vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
2024-12-13 09:38 pm

Kindled again

Setting up a new Kindle Paperwhite to replace my rapidly dying old one. Main priority is change font and layout to be friendly for my progressive neuro illness challenged brain. I can read small print in eye tests, but for extended reading find large print vastly better. Big before/after difference!

Brain damage from my progressive neuro disease is why I struggle so much with normal print books now. When I did my PhD on historic Scottish reading habits I was phenomenally envious of many readers I studied and the books they read! Empathised with those who no longer could through age or disability.

vivdunstan: Sidney Paget drawing of Holmes and Watson in a railway carriage (sherlock holmes)
2024-09-22 04:17 am

Sherlock Holmes reread: A Case of Identity

On to the next short story, and I'm going to discuss it with some major spoilers in there. So into the spoiler section we go )

So a rather slight Holmes story, but many interesting elements nevertheless.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2023-09-20 04:41 pm

Electronic Superhighway

This old comic came up on my Facebook today. Wow.

Calvin and his tiger pal Hobbes are walking along, chatting about the "Electronic superhighway". Calvin says: "Pretty soon, computers, telephones and TVs will all be hooked together to bring instantaneous, interactive communication right into our homes.", before noting his dad preferred it when you had to communicate by mail and "wouldn't hear back from anybody for at least a week." Calvin finishes with the comment "I'm a 21st century kid trapped in a 19th-century family."
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2022-04-16 08:56 pm

Pocket

Just managed to get my count of unread articles saved to Pocket down under 7,000 again. Pocket is one of a number of ways of storing articles you see but can’t read there and then but want to keep to read later. Not long ago my count was almost 8,000 unread. A few years ago it was almost 10,000 and then I had 2 very ill years, when I saved even more and couldn’t read them often. But it’s dropping well now I’m more awake again. Masses yet to read! But next up - or down! - I’m aiming for the 5000s. This is a huge range of saved articles, many newspaper or online. I shake up the reading by searching for articles that mention specific words or subjects and bingeing them. Martin has about 1,250 unread articles at the moment and is slightly alarmed at that. I give him a look 😜 Note my huge count isn’t any bad mark against Pocket or sign that it isn’t effective. I’m just heavily sedated from my neuro illness and end up saving more articles to read later than I can get through promptly. But it does work for me. I use the Pocket app on my iPad and iPod touch, and it’s easiest to save via the iOS share button to read later. Pocket can also integrate well with web browsers on computers. I find it a great way of managing delayed reading. Now if only I was more awake ...