A Worthy Cause
The book was ok, but that's not the point.
Like others, I heard Rush talk about this 16 year old kid, writing this book to earn money to pay back the ,000 the Marine Corps and Law Enforcement Fund helped his family with.
As a former infantry combat Marine from a long-ago other time, I contribute my puny little bit to this fund. The kid's book is extra.
End of review.
Rossi
Dittos from me too!!
Congratulations to these young men for writing this book, getting it published, seeking out the most listened to advertising venue and for helping the U.S. Marines!! If Rush recommends it, I want it. I'm waiting for my copy since it's already sold out. Thanks
Mediocre Capitalist Porn for Kids
Unlike most of the reviewers here, I've actually read this book. I'm not making assumptions about that either; almost all of the reviews say something like "I think this is just great! I can't wait to read it!" Obviously you're not going to get much other than vacuous assertions from this audience anyway. Plenty of people will buy this book because it reassures their fantasies about the Capitalist gang-bang, but I doubt many will read it.
I read the book in about an hour. I was hoping the book would not be 100% predictable, but unfortunately it was. I certainly applaud the boys for writing a book about something that interests them at such a young age. Any young person writing a book with competency on any subject would deserve a few stars simply for that. Bravo.
However, it is one of the worst books I've ever read. The writing is awful. I wouldn't normally fault a group of kids too much for poor writing, but the subject matter is even worse. It is the unremarkable story of 3 white, middle class boys, with apparently no noteworthy obstacles or challenges, setting out to make a bunch of money and...making a bunch of money. I don't recall any point in the book in which the authors put value on anything other than money, which I find particularly horrifying behavior especially for children of this age. Nowhere in the book do we read about how such wanton accumulation of personal wealth benefits the community or even the individual in any real way, other than the repeated, empty catch phrase of "investing in yourself." This is basically the core of the book.
One thing that bothers me about all of the "buzz" surrounding the book is that many people are suggesting that the boys are selfless in some way. For instance, one review here says:
"I kept thinking about my nephew, whom only thinks about himself and his personal entertainment."
I don't understand how the activities outlined in this book are anything but selfish. Picking stocks may be a more constructive form of selfishness than playing video games, but it is selfish and self centered none the less. The boys themselves say on their blog "We are kids, and we want things." I see nothing selfless, heroic, or even remarkable about that. I also see nothing desirable about the possibility of our children, at younger and younger ages, becoming capitalist prostitutes that value nothing but money. I applaud the boys for donating the profits from this book to families that were affected by senseless war, but even that effort comes off as an advertising gimmick more than anything.
And to all of the reviewers throwing "God Bless" around...remember that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Good luck, guys!
Like the rest of you, I heard about this on Rush's show. I just ordered a copy for my wife's 6th-grade classroom, although I'll read it first. I only wish I had thought to have Rush promote my 2006 baseball trivia book..... ha!
Are we missing something?
I can appreciate your love for Rush but has anyone read the book? I want to make an intelligent buying decision and need to know more about the book before I spend money.
A good start for a promising series.
I found this book quite enjoyable, and think it could develop into a popular series. I'll do my best to review it without giving away any details.
The characters:
Po - I found him a bit annoying, and not always consistent. There was an arrogance about this character that I felt would have made it hard for Katsa to be really attracted too. In the beginning I found him rather smarmy, like a used car salesman. Particularly when Katsa learned his true grace.
Bitterblue - Her character wasn't developed too a great degree. As a small child that could be hard to do, and does give the author some flexibility in the future.
Leck - He was a decent villain, although a little over the top with the torture and cruelty. I did end up wondering why with his power he didn't initially seek to expand his borders.
Katsa - Well, she is an extremely cool hero, sort of a female Wolverine from the X-men. The fight scenes she is involved in are well written. Her character develops nicely as she determines her actual grace. I didn't really believe why she'd be attracted to Po. Towards the end she did cry a bit more than I would have expected of a character with her strength. But overall, a very fun hero for this book.
