Classic Mysteries

Black Friday

I'm still not sure I know the etymology behind calling what is traditionally one of the year's businest shopping day "Black Friday." But the day after Thanksgiving certainly has become a major day for retailers, at least in the US. So let me put in a plug for myself:

As I've said before, I get a small amount (really small!) of money from Amazon whenever somebody uses my link to their site to buy anything. It doesn't have to be books (and I'd just as soon you get your books from a favorite local bookstore and mystery dealer) - anything Amazon sells qualifies: electronics, music, cameras, Swiss Army knives, Kindles - anything. If you go to their site through my search box - at the top of the right hand column on this page - I will get credit for anything you may buy.

This week, Amazon is running specials leading up to Black Friday - if you use this link, you will see their offers. Anything you buy that way, again, I'll get a small percentage. It ain't much, but it can help pay for the blog costs, anyway. Thank you for your consideration - it is much appreciated.

Cross-posted to LB's Rambles.

Sony Gets Back in the eGame

What with Amazon's Kindle eReader and the Nook from Barnes & Noble, Sony must be feeling a pretty fair amount of pressure on its eBlook product. I posted an entry last year complaining that Sony's proprietary format for eBooks was making it hard for me to get much value from their product.

Sony apparently has seen the light. I received an email from them this week advising me that they are updating their older eReaders - including mine - with new firmware. Free. They're doing this because they are dropping their proprietary format in favor of what has become the industry standard ePub format. If I don't want the free update (it does require sending the reader to Sony), I can buy one of their new models at a fairly significant rake-off.

Good for Sony. I think this keeps them alive in the eBook competition - and it's the right thing to do for those of us who have their older readers and had been wondering what to do with them. Now...where did I put mine...

(Cross=posted to Classic Mysteries and LBs Rambles)

Competing Conventions

As I prepare to head off to Las Vegas this week for BlogWorld Expo, I am reminded (by The Rap Sheet) that this is also the weekend for the annual Bouchercon convention, this year in Indianapolis. If it weren't for BlogWorld, to which I have to give precedence this year, I would definitely be at Bouchercon, which is a major gathering of mystery writers and readers. Maybe next year, these two competing conventions will be held on different weekends, so that I can attend both. For anyone so inclined, I suspect it's not too late to register for either one. Just sayin'...

Kindle-ing a Passion

News today from Amazon.com that they have reduced the price on their Kindle ebook reader. It's the smaller of the two versions - the big Kindle DX is still priced at $489. But the newest generation of the smaller reader is now $299. If you're interested, you can find more info and order one here - and, to keep the FTC happy, yes, if you buy through that link, I do get a (small) payoff, so I'd appreciate it, if a Kindle is in your plans, if you'd use the link. Thanks!

Are You Following Me?

To a mystery lover, that question, "Are you following me," probably sounds like somebody is being stalked in a thriller. That's not how it's meant: I am inviting you to follow me on Twitter. It's a good way to stay on top of new Classic Mysteries podcasts and postings and random thoughts. If you're on Twitter already, just follow @LesBlatt - if you're not on Twitter, come on over and find your friends! 

Help!

I think a lot of people, self included, secretly believe that too much of today's technology is needlessly complicated. I've always been a believer that the ultimate goal has to be to make computer technology as simple (and transparent) to the user as television has done: when you click the TV remote "on," you don't care about the technology involved - you expect to see a picture, watch a show, and your expectations are met. Technology...well, see any entry on Windows Vista, for example. My computer does lots of cool things, and so does my cell phone and my laptop, but it's hardly at a TV level of simplicity.

Which brings us to a new study just released from the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

Some 48% of technology users usually need help from others to set up new devices or to show them how they function. Many tech users encounter problems with their cell phones, internet connections, and other gadgets. This, in turn, often leads to impatience and frustration as they try to get them fixed.

Uh huh. And only 28% fixed the problem themselves. We have a long long way to go...

Hat tip: Steve Rubel, via Twitter

UPDATE - This was posted here inadvertently - belongs over on the LB's Rambles blog. My apologies.

New Media Expo This Weekend

The annual New Media Expo gets under way in Las Vegas this weekend. I'll be out there from Thursday afternoon through mid-day Saturday. As a podcaster, I've found these sessions are worthwhile - and a lot of fun as well.

If you're out there, stop by and say "Hello." I'll be the one limping around on crutches - managed to break my foot Sunday while out for a morning run. This activity is supposed to promote good health. Right...

Classic Bonanza

What would you say if I told you there is a website with links to an enormous number of classic and Golden Age mysteries - all available in electronic editions for free?

I know. That's the same reaction I had. But I was wrong. Behold the Maywrite Library. Mary has collected links to an astonishing variety of eBooks. Some of them are straight text or HTM; others are linked to a wide variety of formats, including Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader and PDF.

I've already found a number of classic novels and stories that I have been meaning to read or re-read, and I'm busily downloading them to my reader. Mary says she's always looking for more such links and will welcome suggestions - so if she has missed any that you know about, please send them along. And be sure to say "Thanks" for this labor of love.

Classics via Kindle

I have discovered the conveniences of an electronic reader - but I wish I had a different one. I have the Sony e-Book, which, I find, has a very limited selection of books available in its "native" language - at least limited when it comes to classic mysteries.

The Amazon Kindle, on the other hand, has a great many more vintage mysteries - from all of Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown to the likes of Edgar Wallace, Agatha Christie and Mary Roberts Rinehart - available in its format.