What traditional paper-based book readers don’t fully understand is the REAL difference in the electronic book experience. E-book readers aren’t just electronic versions of paper books – the whole experience is different and enhanced for the reader. Here are just a few of the advantages:

- Shopping and recommendations within the e-book reader (no travel required)
- Book samples (never again buy a book that you don’t like)
- Embedded dictionaries (don’t know a word – no problem)
- Subscriptions (delivered right to the e-book reader)
- Internet access (to blogs, e-mail, and more)
- E-books are cheaper, don’t require shelves, and can be easily annotated and marked

The most voracious readers have already made the leap to the e-book thereby sucking millions of dollars out of the paper-based book business model. With the addition of the Barnes and Noble “Nook” offered over the holidays, we are now witnessing the acceleration of a move to electronic media. AMAZON reported for the first time over the holidays that electronic book purchases outnumbered paper book purchases on their site.

Echos of what happened in the music industry remain – “I could never part with my vinyl LPs” sounds familiarly like “I could never part with my paper books”… Get over it. If you live in Laredo, Tx you now have 3 choices – get your books at a Walmart or other superstore, drive 150 miles to the nearest bookstore, or get an e-book reader. Which of these options do you think the local book club is going to recommend?

DEAL NEWS – http://www.dealnews.com
(No matter what you want to buy, go here FIRST. You can search for active deals and find prices that you wouldn’t believe. I’m wearing a pair of $9 ECO-SNEAKS right now that I found on DealNews.)

WOOT! – http://www.woot.com
(They only sell one thing each day. From really cool stuff to just plain junk, I can’t wait to see the Woot of the Day!)

Eye Buy Direct – http://www.eyebuydirect.com
(Glasses? Oh yea – absolutely the best quality and the lowest prices anywhere. You can even upload your picture, size it, and put the frames on your face – it works great. I got a pair of rimless, hingeless glasses that easily compare to my $400 Silouette’s for only $35. They even have photochromatic lenses.) SAVE 10% right now with this code – IFY2FD1AVM.

Others that I like:

REI Outlet – http://www.reioutlet.com
Sportsmans Guide – http://www.sportsmansguide.com
Apple Refurbished – http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals

Tip:

Before you hit the CHECKOUT button on any shopping cart be sure to try an locate a “Coupon Code” or “Promotion Code” – they are everywhere and can save you some serious dollars with very little effort

Enjoy. Oh, and please send me your favorites – I’ll check ‘em out!

There are a lot of reasons why this purchase makes sense. If you want to do your homework, then do as I did and download the PDF version of the Users Guide from the Amazon support page. This will give you a run-down of all the features and capabilities of the device. Here’s the link: Kindle 2 User’s Guide (PDF)

Frankly, after reviewing the capabilities and market for the Kindle 2, I just don’t see how any Book Store is going to remain in business… Take a look at some of the features that Amazon touts:

• Wireless Sprint WhisperNet
• Full Dictionary (just put the cursor on the word you want to look up)
• Text to Speech
• Shop Directly from Amazon Kindle Bookstore (wirelessly)
• Notes / Bookmarks / Annotations / Quotes (all backed up on Amazon)
• You can even e-mail documents directly to your Kindle

Come to find out, the buyers of the Kindle and Kindle 2 are the most voracious readers (representing a disproportionately large share of overall book purchases). The ROI on this device is absolutely great! Can you believe that I just used the term “ROI” for a consumer device? Here’s one way of looking at it:

Cost of the Kindle 2 – $359.00

• Calculate savings on books – NY Times Bestsellers $9.99 vs. $26.99 (typical)
• Calculate savings on book storage – Bookshelves for 1500 books = $800
• Calculate time and driving costs to the book store – $500 / year
• Calculate the value of the wireless web access – $20 / month

The only Negative that I can find is that you can’t lend the book to someone when you’re done with it…

Brick & Mortar is DONE – If you don’t believe me, then check out these stock prices (as of today)!

Blockbuster – $.94/share
Rite Aid – $.24/share
Borders Books – $.55/share
Books-a-Million – $2.48/share

Things have FOREVER changed. There are going to be a lot of empty shopping centers in the next couple of years…

The Final Shootout from William Downs on Vimeo.

“Rochambeau” weekend is named for the French Lieutenant General in command of some 6,000 French troops sent to join the Continental army under George Washington during the American Revolution. The clay shooting tournament is one of the highlights of the event. At this year’s tournament, with $400 on the line, Caleb and I pulled out a perfect round – 16/16.

See y’all next year!

Since the Nike + iPod’s inception I have purchased 2 or 3 connectivity kits (the battery wears out on the remote device more quickly than I would have imagined), the Nike Watch / iPod Remote, the Nike Sportband, and several different styles of cases / armbands. I had to return the Sportband to the Nike Store on two different occasions because some of the pixels on the LCD went out. This seems to be a consistent flaw in the product, but each time I went back to the store it was exchanged without any hassles and a smile.

