Category: Technology & Gadgets

  • My iPad has arrived!

    24 May 2011 » 1 min read about iPad, Technology & Gadgets

    It was originally supposed to ship today and be delivered on May 31. Then I was notified that it shipped on May 22 with a delivery date of May 26. But when I checked this morning, I saw that it was out on the FedEx truck for delivery! I rushed home at 9am, since I’d…

  • I am replacing my MacBook with… an iPad!

    11 May 2011 » 3 min read about iPad, Technology & Gadgets

    My MacBook is nearly 4 years old. It still works pretty well, but it is beginning to show signs of decay. The trackpad, for instance, has grown ultra-sensitive. Sometime, even pressing a key like the spacebar will cause a “mouse-click” on the trackpad, which in turn seems to want to select all of your text.…

  • InterGalactic Medicine Show now available on Kindle

    14 Mar 2011 » 1 min read about kindle, Technology & Gadgets

    Good news! Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show is now available on the Kindle. I have a soft spot for IGSM. Not only do they publish very good science fiction and fantasy, but they also published my first pro science fiction story, “When I Kissed the Learned Astronomer” back in July 2007. If you’ve never…

  • It’s official: I want an iPad

    31 Jan 2011 » 1 min read about Technology & Gadgets

    When iPad’s first came out, I didn’t see a compelling reason to get one. After all, I have an iMac and a MacBook and an iPhone, to say nothing of a Kindle, and those seem to do well to make up for any lack I might experience. But in the back of my mind, I…

  • The paperless writing-cycle using Scrivener and Kindle

    28 Jan 2011 » 3 min read about kindle, Technology & Gadgets, Writing & Publishing

    Combining my quest for a paperless office at home with my writing goals this year has required some changes to old habits. It used to be that I would write the first draft of a story, print that story out, mark up the printout, and then begin working on the second draft. But I’m trying…

  • Using the Kindle to read story drafts

    17 Jan 2011 » 3 min read about kindle, Technology & Gadgets, Writing & Publishing

    My evolution of story draft reading has come a long way in the last year. A year ago, I’d print out my first drafts, mark them up in red ink and then head into my second draft. Then I tried reading the draft within Scrivener and that worked pretty well, too, but it was a…

  • Alarmfail 2011

    03 Jan 2011 » 1 min read about Technology & Gadgets

    I use my iPhone as my alarm clock. I rarely need an alarm clock because I generally wake up when I want to, but I set it as a backup. It has a soft harp sound that won’t wake Kelly and I can have an alarm for weekdays and weekends. Last night I set my…

  • Tools of the trade

    30 Oct 2010 » 5 min read about Technology & Gadgets, Writing & Publishing

    With lots of people posting their initial impressions on Scrivener 2.0, I figured I’d talk about some of the other tools I use since I plan to write about my impressions of Scrivener 2.0 after I’ve completed NaNoWriMo.  Scrivener is, of course my main tool for writing because it does a whole lot of things…

  • Kindle “samples” save money!

    24 Sep 2010 » 1 min read about kindle, Reading & Books, Technology & Gadgets

    I’ve recently discovered another bonus of the Kindle–which I have been using now for well over a year: samples!  Prior to having a Kindle, my book-buying behavior followed 2 possible pathways: Rush off to bookstore, browse for something that piqued my interest, and purchase on the hopes that I would like it.  I rarely had…

  • Kindle to the rescue

    13 May 2010 » 2 min read about kindle, Reading & Books, Technology & Gadgets

    It doesn’t happen often, but on those rare occasions when it does, it drives me nuts:  I leave the house and by the time I get to work, I realize I’ve forgotten whatever book it is that I happen to be reading.  I look forward to my lunches everyday because I usually spend that time…

  • More thoughts on the Kindle

    23 Sep 2009 » 2 min read about kindle, Technology & Gadgets

    Now that I have read about half a dozen books on my Kindle, I thought I’d offer a few more thoughts on the device and the experience: I often read while I am eating my lunch.  With a traditional book, this has always been somewhat of a problem for me.  I am very careful with my books, even paperbacks, where…