Review: Kindle Paperwhite

This is my first pure ebook reader, but my purchase of it does not signify my total shift to ereaders. My first use of this Kindle doesn't symbolize my loss in faith on the printed book. I still love to touch and smell 'em paperbacks and hardbounds. My main motivation in buying is--I want to take advantage of the occasional good deals on Kindle books that Amazon gives out (see #5 and #6 in Pros below) and, well, the supposed-best ereader fully.


Pros:

1) The handiness is undeniable.

--Really great on flights. Have read 50% of Judd Apatow's book of interviews in one 3-hr flight, without carrying its 400-page heft in physical form.

--Also ok on long boat rides.

Or on the beach.

--also ok on the beach, but i don't like people who spend half the day time reading under the tree than enjoying.

--it is definitely lighter, unobtrusive, and generally handy-er than an iPad Mini.


2) Adjustable font is great. Even if I can afford the books printed in large print version, Im not buying those books because I have mercy for the trees. Here, reading in big letters doesnt cause that anxiety.

3) Carrying many books while travelling indeed offers an advantage.

If you get bored with a novel, you can easily switch to an anthology of shorts. This is fantastic when travelling. Even if youre travelling in a 16-hour flight, it;s really not optimat to squeeze and lug 3 books in your handcarry.

4) The reading is pleasant and not tiring to the eyes especially if there's sufficient ambient light and there's no need to depend on the backlight (see cons below).

5) Amazon indeed gives out good deals. 1.99USD for a James Salter 0.99USD for a Michael Chabon, 3.99 for a latest Judd Apatow book of interviews, etc. You just need to subscribe to the daily deals email and also check this forum from time to time. The Best American series also goes on sale once a year. And Amazon always have this Kindle book bonanza during Black Friday/ Cyber Monday.



(Kindle sitting on a shelf. If the price is equal between a softcopy and a hardcopy, I'll of course choose the physical book any day).


6) Related to #5, owning this Kindle becomes an inexpensive avenue to try an unknown book or author. I was very thankful to have discovered Stoner by John Williams when I saw it was offered at 1.99 in a daily deal.





CONS

But there are still critical rooms for improvement to this supposed best in the market. The following are my concerns.

1) The lighting is still not even (wrongly advertised). You have to increase the backlight to max to get the semblance of even lighting, but this strong illumination will tire eyes regardless if paperwhite has that nano-thing lighting. I suppose better to read still with min brightness plus a reading light.



In this same picture, you can see the uneven lighting at the bottom. It's more obvious when youre actually holding and reading on the device. Whether it's distracting will be up to the level of OC-ness of the reader.


2) The contrast of Paperwhite is not yet perfect--fonts not yet that solid and the black can still be blacker. The letters' print is probably just 60% on the white to black scale, relative to a printed page.

3) Shadowing of previous page occurs frequently. There is an option to automatically refresh the screen to remove this, but doing that on every page turn is distracting to the eyes, because the screen will flicker to completely black before the next set of text appears.

4) Would have also preferred a bigger screen. (Real booklovers do not put a book in their back pockets any way).

#1 - #4 considered, I wouldnt declare that Kindle Paperwhite better for books when compared to Fire or iPad mini.


5) The screen is soft (like on the nintendo game and watch of the 80's). Not for kids.

Reason why if youre on the fence in getting Amazon's expensive leather case, get it. It's durable enough and adds elegance to the 'experience.'


6) Finally, my unit also has a white stain on the bottom, probably equivalent to a dead pixel on full LED displays. This stain is annoying/distracting every time I get to the bottom of the page. I noticed the stain after a week of use, I dont know if it was there from the very start or popped up after the first recharge.


VERDICT:

Is it worth to getting an ereader?

--If you have an iPad mini and are just a casual reader, just get the Kindle app. Youll still be able to partake in Amazon's Kindle deals.

--If you dont have a tablet yet, get the Kindle Paperwhite for the cheap Kindle deals.

--If you travel a lot and read books a lot white travelling, 99USD (paperwhite is one sale through these Holidays) or 119 is well worth it. Just inspect the full week it is with you, to make sure you still have time to return and ask for replacement in case you notice any blemishes.

