Leslie's Omnibus

All Over the Road

That's what happens when I'm sleep-deprived and I pick up the keys to the Omnibus. Give me an electronic slap upside the head if I start dozing off on you...
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Up until recently, I've been pretty negative on the Kindle, but book publishers' move towards a bigger and heavier paperback format that I find increasingly difficult to hold and resentment towards the $2.00 upcharge from a normal size paperback have had me rethinking my position.

The debut of the new Kindle DX was even more appealing.

They're lightweight. The downloads are speedy so the "wait" time is almost nil. The screen is bigger and more readable. Amazon is way ahead of the other electronics manufacturers with this technology.

... BUT...

I think they're wildly overpriced at this time.

  • I could pick up a NetBook for the same price, or significantly less, and get a color screen, full-sized keyboard and far more functionality right now.
  • I can get along with my lovely, lightweight laptop until the color and picture resolution catch up, without spending another dime.
  • The iPhone has a FREE downloadable app for Kindle, and it, too sports a color display. That's great if you've got an iPhone, but seems pretty unfair to everyone else.
  • Amazon's profit should be coming from the ebooks and online publications they're selling, not from the delivery system, which should be a loss-leader. They've got little to no overhead on electronic content, and that includes delivery costs, which I currently get free anyway with my inexpensive Amazon Prime subscription. -- an out-of-pocket cost to Amazon it wouldn't have to assume if customers like me could be persuaded to purchase electronic content.
Psst! Mr. Bezos! Give it color and make it affordable for everyone, and I'll buy one in a New York minute.

In the meantime? I'm patient, and Amazon Prime's quick delivery works for me.
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I know I stumbled upon it a little late, but this had me weaving all over the internet highway, cackling with glee the whole time.

Go figure.
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Out of the mouths of babes....
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While I was over in Ireland, WGN Radio pulled the plug on a dear friend of mine and a couple more weekend favorites. I am gobsmacked.

Why did this happen? To bring on idiots like this offensive twit. (I caught his first show and seriously thought it was a hoax. I was horrified to find it is not.)

WGN also axed Nick Digilio's highly entertaining Sunday morning movie reviews on the Dean Richards show so he could bring on this clown and his band of moronic movie "critics" from Cleveland, for cripes' sake. This arogant ass turns talk radio into lecture radio, where the only opinion that counts is his. Ugh.

One of the most well-read, thought-provoking and erudite men on the radio was moved to "Extension 720," which gets wedged in to regular evening program if they can find a spot for him here and there.

The internal memos are flying out of Kevin Metheny's office. And in them, the WGN-AM (720) program director's message to his on-air talent is crystal clear: Be more edgy. Get pissed off occasionally. These blunt directives are part of how Metheny is starting to create a new sound at WGN -- one sharply at odds with what many of the station's long-standing (older) listeners are used to hearing.

In an interview Thursday, Metheny admitted he's trying to drive change. Metheny also doesn't deny that such a massive upheaval in style at WGN could alienate some listeners.


Ya think?

Methany has already told his staff that he's more interested in provoking listeners with what his on-air personalities think than paying one jot of attention to what his listeners want.

Fine, Bucko.

Sundays from mid-morning till early evening, save for Sports Central, the Bulls, the Hawks and the Cubs, now sounds like farookin' amature hour.

Oh, I'll still listen to sports, Mr. Fix-It, Dean, Nick D and Legally Speaking on the weekends, but that's it. King John in the morning and Steve and Johnnie at night -- nothing more during the weekdays. And I'll find Milt on the podcasts, I guess. Bob and Marianne? Meh. I'm not nuts about pre-recorded content anyway.

I don't care if you're fourteen or four hundred -- as long as you provide thoughtful content and (mostly) polite discourse, I'll be listening. This new programming, however, is an insult to my intelligence and an absolute slap in the face to civil discourse.

You don't listen to me? Fine. I won't be listening to you, either. Screw with what's left of your programming that I happen to really like, and I'll be reaching for the dial on my radio to change it permanently. (By the way -- I'm right in the middle of your target audience, Bub. )

Yes, indeedy, Mr. Metheny -- you've been Bus-slapped.

Up yours.
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BTW -- Steve's not sitting still. You can find him at his new home here. Steve is one of the most knowledgeable and well-connected guys in the country when it comes to all things pet-related. Go give him a listen, and tell all your friends, too.

Steve takes your questions at 866-55-4-PETS, or email steve@petworldradio.net. Tell him Ricky's breeder sent you. That'll get his attention!

Your pet will thank you for it.
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That's it. Time to pull into a rest area...
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One more thing -- don't, for all that's holy, type "amature" into the Google search tool unless you're prepared to bleach your eyeballs out at the results. Yeesh!
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Yeah, yeah.  I'll go to bed sooner or later.  In the meantime, if this little video doesn't bring on a sniffle, you're a big old meanie who I do not want to know.
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This is life as it should be more often.
Leslie

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Encouraging to see the kids on high tech... let's hope that they get out more and have their own therapy nights when they're older!

Barrie

Nancy said...

sniff.. he was petting her back...