Kindle Hackers

I was one of the first people to order a Kindle -- well, one of the first-ish. It was very logical for a person like me that reads several books a week. Overall I've liked the device as a portable library holder -- it will NOT replace books for me but it has been invaluable in my frequent travels. It's just that the paper book is just so darned good as a reading format!

Hermits who don't know about the device should know it's Amazon's book reader, which comes with lifetime wireless access as part of the package. And it's this bit that we'll be tangentially talking about here.

Kindle has fans and foes, and of course the requisite online parodies. (This is a bit off color, that's your warning.



Recently I was on a walk with my dear friend Susan MacDermid, who informed me that there is a subculture of Kindle Hackers who are making the device do and be more than Amazon intended. With free wireless it is only natural that many have tried to make it into a minicomputer. Also, apparently GPS capabilities can be unlocked. and the DRM that makes it take only books bought on the 'zon? Apparently it ain't hard to subvert, though any task that requires soldering is probably beyond my scope.

Well, I found this page that tells you some of the things that Kindle can be made to do. Read it if you have a Kindle and even if you don't as it tells you a lot about the minds of the people who have in their DNA the desire to tinker. I love that inventive spirit, and Igor Kochinsky clearly has it in spades hearts clubs and diamonds.

If Igor et al can find a way to do PowerPoint on it I will dance a jig.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.