Kindle for Mac released

I fell in love with my Kindle as soon as I got it for Christmas. It is to the point where I have to resist buying Kindle versions of real books sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read.

My girlfriend has also fallen in love with my Kindle, despite her initial resistance to the idea of virtual books. She has absconded with it to the furthest reaches of the world. She reads even more than I do, and it is much easier to pack a Kindle for a trip to Denver than five or six paper- and hardbacks in a carry-on.

Kindle for Mac screenshoot

This has created a little bit of an organizational rift between us. We have to negotiate custody times and be sure to have alternate reading material available for when the other has the Kindle.

This is not as bad as it sounds. I have had my Kindle software on my iPod Touch for longer than I have had the actual Kindle. And I do have those books on my nightstand.

So, I was able to make due, until my iPod decided to drowned itself one day, cutting off my access to our growing Kindle library. Since I haven’t been able to replace the iPod yet, or get another Kindle for that matter (We are both convinced that we need to be a two-Kindle household, but have yet to convince or bank accounts of the extra expense), I have had to wait patiently for my turn.

Fortunately, Amazon.com, which has released Kindle software for the PC and the iPhone/iPod, has recently released a Mac version.

The Mac version, much like the other Kindle version, lets me access all my Kindle books, keep the page count synced so if I read some chapters on the Kindle while my girlfriend is at work, I can continue from where I left off on my MacBook Pro or iMac, and vice-versa.

Of course, as everyone knows, reading on the computer screen is the optimum situation, but it does quite well in a pinch.

You can learn more at www.amazon.com/kindle

News from the Cyber-Front

In the last Geek Strand, I reported about all the flagging and attempts to censor the Myrtle Beach Craigslist. Since that report, there have been some new developments. Shortly after releasing my column, the folks at www.blackbikeweeks.com contacted me and informed me of their experiences in this Grand Strand cyberwar.

According to blackbikeweek.com, they have had people sign up under false names and send out false messages that the Memorial Day Bike Rally has been canceled, give out false dates and generally spread misinformation about the event. They claim that this is also happening on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking sites.

So, check your sources and make sure who you are getting your info from is the real deal.

Meanwhile, over on Craigslist, things have changed since my expose of the attempts to censor the free list. Growing frustrated with the flaggers who have been taking down any posts about bike week or that disagree with the powers-that-be in Myrtle Beach, someone has started the web site www.neverflagged.com.

Similar to Craigslist, neverflagged.com offers free, paid and featured ads, but promises that ads will never be flagged indiscriminately. Complaints about ads will be handled fairly and judged according to the terms of use (obscenity, libel, criminal stuff), meaning just because you don’t like what someone is saying isn’t enough to get it deleted—You know, that whole First Amendment thing?

Check out www.neverflagged.com for the uncensored rants and raves for the Myrtle Beach area.

Christopher Huff is a self-confessed and unrepentant geek who as been living, writing and playing on the Grand Strand for several years. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.piratejournalism.com. Comments can be sent to chris@alternatives.sc