Jump Ring Quilt

If you go to Missouri Star Quilt Company and then scroll down to You Tube, then ask to see Jump Ring Quilt it will take you to the tutorial. Just follow the directions and watch Jenny. Question for Brian not quilt related. How hard is it to set up your Kindle to read books as I am thinking of getting one or buying another sewing machine? What procedures did you use? Sandy$

Reply to
sandydollar2015
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I like both Jenny's and Rob Appell's (man sewing) tutorials, so I might try and find the one you are talking about.

As for setting up a kindle for reading, I didn't really do anything except take it out of the box and plug it in to make sure it was fully charged.

Books for the kindle come in 3 formats:

1 .mobi, which is amazon's proprietary format.

2 .html, which is mostly for accessing web pages, but an e-book could be in that format.

3 .pdf, which is a universal format for e-books (in fact pdf stands for "portable document format")

A kindle comes set up to read all 3 of those formats, though for PDF, the PDF reader from Adobe, the company that actually developed the .pdf format, is better than the one that comes on a kindle.

If you buy a book from Amazon, all of them (or at least all the ones I have seen) are offered in their proprietary format(.mobi), so all you need to do is access the Amazon site and buy the book.

For online books from other free sources (such as Gutenburg.com) the books are almost always in at least one (usually all three) formats. To get them all I did was simply download them to my Kindle.

Books from the Barnes and Noble bookstore come in another file format, and I am not certain if that file format is supported by a Kindle, so some sort of app may need to be installed if you want to get books from them, but as I have never purchased a book from there, I am not certain.

As for other online bookstores, I have not bought books from them, but based on the small amount of "research" I have done, I am pretty certain that they offer their book in one or more of the formats I described.

For example, I am simultaneously reading 4 books right now, one for pleasure, and the other 3 for "research," or at least to increase my personal understanding of some things.

The "escapist literature" book I am reading is book #13 from the "Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan, and I got that from Amazon, it is in .mobi, or Amazon's format.

The first of my "informational" books that I am reading is the NIV, and what I am using is the bilica.com app for that, but I could read it directly by going to their site. I think they make at least some translations available for offline reading.

The second of my "informational" books is Darwins "Origin of Species," which I got in off of gutenburg.org in .mobi format, but I think it is also available in the .pdf format as well.

The third is the talk origins archive, which isn't really a book, but I think it would have as much content as a book (or perhaps even several) it it were printed out, and I am reading that by going to their site and using a html-reader like Silk that comes built in to the Kindle, though I could use others as well. There also might be an edition somewhere that is available for off-line reading.

I can also read online magazines/newspapers such as reader's digest or USA Today on it as well.

I also think most libraries offer books in electronic format as well.

As for which model of Kindle to get (there are several available), probably the best thing is to to to Amazon and read up on it there, but my recommendation is that if you are going to use it for just reading, get either a basic kindle or a paperwihite.

If you want something that you can put various apps, such as a corssword puzzle, diary, or scheduler app on it, or access social media, I would recommend an actual tablet computer such as a Kindle Fire, or even going up to an Ipad Mini, if you have the money, of course. Here is an article about which one might be better for you:

formatting link

I don't know if that is perhaps either too long-winded or technical, but the short answer is that, except in some special cases, all that needs to be done is to take the Kindle out of the box and plug it in to make sure it is fully charged.

As for getting content for it, that can be obtained at a lot of places: Amazon, other online bookstores, some public liraries, sites like Gutenburg.org, talk origins or biblica.com.

Apps that are "better" than what comes built into the Kindle can also be installed, for example the app for .pdf files.

I think ebooks have both advantages and disadvantages as opposed to standard paper-and-ink books. The advantages:

  1. Space: I am currently reading a series called "The Wheel of Time," and the first 10 books in this series are in a great big box in my closet, but the last 3 are on my Kindle, which can fit in my pocket (though it has to be a large pocket such as on cargo pants).

  1. Adjustable print: The print can be adjusted from about the size that would be found in a regular book to at least twice that size, which is quite nice, even if you don't have "bad vision". The color of the background/print can be reversed (black background, white print), which I like and is the format I use.