Now onto the book.
The first half of the book moves pretty slowly. There are a couple of cool scenes, but for the most part it exists to introduce the setting, and characters. There are a number of characters that don't seem to have much of a role in this book, I can only assume they exist to introduce them for subsequent books. That's not a bad thing in my opinion.
The action in the second half of the book picks up quite a bit. The resolution of the major conflict comes fast. Initially I didn't like that, but the more I thought about it, explosive violence is fast, so it made sense to write in that manner. There are some twists and turns along the way to the end. As well as one shocking twist later on.
The only real complaint I had was that in a couple of sections the characters take a break from logic. In these sections the author seems to beat the decisions to death, as if trying to convince you they make sense. I found myself thinking "this idea doesn't make much sense" suspending belief (it is a young persons book and a fantasy) and moving on.
Overall I'd say this book was quite enjoyable. Don't give up on it early on, it progresses nicely, and is a fun read.
The intended audience will love it
Well, it isn't The Once and Future King but it is not entirely without merit, either. Kristin Cashore has written another of the fantasies for which young readers seem to have an unquenchable thirst. There is really nothing new here, either in terms of plot or of stylistic treatment. That being said, readers of fantasy, like readers of pulp romances, are not much interested in innovation. It is enough that the characters and their lands have unusual names and that some of them have unusual characteristics.
Katsa and Po are interesting characters and could have been fascinating had Ms. Cashore devoted more attention to character development. Alas, for all their swashing and buckling, and for enough childhood and adolescent trauma to populate a psych ward, they come across in the end as rather predictable, two-dimensional actors. Beyond that, their action scenes, of which there are many, are curiously flat and unengaging. The author has difficulty infusing conflict with any real sense of excitement.
But enough complaining. This is a book for preteens and teens, not critics. Fans of fantasy literature will be captivated by Graceling. Girls, in particular, may find Katsa a particularly attractive character to whom, in her internal conflicts and confusion, they can relate. The book advances no particularly unorthodox social values; in the end, caring, concern, and respect for others are reinforced, if in unusual ways.
This is a book I would not hesitate to recommend as light reading for middle school and high school students, and possibly for those a bit older.
A very graceful new book!
I received this book from Amazon's vine program. They warn that arc's (advanced readers copies) often have small editing issues and those are not to be commented on, rather look at plot and characterization. If there were small editing issues, I didn't see them, because I was swept up in the plot and characterizations. In the seven kingdoms, people born with 'graced' powers - magical enhancements - usually belong to the king. Graced people are known by their dual colored eyes and most of the regular folk won't meet a gracelings eyes...
Some graced powers are more useful than others, but Katsa, the King's niece, revealed herself as a killer when she was 8, and the king then isolated and treated her as his rabid dog assassin since then, using her skills to enhance his power.
There were lots of interesting ideas and the magic was so entrenched in this world, it felt natural and real, rather than something grafted on.
I really enjoyed this book. Someone commented that it felt like a Young Adult's book, and I can see where they are coming from, this book does not have the density or complexity of George RR Martin's Ice and Fire series. However I really enjoyed this book and definitely look forward to reading the next one.
Very good, engaging book
I enjoyed reading this book. It is a very good freshman effort. Well written and well edited. I enjoy in-depth character development, and find it all too often missing in many books today. Loose ends and contradictions drive me bonkers. So to find that there weren't any obvious loose ends in this book and the characters were wonderfully developed along the journey, not by tedious outside descriptions, but by their actions, choices and even their turn of phrase, made me a very happy reader. The action was well treated as well, and all of it kept me up reading more pages at night than I had started out intending to read.
I respect the author's different views on relationships and marriage, so the only criticism I have is based on personal preference: I would have preferred that the love interests in the story would have taken the plunge and gotten married, rather than just had sex. It cheapened the story a bit to me. But that is my view of romance - to each their own.
