Extinguishing the desire for a Kindle...

Every time I start thinking that, hey, maybe I should get a Kindle, something else pops up to convince me not to.

A little while ago, it was Amazon's DMCA takedown of software that would let you read non-Amazon-supplied content on one's Kindle.

Yesterday, the 'net was abuzz with the tale of a Kindle owner whose Amazon account had been perfunctorily canceled by Amazon, whereupon... quoting the customer:

In effect, I now have a $359 brick, not covered under any warranty, not able to be used the way it was meant to be, not able to be returned (not that I even want to, I just want to keep reading!)

I called customer service several times today; the supervisors there explained that I cannot use the Kindle store but "I can get content onto the machine different ways."

I have emailed the proper address, but I'm not hopeful of a positive solution.

I know you all don't know me from Adam, but I'm a good guy and didn't deserve this at all -- and no, I'm not going to bash Amazon here -- instead, I'm just going to tell y'all I'm going to make every call and write every (professional) email I can to get this situation resolved.

But please let this be a lesson to all of us - when you buy a Kindle, you are really buying a service-

-and that service can be turned off at a whim.

This raises an interesting point that I do not currently have time to research: can one legally sell one's Kindle and all of whatever rights to the content bought for it to someone else?

I haven't the time to study this right now, though. I have a garage to dissect.

Cheers...

You there! Stop drinking and step away from the Pierian Spring!

A Boston College computer science student's computers, cell phone, iPod, and other property were seized by the BC Keystone Kops Campus Police as part of an investigation in which there is no indication of any crime having been committed.

If that wasn't enough, according to the EFF Deeplinks Blog, the investigating officer argued that "the computer expertise of the student itself supported a finding of probable cause to seize the student's property," for what amounts to a fishing expedition.

Among the student's other "suspicious activity" was having two operating systems on his computer and the ability to use "prompt commands" (using the language of the warrant application).

As a Linux user who knows how to deal with the command line and use email, I guess this means I should not raise too high a profile in Beantown, should the opportunity arise to go there. If nothing else, the BC campus would be a no-tread zone.

At the very least, from now on, Boston College investigators ought to start working in groups of three, where one of the trio can read, the other can write, and the third can keep an eye on the two intellectuals.

Cheers...