The Franchise Awakens

PROS

1) Abrams brought back the "plane-ness" of the vista. Lucas knows that he was being illogical when he made the prequel more advanced ("hay-tek," ika nga nila) than the sequels. Too much eye candy in Revenge of the Sith, et al. Abrams straightened out this wrong.
2) The Star Wars that is not afraid to pull-in strong emotions is back.
3) The evil-ness of the villains was portrayed well. It was not too mild or too forced.
4) Harrison Ford is Han Solo. Bringing him, Leia, and Luke back is already a great achievement. Them delivering on their performance furthers the achievement.
5) I like the inter-racial angle brought up. This is one facet that upgrades the franchise (it's not pure homage, ladies and gentlemen). If a gay alien comes up, it would also be welcome.


CONS

1) I thought the the female and black leads were overacting in many scenes. I dont know if Abrams deliberately sought this to reflect the late-70's and early 80's level of acting, but still it disturbs me.
2) They should have given more time for Chewy after that cataclystic event. It was an emotional grenade for our favorite Wookie. It should have been shown on screen and let the audience cry more.

I was born after the first Star Wars, but I caught up with Betamax. Seeing this movie at the same texture and feel as the first three is refreshing. Thank you and congrats to Abrams, Kasdan, Arndt, Disney, and the whole cast. We clapped in the theaters.

Im sure Rian Johnson will further up the ante. He directed the best of the best Breaking Bad episode, after all.

Profiteering over the Force!

Nice work, SM! Capitalist to the core, you, maderpakers, you.

Paying 277% premium for the honor to tell your officemates that youve watched it 24 hours ahead of them?  Or the pleasure to spoil watercooler conversation by revealing key plot points?

If this is your disposition, there's something wrong with you, maderpaker, you.

Review: Kebos Powergarde 1000VA UPS

I've been an APC guy for many decades, since the time of Intel486 and Pentium133. But now when it's time to add-in a speaker hungry for higher wattage on a UPS, I knew it was time to check out and gamble on other brands. Im also counting on the high chance that, for a relatively simpler circuitry of a UPS, APC's competitors should have caught up somehow with APC's vaunted reliability. It shouldn't be that hard to reengineer a power device (as opposed to a driver-controlled circuitry of a say, a processor) after all. And it has been so many years since various companies from Asia launched their own companies to produce UPS's.

And so there are firms like Secure, Intex, Kebos, Ablerex, Izuki, FSP, et al to choose from. But I can't find a full review of any one except a quick one liners on forums. Intex did not last one year, Secure is unproven, etc.

Kebos and FSP, to their credit, have one liners in US forums. They must have been good enough to be picked up by US distributors.

Also, there might be a multitude of choices when you check glancingly, but as regular buyers at Gilmore knows, availability is also very important. You may be tempted by PC Option's or PC Express's long item list, but youll know eventually that not all of them are in stock. And so I saw Kebos as one readily available, at a better price, at the VA rating that I need, thats the one candidate possible to gamble on. Here's my review of it after one week's use:


Positives: 

The box is pink. It's not everyday when you see electronics boxed in pink. This in fact bore 50% on my decision to choose and gamble on Kebos. I loved their audacity to use pink. Does Kebos's market research discovered that somehow there's already so many female gaming enthusiasts who would be attracted to pink? And it was time to attract them with a UPS in a pink box? They should have made the UPS pink also, but alas audaciousness is always limited.

I dont know what the Plus means, but whether it's more reliable battery or just a higher beeping sound, it should still mean one level higher than plane Powergarde, and therefore... a cause of gladness.

The box is also fairly articulate on its labels outside, unlike the others which are screaming-made-in-china (although this Kebos is still made in China) via it's awkwardly phrased one slogan, a generic brand name, and then a slew of mis-spellings somewhere.

The build of the Kebos also seem solid enough. The metal is not of the thinny type, the painting finish okay, the spray painted labels good enough, and the plastic of the button signifying robustness enough.

One also does not need to press 5 or 8 seconds to turn off or on thing. Just one touch is ok. While accidental switching off or on is prevented by the recessed location of the switch. 

I also like the punch-moulded Kebos logo on the top, unlike the other brand that I asked to be opened--Secure--which is purely a black shoebox, not even having the sticker satying Secure anywhere on the UPS itself. That Secure UPS will become brandless once you take it out of the box. 

