On the way

There are quite a few programs and web services that can be really useful to Kindle owners. This post compiles 17 of these that every Kindle user should know about, ranging from eBook conversion programs to services that can broadcast your favorite websites to your Kindle.

Note that many of the tools listed here aren’t strictly Kindle specific, but can be very useful to anyone who has a Kindle or any other eBook reading device, such as PDF cropping tools and eBook conversion apps, etc.

Areas covered include ‘eBook Reading Tools’, ‘General eBook Conversion’ , ‘PDF to Kindle Conversion’, ‘Organizing files on your Kindle’, and ‘Sending web content to your Kindle’.

eBook Reading Tools:
1. Kindle Cloud Reader: read eBooks from anywhere
2. Kindle Reader for PC and Mac: read eBooks on your computer
3. Kindle Previewer: see how converted eBooks will look on your Kindle

General EBook Conversion:
4. Amazon Kindle email conversion service: free online eBook conversion service
5. Calibre: eBook conversion and management software
6. Hamster Free eBook Converter: casual, powerful eBook converter
7. Auto Kindle eBook Converter: converts PDF, Lit, and HTML files to Kindle-friendly .MOBI format

PDF to Kindle conversion:
8. Briss: visual PDF cropping tool
9. K2PDFopt: converts complex PDF’s into Kindle friendly ones
- Also see my two related how-to articles on optimizing PDFs for reading on the Kindle (here and here).

Organizing files on your Kindle:
10. Koll3ction: use folder structures to organize your Kindle documents into collections

Sending Web Content to your Kindle:
11. SENDtoREADER: bookmarklet to send any web pages, Google Reader entries to your Kindle
12. Kindle It: browser extension that will send any web page to the Kindle
13. KindleFeeder: deliver up to 12 RSS feeds to your Kindle via whispernet
14. Greader2Kindle: read your Google Reader feeds on your Kindle
15. Instapaper: automatically delivers unread Instapaper articles to your Kindle
16. ReadItLater: deliver unread ReadItLater articles to your Kindle
17. Readability: receive your Readability reading list automatically on your Kindle

The HP TouchPad is a tablet, sure. It can also be a lot of things to a lot of different people. You wanna get down to business? No problem. Want to kick back and relax without having to bust out your laptop? We gotcha.

If you’re already rolling with a TouchPad’s true app multitasking, you can have your Box.net account open, play a round of Angry Birds HD, a Kindle eBook and….heck, a Web site running Adobe Flash all open at the same time. Well, I pulled together a key list of go-to apps that no TouchPad owner should be without.

FYE (For Your Entertainment)

VideoFlood HD: One of the great things about having Flash capabilities on the TouchPad is being able to watch streaming video. But this app’s simple interface allows you to quickly find all the shows that are currently available online.

Kindle: The popular eBook app is here. Using whispersync technology, wherever you read your books (whether a tablet, phone or PC) Kindle keeps track of your bookmarks and where you last were in your story. Fair warning, though, Kindle apps don’t currently support magazine subscriptions.

Last.fm: The music service that analyzes your listening patterns (they call it, “scrobbing”) put together a pretty clean interface into this app.

7digital: A wide selection of DRM-free music is now available for you to download or stream from this store.

Mood Agent: Akin to a Pandora, this app reads into your music and makes some suggestions. Here’ the difference, though: It starts by analyzing the songs you already have on your TouchPad and it makes recommendations from what you have – and what’s available online.

AudioPhile HD: If you want to really mix up your music (change up the speed, fade the music out or quickly) this app is worth a quick download.

Lyrix: Get ready for that next Karaoke night – or just settle a bet.

Comics HD: I love reading comics. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking Web comics or the classics in the Sunday strip. With this app you can grab your daily dose.

GETTING SOCIALIZED

Facebook: Probably the best-looking and most comprehensive Facebook app around on any device.

Spaz HD: This is a highly effective interface for accessing your Twitter feeds.”