Congratulations Ms. Cashore. I look forward to reading your next book as well. Take all the time you need to make it as wonderful as this one.
A very entertaining young adult (teen) adventure tale
Graceling is the story of Katsa, a Middlun, and Po, a Lienid. The kingdoms of the Middluns and Lienids are only 2 of the 7 kingdoms where the story takes place. Certain people (including children) of these kingdoms, are gifted with what they call Grace. Each Grace is unique to the person who has them, and a child who is Graced will often show it from birth with different-colored eyes--i.e., one eye is a different color than the other.
Graces are varied and may range from the everyday such as cooking (people with this Grace are exceptionally good cooks), to the more extraordinary ones like the ability to see into the future (kings usually keep these people close by for obvious reasons). Graces sometimes take time to manifest, but in the case of Katsa, it manifested really early, when she was about 8. Unfortunately for Katsa, her Grace is lethal to anyone who she perceives is a danger, or who her uncle, the king of the Middluns, perceive should be disposed of. Although Katsa uses her Grace mostly for good, she is a helpless tool in her uncle Randa's court until she defies him one day and leaves with Po, whom she met while on a secret mission, to help him find out the reason for Po's grandfather's kidnapping. Their trip/adventure takes them through several places where they are sometimes in danger for their very lives, even though both of them are skillful fighters. They meet people along the way who are both ready to help and sometimes betray, hurt, or kill them. They also meet someone who is running for her life whom they take it upon themselves to protect with their own. They also find love and test the strength and fidelity of that love, even as they both walk almost to their doom. In the end, however, Katsa saves them all with her Grace, and though there is a hint of sadness in how the way things turn out in the end, there is a very satisfying resolution to the original mystery set out in the beginning of the book.
I wish I could say more, but the book is such a wonderful read and so well written--newbie author, Kristin Cashore, is that good!--that I am holding myself back from telling the whole story. It is a book you will find hard to put down until you get the answers to Katsa and Po's questions and the resolution of their mission.
One word of caution, though: the book is marked for readers ages 14 and up. There is mature adult content that is not appropriate for 14-year-olds, simply because they are so broadly hinted at that they're already obvious. I would push the minimum reader age for this book to 16 years old if only for this reason alone.
Nice unit but software is poorly designed as are the mounting brackets
The brackets are poorly desinged or designed with the purposeful intention of breaking such that you have to buy new ones. Mine broke and a car ran over my GPS. Nice work Garmin.
The software provided by Garmin is also poorly desinged and my unit alway had a hard time connectiong to my computer.
Round One
I had a bad experience with the first mountain biking ride. The Edge 305 shut off repeatedly with every bump.
Garmin sent a postage paid return label and will send a new unit. Stay tuned for "Round Two"
Great product
So far so good. I have had numerous cycling computers and this one is the best by far. Collects all of the data I need. Wireless is, so far, flawless. Garmin Training Center software is intuitive and easy to navigate. Would definitely recommend this product.
Edge 305 Outstanding Training GPS
When I purchased the Edge 305 I had certain requirements in mind and the Edge 305 met all of them. It has worked flawlessly since I installed it. I have not had any problems other than one user error. Setup was easy and it finds a signal even under the trees. I highly recommend this as a training aid and all round bike computer.
Finally, a bike computer worth the price
I have used all of the latest and greatest bike computers for ten years and this is the first one I would say is worth the price. With the big caveat of not being a power meter, this computer has everything you could want in one package with a great pc download and interface.
What I find especially enjoyable is that this computer can functions well at any level of interaction. You can do intervals and monitor your cadence or you can just go out and spin and not think about it. Either way, the computer is recording all of the data for your log when you want to look at it.
