Reading and Technology - II

As promised, here is my second update, after a day of light usage.

Firstly, some basics for people not familiar with eBook readers:

1. Most eBook readers do not have colour screens and use eInk displays.
2. Readers typically support PDF as the most common format followed by PUB, Kindle, etc.
3. Readers support protected content (Adobe DRM protected PDFs) - DRM - Digital Rights Management
4. There are thousands of free eBooks available for content whose copyright has expired
5. Almost all providers have either dedicated electronic stores or support formats from other stores

Now for my experience:

The default font and portrait mode were a little uncomfortable for me. Increasing the font size resulted in lines wrapping quickly and to me it was inconvenient to read. I found my optimum by switching to landscape mode and a font size higher than the default (the device comes with font sizes of S, M, L, XL and XXL - with S being the default!). This gave me a line length approximately similar to a printed book.

One issue with landscape mode is that the Previous Page / Next Page buttons go to the left of the screen. I would have preferred to have them on the right, as the right thumb would have been the most convenient way to flip pages. Hitting the button is (currently) easier for me than doing the fingertip swoosh from right to left (so beloved of iPhone users!).

So far, I have been reading short stories on the Reader, have not really tested it will a full book yet. Also, I have not seen any illustrations or diagrams on pages yet, so that is next on my to do list.

Watch this space for more ...

Reading and Technology - I

I have got my hands on a Sony eBook reader thanks to a good friend of mine (thanks Sekhar!). Given that I see myself as a traditionalist as far as the written word is concerned, I thought that it would be interesting to blog about my experiences with going electronic.

Of course, having been associated with Technology and Programming for the last 20 odd years, I am no stranger to reading on a computer, but I think there is a big difference between reading manuals and the like and reading newspapers, books, magazines, etc.

Those under 15 can safely ignore these posts since they will probably not know what I am talking about :) Those kids are the post-digital generation (did I just invent a new generation here?!) and their acceptance of technology is amazing. I have the example of my own daughter in front of me.

To start with, getting setup was a breeze. I was up and running in next to no time, including installing the library software on my laptop as well as creating a user account in the Sony reader store.

I also managed to transfer a Father Brown book from my laptop to the device, and my friend had thoughtfully included a few other books, so I am all set to go. More on this tomorrow.

To WC or not to WC (ICC World Cup 2011)

I am in two minds whether to blog about the upcoming cricket World Cup or not.

An argument for blogging about it would be that it is likely to be the one event which is top of mind for a majority of Indians, and also other cricket fans world wide, so to ignore it would be wrong. I am a cricket fan too.

On the flip side, there is likely to be so much hype and hoopla surrounding it that yet another (set of) post(s) would be just adding to the noise. 

Food shows on television

I have been hooked to watching food shows on television for a long time. I think on Indian TV we used to have "Cooking with Jacques Pepin" on some channel in the late 90s and when I spent time in the US in the 90s I found nirvana in the Food Network channel. Back home, Sanjeev Kapoor pioneered local cooking shows with his "Khana Khazana" which fast became a sunday morning staple. Of late, we now have multiple choices with the launch of TLC and NDTV Goodtimes as well as programs on regular channels (unfortunately my cable operator does not yet carry Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana channel, so can't comment on it). I am listing some of the shows I watch and my opinion on them.

Gourmet Central - Vicky Ratnani - NDTV Goodtimes - 1930 IS

Vicky is a star chef (or Gourmet Guru!) and he won't let you forget it :) Having said this, he manages to put together great food from reasonably simple recipes. My only grouse is that though he keeps saying that all ingredients are locally available, what he really means is that all ingredients are locally available in select neighbourhoods (e.g. South Bombay or Bandra). If you don't live in those neighbourhoods or if you are like me and do not stay in Bombay, then you are out of luck. Gourmet Central is by far my favourite show.

The rest in no particular order .. 

Highway On My Plate - hosts Rocky and Mayur - NDTV Goodtimes

Highway on my Plate is a fairly original show that captures the experiences of the hosts as they travel through all corners of India and sample the local cuisine. Neither of them cook on the show and the show is not about cooking per se, but more about food and their own brand of wacky humour. Worth watching.

Man vs. Food - TLC

I think everyone should watch this show at least once. If this does not put you off overeating, nothing will. Apart from the (frankly stupid) challenges that the host undertakes, the show is quite informative about food in various parts of the United States.

Nigella - TLC
I have my doubts about whether Nigella actually cooks, however her show is very popular, primarily because she is very camera-friendly and usually makes reasonably simple recipes.

Kylie Kwong - TLC

Very good show about Chinese cooking. Kylie does a great job, again issue is access to ingredients locally in India.

