Conspiracy Theorists on Amazon

People love conspiracy theories. They find conspiracies in the most unlikely places imaginable. Some people on Amazon are now accusing me of not writing my book reviews in person but having them generated by a computer (whatever that means.) I suggested that they head over to my blog and check out the dates when each individual review appeared but, still, people prefer to believe in some dark secrets that lurk behind a person's high review rating on Amazon.

It's sad that some people's lives are so empty that they have time and energy to notice other people's ratings on some website. In all the time I've been posting reviews there, I never felt like wasting time on trying to calculate how often other reviewers post. 

Amazon Mom

Can anybody explain to me why there is such a thing as "Amazon Mom membership" but no "Amazon Dad membership"?

Are people truly that medieval? 

I'd never join such a disgusting, sexist program that devalues fatherhood in the most egregious way possible.

Update on Amazon Associates in Illinois

So Amazon decided to carry out its threat to punish the residents of the State of Illinois who participate in its Associates program by kicking them out. This is the email I just received from the greedy bastards at Amazon who are willing to lose revenue from their associates in the huge state of Illinois because they are unwilling to pay taxes and think that they should be above the law:

For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of Illinois residents. Unfortunately, a new state tax law signed by Governor Quinn compels us to terminate this program for Illinois-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by Illinois-based affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state. We had opposed this new tax law because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It was supported by national retailing chains, most of which are based outside Illinois, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that its enactment forces this action. As a result of the new law, contracts with all Illinois affiliates of the Amazon Associates Program will be terminated and those Illinois residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to April 15, 2011 will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of April 15, 2011, any final payments will be paid by July 1, 2011.

I'm appalled with the gall of these people who try to manipulate the residents of Illinois into withdrawing their support for the progressive and honest Governor Pat Quinn (D). It's disgusting that Amazon would try to use the idiotic rhetoric of illiterate Tea Partiers about the unconstitutional and counterproductive nature of taxes.  I'm more than happy to stop being an associate of a company that is as dishonest, manipulative, and backwards as Amazon. My blog will now have more space for progressive, honest advertisers.

I hope that people will respond with outrage to Amazon's blatant attempts at political manipulation.  

Kindle Singles

Very rarely do I criticize anything that has to do with the Kindle. I love it and I wouldn't be without it for any amount of money. However, this new invention by Amazon called Kindle Singles is annoying. Amazon's attempts to push it on faithful customers who have no interest in this weird format are even more annoying.

Kindle Singles are short essays (30 pages or so) on a variety of topics, each one of which is more idiotic than the next. Why would I want to read the story of somebody whose only claim to fame is that his father didn't manage to make money as an Amway employee? Or a weird "love story of a teenager hunted by a diabolical voice?"

Of course, people should read whatever rubbish they want in any silly format that suits them. What I find irksome, though, is that now the entire e-books page of the Kindle store is filled with these Kindle Singles that are interspersed with regular books. Also, Amazon keeps recommending them to me, even though I have no idea what in my buying history could have suggested that I might like either the content or the format.

I'm in a crabby mood today. If you are looking for the definition of the word "cantankerous," come meet me.

Tea Party as a Rebellion Against Parental Authority

A while ago I discussed how the cult of immaturity in our culture has led us straight into a global economic crisis. As I observe the mind-numbing childishness of Tea Partiers who have graced this blog with their presence since my yesterday's post, I realize that their entire anti-governmental stance is a result of that very immaturity. All these people have received an e-mail from Amazon notfying them that Amazon is going to dump them from the Associates Program. Not a single one of those who came here to discuss the issue suggested addressing any questions, complaints or concerns to Amazon. The first and only target of their anger is the government.

Actually, it is always the government. Aside from being very silly, the "get the government out of my Social Security" attitude betrays a very childish worldview. The big, all-powerful parent who is imagined as much stronger than he is in reality (and don't we all remember believing our Dad was a superman when we were little?) is supposed to be responsible for absolutely everything. At the same time, every child goes through the period of resentment against everything the parents do. For a teenager, a parent literally can do nothing right. This all-powerful figure that rules supreme over your life when you are a teenager is seen as deeply flawed and unreasonably mean. "I hate you!" screams a teenager at her parents and sams the door behind her. "I hate the government!" screams a Tea Partier who hasn't been able to evolve past the teenage mentality.

