I suggest downloading to your computer, using the “download and transfer via usb” option.
Then setting up Calibre or another ebook management application, with a Kindle Collections plug-in. If you have the books on your computer, they’re less likely to disappear. If you import the books into Calibre, it can handle the collections. Only problem is that you’ll gradually need to phase out the directly-downloaded copies in favor of the sideloaded-via-Calibre ones.
Note that I use a Kindle dx so it has tighter format limitations, and I usually avoid dmmed books.
This is Android’s major problem. In my house, we have multiple Android devices, and they’re all quite different. Too different for a solution that works on one to work for any of the others. I don’t think it’s because Android is bad, but every device manufacturer just has to do their own unique customizations, presumably for marketing reasons?
Second this. Calibre on the PC is the way to handle ebooks. In addition, with the right plugins, it can strip DRM out for you, so you can keep the books you’ve bought when Amazon decides to delete them.
I have a kindle somewhere, but also a Pandigital Novel, one of the old e-ink ones. As a generic, it’s not tied to amazon or any other system that could delete stuff off it. I don’t know what would be a current good generic e-reading tablet, but if I was in the market I would absolutely look for something like that before one of the branded locked-in ones. Kindle is good quality, but the price you pay is that they can (and will) screw with your data at any time.
Changing preferences to prevent save-on-quit. Apple’s Preview has the nasty habit of reformatting pdfs if you look at it funny, and then saving on quit, without reformatting jpeg-2000 images into more widely-compatible ones. Using Clearview instead of Preview. I don’t like Skim because of it’s lack of command-f search and lack of tabs.
Keeping important originals on an external hard drive (backed up to my Time Machine drive).
Processing pdfs using either Ghostscript in Automator or K2pdfopt to ensure Kindle readability and speed up Mac readability. (Requires learning appropriate settings for each.)
Sometimes also running Ocrmypdf and/or Promt. (Requires learning appropriate settings for the former.)
Keeping processed versions on that external hard drive, and tagging them for status.
Importing processed versions into Calibre, or logging them if low priority, or skipping them if extras.
Creating a status column in Calibre to keep track of things such as free, incompatible, read, wait, and extra.
Creating a full title column in Calibre so I can use shortened titles to work around some bugs.
Creating a genre column and a projects column in Calibre, so I can create appropriate Kindle collections.
Creating a “To Export” virtual library excluding empty books, as well as incompatible, read, wait, and extra books.
Using the Kindle Collections plug-in.
Now a lot of that involves working around the limits of the pdf format, the fact that Kindle 2 uses an older version of pdf, and the fact that Clearview, my preferred software, freezes or fails to display some newer versions. It’s easier with epub and mobi formats.
How many times do I actually need to say “put your day and time in your emails to me” to get them to put the day and time in their emails to me? I’ve said it literally every class and people are still not doing it…
Also, I keep asking for them to send me emails through the regular email instead of through the crappy iCollege interface…
it’s sort of an online system to let students keep track of grades, upload work, have access to readings, take online quizzes, etc. It tends to be glitchy, and it has a pretty bad internal email system thingie, which is why I prefer the regular school email (which isn’t great, since it’s Microsoft…).
For the Cont Ed courses I’m taking right now, we’re using Quercus. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great either – the navigation is almost completely opaque. We’ve had people be late for webonars because they thought they’d launched the right instance – the link right at the top that says “Launch” – but really they were supposed to select the link with today’s date on it.
I’m taking UI/UX Design, so we keep joking the system is an example for us.
Today, wechat insisted that it had to update before it would work anymore. So, I tried to update, but it refuses to download the fucking thing. That is a major way that I communicate with everyone here including work. Also, it’s become a way to accept payment from people. I get paid for my tutoring with WeChat wallet. There’s more than 5000 RMB locked up in my account.
Trello auto-updated itself to a version that’s incompatible with my phone and there’s no way to downgrade it back (without sideloading an old (and hopefully not infected) apk from wherever I can find it when back at a PC). So I spent 2 hours yesterday having work conversations where I couldn’t see what we were talking about or add comments but just going off the top of my head, with what I could remember and guesses. The worst part is, Trello knows this version is incompatible, it says so when I try to use it, so why did it update to a version that it knew wouldn’t work?!
My communication issues can resolve themselves over time. I’m mostly concerned over the money. Many would argue I shouldn’t have kept so much on there, but I’m not very trusting of the banks, so I keep some reserve out in cash and on WeChat, just in case my bank account suddenly disappears.
(A while back, I got a call from my Chinese bank telling me that since I hadn’t been using my account for some time, I needed to close it out. I told them I deposit once per month, and probably withdraw weekly. They responded, “Oh, you must have gotten on the list by accident.” I’ve done some checking and as far as I can tell, even foreigners get to just park their money in their bank account and then just ignore it, just like everyone else.
My best guess is they have a list of foreigner held bank accounts that are lately inactive, and they were trying to verify which ones they could just quietly take all the money from.)
I understand, I used to use Google Wallet as my backup until they canceled their debit cards. (Got my money out in time.) Now I use Simple for that. There’s always a bit of worry that I might lose access to that money, but then again, the reason I have it is in case I lose access to my bank account (whenever my card gets canceled because it was skimmed/leaked/etc.) As long as I don’t lose both at once…
With the systems that I’ve used, you can still get to stuff via web browser if the app doesn’t work. It’s relatively crappy since they totally focus on the app, but it’s a way to get access. I don’t know if wechat has something like that though. If it doesn’t, that really sucks.
There is a computer version of WeChat, but it won’t work unless activated with your cell phone app. You have to have a working WeChat cellphone app to use the computer version. (Grumble.)
I imagine what’s behind all this rigamarole is the Chinese government. To use WeChat, you have to have a cell phone, and the government “knows” who all local SIM cards belong to. (Of course, the government thinks my phone belongs to a female Chinese college student. Before using WeChat wallet, I had to physically go to a store to buy more minutes, and give her name as mine. I wonder if that gave them a giggle.)
I’m considering getting a cheap Android tablet to handle the situation. I’d rather get a new phone from the States.
Another Friday, another social engagement. Sadly, today, at my place.
I’ve managed to put the kibosh on some excessive things (No, we don’t need to move all the patio furniture to the front yard so we can be there and the dog get the back yard. No you don’t need to buy $100 of exotic ingredients for a dish that may not turn out.)
AND at least some other folks came over early to help straighten up the place.
BUT…
I’m still pregaming this. Should have picked up some mixers, but I can do fine with Tanqueray neat.