Chakh Le India - NDTV Goodtimes - Aditya Bal
I used to enjoy this show a few months ago, however of late am put off a little by the repetitiveness. The less said about the abomination that is Chakh Le Academy the better.

One of my all time favourite shows has been Masterchef Australia (I caught Season 2 which aired in India late last year and which concluded in the beginning of this year). This is what a good cooking reality show looks like, the less said about the Indian equivalent the better (I watched exactly 1 minute of the inaugural Masterchef India show before giving up on it permanently).

Booklist - Jan 19, 2011

I plan to make this book list a regular feature and will offer my views on the books that I have read recently. Expect a post on this every 2-3 weeks (based on how many I get through!).

John Le Carré's latest - Our Kind of Spy

John Le Carré is one of my favourite authors, though I liked his earlier Smiley era books better than the books written in the last decade. In my view his recent books are rather heavy on the message and the story/narrative suffers in the bargain. Having said this, he is any day more readable than most authors one would care to name!

I am glad to report that his latest offering is more to his classic style, though the ending is typical Le Carré. The story of how an English professor gets drawn into a web of intrigue and the contrasting motivations for all the central characters is the highlight of the novel.

I also re-read Smiley's People and am currently reading The Perfect Spy, so am overdosing on Le Carré.

Peter Robinson's latest - Bad Boy - Alan Banks series

I have been following the Inspector Banks series of Peter Robinson for some time and I have usually enjoyed reading his books. Thus, when his latest, Bad Boy, was available, I made a bee-line for the bookstore (rather my fingers did the walking on Flipkart.com) and ordered it.

I am very disappointed by his latest, Bad Boy. Firstly, he has departed from the detective mystery genre and is stepping into thriller/action mode, which is a huge mistake. Secondly, Banks takes too long to become central to the story and thus the book suffers from a constantly shifting focus. There is also no suspense to speak of (no, I am not giving away the plot here), as there is no mystery, everything is known from the beginning. One of the characters, the "Farmer" is a poor country cousin of Ian Rankin's, Gerald ("Big Ger") Cafferty and some of the violence described seems a bit too gratuitous to me.

If anyone reads this book first, then the only thing I can say is that Peter Robinson has written better books.

Michael Connelly's latest – The Reversal (featuring both Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch)

Michael Connelly's latest is pretty much in the mould of his previous books, and is a satisfying read. The only grouse I have is that because there are two main characters, Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch, there is an alternating story-line as the plot follows one character and then the other. If this was a one-off book, then there would be no problem. Given that Harry Bosch has his own loyal followers, this book does grave injustice to them. True to his style, the book never lags, though the story-line about both teenage daughters does not always ring true.

Connelly's previous book, Nine Dragons, was also a little different, where most of the action happens in Hong Kong (and yes, it is a Harry Bosch story).

Coming up:

I also re-read some P G Wodehouse (his books need a post to themselves) and am also revisting Agatha Christie (the Poirot short stories) and also Conan Doyle (have recently bought the complete Sherlock Holmes in hard cover – quite a collector's item I think).

If you would like my views on any other books (based from whatever you know of my reading habits!), do let me know and I will try and post about it.

PS. As always, please use the Reactions buttons to give me quick feedback.

Penguins of Madagascar

Madagascar is an animated movie featuring escaped animals from a New York zoo.  It was followed by a sequel and the movies were just about average, though they contained some promising side-characters.

I was a huge fan of the penguins when the movies came and I was overjoyed when I discovered the cartoon series (for those living in India, the series comes daily on Nickelodeon - NICK - at 10 pm IST). King Julien is also in a class by himself and the sheer extent of his ego and self-absorption is just hilarious. In the movies, the sheer inventiveness of the penguins in creating a plane from spare parts is amazing.

Someone enterprising has taken this seriously and created a cartoon series based on these side-characters called "Penguins of Madagascar", featuring the 4 penguins (Skipper, Rico, Kowalski and Private) and also the inimitable and irrepressible King Julien with his side-kicks (the long suffering Maurice and the ultimate groupie, Mort). Thankfully the main characters from the original movie are nowhere to be seen.

Don't know how long the series will last, but enjoy it while it does ! Do write and let me know if you also enjoy watching the penguins.

Note: I have added the Reactions feature (you can see it just under this post). In case you feel too lazy to write in, please do use these buttons to let me know of your feedback.

Buying a new mobile (India)

I currently have two phones, both fairly old. One is a Nokia 6021 (close to 5.5 years old now!) and the other is a Nokia E61i (about 3+ years old). The 6021 is used as a personal phone and the E61i as a business phone. Thus I have Blackberry enabled on the E61i whereas the 6021 is used more as a simple phone/sms device.