Questioning the actions of Amazon would entail positioning oneself as an adult who is entitled to question the actions of equals (in this case, other private citizens who work for / own Amazon and make the company's decisions.) That, however, would require a degree of maturity many people simply do not possess. Being an adult is onerous. It entails shouldering responsibilities and accepting that no parental figure will come to the rescue or accept the blame for one's own screw-ups. As soon as there is a slightest sign of trouble, a Tea Partier starts to whine, "Bad, horrible government! Mwaaa! Where is my Mommy? Mommy bad, she left me all alone! Mwa mwa mwaaaa." Who needs to grow up when you can always blame the all-powerful government for everything that goes wrong?

Don't Buy Into Amazon's Political Scam! Termination of Amazon Affiliates Program

If you are part of Amazon's Associates Program, you might have received the following e-mail recently:

Greetings from the Amazon Associates Program:

We regret to inform you that the Illinois state legislature has passed an unconstitutional tax collection scheme that, if signed by Governor Quinn, would leave Amazon.com little choice but to end its relationships with Illinois-based Associates. You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of Illinois. If our records are incorrect, you can manage the details of your Associates account here.

Please note that this not an immediate termination notice and you are still a valued participant in the Amazon Associates Program. But if the governor signs this bill, we will need to terminate the participation of all Illinois residents in the Associates Program. After that point, we will no longer pay any advertising fees for sales referred to amazon.com, endless.com and smallparts.com nor will we accept new applications for the Associates Program from Illinois residents.
The unfortunate consequences of this legislation on Illinois residents like you were explained to the legislature, including Senate and House leadership, as well as to the governor's staff.

Over a dozen other states have considered essentially identical legislation but have rejected these proposals largely because of the adverse impact on their states' residents.

Governor Quinn's office may be reached here.

We thank you for being part of the Amazon Associates Program, and wish you continued success in the future.

Sincerely,

Amazon.com

Now, what's really happening is the following. The state of Illinois (where I happen to live) is broke. Governor Quinn is trying to cover our enormous budget deficits through measures he had announced in his election campaign. One of such measures is removing the unfair advantage on-line retailers have over other sellers and making them pay sales tax, just like everybody else:

Illinois lawmakers have passed what's been dubbed the "Amazon tax." It's not a new tax; it's just a way to collect money that's already due the state. The legislation forces online retailers like Amazon and overstock.com to collect the state's six and a quarter percent sales tax on purchases. Smaller businesses support the measure, saying online retailers who don't collect the state sales have an advantage over them. The legislation now goes to the Governor's desk for approval.

Here is more on this new tax and how it's supposed to work:

The law would require Internet retailers that sell through affiliates in Illinois, and which sell at least $10,000 each year to Illinois residents, to collect the taxes, says a spokesman for state Senate president John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat backing the bill. “The bill treats online merchants more like bricks-and-mortar merchants,” the spokesman says. “The retailer would be responsible for collecting the tax.” He notes that the bill covers only online retailers that have affiliates in Illinois in an effort to satisfy a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says only web merchants that have a presence within a given state must collect taxes there. The spokesman could give no estimate about how much Illinois might collect from such a tax, but, previously, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Revenue told Internet Retailer the state could recoup $150 million annually from the use tax.

Now the Amazon is trying to manipulate members of its Associates program to apply political pressure on the Governor. The company doesn't give a rat's ass whether this state goes completely bankrupt, whether its schools close and the roads crumble down. Amazon doesn't believe that it has to pay taxes just like everybody else. Let's not let this company manipulate us into undermining our own state! In the 1,5 years that I have lived in Illinois, I have come to love this great state. I want to see it prosper and flourish. And if Amazon doesn't care about the residents of this state, we should.

