For those of us who are embedded inside the Apple hardware and ecosystem, we are past due for a dedicated e-reader with an Apple logo on it.
Look, I enjoy my Amazon Kindle and think it is a fantastic device, but I detest having an Amazon account and giving them money in order to read and/or purchase a license to read a book.
Apple has the resources to build a competing device and the software chops to make it compelling to read. Apple currently has the “Books” software application which doubles as a reading app and a bookstore all in one. Why are they not taking advantage of a missed opportunity for a new, dedicated hardware device? I’ll come back to this.
Yes, it is true book readers can read a book on their iDevices but it is not a pleasant experience. Yes, you can read a book with their software on an iPhone, an iPad or a MacBook, but these non-dedicated book reading devices are cumbersome. An iPad is heavy, unwieldy and has way too much glare on its screen. A dedicated e-reader using the best e-ink technology is a more enjoyable format. A dedicated reading device with an Apple logo on it must not, can not, have a way of disrupting the reading experience with distracting notifications such as a phone, call, text, or email alerts. The temptation to stop reading a book and switch to a social media site instead is too tempting more most users. No, eliminate the chance for these distractions.
About ten years ago, Apple took a hit against Amazon over price-fixing electronic books and has yet to fully recover, allowing Amazon to be the dominant force in e-books. Even today, yes, you can read a book from Amazon in the Kindle app installed on your iPad but you are not permitted to purchase anything inside that iOS Kindle app. You have to go to the Amazon website, purchase and send the book to the Kindle app. What a time-consuming and frustrating experience!
Currently, Apple has no option to connect with the local library reading app called Libby. Sure, you can use the Libby app on iOS but that library loan is sent to either A Kindle or a Kobo reading device, not Apple. Why? What a missed opportunity to foster reading and books sales!
Let’s be honest, the Apple Books reading experience is horrible. The user interface looks and feels cheap, almost as an afterthought.
Apple can also gain huge market share by allowing easier access for authors to submit their own books and promote these authors into the community. Take it a step further and create a haven for readers to comment, share and promote books in a social book club or commentary system.
As I mentioned previously, there is a missed opportunity for Apple to create a dedicated e-reader device with no distractions, the best hardware/software experience and then partner with Libby and local libraries to foster more reading. Beef up their UI and book store shopping experience for more sales and create a community where book lovers can discuss and share. All of this is a huge opportunity to focus on the book reading experience. Your move, Apple.
For those of us who are embedded inside the Apple hardware and ecosystem, we are past due for a dedicated e-reader with an Apple logo on it.
Look, I enjoy my Amazon Kindle and think it is a fantastic device, but I detest having an Amazon account and giving them money in order to read and/or purchase a license to read a book.
Apple has the resources to build a competing device and the software chops to make it compelling to read. Apple currently has the “Books” software application which doubles as a reading app and a bookstore all in one. Why are they not taking advantage of a missed opportunity for a new, dedicated hardware device? I’ll come back to this.
Yes, it is true book readers can read a book on their iDevices but it is not a pleasant experience. Yes, you can read a book with their software on an iPhone, an iPad or a MacBook, but these non-dedicated book reading devices are cumbersome. An iPad is heavy, unwieldy and has way too much glare on its screen. A dedicated e-reader using the best e-ink technology is a more enjoyable format. A dedicated reading device with an Apple logo on it must not, can not, have a way of disrupting the reading experience with distracting notifications such as a phone, call, text, or email alerts. The temptation to stop reading a book and switch to a social media site instead is too tempting more most users. No, eliminate the chance for these distractions.
About ten years ago, Apple took a hit against Amazon over price-fixing electronic books and has yet to fully recover, allowing Amazon to be the dominant force in e-books. Even today, yes, you can read a book from Amazon in the Kindle app installed on your iPad but you are not permitted to purchase anything inside that iOS Kindle app. You have to go to the Amazon website, purchase and send the book to the Kindle app. What a time-consuming and frustrating experience!
