I write like Stephen King ???

Hello.

I came across this nifty online service which purports to analyze your writing style and compares that to famous authors. It works like this, you input a paragraph or two in to the website and it will supposedly tell you who you write like. Sounds fun, right? Yes!

Naturally, it irked my curiosity. I had to give it a go. I copy pasted an article from this blog. It told me I write like Stephen King. I was shocked. I have read a few books by Mr. King. He is a great story teller. One of the best science fiction writers. I can not possibly be writing like him. So, I tried again. Same result. I think my abuse of ellipsis is confusing the analytical process used by this service.

So, I threw in one of the recent posts on this blog. You will notice that the later posts have somewhat a different writing style. This time the name Cory Doctorow came up and I drew a blank.

Well, to be honest, I have not heard of Mr. Doctorow and had to google him. Turns out,  according to wikipedia, he is a very famous Canadian blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. Well then, I guess I didn't do that bad.

These kinds of "Which/What are you?" services are fun, but really meaningless. Always limited to a predetermined list of answers. Answers should not be taken seriously at all. But try it out. Do tell who you write like.

Laterx.

Reading on the Amazon Kindle ...

Hello.

I'm sure by now, everybody's heard of Amazon Kindle. If you have not, let me tell you. Its and e-reader, an electronic book reader sold exclusively by amazon.com. Amazon Kindle is not the only e-book reader out there. No, there are others, Sony's Reader and  B&N's Nook come to mind.

After doing some research about price, screen size and PDF support, I ended up buying the Amazon Kindle DX. And it is great. It really is a good device. It doesn't do much, but what is does, it does beautifully. Very nice.

Sleek and ergonomic with a 9.7 inch screen, the device is heavier than a small paperback, but lighter than a hardcover book. It is thinner than any physical book you want to read. No more tired hands holding heavy books.

Reading on the E-ink display is like reading a newspaper, good contrast and very easy on the eye. Me being a guy who used to read PDF's on the computer screen, I know a thing or two about eye strain. No more with the Kindle, because it does not have a backlight. Serious reader will appreciate this much more than I can.

Reading is a breeze on the Kindle. And you never loose where you are reading on a book, or multiple books. It remembers where you left off and you can pick up from there on any book. No more dog-eared pages. No more lost bookmarks. you can even write notes in the margins, highlight important parts for reference.

Page turns are a tad slow, but when you get inside what you are reading, you forget about the delivery system, the screen and the buttons – its the characters and the story that really matters.

Yes, I know about the apple iPad. Kindle is not trying to be an iPad. Kindle is a reading device, and by far a superior device at that. For you out there who has a voracious appetite for reading, I highly recommend you consider a Kindle. And for people who wants to multi task, this device is not for you.

If you are like me, there are a lot of books that you want to read. Most of them can be found in e-book format. I'm hoping this would ease the process and let me get some reading done away from my computer and when I'm traveling.

Am currently reading The Bourne Legacy by Eric Van Lustbader. This is good, as I read the three previous books as PDFs on my computer screen.

Laterx.

A Prison Diary … by FF 8282 …

Hello ...
Just finished reading "A Prison Diary" by FF8282 ...
Its the first part of a three part book ...
By renowned British writer/author Jeffrey Archer ...
The book is very different to all his other books ...
This book was written inside a jail cell ...
Jeffrey Archer, a charismatic national leader and novelist ...
Probably on his way to become the Prime Minister of Britain ...
Gets sentenced to 4 years in prison ... accused of perjury ...
So ... instead of 10 downing street ... he ends up in jail ...
Her Majesty's Prison at Belmarsh ... a double A-cat prison ...
This book is an hour-by-hour day by day account ...
of the first 21 days of his 4 year sentence ...
He starts by telling us how he was strip searched ...
How he was on the medical wing on suicide watch ...
And how he was banged up for 18 hours a day in a small cell ...
Along with some of the worst criminals in Britain ...
With his trademark writing style he narrates his experiences ...
It makes an interesting and thought-provoking read ...
The importance of prison reform ... the effectivesness of the system ...
How a first time offender rather than a first time prisoner ...
Struggles to face life behind bars ...
Its about solitary confinement ... retribution and redemption ...
A very good book ... looking forward to reading the sequels ...
Laterx ...