Localscope: This app pulls information from places like Twitter, Foursquare and Google to help you find everything from the best local bars or nearest places to go into a shopping frenzy.

LEARN SOMETHING

Epicurious: Discover tons of new recipes – or share some over a social network. Then create your shopping list to take with you. Epicurious also includes a search-by-main-ingredient feature

USA Today: This nice-and-tidy interface gives you a quick, no-nonsense look at all the day’s important stories.

TED for TouchPad: Get a chance to see all the latest TED talks directly from your TouchPad. These are usually amazingly educational, featuring luminaries from a wide variety of fields

Khan Academy: This is probably the ultimate “learn something” app – it’s a video school that’ll teach you everything from Algebra to the basics of Venture Capitalism.

UTILITIES

Box.net: 50GB of free storage? Sounds crazy, but true. All you gotta do is download the app and set up a free account.

Glimpse: You get a multiple card view within webOS, but this app gives you quick access to a series of widgets on-screen at once in a very logical interface. If you’re an info-junkie, consider this one.

Robotek HD: A funky strategy game that simple to learn. And kind of fun. And free.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Feel the squeal of tires as you’re racing around on your TouchPad.

GameFly: Technically, this isn’t a game, but it’s an app all about games. If you’re a gamer (like me), download the GameFly app for all the latest news and game reviews. And if you subscribe to its service, you can go through your queue from the app.

Don’t forget that the TouchPad can run Adobe Flash. That means there are a whole slew of Web sites hosting thousands of Flash games that you can play right now. For the time being, you can check this list that I’ve been putting together of Flash games that work great on the TouchPad.

Stitcher.com
Amazon Prime
Hulu.com
Pandora.com
MLB.com!

A Father Prayer by General Douglas MacArthur (May 1952)
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee ?and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, have not lived in vain.

可疑的顾客们–谨以此片献给那家为苹果公司代工的工厂的13位跳楼自杀者
本来看标签是喜剧想要轻松一下，结果是一部现实题材的影片。难得的是，在今天的“景德镇”，这类直面现实问题的影片是看不到的。
如果本片能够引进“景德镇”，或者“景德镇”能够自己制作这种类型的，可以给那些苦苦挣扎之中想要轻生的人再一次重新思考一下的机会。

轻松一下，经典台词分享：
这人生啊，就是B和D之间的C：生（birth）与死（death）之间是抉择（choice）。
PS：这句话倒是适合辞职的时候送给boss。
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剧透，慎入
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大脑里面的神经运行起来像是电磁场的运转，即使是身体死后大脑仍然带着电，这部分回路仍能运作；另一个让人好奇的是，在每一个人的大脑里，还有短暂的记忆轨，大约能存储最后8分钟的记忆。结合这两种现象，可以组成source code的原型。source code能做大量反复的重迭运算，可以对过去时间内发生的事情进行重新分配，进入平行现实(parallel reality)但不可以影响未来。由于该系统对于本体(Captain Colter Stevens)和受体(Sean)之间的匹配要求极高，所以目前目前只有他们配型成功。

关于时空转移的影片层出不穷，与过去的《Lost》需要特定的地点人物，巨大的能量和设备完成时空转移不同，《Source Code》通过一套生化装置和两个还能完成一部分功能的大脑即可对过去8分钟发生的事情进行反复演算。这相对来说似乎更合理，也更容易实现，也更具现实意义。
在冷冰冰的设备之外，影片更是对于一系列的伦理问题展开了深刻思考。中国从古就推崇诸葛亮的“鞠躬尽瘁死而后已”的传统精神，前些年甚至出现过该精神的升级版本“鞠躬尽瘁死而不已”，看来这个问题美国人也想过，并借着Captain Colter Stevens之口说出了他的意见：“为国捐躯一次足矣”

如果在倒计时的最后一秒种影片就停止了就好了，又往后发展了一下明显是为了开续集。
很沉重的一部剧，好在最后安排了一部分加拿大脱口秀演员Russell Peters的表演。

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