Currently, Apple has no option to connect with the local library reading app called Libby. Sure, you can use the Libby app on iOS but that library loan is sent to either A Kindle or a Kobo reading device, not Apple. Why? What a missed opportunity to foster reading and books sales!
Let’s be honest, the Apple Books reading experience is horrible. The user interface looks and feels cheap, almost as an afterthought.
Apple can also gain huge market share by allowing easier access for authors to submit their own books and promote these authors into the community. Take it a step further and create a haven for readers to comment, share and promote books in a social book club or commentary system.
As I mentioned previously, there is a missed opportunity for Apple to create a dedicated e-reader device with no distractions, the best hardware/software experience and then partner with Libby and local libraries to foster more reading. Beef up their UI and book store shopping experience for more sales and create a community where book lovers can discuss and share. All of this is a huge opportunity to focus on the book reading experience. Your move, Apple.
Meandering through a bookstore is inspirational to me. The thrill of discovering a new title can lead someone down a large literary rabbit hole. But there is something to be said about browsing the eye-catching cover art. Sometimes the cover is the best part of a book. when other times, a profound cover can make or break a book sale.
I find that the more artistic, brilliantly designed titles are the ones who have been well written, whereas if the artwork looks cheap, than the book is a bomb. Over the decades it gets easer to discern. See for yourself.
While perusing the bookshelves I began to notice different patterns of artwork on the covers and snapped a few, knowing I would probably never read them. I also get into a habit where i snap book covers to remember which ones I want to read in the near future.
Side note: It was great while it lasted but the free access to the Brooklyn Library membership has expired. Thanks to my intrepid mother who discovered options to temporarily add other library systems so I now have access to the Houston, San Jose and Tulsa public libraries.
Side note II: This article was originally published on 2023/10/09 from my old website.
Meandering through a bookstore is inspirational to me. The thrill of discovering a new title can lead someone down a large literary rabbit hole. But there is something to be said about browsing the eye-catching cover art. Sometimes the cover is the best part of a book. when other times, a profound cover can make or break a book sale.
I find that the more artistic, brilliantly designed titles are the ones who have been well written, whereas if the artwork looks cheap, than the book is a bomb. Over the decades it gets easer to discern. See for yourself.
While perusing the bookshelves I began to notice different patterns of artwork on the covers and snapped a few, knowing I would probably never read them. I also get into a habit where i snap book covers to remember which ones I want to read in the near future.
Side note: It was great while it lasted but the free access to the Brooklyn Library membership has expired. Thanks to my intrepid mother who discovered options to temporarily add other library systems so I now have access to the Houston, San Jose and Tulsa public libraries.
Side note II: This article was originally published on 2023/10/09 from my old website.
Let’s ignore the fact that I already plotted which novels I am going to read in 2024 and have more than enough, but what if some of those picks were duds and I wanted more?
Well Amazon made me an offer I did not refuse and that was 3 months of Unlimited reading for $0.99USD. Right away I snagged three titles and added them to the list. It didn’t help that I received a paperback book 1 in the murderbot series, “All Systems Red” for Christmas and KU has the rest of the series listed there so consider that money well saved when I do get around to starting/finishing the series?
So many books and not enough time is a blessing/curse!
Every year I set goals on how many books I want to read in a year and end up exceeding them. In the upcoming 2024 new year, I am going to slow the pace down to savor and appreciate what I am reading.
The titles are already chosen with a more than a few backups for a total of 21 books. As book readers know, there are times you devour it quickly, others are cast aside because it just wasn’t worth your time invested into it. There is also a very real possibility that one book lends itself to another, completely different book not on your list but you feel compelled to follow that path and acquire it. I love it when that happens.
All titles subject to change based on nothing but a whim
I reinstalled the Book Tracker app and added the titles I want to read and then I will update the progress accordingly. Because without it, I consume too much and forget what I’ve read previously. I also signed up for a relatively new social book site called Literal to help track reading goals and discover new titles socially.
The Libby software app requires a library card to download e-books which will help download desired titles and can also be transferred to the Kindle e-reader.