I am a member of Amazon Associates program. Obviously, I don't want to be denied access to the program. However, I realize that there are more important things at stake here. I will be writing a letter to Governor Quinn today, urging him to pass this legislation and expressing my support for his efforts to cover the deficit through these practical measures. Friends, don't let Amazon manipulate you! The citizens of Illinois have spoken and elected Governor Quinn. Now we should let him do his job. And Amazon can go kill itself against a wall, as we say in my culture. If they want to lose all the profit its Illinois Associates bring them just because they are too greedy to pay a sales tax, so be it.

Supporting My Favorite Bloggers

I realized today that I will not rest until I read every single book Laura Lippman has ever written. It happens to me from time to time that I get this overpowering urge to read all books by a certain writer, and I know better by now than to resist it. So since it's winter break anyways, I decided to go ahead and buy the four remaining novels by this author. Nowadays, whenever I buy anything from Amazon (which is about twice a week since everything I need seems to be available on that site), I try to do it in a way that will benefit my favorite bloggers.

I don't know if you noticed, but many bloggers have an Amazon search box (or some kind of an Amazon widget) on their blog. Whenever you access the Amazon store by pressing on that widget, the blogger in question gets a percentage of your purchase price irrespective of what you buy. The good thing is that everything is completely anonymous, and the blogger never knows who you are, where you live, or anything about you.

It makes sense to do this if one is going to buy from Amazon anyways. It isn't like this huge company is going to suffer financially if it shares part of its profits with good bloggers. Some readers have been supporting my blog in this way, and I, in turn, do it for other bloggers. So if you are planning to buy anything on Amazon, consider accessing their site from somebody's blog. It's just one little extra step for you that's absolutely hassle-free and that will force Amazon to share their profits with hard-working bloggers.

P.S. On the left, you can see Lippman's book that I'm reading right now. I got so obsessed that I was literally shaking while purchasing the four books by her that I still haven't read. Seriously, I behave like some sort of a crazy addict around those books. Well, I think of all the addictions one might have, this one is the most innocuous.

Pro-pedophilia Books on Amazon

I don't think it's possible to hate pedophiles more than I do. Those who abuse sexually children under the age of consent are repulsive. Even now that I'm writing this, I begin to shake with uncontrollable rage towards pedophiles. No punishment is enough for these criminals.

However, I disagree with those who insist that Amazon should pull from the market self-published books by pedophiles. Books do not commit crimes. People do. The path of censorship is a very dangerous one. You start banning books by people whose ideas you find disgusting, where does this end? Right now, Bush's new book is the number one bestseller on Amazon. I find the former President to be completely disgusting. I have no doubt that this book consists of the most vile lies imaginable. Still, I would never support anybody trying to ban this book or prevent people from selling or buying it.

As Voltaire said, "Je ne suis pas d'accord avec un mot de ce que vous dites, mais je me battrai jusqu'à la mort pour votre droit de le dire." [I do not agree with a word you say, but I will die defending your right to say it."

Publishers Refuse to Enter the XXI Century

When the Kindle first appeared on the market, Amazon guaranteed that all new releases will cost $9.99 or less. Then, publishers realized that digital sales were cutting into their profits from over-priced hardcover editions and started raising Kindle book prices. First it was eleven dollars, then 12, then 14. Recently, they have gone completely nuts and started charging more for a digital copy (which, mind you, you can't share with your family and friends) than you will pay for a hard copy.

On the left you can see Ken Follett's Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy). I've been dying to read it because part of it is set in my country during the time of the revolution. So much garbage is written by English-speaking writers about that period in my country's history that I couldn't wait to see how Follett (famous for his absolutely hilarious books on medieval Europe) would approach the topic. And then I realized that the publishers were charging $19.99 for the Kindle version of the book. This, of course, is pure insanity. Kindle owners have been boycotting the book and posting one-star reviews of it on Amazon to attract the publishers' attention to the sheer idiocy of charging so much for a digital copy of the book.