Nuvi 270, an excellent buy
I purchased the Garmin Nuvi 270 to have a portable unit which I can use in multiple vehicles and while a pedestrian and which I can also use in Europe. For its price of less than 0 at Amazon.com, I have found it to be an excellent buy and about what I needed. It is a very convenient size for portable use and its display is comfortable to view and manage. I have owned a number of GPS units since they became available on the commercial market and I find the performance improvements, over what this technology was capable of 15 years ago, to be remarkable. The receiver sensitivity improvements particularly allow the unit to lock to the satellite signals and operate in environments (under trees, in canyons, near tall buildings) far beyond the capability of previous receivers. The speed of acquiring and locking is typical of competitive units.
The display is fine. The user is offered a choice of several map displays and details to suit preferences and conditions. I keep the brightness set at 50% which is adequate for most usage, but the display will wash out in bright sunlight. Setting at 100% improves bright sunlight use, but some shading is still necessary for sunlight viewing. The major power consumption in these instruments is usually the display, so I prefer to reduce the brightness when not required, important when operating away from charging sources. My fully charged unit seems to operate somewhat less than the five hours advertised by Garmin. Perhaps more like 3 to 4 hours. I purchased the AC charger and would recommend that accessory for anyone expecting to use the unit away from the car.
A feature I miss is the ability to view satellite positions as the GPS searches and locks. When having difficulty acquiring, it is of interest to notice the required satellites are with respect to the horizon and mountains and buildings which may obstruct reception.
The points of interest included in the memory are adequate and acceptable for most travels. Adding points is quite simple and convenient by simply touching the screen and saving. The touch screen works very well, but is tactilely very sensitive and the locking feature is very useful when in situations where the unit is being handled a lot. However, the lock button is contained in the on/off switch, small, and on the side of the unit, not easy to find and to operate by feel, particularly while walking, or in the dark!
The data base, including the maps, is a few years old and no update is available at this time. I mention some of this as an advisory, not a complaint. I understand the challenge in keeping databases up to date; I just remind myself that I got all of the US and all of Europe for less than 0. The enunciator voice is quite pleasant and the volume can be adjusted or muted to suit conditions. Street names are not called out, only the distance to turns and points, and she can do this in 40 different languages, a few of which I have not even heard of.
The navigation features work fine when traveling simple paths. For driving in cities, such as Los Angeles, consider the navigation help a suggestion and certainly not a recommendation. The algorithms generally direct travel over major thoroughfares, interstates and freeways which can often be the worst choice for many trips. The Nuvi offers a menu of avoidance selections (no U-turns, Carpool lanes, Toll Roads, Highways, etc.) but these really don't help. Suggest depending on pre-trip planning and common sense.
In summary, I give the Nuvi 270 all around good marks.
Nuvi 270
I bought this nuvi mainly because my wife is from Germany and I always have a terrible time navigating around these towns. I didn't want a unit that I would only use for a few weeks a year when we are in Europe so I sought out something with a database in the USA as well.
This is a simple unit. It doesn't upload traffic or current construction delays. It doesn't play music. It doesn't bluetooth. It doesn't play videos. It doesn't wash your socks. It just navigates and it does it very well.
We travelled all over Germany, over to a small town in Poland, back to northern Germany, over to Norway (and all over the country), and then back to Germany. It found everything without a hitch. It even found these obscure little dirt roads in the wilds of Norway. Took us directly to airport terminals and ferry terminals. I am hugely impressed by this little unit. Nothing but good to say so far...
Great device!
Works wonderfully except in tight places where the traffic is awful- no fault of the navigator though. We loved it in England and Ireland. It even backroaded with only a few mistakes which could have been our fault in programming. Very helpful on roundabouts!