The Future
The Divine Comedy, or Dante’s Inferno
I, Robot
Foundation & Empire
The Rest of the Robots
Gold
Pines
The Paleontologist
Exadelic
Dr. No
The Paradox Hotel
Dune
XX
The Age of Spiritual Machines
Rabbits
The Quiet Room
1Q84
The Conservative Futurist
Lost In Time
Starter Villian
Alice In Wonderland
Also, the Bookshelf page of this website has been neglected so that too will change and get updated with current read and previous books read.
Every year I set goals on how many books I want to read in a year and end up exceeding them. In the upcoming 2024 new year, I am going to slow the pace down to savor and appreciate what I am reading.
The titles are already chosen with a more than a few backups for a total of 21 books. As book readers know, there are times you devour it quickly, others are cast aside because it just wasn’t worth your time invested into it. There is also a very real possibility that one book lends itself to another, completely different book not on your list but you feel compelled to follow that path and acquire it. I love it when that happens.
I reinstalled the Book Tracker app and added the titles I want to read and then I will update the progress accordingly. Because without it, I consume too much and forget what I’ve read previously. I also signed up for a relatively new social book site called Literal to help track reading goals and discover new titles socially.
The Libby software app requires a library card to download e-books which will help download desired titles and can also be transferred to the Kindle e-reader.
The Future
The Divine Comedy, or Dante’s Inferno
I, Robot
Foundation & Empire
The Rest of the Robots
Gold
Pines
The Paleontologist
Exadelic
Dr. No
The Paradox Hotel
Dune
XX
The Age of Spiritual Machines
Rabbits
The Quiet Room
1Q84
The Conservative Futurist
Lost In Time
Starter Villian
Alice In Wonderland
Also, the Library page of this website has been neglected so that too will change and get updated with current read and previous reads.
One of the biggest mistakes readers make is assuming that all books should be read from the first page to the last page in an unbroken sequence. For non-fiction books, learning is non-linear. Non-fiction books are for thinking, not reading, and context is king. Break out the highlighter and pen to take notes in the marginalia. Argue with the author. Fiction should be read linearly while non-fiction benefits from non-linear reading. Finally, it’s important to engage with ideas messily and unpredictably, rather than assuming you need to have a rigid note-taking workflow.
RSS, or, Really Simple Syndication, is having a comeback moment for many people. I’ve used this invaluable web tool since 2005 to hack my reading workflow and highly suggest others pick this up. It’s a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. It’s an easy way for you to keep up with news and information that’s important to you, and helps you avoid the conventional methods of browsing or searching for information on websites.
My feed reader of choice: Feedbin
The benefits of using RSS include the ability to stay up-to-date with the latest news and information from your favorite websites without having to visit each site individually. It also helps you avoid the clutter of email newsletters and other notifications, and allows you to easily organize and filter the content you receive.
RSS was originally introduced in 1999 by Netscape Communications Corp., for use with its MyNetscape portal. After Netscape abandoned the standard, software maker UserLand picked up development. Although RSS formats have evolved from as early as March 1999, it was between 2005 and 2006 when RSS gained widespread use, and the (“”) icon was decided upon by several major web browsers. RSS feed data is presented to users using software called a news aggregator and the passing of content is called web syndication
All that to say, is that most of your web reading sources come to you, as opposed to visiting each website to browse their content feed. I’ve subscribed to hundreds of websites, blogs, tweets, YouTube videos, newsletters over the years and all without leaving my RSS feed reader. You can then save an article to read for later use. Read what you want, when you want. Brilliant.
Enter Readwise Reader- One tool to benefit, or hack your reading experience. With the content I consume via RSS feeds, I can then highlight and annotate notes inside the app. Some other benefits they offer:
Annotation, tagging & highlighting text are the killer features of digital reading.
Ghostreader is a GPT-3 companion for reading. It will analyze the text and then format a summary for you, ask questions, define terms and simplify complex language.
Text-to-speech- listen to any document narrated with the lifelike voice of a human.
