BurningbirdThe recent upgrade for the Views module seems to have broken my recent comments view.
I’ll fix it when I can, but in the meantime, thanks, I am aware that there is a problem with comments in the sidebar.
update Problem has already been identified, and patch uploaded, but in the meantime, made the manual update.
One interesting change at the Kindle site at Amazon based on the new reader is that the Kindle customer discussion forum, which originally was a top submenu item, has now been demoted to the vague bottom reaches of the web page.
Where the discussion forums originally focused on the wonder of the Kindle, recent discussions have been more critical of the device, the book prices, and Amazon’s lack of support for book formats like ePub. Pesky Kindle owners tend to speak their mind.
Amazon has just discovered what many other companies are discovering: integrating social networking is like failed love, amazingly wonderful at first, but eventually evolving into an urge to gnaw your own arm off in order to escape.
PS: Kindle owners, there’s always the KindleBoards.
I am reminded in comments of Steve Champeon’s progressive enhancement, which I actually did cover in my book, “Adding Ajax”. My apologies to Steve for seeming to subvert his subversion of all browsers look the same. I tend to think of Steve’s progressive enhancement in light of the use of JavaScript, but it is also focused at design, too. And, I am embarrassed to admit, I forgot about the concept when I started to write up what I’ve done with my site designs. Blame it on enthusiasm, or advancing age—take your pick.
However, if the concept is so popular with web designers, I have to wonder why every time I mention the use of SVG in web design, I’m met with “Oh, but not every browser supports SVG”? Perhaps IE has become, over time, a handy excuse for not trying something new.
Regardless, the idea of starting plain, and upgrading gracefully did originate with Steve.
Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
I was thinking about taking a shot at writing my own use case or use cases for RDFa in HTML5 until I spotted the recent entry at Last Week in HTML. The site posts an excerpt from an IRC discussion related to the ongoing exchange about RDFa and HTML5.
* hsivonen is surprised to see Shelley Powers use a pharse like ” most pedantic specification ever derived by man”
hsivonen: (the “by man” part)annevk: hsivonen, what is special about that part?
hsivonen: annevk: she has a history of pointing out sexism, and expressions like “by man” where ‘man’ means humans in general are generally frowned upon by English-language feminists
annevk: oh, didn’t know that
Rather than respond to any of the arguments and concerns expressed in several comments at Sam’s, or my own long writings on the issue of RDFa and HTML5, the only part of my writing that’s mentioned or referenced in this ongoing discussion is the fact that I used the generic “Man”, to represent humankind.
Actually most English-language feminists aren’t necessarily uptight about the use of “Man” when used in the generic sense, such as in the common phrase, “known to Man”. Or, at a minimum, the use of this common phrase isn’t one of our more pressing concerns. We’re more uptight about our work, writings, and opinions being undermined via the use of irrelevancies. To the true feminist, intent means more than words.
So, to return to the use case: I could spend a considerable amount of time trying to recap the issues related to Qnames and CURIEs, technical concerns versus biases, and generate a longer, thoughtful use case, but unless I use a Word in it, or perhaps a humorous misspelling or funny use of grammar, the work would most likely be disregarded.
Alas, my Kindle 1.0 is now old school with the release of the Kindle 2.0. I am not disappointed, though. I never was one to worry about the style of the Kindle, the refresh rate is fine with me, and I have an 8GB SD card, which blows away the 2GB built-in memory in the Kindle 2.0.
I would like the better resolution, and the 16 shade of gray, and the slightly larger screen, but I don’t read books with many figures, and I never use my Kindle for web surfing, so I don’t feel terribly deprived. I have a modified cover that protects my Kindle, and allows me to read it comfortably without accidentally hitting buttons. But then, I can also walk and chew gum at the same time, too. I’m talented that way.
My Kindle 1.0 isn’t sexy. OK. I can live with this. I’m not sexy, either. I live in Missouri. Sexy in Missouri means something slathered in barbeque sauce.
I drive a 2002 Ford Focus, which I think is sexy, but looks like a soap bubble on wheels. All my laptops are 3+ years old, which isn’t sexy. I still find Twitter to be awkward, which is definitely not a sexy attitude. I have a calendar with cute cat pictures on my wall, don’t have a single credit card, cellphone, or frequent flier mile—so very, very unsexy. That über hip east coast intellectual reading the Kindle on the beach? That’s not me.
Owning a supposedly “sexy” Kindle 2.0 is not going to be a life changer for me, so why would I upgrade my working device for another?
I am glad that Amazon came out with a second device, as it shows the company’s commitment to the ebook industry. I was disappointed, though, that Bezos didn’t come out with support for ePub, and other formats; nor with any hint of openness about the current Kindle closed loop. International folks will also be disappointed, as no mention was made of international access. The Kindle exclusive Stephen King short story didn’t do a thing for me.
The frugality of the Kindle, 1.0 or 2.0, I’ll leave to a future writing at The Frugal Algorithm.