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| Mr. Jeff Bezos,
I am an avid reader and a true lover of the Kindle, however I am sad to say that I am not going to be purchasing the Kindle 2. The reasons are not to do with price, but with the simple fact that one of the major problems with the original Kindle has still not been addressed.
The product description for the Kindle 2 boasts it’s ability to hold over 1,500 books, however, the organization is very minimal and limited to author, title and most recent. To put it succinctly: it’s a complete pain in the ass. Allow me to create a metaphor for you: take all of the documents on your computer out of the files and put them on your desktop. Sort them by whichever method you prefer; however it is still a lot to look at. Too much to look and make sense of, simply it is sensory overload.
To understand why this is such a failing in the kindle, you must look at why people have folders on their computer. Putting documents into folders allows people to enforce even a small amount of order on their environment. Without the ability to organize books on your kindle, it can be difficult to navigate through. Personally, I have nine pages of books and find that it can be difficult to find what I want quickly and easily.
You may say to this that I can easily delete content and simply re-download it later. Well to be perfectly honest, I don’t like to do that, and I’d be happy to explain why. Say that I have a book, or a “collection” that I am in the middle of reading, but I get bored with it and want to read some new books before continuing on. It would be nice to put these item in a folder like “save for later” on my kindle so that it isn’t glaring at me every time I turn on my device. I also travel frequently, last year I spent two months on Tokyo with limited access to the internet. For me, deleting content is just annoying. Besides this, if you hadn’t meant for people to keep a large amount of content on their Kindles perhaps you shouldn’t boast about it’s ability to hold over 1,500 books in the product description.
I truly hope that you can get this issue resolved, as I know that I am not the only person with this complaint.
Thank you for your time,
eeherndon
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I thought I would put this up. I don't think I will get a response, but I thought it was at least worth a try. :) | |
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| Im not sure of any other way to do this, but here is a link to some pictures:  | |
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| My aunt emailed me the other day and asked the question: So, how are men in Japan? I have heard of many young men studying, loving, and staying in Japan, but few young women. How are you treated ? Curious.
That’s really a difficult question to answer but here is what I came up with:
Ok, so, men in Japan. Let me start off by saying that most people don't have my experiences with men since I just seem to attract the weirdos. People will (men) come up to me in the parks, or on the train or whatever, and actually grab me and stand in front of me in such a way that I would have to knock them over to get away from them, and insist that I speak English with them, or (in one case) that I be their girlfriend. I also had one guy offer me a part time job (I don't know where, and I don't really want to know where) and one time I was followed for a short distance (I was with a friend in Roppongi so when he figured out we weren’t going to talk with him, he went away). Mostly the men who are like this have gone to America, and through some warped view of the world have decided that all American blondes are whores and will have sex with anyone, and therefore are very insistent. Anyone who gets scared easily or would feel bad about pushing someone who trying to grab you down the train stairs or is just plain gullible would probably be taken advantage of pretty easily. Luckily I don't suffer from any of the above sentiments and can easily scare the crap out of almost any guy who approaches me that way. (Mostly because they’re shocked that any woman would ever turn them down.)
Now, that isn't to say that all Japanese men are like that, but there is a certain degree of male superiority complex here. It’s very easy to understand why men would want to stay, and conversely why women wouldn't. To get married to a typical Japanese man, first off you would be almost required to be a housewife, there really isn't any other option. These women are expected not only to be diminutive in the outside world but to their own husbands as well. Personally I find that thought more that slightly repulsive and would rather remain single the rest of my life than ever have a "marriage" like that. (I say marriage because the only other way to put it would be domestic servitude). So when a foreign guy (American or European) comes to Japan they will more than likely have their choice of women because they represent a certain type of freedom which wouldn't necessarily be allowed or found in their own culture. And these women will also be very attentive and non-demanding relationship wise so I can see and understand why foreign men would like it here.
But to understand the context of all of this you would also have to take a look at counter-culture and I'm not talking otaku (manga and anime obsessed) I’m talking about bar and social life of the up-and-coming generations. While Japanese women are usually very reserved during the day and at work and whatnot, if you give them a little bit of alcohol they go fucking insane. I really truly mean that. I can't say that I understand it. Its almost as if all of their pent up energy from being submissive all day explodes into a shower of alcohol and sex with random strangers. My personal opinion is that this is how Japanese men view that it is ok to take advantage of women and what makes matters worse is that women here are taught to be embarrassed about being attacked or molested by a man, like they feel that society views it as their own fault. But that still doesn't explain why these women go and turn into absolute freaks in bars and clubs. Men do the same thing but it seems less shocking perhaps because of the type of men I’ve encountered in this place. And perhaps because I learned that in the mornings groping and molestation are so bad and rampant on the subway system that the government has stated that the first two or three cars are for women only.
And honestly? That doesn't even begin to cover half of it. This country is so twisted and backwards in societal structure and towards women that I don't think I could ever live here, and most assuredly not with a typical Japanese man. | |
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| So for those of you who don't know (and those who do) this summer I have decided to go to Japan with a study abroad language program. I have decided that instead of continuously emailing people, I am going to keep this as up to date as I possibly can (at least weekly).
The F.A.Q.'s:
Q: Why are you going?
A: Well, there are a couple of reasons actually. For starters, I need a damn vacation. And yes, learning a new language in a foreign country IS a vacation, especially when compared to molecular biology and organic chemistry. Also, I feel that as a future doctor (faaar future), it would help me better serve my patients by not only being multi-lingual, but also able to understand and cope with cultures that are vastly different from my own. I feel that being in Japan for two months will not only help me learn a new language, but will also greatly expand my patience and further understanding of the world.
Q: Where are you staying?
A: I'm renting an apartment in an Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku. This area is west of central Tokyo and slightly southeast of Shinjuku (the business district of Tokyo). Tokyo is actually comprised of several different outlying neighborhoods, originally these neighborhoods were villages outlying the castle at Edo. As for renting an apartment, the Japanese have a rather unique system specifically designed for foreigners to learn more about Gaijin Houses, try www.sakura-house.com who I rented from.
Q: What program are you using? Are you getting credit?
A: The program I am using is Center for Study Abroad, as far as I can tell they are a great company that goes many different places worldwide. Planning this trip they were easy and clear, I will let you know how the classes are when I get there. You CAN get college credit from using the course depending upon the university. I have decided not to get get college credit because I was told that while they would accept whatever credit I obtain, I would have to pay not only CSA's tuition, but also my university's tuition rate for whatever credits I earn overseas. I decided that was pretty shitty and I don't need the extra credit hours, so no, I am not receiving university credit.
Q: When are you going/coming back?
A: I will be leaving May 29 and returning July 25. I will be checking my email, updating this page and checking my cell phone at least once a week.
I'm extremely excited to be going and can't wait to get there! - Mood:excited
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