Integrated with your favorite tools- Your annotations can flow effortlessly from your reading app into your writing tools. Instead of wasting hours of reformatting, reorganizing, and repeating, Reader eliminates the hassle. Export to Readwise, LogSeq, Obsidian, Roam etc.
Read anywhere, anytime. Online, offline. iPhone, iPad, MacBook or the web.
Screenshots of Readwise on the web, iPad and iPhone.
Readwise is a companion app to Readwise Reader. When I consume books on my Kindle , I can highlight and annotate notes in that device. Those notes are then synchronized into Readwise and then automagically imported into my personal knowledge database for later. The same occurs when I use Apple Books. Neato.
Conclusion
The purpose of note taking isn’t to remember- it is having the freedom to forget and reference for later.
Think of all this as taking a pencil and highlighter to writing in the margins of a physical book to take notes on and review later. But digitized.
Readwise is $8.99/mo. Matter, an alternative to Readwise, but needs more development in my mind, is also $8/mo. To be clear, this is not a piad sponsorship. But I wouldn’t turn down a gratis subscription either.
“Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individuals who choose the subject they will study, their studying material, and the studying rhythm and time. Autodidacts may or may not have formal education, and their study may be either a complement or an alternative to formal education.” – Wikipedia.
That reads as impressive, no? All that to say, I enjoy reading, studying and figuring things out on my own, for my own enrichment. Over the years I am slowly fine-tuning the process. I have built my own personal knowledge database which houses decades worth of knowledge, thoughts, writings, white papers etc all in .txt, .pdf and .md formats.
📚
If you enjoy reading for knowledge, do you receive value for that time? How do you retain what you’ve read? How can you refer back to a specific instance that you came across but can’t remember where?
This is where my personal knowledge management database comes in. I call it “Grey Matter.” Others refer to their database as a “Second Brain.”
A visual graph of decades worth of inter-connected notes in my Grey Matter databaseLook at that web of connected notes!
After converting then, importing all your documents into the database, you then need to sort and organize in a way that seems logical to you. I choose to sort by year/month such as: 2023/03. If you take good notes, you should be able to sort by categories after that. An extra step for me is to backlink each note to another relevant note. Example: By typing double brackets, [[photo workflow]], the database then suggests previous documents with your suggested topic. As soon as you do this, the database generates a link to that document in your current document.
Back-linking for the win
When you perform a search for something you want to recall, look it up and every document with that tag or backlink will display and you can choose your relevant article. Neat, yeah?
Make connections to your thoughts scattered over time
As a self-proclaimed autodidact, I enjoy hybrid models of both, old knowledge and new knowledge. The challenge is discovering solutions to merge the two of them together for your benefit.
You could say I enjoy reading. But what good is all of that time spent if I do not retain that input? I need a system for transforming reading into meaningful action and lasting insight.
Auxiliary Activity-
Other people would call this “hobby reading” but what’s the point of reading if you cannot use expand your intellect and use alternative phrases? Fine, we’ll call it “reading for fun.” I use the Libby library app to connect to the three public libraries I am a member of. Here I can borrow any book title or audiobook that is available. Once borrowed, I will send the book to my Kindle e-reader for consumption. While reading, I can highlight text and even make a digital note about anything of interest to me. Anything I highlight or make note of gets automagically exported out of the Kindle and into my personal knowledge database that I call Grey Matter. From here I can link and backlink thoughts and ideas for later reference.
My Notes & Highlights exported from Kindle and displayed in Grey Matter
Reading For the Informed-
I also enjoy keeping up on the latest technology websites, photography trends, art trends and homegrown blogs like this one right here. I do that through the magic of RSS. With a website reader like Reeder or FeedBin, I can have hundreds of websites aggregate into one spot. They come to me, I don’t go to the websites themselves. From there I can read an article, then either discard or save to read it later as a reference. Notes and highlights are made in there too, and sent off to Grey Matter for when I am ready. Tom Critchlow, refers to it as “digital bricolage” or “web foraging”. Love it.
Highlighting, notes in the marginalia to the right and even the capability to listen to a written article. Cool!
