We should have known better

For some reason, Vanilla Bean doesn't like Ann and me showing affection for each other. I think it's mostly jealousy - she thinks Mommy is all hers and doesn't like us holding hands or even necessarily talking to each other. We mostly deal with it by trying to ignore the screaming and protestations.

Last night, Vanilla Bean and the Monkey were in the tub. Ann and I were standing there, so I reached over and gave her a hug. Vanilla Bean looked up and very seriously said, "Stop doing that! Stop being so married!" We busted up laughing, and fortunately she realized she'd said something funny and laughed with us.

iPad vs. Kindle

Yesterday a friend asked how I thought the upcoming release of the Apple iPad would affect the Kindle market. Obviously, it’s too early to tell for sure. No one knows exactly which books will be available on the iPad or what the pricing scheme will look like. More importantly, no one knows how Amazon will respond to the release of the iPad. That being said, there are a few things that seem apparent to me.

First, based on my own personal experience, Amazon recognizes that it needs to get the Kindle into people’s hands so that they’ll spend the money on e-books. This is a well-rehearsed business scheme: drive down the cost of hardware so that people will spend money on software that runs on the hardware. Hardware is usually a one-time cost for the consumer, but they’ll continue to spend money on sofware for as long as they own the device. Apple itself is familiar with this model; I’m sure they’ve made FAR more money selling songs on iTunes than they ever made on sales of iPods. Recently I dropped and broke my Kindle. The incident was entirely my fault and was certainly not related to any problem with the device itself. I called Amazon and they claimed it was covered under warranty (I’d read the warranty, and “user droppage” is not covered). They overnighted me a new device free of charge. This was about a week before the announcement of the iPad. Amazon knew that if I had to buy another piece of hardware I might be inclined to buy an iPad and they’d lose a customer who’d bought literally dozens of e-books in the last year. Their concern was not so much in ensuring they made money off selling me a new Kindle, but in making sure that they could continue to profit from me buying books.

Second, comparing the Kindle to the iPad is very much an apples-to-oranges comparison. There are people who are willing and cash-enabled to purchase $50,000 overpowered muscle cars with every accessory imaginable. That doesn’t mean there’s not a market for $20,000 Hondas that most people use to drive to their jobs every day. Likewise, a high-powered, flashy handheld tablet will appeal to a certain market, but this doesn’t preclude a market for lower priced, dedicated e-book devices.

Similarly, the Kindle seems like a much more likely gifting option than the iPad. Amazon sold an enormous number of devices during the holiday shopping period. It seems feasible to buy a loved one a $250, one-time-cost device like an e-reader. It seems less feasible that someone would buy their mother-in-law a $600 device that requires a $15-a-month data plan. The Kindle is a relatively simple device to use, with no montly data plan costs. This relative simplicity can appeal to a large group of consumers.

Some industry watchers have stated that people will avoid buying the large-screened Kindle DX since it only costs 10 dollars less than a much more capable iPad ($489 versus $499). I agree, but I still think the comparison is moot. As I stated at the beginning, much depends on how Amazon chooses to respond to the release of the iPad. Instead of increasing the capabilities of the Kindle to try to compete with Apple’s tablet, they should focus on reducing the cost of the device to continue to appeal to a consumer market that wants something simple and cheap (with a battery life measured in weeks rather than hours). Here are a few ways Amazon can do that:

· Get the cost of the Kindle below $200 (from its current price point of $259). I suspect that many people will not even consider the comparison between a $200 e-reader and a $600 tablet. A three-fold cost difference puts these devices into completely different market brackets.
· Incorporate a color screen into the next generation of Kindles. In terms of reading, I don’t personally believe that having a black-and-white only screen is hugely important. However, the lack of a color screen is widely perceived to be a disadvantage, so removing this barrier will be an important way for the Kindle to remain relevant in a digital-media market.
· Most importantly, Amazon needs to focus on getting books onto their device. As I have stated in a previous post, the single most important factor in choosing an e-reader device is whether the books I read are available on the device. All the features in the world are meaningless if the books I want to read aren’t there. Amazon should be doing whatever it takes to get publishers to stay with the device, even if it means increasing the price point from their standard $10 scheme.