I peeked at the AC terminals, and the copper plates appear thick and robust enough against constant plug in and outs.  3 outlets are also enough for my need. Enough for the speaker, iMac, and router that I need to plug in. And not too many to encourage adding printers, TV, and others that may overload the thing if all these electronics are  running at the same time at peak power.  

The plug is just enough for this setup of mine. 

I tried to peak at the circuitry inside, but wasnt able to perceive anything. Apologies. 

Kebos also bothered to write and print a fairly complete and understandable manual. This useable manual is also complete with a graph. It's also not in hurry to explain. There's some sincerity to teach, thus.

Negatives

I dont like the sharp screws protruding on the bottom. Although it wont scratch your floor (since there are bumps that serves as stands, and are higher than the screws),

The UPS is continually charging even at off state. The blinking green light at off state is supposed to indicate charging state. But I left it overnight and it is still blinking the following (late) morning. Does this mean the UPS doesnt know when it is fully charged? This is bothersome. Need to buy one of those kill-a-watt watt loggers to check on actual power consumption. This thing might be making Meralco richer needlessly. 

Verdict

Got the Kebos to 2700 PhP. APC's model at the same power rating already is around 10 K PhP. 2700 PhP is a bet on Kebos Im willing to lose 

If this Powergarde Plus guards me indeed from power surges and dips, no fried electronics in its service, and battery lasted me 2 years, I'll be happy. 

Go Kebos!

Bye, Scotty!

A terrible loss to your industry.

You will be missed!

Makes one want to live to a hundred

just to see movies like Gravity.

Survival film par excellence, generous visuals,

luminous, researched, breathtaking, meticulous

well-acted, minimalist, no excess-fat scenes

exciting.

Should be studied in film schools in years to come.

10 /10 Ozymandias

I am a heavy user of IMDB.com for more than two decades. This is the first time I've seen a 10/10 score.

Wow. 

Book Review: Monstress

BOOK REVIEW: MONSTRESS

Confession: Every time I get my hands on an anthology, I judge its worth on the basis of three stories. I decide whether I should read the entire collection on the strength of the first, second-to-the-last, and the last stories only. If the title story is not in any of these places, I’ll read four. I don’t know if editors really locate the strongest stories in this order, but it works for me. Given my hectic day job I don’t have much time to read, so better to have a method of predicting max payoff before diving in.

In the case of Monstress by Lysley Tenorio, the first story is the title story, and it is a nice, quick read. The narrator Reva Gogo is an actress and dental assistant who has played Squid Mother, Werewolf Girl, and Bat-Winged Pygmy Queen in Filipino horror flicks. These B-movies are made by an Ed-Wood-like character named Checkers Rosario (good attempt to create a memorable character name; is Tenorio doing a Thomas Pynchon here?). After successive box-office failures in the Philippines, Reva and Checkers are led to the US by a kindred auteur who plies the same genre. Later Reva has to choose between Checkers and a career without prosthetics. I was readying myself for a big twist or a staggering resolution, but was led instead to a natural, practical ending. Still, the last two paragraphs are as emotionally-wrenching as love stories can get.

The second-to-the-last story is called the Save the iHotel. My wife says it’s like Brokeback Mountain, but with a less sad ending. The characters are two old men—one more senile than the other—who about to be removed from the hotel, which is scheduled for demolition. Just before the eviction the younger one recounts how they met and how betrayals led to the losses that ripple between and around them.

The last piece is L’Amour, CA, which has an “ordinary” immigrant Pinoy family plot. I say ordinary because there are the usual plot points—unwanted pregnancies, bullying, and the other ‘expected’ turns of the immigrant experience. But the story still has a good start and a powerful ending.

The three convinced me to finish the whole book, so I continued with Help, probably the lightest in the collection. It features an Imelda vs. Beatles plan hatched by a government employee/devotee and his nieces. It describes perfectly Imelda’s menacing hold over the Manileños during the 70′s. There’s even an elegant description of a painting of Madame, which made me remember the painting that’s supposed to welcome patients to the Heart Center in East Avenue. I think she’s supposed to be Eve in that painting, but to my 9-year-old self, seeing her face and smelling the hospital odor while stricken with rheumatic fever was dreadful.