  2. Ability to look up words: A Kindle (at least the model I have, but I think all come with this feature) comes with a dictionary so you can automatically look up words if you want.

  1. Backlighting: Kindles, or at least some models are backlit so you can read without having to have a light on. This might come in handy if you wish to read in bed but not have the light on that might disturb your partner.

The disadvantages, at least that I have found, are:

  1. Battery life: On a Kindle Fire, Amazon's tablet computer, which is what I have, the battery life is only a few hours in continuous use, so if I take it somewhere, such as a restaurant to do some reading, I have to plug it in to recharge as soon as I get home. If you were going on a trip some where, you would need a car adapter to keep it charged.

On a regular e-reader, the battery life is longer, and that has to do with how the display is maintained, for a more technical explanation, go to someone other than me.

However, it charges through a standard micro-usb connection, so a charger that you can buy at Wal-mart or wherever would work, though you could buy one through Amazon when you buy the Kindle.

  1. I am not real sure how to explain this one, so what I say might be a bit vague, but an ebook does not feel like it is "mine" in the same way that a paper-and-ink book does.

There are several articles online comparing e-books to "real" books, but those are the main differences that I have noted. Just google for someting like "ebooks vs. real books." The are also several articles that go into greater technical details of the file formats if you are interested in that.

As for the machine you are pondering, if you are considering a high-end electronic machine that does machine embroidery, etc., I would say it is very likely you probably have the money to buy both as a Kindle costs well under $100 to just over $100 depending on the model, and the high-end sewing machine costs several hundred to possibly several thousand dollars.

If you have only about 200 or so "spare dollars" and can only buy one or the other, I would highly recommend getting the kindle, unless you absolutely have to replace your sewing machine.

If you absolutely have to replace your sewing machine and only have that kind of money (~$200), I would highly recommend looking on ebay or craigslist for something like a 301 or featherweight as any new machine that is that price is probably a piece of junk that will last at most a few years. Going to a sew and vac store like Cathey's for a used machine might also be an option.

--
Brian Christiansen
Reply to
Brian Christiansen

Hello Brian, Thanks for all the information on the Kindle and down loading. I been unsure of what to buy and if I could actually download books. You know I am pretty dumb when it comes to computers or anything electronic. Sandy$

Reply to
sandydollar2015

If anyone on the newsgroup decides to try Jump Ring quilt be sure when you snowball the 2 1/2 inch white squares to press the white toward the darker material as when sewing rows together those layers of material get thick. Sandy$

Reply to
sandydollar2015

On Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 11:02:25 AM UTC-5, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com w rote:

n unsure of what to buy and if I could actually download books. You know I am pretty dumb when it comes to computers or anything electronic.

Just a quick opinion on the kindle. I got a fire tablet for my birthday. Within 3 months it had "upgraded" its elf into a paperweight. It is an absolute horror of proprietary software t hat cannot be removed from the device. An add pops up on screen every time you open it. They have meddled with their file formating and extensions s o that it will not interface well if at all with other devices. I keep eve rything on my desktop computer, so when they did that the tablet's usefulne ss ended. I do not like the browser it comes with and it really really does not want me to install a different one, not "lite" versions of popular bro wsers, nor specifically written for mobile device browsers like Midori. I am either going to root the thing or make a deal with my youngest daughte r to either get on her prime account and share the tablet with her so she c an actually access the audio and video content that comes with her prime ac count, or perhaps just give it to her. Save yourself the grief and get a different tablet and the kindle app. If you do opt for an Amazon device, make sure you turn off Alexa. Alexa wi ll eat your charge very quickly. When it downloaded onto my tablet, batter y life was cut in half until I turned it off.

Reply to
Night Mist

I kind of agree, but also disagree with your criticisms.

Yes, to my understanding, amongst the e-readers available from Amazon, the Fire is kinda the lowest tier, with the quality for just e-reading going up through the regular kindle, the paperwhite, and with their newest model, the Oasis being the best ereader (at least according to some reviewers) on the market.

While I agree that the kindle fire is quite heavily tied to books from Amazon, and could be looked on as discouraging getting books from elsewhere (such as Barnes and Noble), I do not find it to be a "horror of propietary software".