Amazon’s main job is to separate itself from the iPad as they are not likely to be able to compete with Apple on its own turf. Nor do they need to; if they play their cards well, there’s absolutely no reason the Kindle can’t continue to be successful in a post-iPad world.

PS: I recognize there are other very good e-book readers out there. I'm only discussing the Kindle because it's the one I have and the one whose business model I understand best.

Tourism in Haiti

CNN posted an article today about the controversy surrounding Royal Caribbean's decision to resume sending cruise ships to their private resort on Haiti. Many are criticizing the company for the move, saying tourists shouldn't be enjoying the high-life while people continue to die nearby. The company has defended its decision saying that bringing tourism to the island contributes to the health of the economy. They also argue that diverting the ship to another destination wouldn't actually help anyone on the island.

I must admit that at first glance the thought of enjoying a day on the beach just down from Port-au-Prince does seem tacky at best. But as I continued to explore the idea, it occurred to me that the discussion is really one of scale. Haiti has been and will continue to be one of the poorest countries in the world. People died of malnutrition and disease there long before the current disaster, and yet the cruise ships came. In ten years, people will still be dying of causes that the tourists could never comprehend, and yet the cruise ships will come. If I, as an individual, didn't care about or contribute to the solution before, cancelling my cruise now won't actually affect the outcome.

I must confess that I have struggled with my own response to the disaster in Haiti. It is a hugely catastrophic situation, to be sure, but again I contend that the scale of the situation is what disinguishes it, not the specific suffering involved. Every day, everywhere, people suffer just as miserably and I look away. Why do I feel more inclined to try to ease the suffering of Haitian earthquake victims but didn't feel so inclined two weeks ago to lighten the load of the Haitian poor?

Please let me clarify that I completely recognize the wealth that I live in. I have never known a single day of poverty in my life. I can think of twice that I have seen poverty, real poverty, personally. When I was 17, I attended a community service trip with my school to Chaco, an area in northern Argentina. I remember seeing the rural poor, people who lived in small, self-built shacks with no utilities. About a year later, I went on a mission trip to Paso de Aguila, a bordertown in Mexico. We worked in what I can only call a slum, and I still marvel at the conditions of the people there. But mostly, I have continued to live my upper middle-class life, happy to enjoy uninterrupted warm water, electricity, and air conditioning. For me, poverty is not being able to take a vacation this year or having to wait yet another year to upgrade to HD cable. I do not know what it means to actually wonder where my food will come from, or question if my child will catch a water-borne illness, or if that child will die if it gets sick.

So let me try to come back around to my point, if indeed there is one. I have always lived, still live, and will continue to live in a world where I am more privileged and wealthy than almost everyone else in the world. How am I to live globally, not focusing on the affluence of the people around me, but on the stark, endless poverty that so much of the world lives in? In two months, when the cameras have left Haiti and the cruise ships return guilt-free, will I still care about the people who live there?

This is why my friends are awesome...

I am posting here for your perusal a conversation that took place between me, my old friend M, and a co-worker/friend named G. It began with my claim to G that I had once pulled a knife on a guy and her disbelief at the awesomeness of this fact. To back up my claim, I sent the following note to M, who'd witnessed said knife-pulling:

M, I have a story that needs vouching. G (also on this e-mail) does not believe that I once pulled a knife on a dude in Buenos Aires. Do you remember, we’d gone to see a movie, and you had your camera and a bunch of CDs in your bag, and those two guys split us up and I pulled a box cutter on him? PLEASE tell me you remember so you can back me up here!

