Where do they find these nutbags? Can’t the government hire any competent people? Seriously, this guy wants be to blow into a tube while I’m driving? And then what, shut my car off in the middle of the highway? Automatically relay a “tweet” to the Po-lice? Call my mommy if I’m under 18? And now Obama wan’t him in charge of our highways? Mad indeed.

It is true. There will always be regular books. But going forward I will own as few as I possibly can.

Let’s not forget the hard working Americans (and their children) in the printing industry. They will have far fewer books to print and that means fewer jobs…it is ECO 101!

All those hard working American jobs gone because of the Kindle and your desire to carry something light on your trip. With those jobs gone the tax base will decrease and the children will suffer tremendous. Again, ECO 101.

Most of these Kindles are probably made in China!

Standard libertarian disclaimers aside…what American would stand up and say “the secret ballot is bad and we should do away with it “? Don’t we learn how sacred and American the secret ballot is in first grade? How is this a socially acceptable thing to attempt to push? Is’t the ONLY reason for this move to intimidate folks into voting with the group? I can’t think of a single other reason, reality based or rhetorically based, why someone would oppose this.

Can you imagine if this was the idea of management? If Walmart said “ok, we will let you vote on unions but you have to submit your vote with your name on it to management before.” No fucking way! We would have protests outside headquarters and boycots. And rightfully so!

I would have thought most people would look at this agenda like they do overt racism…not something you can say out loud and still be treated with respect in polite society.

Now if only reason would hurry up and send my Kindle 2 to me…

*sigh*

#45 seeker6079

We have two conflicting stories. Both, on the limited evidence are equally probable.Choosing one version of the other is a variant on Orwell’s point that one believes atrocity stories solely on whether or not the impugned party is one which one supports politically.

I don’t support either side. I just think it’s more plausible that the mob harassed the guy than vice versa.

One thing I wish the kindle had is a little page-turning remote, so i could prop it up next to my computer for use as a reference text, and I could turn pages without fiddling with the device or being stuck with the text-to-speech reading pace.

Try doing that on a subway. If the texts you work with are available in electronic format (science papers, for example) you can upload them, and add notes as you read on your commute. When you get home, you can plug in your kindle and your notes are in a plain text file that you can copy to your computer.

I’m afraid the smelling-the-books thing is overridden, for me, by the ‘oh god I need to pack and move the bastards again’ thing, as well as the knowledge that I rarely open my old books anyway. I only have about 500, but that’s too many. I’ve started selling old books on Amazon.

The Kindle’s text reading feature would certainly help. If you don’t like the voice, you can always turn it down and just let the Kindle turn the pages for you.

On the other hand, you can carry vastly more books in a Kindle than you could in paper. And you can search through all the books in the device.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to fashion a hard case for a Kindle for a hike. It’s so thin that this wouldn’t add much bulk to your load. If you fall down a hill so severely that a hardcase-enclosed Kindle breaks, you probably aren’t going to feel much like reading any books.

And if your Kindle does break, you can access your purchased books on your iPhone, too. ;^)

Besides, it is indeed difficult to nurse and read at the same time.

It’s also difficult to read a book while pumping – even with the hands-free straps (boys, don’t ask), it’s awkward to reach around the bottles (gawd, it gets worse) to turn the pages. A Kindle would make my twice-daily pumping sessions so much more pleasant.

I just got a palm, and am waiting to have the cash to buy a memory card so I can read on it, but I suspect it will be too small.

Also, yay for nursing Agitator mommies!

There’ll be plenty of room in the market for hand-crafted fine editions. There’ll be plenty of room for author-signed copies.

But admit it: nobody is impressed by the ancient and obsolete 1998 Visual Basic reference book on your shelf. One Terry Pratchett novel on the shelf gets across that you’re a fan, the other 30 in the series are just taking up space.

I love my Kindle2. I have about 68 books and converted PDF files on it, the PDFs being mainly Apple sysadmin and programming reference texts.

It’s like having a giant to-read pile that I can carry with me.

One advantage over a paper book is that I don’t ever need to change my grip as I read. Paper books vary in shape and size, and the grip required even changes depending on how far you are through it. The Kindle is always the same shape, so it’s far more convenient. And some books, of course, are simply too big for easy one-handed reading while standing on a bus.

Unfortunately I’ve started reading while walking, which means I’m probably going to walk into the path of a bus.

* On Monday April 27, 2009, 8:41 am EDT

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCBB: GFON – News), an emerging pharmaceutical cannabis company, reported today on the current state of development of its whole-cannabis lozenge in response to Homeland Security Administration Secretary Janet Napolitano’s declaration of a public health emergency to deal with the emerging Swine Flu pandemic. The Company’s non-toxic lozenge has properties that could alleviate many of the symptoms and harmful effects of the H5N1 bird flu and H1N1 swine flu viruses, and has offered its assistance to HSA today in a letter to Secretary Napolitano. The Company has offered to produce up to 1 million doses of its whole-cannabis lozenge, and provide them to HSA for distribution at cost.