I have the version of the Fire that puts up the ad as well, and I have accidentally opened it a few times, but have had no real problem in just ignoring them, and just swiping past them.

I keep everything on my desktop computer, so when they did that the tablet's usefulness ended.

That is perhaps true, but except as a experiment to see what might happen when I connect it (ubuntu 14.04 recognizes it, ubuntu 12.04 did not, or at least did not appear to), so I really do not have any problems there.

I have installed the dolphin browser and the ocean browser which are, I think, specifically written for tablets, and I had no problems installing either one. The one that I like best, however, is Silk, the one that comes pre-installed on the Fire, especially the newer version of it.

I am quite satisfied with my Kindle Fire, despite the shortcomings you describe. However, if you keep everything on your computer like you say you do, and your desktop is a Macintosh, getting an Ipad mini might be the better investment, even though it is bit more expensive (~200 as opposed to ~100, at least going by the prices on Amazon).

If your desktop is a windows computer, getting a Samsung, Lenovo or even Dell (though those are really expensive) is perhaps a better investment.

If I ever need to replace my tablet, price would probably be the prime consideration for me, and it appears that at least some models from Lenovo are cheaper than some models of the Fire, and it turns out that the actual manufacturer for both Lenovo and Amazon is a company called Quanta computers.

I do not know what Alexa is, nor have I ever seen it on the list of installed programs on my Fire, but I do agree that battery life is a problem on tablets, but I don't think that problem is unique to Fires.

The best technique I have found for extending battery life between plugins is to fully shut it off between uses, and not just let the screen go blank ("go to sleep").

--
Brian Christiansen
Reply to
Brian Christiansen

Like I said (or at least implied), there is a short answer and a long answer to your original question.

The short answer is that nothing really needs to be done except taking the Kindle out of the box making sure it is charged for most types of e-books.

The long answer is a confusing mess of different file types and which the Kindle can support natively, and which need a separate app installed.

Night Mist, in her post gives some legitimate criticisms of the Amazon products (Kindle/Kindle Fire), and I responded with my experiences involving those particular shortcomings.

Unfortunately, I can give my opinion about e-readers and tablets, Night Mist can give hers, and you can read online reviews from now till Saint Swizen's Day (fans of the show M*A*S*H might get that reference), but the only real way to tell if you would like an e-reader better than regular paper-and-ink books is to actually try one. Perhaps you can find someone that has one and you can borrow it for testing purposes.

--
Brian Christiansen
Reply to
Brian Christiansen

I have the Kindle generation 3 typepad style Kindle. It is at least 5 years old now. Currently there are over 400 books in it, all of them except one were "free". It is an ereader only, not a tablet.

There has never been a problem for me with this unit. I purchased a hard cover from eBay for it, which is showing signs of wear.

Really like my simple Kindle, but, Brian, it was quite a lesson to read about the different versions!

G> > > Hello Brian,

Reply to
gingerwcgc

On Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 2:48:03 PM UTC-5, Brian Christiansen wrot e:

will not interface well if at all with other devices.

Ubuntu Studio 16.04.1, on a custom build. The tablet will not mount. It's icon blinks on the desktop, so the compute r knows what it is and that it is there, but it cannot mount it so that you can access it. When I first got the thing back in August I did not have t his problem. The tablet upgrades madly though, and will even turn itself o n to do so. I really found that to be a boggler! Right around the beginni ng of November is when it started refusing to talk to my computer. I have just done a desktop software upgrade, so after I do a hardware upgrade tomo rrow (new fan is all, Hyper 212 EVO, I'll either have to cut a hole in the side of the box or leave the side cover off to make it fit. Bit of fuss.) I 'll try again. So far no upgrades have helped, but one never knows. The fact that I use linux means no help from Amazon on this.

a will eat your charge very quickly. When it downloaded onto my tablet, ba ttery life was cut in half until I turned it off.

It could be that your Fire is older than mine and could not handle Alexa. Alexa is a sort of a bot program that is supposed to help you with your sho pping. This I do not need or want, but it installed itself permanently so all I co uld do was turn it off. It eats charge like crazy and bogs the system.