M, being the manly friend that he is, responded:

Dear G,

The tale C has spun is actually true. However I remember things a little differently. I was 17 so C was probably 18 and the night before this event I had spent the night at C's house. I'd brought a ton of CD's over because we were gonna make mixtapes (what kind of 12 year old girl sleep over party was this?). Anyway, the next day we decided to go see Schindler's List in Belgrano, a district in Buenos Aires that's kinda like Times Square. After this 4 hour behemoth of pure cinematic feel good sunshine, we walk into the heart of Belgrano a bit dazed. Remember I still have my bag filled with CD's with me at this time as I haven't gone home yet. This is where my memory differs somewhat from C's. C says he remembers two "dudes" trying to mug us. I remember two 13-14 year old boys trying to mug us. Since the street is crowded with people these two dudes split us up pretty easily, trying to engage us in a conversation. The one dude gets me behind a bus stop poster and tells me to give him my bag. I laughed and said no because I swear he had to have been 13 years old and I knew I could take him no problem. I walk from behind the bus stop poster AND I SEE C WHIP OUT A BOX CUTTER AND STICK IT RIGHT IN THIS DUDE'S FACE!!!!. Shock and awe Ginny. Shock and awe (this should be C's gmail handle). The dudes run off. I am standing there totally dumbstruck. As I recall I said, "That's the manliest thing I've ever seen..."

The End.

To this day I cannot watch or think of the movie Schindler's List without thinking of this event.

Shock and Awe,

M

At this point I feel the need to respond one last time:

I would like to point out this one awesome fact: When M thinks of Schindler’s List, he does not think of Liam Neeson saving children, or of the atrocities of war and holocaust. No, these are not the images that come to his mind. By his own admission, he thinks of me, standing proudly, waving my knife in a wanna-be mugger’s ugly face.

Please, no labels...

I hate being labeled. I understand the need to categorize things, to sort things in our minds, to organize the world around us in an attempt to understand how things work. My children love to compare things and understand the similarities and differences between the objects around them. This is an entirely human response. But I would hope that we’re a little more profound - a little more complex - than the quaint labels that people would like to stick on us.

Do not try to call me a conservative or a liberal. My opinions and beliefs on specific issues are driven by thought and argument, not because of someone else’s agenda. On some issues, I hold a more politically conservative opinion (I am pro-life and pro-small government), but on other issues I would be called a political liberal (I am pro-gun control and against the death penalty). I am fully willing to argue my belief on any one of these issues independently. But I won’t defend any of them against a charge of being “conservative” or “liberal.” The labeling is meaningless outside of a discussion of the issue itself. I have voted for both Democrat and Republican candidates based on the issues that I feel are important at the time and the candidate’s stance on those issues. Voting this way requires a lot more effort than simply choosing the “D” or “R” box on the first page, but it more accurately reflects how I feel about the officials that represent me.

I even flinch from being called a Baptist. I proudly attend a Southern Baptist church for two reasons:

• I was raised in a Southern Baptist church and feel more comfortable in the structure and traditions of that denomination.
• In general, the doctrine of the Southern Baptist denomination holds fairly closely with my own beliefs.

However, I would hope that someone wouldn’t merely look up “Southern Baptists” on Wikipedia and assume they understand what I believe about any given issue. There are, in fact, practices with which I do not agree, but I stand firm with the fellowship of believers to which I am bound. I attend a Baptist church, but do not assume you understand everything about me because of that.

Despite our need and desire to categorize the world around us, there are rarely such simple black-and-white differentiations. We should challenge ourselves to understand issues and the subtleties and complexities of people’s opinions, rather than be lazy and rely on simple labels to define how we respond to those around us.

For those considering buying an e-book reader

This year, I bought my first e-book reader, the Kindle 2. I'd resisted buying the first generation Kindle. Despite my love of gadgetry, I try to avoid buying first-generation technology. The price tends to be very high relative to the usefulness of the technology (there’s a premium fee for being an early adopter, as iPhone buyers learned when the price of the device dropped drastically mere weeks after its initial release), and I prefer to wait for bugs to be worked out. I was a little wary about going the e-book route; I couldn’t imagine giving up the feel of paper, and I was concerned that the books I wanted to read wouldn’t always be available. Nine months after getting my Kindle, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back.