There’s also an attempt at a geek story entitled Superassassin, but I don’t think this piece works.

And then Brothers, a good story about a divorced Pinoy immigrant, his mom, and a sibling who elects to have breast implants and a sex change. Felix Starro and View from Culion are the weakest stories in the collection. (These two, by the way, are located in the middle of the book; my method might be sound after all).

I think all the stories are blatantly plot-driven, and there’s nothing wrong with that. All can be easily adapted into episodes of Maalaala Mo Kaya or a GMA telesine. Not those ones where a character is simply killed off to get the tears flowing, but the good, solid episodes that the networks are still capable of churning out from time to time.

And the book is a good, solid collection, all the stories merging into a coherent whole. I’ve stumbled upon two separate comments by Franzen and Wolff declaring that short stories can approach perfection (unlike the novel, which can never be perfect). Junot Diaz has crafted some stories approaching perfection in Drown, and because of a similar diaspora theme, Tenorio might be compared to Junot Diaz. Diaz has already established his trademark tone, he would be a tough act to follow. I won’t expand on this and be caught pretending to know more about literary criticism that I do. I will just say that the two perfect Pinoy-written shorts are Utos ng Hari and Sulat Mula sa Pritil, and I think Tenorio is capable of writing something that approaches the Pritil and Hari.

If I can be allowed one objection though, I think most of these stories are bleak. For this reason, you shouldn’t read the entire book in one sitting, because it might tire you out. There are some funny, amusing accounts, but then they are followed by passages like “it seems impossible to me that anyone could be that pleased in life,” which brings the atmosphere back to bleakness.

If I can be allowed two objections, I think a good editor can still improve on the stories. The blurbs imply that some of these pieces have been in existence for years. If there was some last-minute editing before book publication, I would have wished for cuts—not necessarily in the tradition of Carver and Lish—but just some lines probably better left unsaid, and overused metaphors like “the room is like a dream.”

Good debut by a Filipino-American writer. The book is worth your time.

(review edited by Jessica Zafra) 

Rambling on The Sphinx, Mystery Men,

I distinctly remember renting the tape of this movie from Video City, on a rainy day, as the third tape of a rent-2-get-1-free promo. Just a freebie, but, after viewing, I thought it was a work of tantalizing genius and of sheer courage. How could the studios allow this kind of groundbreaking superhero comedy movie? And the writing I thought was given much care and thinking. As one proof, read these teachings of one minor character in the film... the Sphinx

 

To learn my teachings, I must first teach you how to learn.

You must lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums.

He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions.

You must be like wolf pack, not six-pack.

We are number one. All others are number two, or lower. 

When you care what is outside, what is inside cares for you. 

When you can balance a tack hammer on your head, you can head off your foes with a balanced attack.

When you begin to doubt your powers, you give power to your doubts.

Hilarious and crazy, but you can glean how these dialogues were carefully crafted. Not anyone can write them!

The part was played by Wes Studi. Incidentally, I watched Last of the Mohicans just a few days after seeing Mystery Men.

I got disoriented in seeing him in a serious original kick-ass badman role, as directed by Michael Mann.

Last of the Mohicans is widely recognized as a fantastic film. Mystery Men, on the other hand, did not do well critically and commercially. I dont get why people didn't get Mystery Men until I saw an entry in Wikipedia that this is now a cult film. I hope a producer heretofore give Kinka Usher another chance. Kinka Usher--cool name for the maker of a cool movie.

Why I believe in Apple and Steve Jobs

Their products, the contents they can delivery, and the manner they can deliver these contents can extract the most genuine of expressions of  

delight, 

curiosity 

serious thought and urge to understand. 

What more can you ask of gadgets?

Best Pinoy Movies

One time in Jessica Zafra's blog, readers were asked to lay down what they think are the best Filipino Movies of all time. It was a great exercise, and we participated. Here goes our list with some comments

1) Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?
we consider this  precursor of Forrest Gump. Fantastic direction and location shoots.

2) Tuhog
A masterpiece by Jeturian. Fantastic acting by all the players, even Ina Raymundo, who we thought was only good as a token leading leading-lady in action films, delivered a fine performance. 