I am now seeking to replace the 6021 and given that I already have a business phone, I am not looking at a high end phone but a more mid-range phone with a budget of close to Rs. 12k or lower. However given that I am so far behind the curve, I have shortlisted certain minimum features:

1. Android (ideally 2.2 or worst case 2.1)

2. Decent camera - at least 3 MP (flash would be a plus)

3. Touch screen

4. Ability to play music (given that our only iPod is usually with my daughter)

5. Integration with Social Media (at least Facebook and Twitter)

With the above criteria, I narrowed it down to three choices, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini, LG Optimus One P500 and the Samsung Galaxy 3 5801. Though the Sony phone has good features and a best in class camera, it supports only Android 1.6 and I think it will be difficult to upgrade the OS and hence will get stuck to an old OS, thus ruling it out of reckoning. Feature for feature, the LG phone has a better spec and has Android 2.2 whereas the Samsung has Android 2.1. My only hesitation is that I have never owned either a LG or a Samsung phone (though I have used Samsung phones in the US on a business trip and they worked fine, however this experience is of 10 years ago with the Samsung flip phones that used to be available at that time), having been a die-hard Nokia user till date. I am tending to veer towards Samsung, however I would really like to hear some positive recommendations for LG which will help me to reach the right decision.

So, can you readers help me to choose ? Please give your opinion via a comment or drop me an email (please note that raving about iPhone / Galaxy Tab / etc. will do you no good since I refuse to spend more than 20k on a phone on principle!).

Thanks in advance!

PS. My prediction is that Nokia will lose market share drastically in 2011 in India since they continue to have an outdated Symbian OS for their high end phones and we can't wait indefiinitely for the Nokia OS to come out (surely it will have glitches the same as any new OS does) while the Android OS and phones mature to the next generation. Also, all Nokia business phones since the E71 do *not* support the Symbian Blackberry application (which is one reason that I continue to use my old E61i)

Updated: Jan 5, 2011:

Looks like I am right in leaning towards Samsung - read this article on CNN.

Jack Reacher

I have been away for the past 3 odd months due to health issues (now resolved, though still recuperating), so am getting back to my blogging.

I know at least one reader of my blog who will be happy about this post :) This is for you, Sudeep!

Though my taste in fiction runs more towards British detective fiction (PD James, Ian Rankin and the like), I have long been a fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch as well as Lee Child's Jack Reacher. In this post, I will focus on Reacher, imho, Bosch is a more complex character and needs more time for me to do justice to him. I am posting this under Detective fiction, though these are clearly not murder mysteries (thrillers is more appropriate), however since Reacher was a Major in the US Army serving in the 110th MP, I think I can get away with it. May re-categorize later.

Lee Child - Jack Reacher (Official Lee Child site)

Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels represent escapism in its more extreme form. Apparently Reacher lives in the world of today, but the outrageous manner in which he goes about creating mayhem makes him as close to a blue collar James Bond as possible. In my view, Lee Child is today's Ludlum !

The books tend to have a fairly one-dimensional plot, however they are by no means badly written. Suspension of disbelief is a must as one would expect in watching a Terminator or Die Hard movie. The action is relentless and Reacher as a character is very appealing (at least from a male point of view, I would love to get some perspective from a female viewpoint, so any ladies reading this, would like to know your views on Reacher).

Reacher is at once, quite egoless but at the same time has extremely high self-esteem and is supremely confident of his own abilities. I quite like the early books which revolved around Reacher's association with the US Army as a major in the Military Police. Off late, Reacher has been put in more contemporary situations and in my view this doesn't work as well the previous books. Reacher has a very strong moral code and though acknowledging the power of money, he has no desire to pursue it or any worldly possessions (Reacher famously carries only his passport, ATM card and collapsible toothbrush with him). Reacher is very strong physically (6'5"" - more than 220 pounds, almost all muscle) and has a sharp brain to match. He has extremely fast reflexes and rarely loses a fight (typically he disables his opponents within 10-15 seconds of the fight starting).

Among the books that I enjoyed more than the others are One Shot, The Enemy and The Visitor. I quite liked Joe Reacher and would have liked to see more of him had he not been killed off in one of the books.

In summary, this is a series very much in the thriller genre, however written with a style and protagonist that keeps you wanting to come back for more. The true test for any book (or movie/music) is whether you would reread (watch again/ listen again) it, and on that count, Jack Reacher passes the test as far as I am concerned. Clearly the books wont make great demands on you (e.g. reading P D James requires you to give full attention to the book), but the time still remains well spent.