This was first posted on my website back on May 31, 2022, and I’ve added some new thoughts.
Anyone else noticed that today’s WWW is insufferable? I don’t specifically know when it turned, or why most users became jerks, but I’ll go ahead and guess about 2010. Making money off of content became more important than the content itself. This is a long post, but in short, the best way to fix it is to write good stuff and to be nice to other people. As the WWW was intended.
In the past, enjoyed content-rich websites created by people from all walks of life. They built and hosted their websites and networked with others to share their stuff, and it worked. Internet = interconnected. We learned from others, and we benefitted from other’s unique knowledge. Nowadays, there are advertisements everywhere, clickbait headlines as well as the tracking and selling of your private data and browsing habits. Where did all that good stuff go? To Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. etc.
Content creators, webmasters, and anyone with a hobby blog generally gave up and went the easy route of 180 character tweets and generic posts about what they ate and where on Facebook. Boring. People used to write, or photograph, or paint stuff that others would want to read. People used to write blogs, whether they were read or not, no one knew. Aficionados of every imaginable topic would research and post their findings for all to see.
When the tech conglomerates started to gather and consolidate web properties, the content was squeezed out. These platforms were nicknamed Web 2.0 as if version 1 needed upgrading. Version 2 was not an upgrade in my mind, in fact, it made the internet worse. Ad-driven content became a thing. You had to pay to play. The more eyeballs and attention on your stuff can be monetized to the widest possible audience. The internet became deceptive and, oddly, less social. Users became mean and divisive because now there was perceived competition.
It is almost impossible to find good content on the WWW now. Type a topic of interest on a conglomerate-ran browser, and you’ll have to sort through at least two pages of the search to get to anything that isn’t ad-driven and would be relevant to your search. When you do come across an interesting link, you are bombarded with sneaky and not so sneaky tactics to get your attention and your data. Web windows will pop up blocking the content, asking you to submit your personal info and subscribe. Pleas to purchase something that is offered. Advertisements litter the site with most, overwhelming the content you want to see. “Like me on Facebook”, Comment! Subscribe! Retweet! That is just what we see, but goes unseen is the amount of personal data that is collected and distributed to the tech conglomerates. Did you do a search on a medical symptom? Well now, the next website you visit will have a pop-up advertisement on a specific cream to help remedy that. It’s disgusting, invasive, and intolerable.
Where are people writing now instead of their own homegrown webpage? Social media. If you write on Facebook or post images to Instagram, the only people who can see it our the users on the platform. Have a business and your “website” is only a Facebook business page? Half of your potential customers cannot see it unless they are a Facebook user. No, thanks. Instead, people are writing out their limited thoughts on a limited platform that does nothing to further a conversation. That is, if you can actually see it on the FB platform. Facebook’s algorithm guarantees your content will be buried in favor of something they claim is more interesting (read that as attention-getting and therefore more potential ad revenue for them.) I won’t continue on about how the political and social media outlets combined are divisive and spiteful. I stopped both after the 2016 election, and I am blissfully ignorant. All this wasted time, effort, content, and energy spent on these proprietary platforms do nothing for the individual except to make themselves money.
So, what’s the fix?
Create your own website. There are a few free (with ads) hosting options as a start. Or you can use WordPress on your own hosted site. Web hosting and your own domain name will make it yours and on the cheap.
💻
Write or post anything you’d like. It’s yours to do with as you please. Network. Reach out to other like-minded people and build each other up. If you must use social media, put your content on your site first, then distribute to those outlets. Add a link back to your website and point potential followers there instead. We call it POSSE: “Post On Site, Syndicate Elsewhere.” Send the website owner an encouraging email. Comment on a post of theirs. Subscribe to their RSS feed and don’t miss a thing. Use ad-blockers, browsers that promote privacy and mean it, and a VPN.
One of the pillars of the internet , next to e-mail, is the personal, humble blog. This is defined as the social internet, not social media. Creators, writers, photographers, video hosts, and podcasters all need to put their works on a site that they own and fully control as opposed to posting on restrictive social media outlets. These personal websites will then generate what is called a feed for syndicating their works out to the internet (RSS or Really Simple Syndication). That is step one.