Cannabis Science Inc., President & CEO, Steven W. Kubby said, “We have the science and preliminary anecdotal results confirming the anti-inflammatory properties of our new lozenges and indicating they may present an effective and non-toxic treatment for minimizing the symptoms and harm from influenza infections. Our lozenges appear to down-regulate the body’s excessive inflammatory response to the influenza virus, which could reduce the deadly consequences of an infection into something that is more like a common cold. Because of my cancer and diminished auto-immune functions, even common influenza is a deadly threat, and I’ve had incredible symptomatic relief with the lozenge.”

Dr. Robert J. Melamede, Director and Chief Science Officer, stated, “The influenza virus has a unique genetic make up that, in combination with its replicative machinery, has an extraordinary capacity to mutate. As a result, the high lethality of some strains can be attributed to the resulting adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is caused by an excessive immune inflammatory response driven by Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) that leads to the death of respiratory epithelial cells and resulting organ failure. Endocannabinoids are nature’s way of controlling TNF activity. Existing peer reviewed publications have shown that phytocannabinoids can prevent this cell death by mimicking the endocannabinoids that nature has selected to prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses.”

Dr. Melamede, who is also a researcher and past Chairman of the Biology Department at the University of Colorado Springs (UCCS), cautioned, “Smoked marijuana will not effectively prevent the excessive inflammatory response, despite delivering the beneficial pharmacological agents, due to the irritating, pro-inflammatory nature of smoke. In fact, I believe it will make things worse and should be avoided by infected individuals.”

Mr. Kubby added, “If a swine or bird flu pandemic emerges — and everyone seems to think that it is just a matter of when, not if –, there is simply no time for the usual bureaucratic process. With emergency government approval, we can legally access the huge supply of medical cannabis available in California to produce millions of life saving doses within a relatively short period of time.”

Dr. Melamede furthermore stated, “Based upon recent discoveries regarding the role that endocannabinoid system plays in maintaining human health, we have a unique solution to the looming threat posed by deadly influenza strains that we believe, if implemented, could save millions of lives. We will strive for an emergency review of our cannabis extract-based lozenge because we believe its availability will prevent many of the deaths associated with the hyper-inflammatory response associated with known lethal strains of the influenza virus. Current anti-influenza medications have a demonstrated decreased effectiveness against some of these lethal variants. Mankind cannot wait for the emergency situation to materialize. We must be proactive in gaining the necessary governmental approvals to test, and pending the outcome of our studies, produce our lozenge.”

Mr. Richard Cowan, Director and CFO, who recently spoke in Mexico City to a conference sponsored by the Mexican Congress, stated, “I believe the Mexican Congress recognizes that doctors should be able to prescribe medical cannabis. We are prepared to work with the government of Mexico to produce similar medical cannabis products to help fight the outbreak there. We look forward to working with Government officials, including Homeland Security, to help advance our treatments for these outbreaks in Mexico, Canada, the USA, and around the world.”

About the H5N1 Bird Flu and H1N1 Swine Flu Strains

The H5N1 bird flu currently has 63% lethality. A swine-derived H1N1 strain was responsible for 20,000,000 influenza associated deaths in 1918 (more than killed by World War I). The current lethal outbreak of swine flu (H1N1) in Mexico has killed over 80 people and infected more than 1,400 others. There are 20 confirmed cases in the United States, with reports of infections in Texas, New York, Ohio, California and Kansas. Additional reports identify possible cases in New Zealand, Canada, Spain, France and Israel. The H1N1 Swine flu is a porcine respiratory disease caused by type A flu viruses. Human cases occur in people who are around pigs, but an infected person can transmit the disease to another person. Symptoms include a high fever, body aches, coughing, sore throat and respiratory congestion.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.

Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as “anticipate,” “seek,” intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Cannabis Science Inc.
Steven W. Kubby, President & CEO, 888-889-0888
info@cannabisscience.com
http://www.cannabisscience.com

We have two conflicting stories. Both, on the limited evidence are equally probable. Choosing one version of the other is a variant on Orwell’s point that one believes atrocity stories solely on whether or not the impugned party is one which one supports politically.

Was he leaned on by “union thugs”. If you are of the political right, yes!

Was, after months of following around a politician with zip to show for it, trying to create rather than report a scandal? If you are of the political left, yes!

DaveB. – The kindle is e-ink. You can read it under a candle, use it for several weeks without needing a charge, etc – it’s not a LCD screen and dosn’t work in the same way.

Again, I don’t really like the Kindle/Kindle2 themselves from a technical perspective, and neither do I think they’ll replace hardbacks on people’s shelves, but mass market paperbacks? Yea, those are under threat from electronic paper.

And there’s allready an sheet of paper-sized touch tablet out there using epaper..it’s not very good, but it’s the first and others will follow…

#22 MacGregory

Dave, I’d bet that your overhead for film and supplies has skyrocketed in recent years

Yep. But, there are a lot of new film and paper suppliers (from Eastern Europe, China, etc), so that’s encouraging. On the other hand, I don’t really use a lot of materials because the darkroom work is so time intensive that I don’t take many pictures and I only print a fraction of what I take.

No one should have to hold a big heavy book while they’re feeding a baby. That’s why we have TV.