Today, the price of Follett's book was lowered from $19.99 to $19.39. Obviously, the price will eventually go down a lot more. I have no doubt that in a couple of years I will be able to buy the Kindle version of the novel for as little as $7. If I am still interested, that is. It is very disheartening to observe how recalcitrant publishers are when it comes to giving up on outdated practices and embracing new technologies. One has to be completely clueless not to understand that the future of publishing lies with digital technologies. Early adopters of electronic reading devices are trend-setters in an area that will eventually overtake publishing altogether. Alienating today's Kindle owners and prospective buyers of digital books is a stupidity that, I hope, will cost these publishers dearly. Publishing houses who learn to ride this new wave of technology will end up creating customer loyalty and selling more books in all formats. Those who fail to realize that $30+ hardcovers are a thing of the past will end up going out of business. Good riddance, too.

P.S. None of this, of course, dampened my enthusiasm for my Kindle. If the publishers are idiots, the Kindle is not to blame. In the end, it will come out winning no matter what because it is that good.

Why Is Kindle Advertisement So Uninspired?

When Amazon's Kindle first appeared on the market in December of 2007, it was a completely revolutionary device that changed forever the way people read, buy, publish and sell books. Since then, many other companies realized that the future belongs to electronic reading devices and started making and selling their own. I was one of the early adopters of the Kindle and my level of hapiness with this - I can't even bring myself to call it a device - beautiful thing keeps growing.

What I find very suprising, though, is Amazon's utter failure to advertise the Kindle. First TV commercials that featured it were really idiotic and incomprehensible even to someone who has been using the Kindle for years. The commercials consisted of some really silly cartoon where a person dropped it in the water and then dived in to recover it. A very weird and annoying song played in the background. All any reasonable person could deduce from this commercial was that the Kindle is water resistant, which it absolutely isn't. No actual characteristics and capabilities of the Kindle were even remotely referred to in this commercial.

Then last May, iPad hit the markets. Hardcore Kindlers like me know that in what concerns electronic reading the Kindle has significant advantages over the iPad. For one, the Kindle is a lot smaller and weighs a lot less than the bulky iPad. The Kindle is perfect to be carried in a woman's handbag, while the iPad requires a backpack to be carried with you at all times. The Kindle has its own keypad, so you don't have to touch the screen all the time, leaving nasty fingerprints on it. Another area in which Kindle is a lot better is that it can be read in direct sunlight. The iPad can't do that. Its screen works like a computer screen. You can't use it on the beach, on a picnic, or pretty much anywhere outside. This, of course, defeats the entire purpose of having an electronic reading device. (The iPad is actually significantly bigger than my netbook, which does fit into most of my handbags and is a real computer, with a real keyboard.)

So did Amazon do anything to publicize these crucial differences between the Kindle and the iPad? Not really. At least, not until today. I just saw for the first time ever a commercial that points out how useless the iPad is compared to the Kindle for reading on the beach. Today is September 19, and the whole topic of reading outside in the sunlight is kind of passé. This commercial would have made perfect sense in May and during the summer. What the hell is Amazon trying to achieve with these utterly inept and completely half-hearted attempts to promote the best thing they have ever come up with? This is enough to make a passionate Kindler very angry.

A St. Valentine's Gift Suggestion from Amazon: A Fake Vagina

I've been browsing Amazon for suggestions for a St. Valentine's Day gift for my husband. One of the first two recommendations Amazon gave me was the curious product you see on the left. I have absolutely no idea what in my shopping history with Amazon could have given them the idea that this is a good recommendation to give to me.

Another question I have is how this is a good gift for St. Valentine's Day, of all possible festive occasions. If a man is getting a gift for St. Valentine's Day from his partner, this surely must mean that he has an access to . . . erm . . . the real thing. Even though the real thing is not a vibrating one. So why would he need a "Vibrating Deluxe Masturbator"? Maybe I'm not enlightened enough to get the point of this. Also, it's kind of annoying that when I checked out the "For Her" section of Valentine's gift recommendations, no women-friendly suggestion was made to me.

I wonder if any male is actually getting this pricey gift for St. Valentine's Day this year and what his reaction will be.

I sincerely hope my blog doesn't get tagged as pornographic again because of this post (as happened with this post.) My interest in this device is purely academic. It's bad enough that now I will not be able to blog while administering an exam in one of my classes tomorrow. The students might misunderstand the intellectual curiosity that motivated me to post this and include this particular picture.

Amazon vs Macmillan: How Much Should an E-book Cost?