Absolutely great in Germany
I used my Garmen in centeral and northern germany this summer and could not have asked for anything better it found all locations I asked for and listed all roads. It found places to eat and gas stations and hotels. Absolutely fantastic
What you'd expect from a GPS
first i have an older Garmin i5 GPS. it was smaller in screen size, but bulky and you had to rotate a dial to spell addresses out, etc. that was really crummy. but the nice thing about it is that it could acquire the satellites very quickly -- perhaps within about 30 seconds. the Nuvi 270 is slow to acquire satellites. i regularly drive about 2 minutes before it finally figures out where i am to give me directions. if i know i am going to be using it i guess i should turn it on before i start the car if i really don't know which way to go from my starting point.
that being said, everything else is really, really well done. you can type right on the screen and you can do it while driving. i purchased the weighted stand for keeping it on the dash and the combo can't be beat. we're off to Europe for a few months soon so i'll likely have more to add to this review once i've tried this GPS from Italy to Amsterdam.
Zen X Fi 16G
I am not the type to throw my money around recklessly and after much deliberation decided on the Creative Zen X-Fi 16 Gb MP3. I had no idea what the hell X-Fi was, never heard of it and thought it was a marketing gimmick. I was fully prepared to send it back immediately if it didn't live up to the hype that preceded it.
What I wasn't prepared for was to be blown out of my socks. They are not lying, the clarity, the crispness and adjustability of the Zen Xfi unit is ....amazing. In full on mode with both the Crystalizer on "Max" and the Expand set to "On" the sounds that pour out of the headphones are unreal. I was able to determine on a particular song I had been hearing and loving for years that it was actually two women singing a great deal of it at the same time, so clear was the sound reproduction. Minute details that would be missed on a lesser player (and they are all lesser as far as I'm concerned) are loud n clear on the Zen X-Fi.
I went as far as swapping headphones to a 65 dollar Sony I had bought prior and the sound reproduction range was not as high or as low and the mid sounded muddy compared to the EP830 headphones. I tried listening to the Sony headphones on my prior MP3 player and it sounded better (but nowhere as good as the Zen X-Fi). When using the EP830 phone on the other MP3 again it sounded even better but still worlds away from the EP830/Zen XFi combo.
Don't waste your time on overpriced but pretty looking screens. If the music is your priority and not fooling around with gadgets and widgets on an MP3 player then the Zen X-Fi is the tool for you. While with 16Gb of space is certainly enough to handle lots of pictures, videos etc. The wallpaper is changable and the WiFi feature sets it apart. While you cannot surf the internet, you can reach podcasts and other such broadcast if you wish. There is also an FM radio with 24 pre-sets. The Zen screen is very clear and color rich, images pop off the screen and sunlight does little to dim it. All in all, this is my new favorite toy.
My only niggle is that after charging the unit fully, it needs re-booting...every time. That was annoying at first but it is a small price to pay for the quality of sounds it produces. One other [...] and it isnt with the product, it is with the company, there is no included car or ac adaptor, Creative want 35 bucks for a car adapter. >:(
All companies lie about performance, they claim battery life of 35 hours, I'd like to know what planet that happens on but it aint Earth. I get an honest 10 hours out of it. I start at 7AM and am home by 5PM, most days I can get home with it warning me it's about to die. On rare days it cuts off on me on the way home. A car adapter would really help, also an ac adapter would prevent me from having to run a PC in order to charge her up.
Great MP3 Player-- Love It
I have had my player for 2 weeks and it is great. I'm filling it up with music. I love the design and how easy it is to work. If you are considering buying this product, please purchase a skin for it. I have dropped it several times and it now has scratches on it. So protect your product.
this thing is great!
I have been using my Palm TX as an MP3 player, but its memory was lacking (limited only to the 2 G SD Card) which led me to look into the Creative stuff and iPods.
Pros:
Microphone, recording - for the forgetful folks, this is a great feature! grocery lists, honey-do lists, this on the go memory jogger is wonderful.
FM Radio - great reception. useful when I have not updated my NPR podcasts.
Zencast - separates my NPR and story nory (for my 5 yr old) podcasts from music downloads.
Sound - great when using the earbuds, but I do not like earbuds (i keep sticking it back into my ear after a few minutes). I use a sennheiser eh 150, which sounds great but I have to crank the volume up to 15 of 20.