Step two is reminding their followers, their fans and their audience to embrace RSS aggregators, or feed readers so they can continue to enjoy the creator’s content. Sounds simple, yeah?
These RSS readers pull the website owner/creator’s latest articles into an easily readable format that the individual controls. Think of it as a podcatcher…but for reading! Not some algorithms that are driven by social media control or advertising. RSS has no advertising unless the creator mentions their sponsors, that is. You are in charge of what you want to read, who you want to read it from and to save it later for reference- or discard. You are in charge of your intake.
Screenshot of my RSS feed aggregator of choice- Reeder 5
Start by adding sources you know and trust. A source is a place where information comes from. When you add sources to your feed reader, you’ll be able to monitor them all in one place. By sources, I don’t just mean news sites. Sources can include:
Websites/Blogs Subscribe to the RSS feed of any source or publication. Get new posts from industry thought leaders, medium authors, or personal interest blogs like this one.
Magazines Follow everything from major industry publications to niche magazines.
News publications Follow major news publications or local news sources.
Research journals Keep up with the newest literature in your area of study.
Twitter
Pull content from Twitter accounts, hashtags, Lists, and searches into your feed reader. No ads!
Newsletters
Get email newsletters delivered to your reader so you can declutter your e-mail inbox and read without distractions.
Reddit
Get posts from subreddits and searches in your feeds.
Youtube
Subscribe to YouTube channels or playlists and get new videos in your feeds. No Ads!
Podcasts
Follow podcasts and never miss out on new episodes of your favorite programs.
Which feed reader should you use?
Start simple and free- try Feedly ( no, this is not a paid endorsement) In fact, I started to use Feedly a long time ago but opted for a cleaner, more personal aggregate called Reeder and FeedBin. These are one time purchases for me. Feedly has iOS, Android and web apps so you can access your feeds. Your news, your way.
It is way past time to delete your social media accounts and rejoin the social internet, like we used to do. The World Wide Web is a much better place and it starts with all of us taking control of our websites and consuming them our way. And of course I would appreciate being one of the first web sources you add to your new RSS feed reader. When you do, drop me an email to let me know. It is the social internet after all. If you have a website, I’d be happy to subscribe to it in my feed too.
Finally, make good content to share for anyone who may take an interest and be nice to others.
After years of dragging my feet, I have finally purchased not one, but two, Amazon Kindle e-reader devices. The first was a cheap ($15) Fire tablet from a pawn shop. I had no intention of buying anything, just a passing curiosity, but then I saw it and thought, Why not have a dedicated reader? I liked it. Furthermore, I enjoyed having a smaller tablet to read myself to sleep with every night, rather than a large iPad or my phone. However, the weight of the tablet, the highly reflective, smudgy, glass screen and the fact that the tablet had the capability for distractions (apps) had me wondering if I should just go back to what I had using the iPhone instead.
I came across the Kindle Paperwhite edition yesterday and took another look at the possibilities. This is a minimal, reading-focused, no distraction reader that has a wonderful glare-free screen that weighs less than nothing. Perfect. So I left the store and stewed on it. Not two hours later, I went back and purchased.
After signing in to a new Amazon account (ugh, I despise Amazon) I realized there were constant ads on the Home Screen. Nope. After researching online, I discovered they can be removed for a $20 fee? I chatted up an Amazon rep, and they were able to waive the $20 instantly. Now it is perfect again. I have no intention of purchasing digital books from Amazon ever again. I learned this way back in 2013 when I canceled my original Amazon account and discovered I could not take my books with me. Digital Rights Management (DRM) be damned. For the past few years, I have enjoyed reading books from public libraries using their Libby app on my iDevices. But now I can read in their app or send to the Kindle instead. Brilliant. Now I need a solution to export all highlights and notes I make on the Kindle to other software platforms to use as a reference. I hope that with the proper tools such as the Kindle, I will be able to exceed my reading goals again.