Reading Tintin comics … feeling nostalgic …

Hello …
When I was a kid … I loved to read Tintin comics …
Hell … every kid on the planet loved it …
I remember we never got tired reading and re-reading ‘em …
My favorite characters were … the twins … they were hilarious …
So when I saw the Tintin comics … available on rapidshare …
I set my internet connection ablaze … and got ‘em all …
It feels good going through and reading these PDFs …
Brings back torrents of memories and stuff … happens eh … ?
Here is a list quick list for all you Tintin fans out there …

1 Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
2 Tintin in the Congo
3 Tintin in America
4 Cigars of the Pharaoh
5 The Blue Lotus
6 The Broken Ear
7 The Black Island
8 King Ottokar's Sceptre
9 The Crab with the Golden Claws
10 The Shooting Star
11 The Secret of the Unicorn
12 Red Rackham's Treasure
13 The Seven Crystal Balls
14 Prisoners of the Sun
15 Land of Black Gold
16 Destination Moon
17 Explorers on the Moon
18 The Calculus Affair
19 The Red Sea Sharks
20 Tintin in Tibet
21 The Castafiore Emerald
22 Tintin and the Flight 714
23 Tintin and the Picaros - (1976)
24 Tintin and Alph-Art
25 Tintin and the Lake of Sharks

As a kid … I missed numbers 1, 2, 11, 23 and 24 …
What did you guys miss … ??
Or are you one of those I’ve-read-‘em-all kids …
Who just forgot to lend 'em or bring ‘em to school …
For a couple of years … straight … hehe …
Laterx …

Reading those kewl mags … Zinio style …

Hello ...
I've been into reading since i can remember ...
Earlier it was Secret Sevens and Famous Fives ...
Then ... Hardy Boys and Three Investigators ...
Somewhere there, there was a lot of Archie comics ...
Then the books i preferred started to get thicker ...
To things like, Sheldon, LeCarre and Grisham ...
And the comics lead to lifestyle and tech mags ...
Thought i don't go out to find any mags these days ...
If I come across one I still skip/scan through them ...
MADs, Calvin and Hobbs and Archies ...
Readers Digests, Stuff Mags, and FHMs ...
Just to name a few off the top of my head ...
The other day ... I checked out Zinio ...
Zinio provides popular mags in digital format ...
And they have quite a collection of mags ...
For online and offline reading ... its pretty kewl ...
And so ... I'm back to reading mags again ... yes... !!!
Myy first choice ...download MacWorld February issue ...
With some Newsweeks and Cosmogirls ... hehe ...
Gotta go ... lots to read ... hehe ...
Laterx ...

Mr. Nice by Howard Marks …

Hello …
As I wrote here …
I was reading "The Third Twin" by Ken Follet …
It was a very good book …
A little dragging at the beginning …
But once the characters are properly introduced …
The book starts rolling on … with enough gusto …
Good story telling … a bit predictable plot line …
However … an immensely enjoyable read …
Now that I've to stay indoors …
For extended periods of time … each day …
Due to this unrelenting damp weather …
I've picked up another book …
Its called Mr. Nice and is by Howard Marks …
This guy is amazing … used to smuggle cannabis …
Had forty-three aliases and eighty-nine phone lines …
And he owned twenty-five companies …
He had strong connections with …
MI6, the CIA, the IRA, and the Mafia …
He was busted and sentenced to 25 years …
The book was a best seller …
And the tag line promises we'll like him …
Lets see if we do … hehe …
Thaathi, thanks for lending me this book …
Laterx ...

The Bourne cover-up …

Hello ...
I saw a book in a friend's office ...
It was The Bourne Legacy ... being a fan Ludlum ...
I immediately picked it up ...
Flicked thru it ... and of coz burrowed it ...
Came home, found some time, and started reading it ...
After sometime, i just cudn't ignore the feeling ...
Thats the style of writing was a bit different ...
But i never guessed what i wud find on the cover ...
On close inspection ...
It was not Ludlum who has written the book ...
It was sum guy called Eric Van Lustbader ...
Yeah it really is Lust Bader ... hehe ...
That did it for me ... i just cudnt read in anymore ...
Contrary to the popular belief ...
Ludlum was great ... his writing style was great ...
And i just cudn't get further with Lust Bader guy ...
A guy trying to cash in on the Bourne popularity ...
I googled this and found out another book is on the way ...
It apparently being called the The Bourne Betrayal ...
I say its more like ... the Bourne cover-up ...
This is not good ... this is just bad ...
So i quit legacy ... and picked up another book ...
A book i've had for sumtime now ...
The Third Twin by Ken Follet ...
I've heard about the movie ...
And wanted to read the book ...
Before i set out to find the movie ...
Its hard to find a good book these days ...
Just about anything can claim to be a best seller ...
Got any recommendations ??? hehe ...
Though i'm not a veteren traveller ...
I'm an airport novel kinda guy ...
Moost of the time anyway... hehe ...
Laterx ...