Macmillan is one of those book publishers who are so shameless and disgusting in their greed that they believe hardcover prices should be charged for e-books. Never mind that with an e-book you save tons of money on production and distribution costs. Never mind that an e-book does not require extra printings and can be published ad infinitum, as long as people want to buy it.

Book publishers refuse to recognize that the world has changed. New technologies have made their favorite practices of charging exorbitant prices for hardcovers completely obsolete. Still, they are trying to hang on to these gouging techniques in hope that somehow the new technology will just go away.

As a result of Macmillan's greed, Amazon was forced to pull the Kindle editions of their books from the Kindle Store. I'm happy that Amazon is resisting Macmillans idiotic behavior. Good job, Amazon! Let's punish these losers for their stupidity by refusing to buy their overpriced books.

P.S. Sadly, Amazon has had to give in to the greedy bastards at Macmillan. Here is part of Amazon's statement:

'We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles.

We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books. Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it's reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book...

Of course, I'm boycotting stupid Macmillan. Their representative is bound to show up in my office trying to peddle their books as textbooks for my students. Is s/he in for a nasty reception!

Amazon's PayPhrase Is Getting Scary

I'm sorry to keep harping on the subject, but the Amazon's PayPhrase is getting into a really bizarre, scary stage. The phrase that was given to me yesterday in response to a purchase was "Clarissa's Delicious Dumplings." It is needless to say that the purchase was a book by Sophie Hannah which had nothing to do with dumplings in any way or manner.

Want to guess what I had been eating a couple of hours before I made that purchase? Yep. And they were unusually delicious, as I kept saying throughout the meal. (I have a witness and a co-participant in the dumpling-eating activity, so don't think I'm making this up.) Now I view the dumplings that are still remaining in the freezer with a deep suspicion. Who knows what method they have of communicating with Amazon?

Still, this last PayPhrase is way better than the one that hinted on my "tiny talent." I am waiting for a response from my publisher and I really hope his reply does not include the words "tiny talent." That would make me really angry with Amazon.

P.S. Thank you nice, kind readers who purchased Kindles following a link from my blog. This will allow me to buy over a dozen new books and consequently get many new payhrases from Amazon. :-) Happy reading!

P.P.S. Today, the Amazon corrected itself and regaled me with a phrase I really like: "Clarissa's Philosophical Success." Now that's something I enjoy hearing. :-)

Amazon's PayPhrase Keeps Freaking Me Out

Since I wasn't enticed to adopt the semi-offensive PayPhrase that Amazon suggested to me yesterday, they evidently decided to keep trying. Today's phrase is "Clarissa's Unusual Slippers" . This is kind of scary because I have, in fact, been wearing the unusual slipper-socks given to me by my Secret Santa at work.

Now I am really freaking out. Do I spend so much time at the Amazon web-site that they now know what I wear while browsing for books? Their website is my homepage at work, so maybe they have a way of knowing things about me.

Another question that bothers me: if they are right about the unusual slippers (which they are), maybe they are also right about my tiny talent? This is a sad possibility to consider. One thing I know for sure is that I am absolutely buying something at Amazon tomorrow just to see what the new PayPhrase they assign me has to reveal about me.

Amazon Makes Fun of Me

There is a new service that Amazon offers now where you get the following suggestion: "Next time use Express Checkout with PayPhrase Buy on Amazon and across the web with a simple phrase." I'm still not sure what this service entails for the simple reason that I am kind of hung up on the "Pay Phrase" that Amazon suggested to me.

My pay phrase is: "Clarissa's Tiny Talent." I have half a mind to call them and ask for the reasons why they concluded that my talent isn't small but actually tiny. And then I stop and think about the phrases they might have come up with for other customers concerning their "tiny" attributes. 

This might actually hurt people's feelings, Amazon. Are you trying to scare customers off during the Christmas season?

Anti-Kindlers

I have no idea why today I keep encountering Kindle-related articles wherever I turn. I guess this testifies to the ever-growing popularity of the Kindle that makes Kindle-haters foam at the mouth. One of them is Nicholson Baker whose article "A New Page: Can the Kindle really improve on the book?" has been published in The New Yorker.

