Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Amazon Kindle 2 E-Reader

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Overview

I wrote back in April about why I didn’t have an e-reader, even though I’m a fairly avid reader. Then, two months later, I ordered an Amazon Kindle 2. The only thing that really changed in those two months was the Kindle’s price, which dropped precipitously from $250 to a much more reasonable (but still a bit high) $190. I still went back and forth over whether a single-use device was really worth that much, but I eventually gave in. Had it dropped to $150, there probably wouldn’t have even been an argument.

I chose the Kindle over the competitive Barnes & Noble Nook, which has a WiFi-only model for $150, because Amazon’s larger selection of books and the Kindle’s always-there 3G ‘Whispernet’ together seemed to justify spending an extra $40. The Nook’s main advantages are its color touchscreen, located below the nearly-identical-to-the-Kindle e-ink display, and that it runs the open-source Android operating system and is thus more hackable. The touchscreen was neat, but I found it unnecessary (and surprisingly laggy) when I tried it out. I’m not particularly interested in hacking on an e-reader either, since the built-in software in both the Kindle and Nook are quite sufficient for reading . . . which is the whole point of the device. Having said that, the Nook is a fine device and a worthy competitor to the Kindle.

Sony also offers a line of e-readers but, in typical Sony style, they seem to look good on paper and perform poorly in reality. They lack the slick integration with the online stores offered by the Kindle and Nook and, worse, every time I’ve tried to use one in a store it’s been broken. Not the way to sell a product, guys. Between the Kindle’s arrival in July and today, Amazon has discontinued the Kindle 2 and replaced it with a new model at the same price and has also introduced a cheaper WiFi-only version at $140 (both currently available for pre-order). They also sell a grossly-overpriced Kindle DX for $380.

Read more . . .

The Freedom of Conscience

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People of faith—whatever their faith—have a right to live their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs. Likewise, religious organizations (that are made up of those people of faith) have a right to operate in accordance with their beliefs as well.

You don’t have to like what those beliefs are, but if a religious group believes—for example—that unmarried cohabitation is immoral, then that religious group is under no obligation to provide its services (whatever they are) to an unmarried cohabiting couple. Cohabitation should not be criminalized, since government generally has no place legislating private morality . . . but neither should it be illegal for private religious organizations to refuse to endorse and support unmarried cohabitation. Each law would be just as wrong as the other, as they both take freedom away from the individuals to follow their conscience.

It’s the same when we talk about homosexuality. Even if you are the most pro-gay rights person in the world, you should find it appalling that governments think it’s acceptable to force religious organizations to, say, provide adoption services to gay couples when it runs counter to their beliefs. Homosexual activity should not be criminalized . . . but, once again, neither should it be illegal for private religious organizations to act in accordance with their beliefs. The gay-rights activists’ moral views on homosexuality have no more or less validity in the public sphere than devout Christians’ moral views on it, and government has no right to declare either view to be invalid.

If a religious group and its adherents believe homosexuality to be sinful, they have a fundamental right to refuse to provide services—like adoption—to gay couples. You don’t have to like that Catholic adoption agencies won’t adopt children to gay couples any more than a devout Catholic has to like governments legalizing gay marriage. If you don’t like it and don’t agree with it, you don’t have to use Catholic adoption services. You have no right, simply because you disagree with the Catholic position on the issue, to demand that Catholic organizations follow your moral beliefs instead of their own.

Laws that require religious groups to follow the state’s dictates on conscience are undeniably unjust and immoral, no matter how much you or I might agree with the ideas behind those dictates. We have a right to decide for ourselves what is morally acceptable and what isn’t. When the state starts to demand your adherence to their ideas of right and wrong—on whichever side—beyond the most basic fundamental civil liberties (like rights to life, liberty, and property; free speech; free press; right to keep and bear arms; etc.), then the state has become despotic and the people are no longer free.

With each passing year, our western societies move further and further down this path. How long before it becomes a crime even to think that something is morally wrong if the state has decided it isn’t?

Three More Random Photos

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Yes, I know, I’ve been slacking again on my posts. Sorry about that. Here are another three random photos to tide you over until I can write a bit more real content ;-). First, a baseball game at Nationals Park. Second, a funny ad at Sheetz for a pork sandwich. Finally, the most lonely parking space in the lot.

Three Random Photos

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Three random photos: First, a sign for a psychic that states ‘Located on Rt. 50.’ U.S. Route 50, however, is a highway that runs the 3,008 miles from Sacramento, California, to Ocean City, MD and there is no indication of where on rt. 50 we should go (maybe we’re supposed to by psychic too). Second, Melissa cuts open a box that clearly states ‘do not cut open.’ Third, a glamor-shot of my favorite keyboard.

Former Senator Ted Stevens Dead in Plane Crash

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Major media outlets including CNN and CBS are now confirming that former Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), who represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate from 1968 to 2009, has died in a plane crash near Dillingham, Alaska. He was 86. Also in the aircraft were former NASA chief and current CEO of EADS North America Sean O’Keefe and seven others. According to reports from rescuers, at least five people on the plane were killed. Details about the cause of the crash and the disposition of the other passengers are currently unavailable.

Stevens, who survived a plane crash in December 1978 that took the life of his first wife Ann, was the longest-serving Republican Senator and held several leadership positions during his tenure, including president pro-tempore and Majority Whip. In 2008, he was charged with making false statements on Senate disclosure forms for failing to disclose gifts received from VECO, an Alaskan oil services company. Stevens, amid the controversy, narrowly lost his 2008 bid for reelection to Senator Mark Begich (D-AK).

In early 2009, President Barack Obama’s (D) administration requested that Stevens’s charges be dismissed and his conviction vacated due to prosecutorial misconduct; the request was granted by the court in April 2009.

Editorial Note: My wife Melissa is an employee of CH2M Hill, which acquired VECO in September 2007. The alleged incidents occurred before the acquisition, and Melissa works in a different operating division of the company.

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.