3) Ang Tatay Kong Nanay
Brocka and Dolphy combined for what should be a template for any producer attempting to build a solid dramedy.

4) Kakabakaba ka ba?

The best pinoy comedy (and probably musical) ever. It's amazing to recall that Armida of Aawitan Kita is in here.

5) Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

The best indie that came out of Cinemalaya,Cinemaoneoriginals, and all the other programs of recent years.

6) Scorpio Nights

For the depiction of the Philippine version of suburban life. We call it "looban" in the Philippines, and the dynamics of any looban setting can make hundreds of good movies.

7) Oro, Plata, Mata

Although cartoonish on the last act, the movie has solid narrative and well-grounded characters.

8) Huwag Mong Salingin ang Sugat Ko (The Buenavista Story)

Last movie by Brocka. Very political, sensible, relevant, brave, and purposeful until the end.

9) Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington

This is how a 'pop' commercial film should be made for this generation.

10) Facifica Falayfay

Another Dolphy classic that trailblazed the local comedy genre.

11) Saan Darating ang Umaga?
Great ensemble cast.

12) Orapronobis

Good, urgent, pulsing narrative, almost like a docu on how the CAFGU system is abused. Also demonstrates how pinoy movies should not need one bida (leadrole) to be great.

13) Kapit sa Patalim
Another brave Brocka, which has legitimate advocacy.

14) Pepeng Kaliwete

Great FPJ action film. Solid, no supermanish one-against-1000 gunfight. Also, solid anchor on history of American Occupation and the humble conditions of sugarcane farmers.

15) There's an episode from Lovingly Yours, Helen The Movie that is compelling and complete enough--not the one that killed Julie Vega (namaligno), but the episode about brain cancer starring Vivian Foz (?). but Im ambivalent since my tita passionately insists that the version broadcasted on TV is tighter and better.

16) Isla. 
Cho Kajo and the perya ferris wheel. First learned about Betamax's rewind-scan function because of this movie.  hehe

17) Karnal

Fantastic depiction of rural, paternalistic life. Solid acting from Vic Silayan.

18) Temptation Island

Classic Fantastic Camp.

19) one andres de saya sequel that we caught on piling piling pelikula

cant recall which one. basta meron isang maganda sa series na ito

20) Hihintayin Kita sa Langit

Wuthering Heights. The filmmakers deserves kudos in delivering a non-traditional love story based on this classic book.

21) Somewhere
mostly for that climactic scene where Rudy Fernandez's eyeball popped out of its socket)

22) Hiram na Mukha 
for Hugo Rodan; fantastic performance by Christopher de Leon.

***

I havent seen Endo, Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, Banawe, any by Mario O'Hara , Burlesk Queen. Making this list reminds me that I should do equal effort in looking for these films as much as the Scorseses, Truffauts, Allens. 

Philip Roth, retiree

Ah, Philip Roth just retired. I can't fully grasp the concept of a writer retiring, especially someone as prolific as he is, but this is now what he's declaring to the world. (although I think the qualifier is: he's retiring from writing novels).

Read also the nice blogpost by Remnick on the New Yorker and the article from nytimes. Interesting quote:

Nearby was an iPhone he had bought recently. “Why?” he said. “Because I’m free. Every morning I study a chapter in ‘iPhone for Dummies,’ and now I’m proficient. I haven’t read a word for two months. I pull this thing out and play with it.”

(it's also amazing how he chose to announce his retirement first through a french publication).

To me, the magic of Roth's writing lies in its unabashedness and forcefulness. When youre reading even his early work, it's already evident that there's just no topic he'll not go through if thats where the plot and story should go, or are built to go. I remember one scene in Patrimony, his recollection of his relationship with his father (against the premise of Philip's papa's suffering a dreaded disease), where Roth recounted how he helped his father bathe one time, and then he can't help but ruminate on his father's penis--what is right or wrong with it, how's the crookedness, shape, and size, and how his own fares against his father's. 

Sabbath's Theater and Portnoy's Complaint remain to be two in my top 10 novels primarily, surely, for their braveness. They gave me inspiration and belief in the magic, value, and possibilities of fiction during college, and they sustained my love for reading. Roth's books are among the first ones that urged me to raid National Bookstore's bargain bins. The papers of his book, by the time Operation Shylock, et al reached the bin, are already yellow, but of course his words are timeless. 