The Nike website continues to evolve with earned virtual rewards (t-shirts and other things for your “mini” runner widget) for running miles, banners for participating in sponsored events, and trophies for individual challenges or goals. I even won a free audio workout program for participating in the Nike “Human Race”.

Since the tragedy* of my Nike Leaderboard Quest in October 2006 I’ve been dealing with only minor inconsistencies in the delivery of this product. Overall, the Nike + iPod has provided me with one of the best consumer experiences that I’ve ever had. I almost can’t stand to run without this little device. When I don’t have it, I feel as though I’m not getting credit for the miles that I’m putting in and the run just doesn’t seem to count. It’s just great fun to plug-in and see all those miles ticking away…

*I ran 60+ miles in one week in an effort to claim the most miles in my gender/age class for the week only to have the miles I put in not count in my ranking (the miles were there, they just didn’t get picked up on the leaderboard). A real tragedy… Oh well, I kept the screen shots to prove it – no photoshopping here!

Cultured Diamonds could very well be a “guy’s best friend”. Here are some reasons why:

• Have you ever wondered if the diamond you purchased was actually funding some conflict in Africa?
• Do you want the VERY BEST quality in diamonds (brightness and color)?
• Do you want the best value for your money. Are you sick and tired of the “artificial scarcity” created by the diamond industry to keep prices high?
• Cultured Diamonds are REAL DIAMONDS (and they can be certified).

The website DiamondsCultured.COM says that their “pink” and “blue” diamonds run about 1/15th the price of their natural “mined” counterparts. Their “yellow” diamonds (the most rare) are roughly 1/8th the average market cost of similar quality items. This means that you can buy pink and blue diamonds now for about the same price as similar quality white diamonds. I’ve heard that production will begin this year on cultured white diamonds – it will be interesting to see how the market reacts.

For an industry that has built it’s entire existence and strategy around scarcity you have to imagine how this will really shake things up . . .

Here are some resources for learning more about cultured diamonds:

NPR Article on Cultured Diamonds – Technology: Natural vs Cultured Diamonds

Diamonds Cultured – A Retailer of Cultured Diamonds http://www.diamondscultured.com

Gemesis – A Manufacturer of Cultured Diamonds http://www.gemesis.com

Read the book – The Heartless Stone (By: Tom Zoellner)

Spinach Balls
(courtesy of Martha Marie Verlander)

2 packages of Chopped Frozen Spinach
3 cups of Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing Mix
1 Onion – chopped fine
6 eggs – beaten
3/4 cup Melted Butter
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoons Thyme
1 teaspoon Pepper (or up to 1 tablespoon as desired)

Cook Spinach in the microwave (do not add water) or stove top. Defrost only if you choose. Drain very well (get as much of the water out as possible). Mix all the ingredients – form into balls (Walnut sized) – Bate at 325 degrees on a greased cookie sheet – about 8 to 10 minutes until firm.

My Own Favorites:

Family Recommendations (for those extended trips in the car):

Team of Rivals doesn’t just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln. It is a multiple biography of the President’s team of personal and political competitors that were assembled to lead the country through its greatest crisis. Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln’s cabinet.

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln By: Doris Kerns Goodwin (Purchase this book at AMAZON.COM)

I got an invitation this year to join friends on a “guys trip” to Costa Rica. The destination was the Los Suenos resort near Jaco, a beautifully manicured development with a Marina, Village, and Golf Course centered around an architecturally impressive Marriott Hotel. The weather in late April is hot and humid with scattered rain showers from time to time (but not enough to ruin anybody’s trip). Most travel sites recommend the months of December through May as the optimal time to visit Costa Rica. Judging by the traffic (or lack thereof) at the pool, on the golf course, and around the marina we were definitely visiting during the shoulder season.

The condominium where we stayed was provided by the owner at no cost to us and was equipped with a golf cart for transportation. We were also introduced to a tour guide named Orlando who we relied on for most everything – transportation, tours (canopy zip-lines, atvs, etc.) restaurant recommendations, souvenirs, you name it.

Costa Rica is beautiful. The people are warm and friendly. Some of the little towns can be kind of seedy, but overall this is a great place to get away from it all. Stop at a roadside eatery, climb a mountain, or go fishing. Unlike Mexico, the food and water quality is excellent. So, you can leave the kaopectate at home and enjoy all the fruits that the abundant jungle has to offer. On our way to the Pacific Coast we pulled off the road near a row of Manga trees (just over the mountain from San Jose). We picked the fruit up off the ground and had it with breakfast every day that week…