Video - downloaded stuff from the library and they look and sound wonderful.
X-fi - can connect to my computer using Wifi so I can listen to or view videos I have not downloaded into the unit.
Cons:
buttons take getting used to.
lack of instruction manual.
ear buds keep falling off.
Overall, great unit! great price and great value!
creative zen x-fi 16gb
i bought a creative zen 32gb and they have the same function with x-fi. SD card is not integrating with the all the library. when playing video when there was no skip , forward or reverse., you can not go also to the next video. although you can make playlist but you can't not go to the next video, there is no skip, forward or rewind but the player is extremely cool, very nice, very lovable, very cute. the best in design for mp3/mp4 player.
Really good buy for the confused...
This MP3 player is a pretty good buy from my perspective. Initially, I was doing research to purchase the slightly older version of this player(without wifi). In the process of making my final determination, I visited Creative's website to compare prices between Amazon & Creative. While on Creative's website, I noticed that there was a newer version of the 16gb player. This new player had wiki. I immediately ordered the product from Amazon.
The good:
-The sound quality is excellent
-The screen is pretty clear
-The ear pieces work rather efficiently
- The unit is relatively light & small
The bad:
-With any new product, theres always a learning curve. It will take a few minutes to learn all of the buttons/functions
-When the silicon sleeve is placed over the player, you have to press very hard on the buttons to increase/decrease volume, change tracks, etc.
- You have to purchase the power adapter if you wish to charge the unit using your stardard home plug()
Overall, its a good player.
pretty good, given the options
given the options available, at least the ones i have seen, this case seems OK. i would say the agent18 is the only other comparable case.
although i was aware when purchasing, still a little disappointed that at this price point there was no screen protector included.
Really Cheap Plastic Wrapper
I was really disappointed in this product. For , I expected something more than a piece of plastic that protected only the back of the phone. The screen remains completely unprotected. Beware this product. I believe they are taking advantage of people who spent 0 on an iphone (0 with the subsidy) by offering a very cheap piece of plastic at a "value based" price.
Not what I'm looking for
I bought this case because it got very good customer reviews on Apple's website. I'm going to be returning it since it doesn't do what I want a case to do. The case covers only the back and sides of the iPhone, which I knew, and it's fairly lightweight plastic, which I also knew.
What I did not know is that it's very difficult to get the iPhone out of the case (it does *not* just slide out, at least mine didn't). It gets hung up on the opening for the volume rocker and the ring/silent switch on the left side of the iPhone. You have to wiggle it back and forth to get it out, which I found to be annoying and also seemed as if it would start to scratch the iPhone over time. I also felt that opening and closing the little flap at the bottom scraped against the iPhone more than I was comfortable with.
The other thing I don't like is the tiny flexible pop-off plug that covers the sleep/wake button at the top. It's hard to get it back in after you've removed it, which I had to do in order to power the phone on or off.
I also wondered about heat dispersion when the iPhone is in a case like this. The iPhone can get pretty warm with heavy use, and it seems to me this case might keep it from cooling as fast as it would uncovered.
The case looks good when it's on the iPhone, it weighs very little and it is a snug fit. You almost cannot tell that there's a case on the phone at all. I don't think it would give much protection if you dropped the iPhone, but if all you want is protection for the back of your iPhone, and if you don't mind wrestling with it if you want to remove the iPhone from the case, this might be a good choice.
So, I'll give it 3 stars, because it's not a bad case, it's just not right for me. For now, I'm using a leather slide-in case that gives total protection when the iPhone is in my pocket. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better for my purposes than this case. Meanwhile, I'll keep looking and hoping that new and better cases come out for the iPhone 3G.
Sigma BC 800
Great product for us who ride motorcycles. I had one on my BMW motorcycle, have since sold it and now have put one on my Honda ST 1100.
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