very first chapter. That's refreshingly innovative, since most authors don't want to "blow their wad" until you've sorted through a lot of chapters. You still have to read the following chapters to get an idea of the specifics, but I guess if the first chapter seemed totally ludicrous, you could put it down right there (but I wouldn't suggest it). I personally use the MACD indicator to time my buying of an individual stock, but the book gave a couple of other interesting indicators to use as a backup, and covered an interesting idiosyncracy of the MACD that is particularly profitable (although I have yet to see it happen in real life).