Right now, there are three primary competitors in the e-book reader market: Sony’s PRS, Amazon’s Kindle, and Barnes and Noble’s just-released Nook. While each one has some technical advantages over the other, my belief is that the storefront availability of books is much more important than any hardware differences. Regardless of how good the reader itself is, it hardly matters if the book you want to read isn’t available on it.

I’m worried that, as the e-book market itself expands and stabilizes, we might even see some publishers retaining exclusivity rights to certain devices; i.e., Publisher A will only put their books on Reader X, while Publisher B will only put their books on Reader Y. This is similar to the current videogame market, where some games are only sent to certain consoles, so if you want to play every game out there you have to own every console. Ultimately, I don’t believe this business model is sustainable for e-books, and we’ll end up with something more like the current downloadable music model, where the files you download are standardized and playable on any MP3 player - likewise, the books you download will ultimately be readable on any device.

If you’re considering buying an e-book reader (and you very well might be, as it’s one of the big sellers this holiday season) and are trying to decide which model to buy, I would encourage you to go to the device’s website and see if the last five or ten books you read are available for a specific device. The website Ebookchoice.com can help with this by showing what books are available by device, but their catalog doesn’t seem complete yet. Again, I can assure you that it won’t matter how great the hardware itself is if you can’t get the books you want toread.

For the Kindle, I’ve learned that not every book I want to read is available, but there are certainly enough available to keep me reading. The advantages of owning the device far outweigh the slight decrease in availability, but those advantages may not be relevant to everyone.

Multiple readings

As a rule, I try to avoid reading multiple books at once. I'm not great at juggling multiple storylines or thought processes, and once I start a book I like to press through it as quickly as possible so I can move on to the next one. That being said, I'm actually moving back and forth between six books all at once right now:

• Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining and Bad Attitudes... in You and Your Kids by Scott Turansky. This is one we're reading as part of a small group with some friends. We're supposed to get through one chapter a week, so it'll take about three months to get through the whole thing.
• Choose the Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship by Bill Hull. Part of ANOTHER small group we're in. I'm about halfway through. It's very challenging to my long-bred idea of how to "do church," and there are elements that I find very difficult to come to terms with. But it's certainly pushing back some of my horizons.
• The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann. This is my current "fun" book, the one I read while relaxing in bed or laid out on the couch. It's a story of post-Victorian era explorer Fawcett and his quest for a lost city in the Amazon jungle. Basically, it's about a guy way manlier than I can even conceive.
• NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson. As a rule, I find parenting books kind of faddish. It seems to me that parenting should be a pretty instinctive thing. I don't mean we shouldn't THINK about how to parent, or that it should be EASY, but that over-analyzing it doesn't seem like the right approach either. This book documents studies showing that much of what we would consider the obviously correct approach to parenting can be wrong. This is one of the most eye-opening books I've read in a long time.
• Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the World's Languages by Daniel Nettle. This one is a tough read, so I usually only get through a chapter or so at a time. The writing isn't really superb, and many of their conclusions seem a little naive and politically-motivated, but the subject itself is interesting enough to keep me coming back.
• Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution: A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First by Alister McGrath. This is the book that is absolutely kicking my butt. I asked a friend of mine for a suggestion about a biography of Martin Luther and he steered me to this epic tome about everything Reformation-related. I've found that I can't read it right before bed - it gets my brain spun up and I have trouble going to sleep. The problem is that the book is enormous, so it'll take me quite a while to get through it. But as a protestant Christian it's amazing to me to see the way so much of what I believe came to be.

The nice thing is that all of these except Choose the Life are on my Kindle, so I'm not having any trouble keeping track of where I left something. Hopefully I can finish a couple of these out before Christmas and get my list down to a (relatively) more manageable four books.