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Source:Mashable!

I love books. They’re second to music in importance so far as media in my life is concerned. But I like the physical variety. Ebooks don’t appeal, and I’ll tolerate an audiobook now and again only when I’m on the go. Yet, when I read earlier this year that Amazon was rumored to be developing a new Amazon Kindle device tailored specifically for textbooks, according to Andrea James of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I thought that might prove useful. And then I thought different. I still do, to be honest, even with assurances delivered Friday by an analyst at McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc that efforts for such a release are underway.

I can understand why ebooks have their devotees and newfound adopters, particularly given the ease of use of the Kindle’s design in form and in function. Carrying multiple volumes can be tedious. So there’s really no question of if they will really hit the mainstream in the way the MP3 and the iPod did for music. It’s only matter of when.

But for academic publications, there seems particularly little need for an “Amazon Kindle Big,” as it were. And I imagine demand won’t be high, either. The reason being that students already invest in the ideal coursework tool: a laptop computer.

No, not everyone is privileged to own such a device. They still carry a premium for a number of K-12 students and undergrads and postgrads alike. But given the option to spend considerable dollar amounts on a digital reader in one form or another, a laptop is most certainly the logical pursuit. They’re relatively easy to manage via a school network, they’re free to display and transmit data in all sorts of formats over the cloud, and they’re multifunctional. (Consume and produce.)

Something from Amazon of the Kindle’s making would strike me as an extravagance, and hardly practical.

The original Amazon Kindle has taken on a sizable customer base, according to readings by analysts and researchers over the last several months. Not immense, by any means. But I think the company can sustain that proprietary economy for a while longer. Maybe even indefinitely, if it continues to grow at its current pace for years to come. And we can place Amazon’s Sprint-powered WhisperNet for that. A wireless storefront with no mandatory monthly fee will do that for a product.

Still, for education purposes, Amazon will have a potential flop on its hands in its large-size foray. Let’s be clear. There was no Kindle before Kindle in the casual reading market. There is, however, a panoply of portable computers big and small that have been proven most useful for the scholastic set. And if Amazon goes full-on with this new attempt, and it is deemed a non-seller, its smaller sibling might unfortunately feel a spillover of bad vibes. And I would hate to see that. Wouldn’t you?

(Image credit: Santarosa.edu)

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Google Maps on Amazon’s Kindle, In Case You Get Lost While ReadingMoving To Montana? Forget About Your Kindle!beRecruited Teams Up with Student Advantage for Co-Branded Discount CardsBookGlutton’s Kindle Competitor Launches Public BetaAmazon Dishes Out $300 Million for AudibleiPods Are Pwning Amazon’s Bestselling ListAmazon Kindle Showing Less Than Stellar E-Book Sales?

Source:Mashable!

Joe Biden, who has been named Barack Obama’s choice for Vice Presidential nominee, took his seat in the Senate in 1973, representing the state of Delaware.

Who is he?  How does he stand on the issues that matter the most to you?  Where can you learn more about him?  Did you know that not only did he try for the Presidential nomination this time around, but he also tried in 1988? We’ve put together a list of nine resources on the Web that will help you learn a little bit more who he is and how he tends to lean on the various hot button issues.

General Sites

Congressional Bio - A short bio from the official website of Congress.

Federal Election Comission Records - Records about Joe Biden maintained by the Federal Election Commission.

Joe Biden’s Official Senate Page - Joe Biden is currently the senator from Delaware, and you can visit his official site for more information about the issues that matter to him.

OnTheIssues.org - A quick bullet point list showing you how Biden has voted and stood on some of the key issues.

Washington Post Voting Record - A record of Joe Biden’s Congressional voting record maintained by the Washington Post.

Social Networks

Joe Biden Facebook Fan Page - Show your support for the new Vice Presidential candidate.  You can also view his group on the network.

Joe Biden Flickr Photostream - See pictures of Biden at various public engagements and see a bit more of the man behind the scenes.

Joe Biden MySpace Page - Left over from his Presidential bid, there isn’t much here right now, but that will probably change with him back in the spotlight.

Joe Biden YouTube Page - A collection of appearances of Biden on various media outlets.

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Obiden?Joe Biden’s YouTube ShowdownSearchles Adds Joe Biden Branded ChannelSearchles UGC for Total Telecom’s News PageWaiting for Obama & Clinton to Go Head to Head? Do it Yourself with a Yahoo Mashup.Finally: A Porn Site for ADHD Sufferers20+ Educational Sites About The Democrats

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 pm and is filed under barack obama, Lists, Political, 2008 election, joseph biden. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.