Anti-Kindlers tend to come up with the weirdest criticisms of the device. Their strange arguments are aimed at hiding their fear of technology and their lack of affinity with today's world. They can't keep up, it's as simple as that, so they try to conceal this self-evident truth behind endless anti-technology rants.

So what are Baker's objection to the Kindle? First of all, it's not pretty enough. The e-paper isn't as white as the journalist hoped it would be and the font isn't very attractive, which somehow detracts from the value of the texts one reads on the Kindle: "Monotype Caecilia was grim and Calvinist; it had a way of reducing everything to arbitrary heaps of words. " I personally happen to believe that nothing could reduce, say, Cervantes Don Quijote to an arbitrary heap of words but I guess it's just me.

The next reason to hate the Kindle is that there are many stupid books available in the Kindle format. The fact that these same books are also available at every major bookstore means nothing to Baker. It's all the Kindle's fault.

Another complaint is that "photographs, charts, diagrams, foreign characters, and tables" are often mangled or simply absent on the Kindle. It doesn't interest Baker that now there is Kindle DX, made specifically for the kinds of texts that have lot of tables, charts, and diagrams. When this journalist finds out about this version of the Kindle, I'm sure he will complain that the Kindle doesn't do the dishes or cook dinner.

The next objection: the Kindle doesn't preserve colored illustrations. That's true, it doesn't. As an avid reader, however, I haven't missed colored illustrations in the books I read ever since I turned 6. Yes, the Kindle is not for looking at pictures. It's for reading texts. Since when isn't it enough to just read a book without being distracted by illustrations? Has Baker never read a print book that had no pictures? How many articles did he published complaining about that experience?

Another horrible thing about the Kindle is that its books are encoded in a format that protects the rights of the writers. So all you get on the Kindle is "a grouping of words in front of your eyes for your private use." Baker is undaunted by the faact that a print book offers you the exact same thing. If it's electronic it must be bad.

Baker's last objection to the Kindle is the weirdest. This bad device, he says, turns the page when you press the next button. So if you press it before finishing the page, you will find yourself at the next page. So the buttons do what they are supposed to do? What a horrible little machine!

I loves my Kindle :-)

An introductory disclaimer: I do not sell Kindles. I do not work for Amazon. I am not affiliated with Amazon in any way or manner. Nobody has offered me any incentives to promote my enthusiasm for the Kindle. My love for it is one of the most disinterested and sincere emotions I have ever experienced.

It will soon be a year since I first held my Kindle in my hands. When I first found out about it on Amazon, I wasn't sure whether I wanted it. No electronic reading device can substitute the feel, the smell, and the texture of a real book, I thought. Little did I know that a couple of months later I would be ready to inflict grave bodily harm on anyone who would dare to refer to my Kindle as "an electronic reading device" or, even worse, "a gadget."

It is the most amazing thing ever. It allows you to carry all of your books, dictionaries, articles, newspapers, magazines, and blogs with you wherever you go. It weighs next to nothing. It allows you to subscribe to newspapers, magazines, and blogs. It has a free Internet connection. You can buy books directly from Amazon or upload all of the free content from the Internet (Project Gutenberg, Instituto Cervantes, etc.) Version 1 of the Kindle allows you to insert memory cards, which makes the number of books you can carry with you absolutely limitless. If you decide at 2 a.m. that you want to read or sample a particular book, you don't have to wait for the library or the bookstore to open. You can start reading it in matter of seconds. And, in all probability, it will be cheaper than at the bookstore. When a new book by your favorite author comes out, you don't have to wait until it appears in paperback (I mean, what kind of a maniac can afford to buy hardcover editions?) or try to read it in the bookstore. All new books cost lest than $10.

You can look words up in the dictionary right from the page you are reading. You can highlight passages and write your own comments. And as if that weren't enough, it automatically places everything you highlighted into a separate file. Then, you can just copy-paste the quotes you need into your own article or essay. And it always remembers your page.

Best of all, you will never be stuck anywhere without reading matter. I've been looking for some downside of using the Kindle. But as of now, I just can't see any.