The last Roth that I've read is American Pastoral. It is not as good as others are declaring it is. It is supposedly his masterpiece, but the ending, especially, does not work for me. And the book has just too much rumination and meta-things to be as 'moving' as the others. I plodded along just to finish American Pastoral. His best remains Sabbath's Theater, at least among those Ive read (The Facts, Patrimony, Prague Orgy, American Pastoral, Professor of Desire, Portnoy's Complaint, Goodbye Columbus). I cant claim to be an expert because these in total are not even 30% of the master's output (which was one quality book a year recently).

I will definitely get Nemesis--his declared last novel.  

Give Roth the Nobel Prize already. 

Un-Yummy Roast (SM Bicutan)

Yummy roast in SM Bicutan is anything but yummy. 

You can see that the asado thing (reddish meat) is all dry.

Even the chicken is bland.

Tofu, which is hard to bungle-up, is also funny tasting in this place. It seems like they were not contented letting the natural flavor of soya come out, they had to mix-in some sort of chemical that bites the tongue. We also dont know what was the brown, shit-looking thing, that they've put on top.

Although prices are cheap, at par with Jollibee, skip Yummy Roast. This restaurant doesnt deserve to last one year.

I think Pepper Potts will die

That's one of the quickest way to make this movie dark dark.

And besides, producers probably thought, Gwyneth Paltrow is not getting any younger?

I just hope they do the whole movie right.

And the whole thing consulted with, or better yet, approved, by Whedon the Master.

Aling Lucing's Sisig

We had to drop by SM Sta Mesa to check out if the department store there have the stock of  the Merrell sandals, at the specific size, we are eyeing. 

We didnt plan to have dinner at that mall, but when we passed by the food court, we saw Aling Lucing's Sisig. 

I wondered if this is by the same owners of the original Aling Lucing im Pampanga, the inventor of that killer of a dish, the bane of all batoks, the vein clogger of all beer drinkers, the undefeatable pulutan... Sisig. 

We asked the lady counter if theyre affiliated with the Pampanga carinderia, but she didnt know. And we also havent been to the original. Weve been planning to some time (and also try to hit the original Razon's in one trip), but we dont have Googlemap before, so still no cigar.

Anyway, at 98 pesos, you are given an ample serving of tasty sisig. Talampunay ordered grilled liempo with the added Sinigang option at 110 PhP. She said the liempo is unremarkable.

The sisig is really fatty, perhaps 40% fat composition as shown in this picture. At one point when a spoonful lands in your mouth, you can feel the creaminess of fat swimming in your tongue. Creamy coagulation starting to do its magic. Wow.  

Although I would choose the crunchy variant of sisig, some purists say that that is not the original sisig, but just sizzling chicharon. They have a point. 

If the indication of how genuine a sisig is in how painful your nape feels 30 minutes after eating, then this sisig is truly authentic. I had trouble driving on the way home. 

BAD CASE: Otterbox Real Tree Defender Case for iPhone 4S

The case is good, functionally:  

--not too big (still ergonomic, i would say), 

--better grip (compared to just bare iphone)

--firm close-to-precise fit (all parts).

--gives comfort in knowing that your expensive phone is protected at all times

--good camo orange (can see iphone immediately; less chance of having it misplaced)

But after just 3 months of usage, the rubber is now deformed. Material appears expanding although it is not exposed to extreme heat or sunlight (probably just the heat from a battery being charged or friction inside one's jean's pocket?).

For a 35 USD case, this is truly disappointing.

And it seems to be getting worse. I can not even close the charging port cover by this time, plus the resulting lump in the home button is truly annoying (considering that youll push the home button many times during the day).

I saw in the marking inside one of the parts that it is made in the US. Is this is a mistake in material selection by Otterbox's vaunted state-side manufacturing?

From my reading, the Defender model has been in the market for years since the early iPhone iterations. Hasnt Otterbox learned to screen for the right rubber or silicone material over the years?

I would discourage anyone from buying this case, obviously. Judging from the rate of degradation, this case will probably become unusable in 6 months. Very short useful life. Truly disappointing.