When I got the tablet out of the box it was loaded with just over a page of pre-installs, not counting the standard stuff that you expect to find on a new OS. None of which could be removed or replaced. It has added stuff sin ce then. The side pages are stacked with junk as well.

Oh, and if you put a book on there from anyplace but the kindle store, it s ticks it in the documents folder not the book folder. Even if it is in the kindle format (.mobi). Even if you specifically put it in books, when you go to read it it will be in documents. Now the reader function is pretty darn good. Your book in the documents file will read normally, just as if it came from the store. I can actually read an e-book with no headaches, e yestrain, or glare issues. The folder goofiness is just a mild irritation quickly gotten over once you know what it is doing.

Mind you all my complaints about the thing may be unique to the specific Fi re version I have. I am also completely spoiled by how easy it is to customize a linux system, and the notion of not being able to remove useless software, especially me mory heavy stuff, is just appalling to me.

At home I just keep it plugged in. I always shut it off completely, but wh en I pick it up again it is always on. That is one of the most irritating things about it. You would imagine that if it can turn itself on to upgrad e it could just as easily turn itself off when it is done! I can put it in airplane mode to stop it doing that, then it takes an age to get to doing anything when I want it because it has to do all the upgrading it missed ou t on. Since I cannot use it as a reader I do not use it very often. easier just to keep it plugged in and let it do what it wants. Anyway, an extension cord and a macro to micro usb cable and I can comforta bly use it plugged in anywhere in the house. If I can get it usable again for anything but Neflix, video really eats the power, I will be able to use it for what I wanted it for which is all those hours in waiting rooms. Pa perbacks tend to squish and mangle in my purse, hardbacks are cumbersome, a nd between my medical and Ash's school stuff (another school meeting coming up, I better lay in some crosses and holy water), I spend way too much tim e in waiting rooms. I have surgery to fix the incisional hernia coming up next month. DH says h e will lend me his power brick if it is going to be an overnight stay, whic h it probably will be all things considered. That way I can at least watch video if I haven't managed to sort the interface problem.

NightMist

Reply to
Night Mist

Success! It did not look like it was going to work. I plugged in and synced it and it didn't even show up on the desk top, just sat blinking in the file manag er. Just for giggles I tried it on all the other linux machines in the hou se. It worked on DH's desktop and DD3's laptop, both of which are Ubuntu ma in, Xenial. It did not work on the laptop running Mint. Then I tried it a gain on my machine, running the lsubusb command in terminal this time. Suc cess! Now I can add some mp3s to my music files and add books. Yay!

NightMist

ote:

t will not interface well if at all with other devices.

ter knows what it is and that it is there, but it cannot mount it so that y ou can access it. When I first got the thing back in August I did not have this problem. The tablet upgrades madly though, and will even turn itself on to do so. I really found that to be a boggler! Right around the begin ning of November is when it started refusing to talk to my computer. I hav e just done a desktop software upgrade, so after I do a hardware upgrade to morrow (new fan is all, Hyper 212 EVO, I'll either have to cut a hole in th e side of the box or leave the side cover off to make it fit. Bit of fuss.) I'll try again. So far no upgrades have helped, but one never knows.

Reply to
Night Mist

d it didn't even show up on the desk top, just sat blinking in the file man ager. Just for giggles I tried it on all the other linux machines in the h ouse. It worked on DH's desktop and DD3's laptop, both of which are Ubuntu main, Xenial. It did not work on the laptop running Mint. Then I tried it again on my machine, running the lsubusb command in terminal this time. S uccess! Now I can add some mp3s to my music files and add books. Yay!

it will not interface well if at all with other devices.

e
d

puter knows what it is and that it is there, but it cannot mount it so that you can access it. When I first got the thing back in August I did not ha ve this problem. The tablet upgrades madly though, and will even turn itse lf on to do so. I really found that to be a boggler! Right around the beg inning of November is when it started refusing to talk to my computer. I h ave just done a desktop software upgrade, so after I do a hardware upgrade tomorrow (new fan is all, Hyper 212 EVO, I'll either have to cut a hole in the side of the box or leave the side cover off to make it fit. Bit of fuss .) I'll try again. So far no upgrades have helped, but one never knows.

Reply to
Night Mist

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