Of Kindles, VPNs, torrents and clouds
Posted: April 29, 2011 Filed under: change, expats, IT, Reflections | Tags: 4od, amazon, facebook, iplayer, kindle, music cloud, overplay, pirate bay, utorrent, vietnam, vpn 14 Comments »
Much of the revolution in how we consume our TV, music and film has been played out while I’ve been overseas.
So I tend to regard it as just how I have learnt to get access to all the good stuff I left behind – rather than remembering that others have changed too.
But there are other issues that have influenced me. I used to happily pay to download albums from iTunes, only for them to make it ridiculously difficult because of my location. Searching for an album one day I gave in and downloaded it illegally. What can I say, it’s become a hard habit to break.
I’m also accessing BBC illegally via the iPlayer and VPN. Daft really, I pay $10 a month to Overplay to make this possible and from this the BBC gets nothing. I’d much rather pay direct – if they’d let me.
But in Vietnam the VPN does have another benefit – namely it allows me to access Facebook (blocked, not banned, in Vietnam) without further fuss nor pop up ads.
Like everyone what I’ll pay for, and how much, is changing. Paying western prices while living in the east doesn’t sit well when my wage isn’t what it was. Grand Designs Series 11 seems vaguely over priced in pounds ( 26.46 GBP – via iTunes) but put that into Dong and it’s nudging a million (903,600 VND). Too much. Even if I eat up-market here that’s a lobster buffet at the Sheraton.
The fact that I even checked iTunes is as a result of it, for whatever reason, not being available on uTorrent/Pirate bay. Together they have, illegally, provided us with a steady stream of movies. Coupled with the VLC player, we’re also able to download English subtitles which makes it easier for my wife to deal with the assorted English and American accents.
Of course with pirate DVDs available locally at less than a dollar each it’s quicker just to nip out and buy them – but dodgy quality, crazy subtitling and risk of investing in something that turns out to be unwatchable turns me off.
I always intend to go to the cinema more and partly it’s just laziness but also it means dealing with kids with bleeping mobile phones and people loudly munching pop corn. I am turning into such an old git.
Meanwhile iPlayer, 4OD etc, rather wonderfully come with the subtitles included.
So what am I paying for?
I’m paying for books – for the Kindle. The best Christmas present I ever had. Living overseas – the access to books is a revelations.
For a book without pages, cover etc then costwise anything under a fiver sounds about right. Until I had the Kindle then I always struggled to find time to read outside of beach holidays but suddenly I am consuming books again. I’ve read a dozen since Christmas – my brain feels better for it. Amazon is my friend.
I am at a loss as to why all magazines aren’t delivering content this way. I don’t pay for much but there are half a dozen UK magazines I would gladly if they could be sent to the Kindle. Incredibly I have a further 10 books already waiting to read – I am actually giving Amazon money before I can even have time to use the product.
Some years ago now I gave away my entire music collection and it lives on only on an iPod and hard drive – but I want my music cloud. Music may not seem as valuable as it once was – but I need this saved somewhere where it will always be there, even when I am somewhere else.
Which brings me to the issue of having fewer physically tangible possessions – not in some mystical, trippy hippy way but being able to live in a house that isn’t cluttered by CD cases and book cases. They increasingly seem like such a waste of space and resources. All that paper and plastic is a crime. And perhaps I have moved on so much that the process of clearing and packing is always in my mind.
I don’t shop like I used to. Again, part of this is because of where I am – I couldn’t buy a shirt that fit even if I wanted to – but it seems that all my entertainment is stored in my laptop, Kindle, iPod, phone etc. I spend my money on buying these devices rather than the entertainment that they store and provide for me.
There are times when I am lying propped up on pillows on my bed – laptop is perched against bent legs and both Kindle and mobile phone are balanced on my belly and chest.
In the old days I would take a lunch hour walk around Newcastle and almost always come back with a shopping bag - now, eating and drinking out aside I rarely buy anything.
As for all the above technology – I don’t see myself as an early adopter, there have been people doing most of this stuff for years now.
The difference, perhaps, is that I have had to learn it or miss out on music, movies, books etc.
Man you pay too much for your VPN. I use VPNVIP that I got from iTunes. You can use it on other phones and computers as well, does not have to be a Mac. Do not buy the monthly plan, just buy the data transfer plan.
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I also recently bought a kindle, and I’ve yet to pay for a single book. I torrented a folder of 2500 ebooks. Not all of them to my taste, of course, but still more than enough. You can usually find recent books with a little google-fu, and then there’s Project Gutenberg for all those out-of-copyright books.
I was on the verge of buying an ipad, but I bought a kindle. My reason is that I’m already connected to the internet more than I like. That connection is generally time-wasting: games, facebook, youtube etc. I hadn’t read a book in months, and so the kindle has been a revelation. Such a great reading experience too.
I am still trying to convince O to get a Kindle, I’m fed up of half a case when we go away being filled with books.
Try downloading your Grand Designs from http://www.uknova.com we download lots of stuff from this site using Vuze as a torrent downloader. all really upto date TV shows that are ready for download approximately 24 hours after they have been shown.. Download Celebrity Juice, its very funny!
Excellent post covering many of the technology thoughts I struggle with here. One thing I can’t yet quantify is whether buying a Kindle would really get me back into reading books. After all, I have an iPad, it’s pretty easy to put books on it and the screen looks nice. I can’t see how a Kindle would bring something big enough to the plate that the iPad couldn’t.
Ultimately, I want cloud storage for my music and photos (I am very scared about the unavoidable day when both my hard drives are fried), a way to read more books, a direct line from my TV to my downloaded torrents folder and a direct line from my hifi to my audio folders. The latter would be possible if only my home network worked the way it should.
When is home technology going to become insanely easy and accessible?
Great article.
I’m curious which books you read on your Kindle?
More and more in my not so big flat I’m thinking a eReader is the way to go.
I was given a Kindle for Xmas. I hadn’t wanted one, and was resistant to it at first, not least because I’ve been trying to become less technology-dependent. However, a couple long-haul overseas trips since then have made it all too clear what the primary benefits are (for me, anyway): consolidation and being able to travel lighter. I read a lot and will often bring as many as 10 books with me on a trip back to the US (where I’ll then accumulate more). Having the Kindle, which weighs less than a single book, has been a revelation. And my back and shoulders couldn’t be happier. Another benefit is that Amazon, unlike iTunes, doesn’t shut me out of buying books based on my location in Vietnam. I still like traditional books, but it’s also nice to have fewer physical possessions to deal with. I rent a storage unit in the US to keep all my crap when I live overseas, and guess what it’s mostly filled with? That’s right – books! I wish I’d had a Kindle years earlier.
If my pay had kept up over the past 5 years, I like to think that I wouldn’t rely on http://eztv.it as much as I do. But honestly, who really knows.
I was not convinced about buying a kindle but went for it earlier this year. Mainly as the pile of Xmas books finally filled all my shelf space. I have loved it, it is actually much nicer to read e ink books, no eye strain at all. I love the fact you can download samples of books before you buy. It’s like going to a book shop and browsing before you buy without hassle. I thought I would miss books but not at all.
Kevin, cheers – but have tried a couple and this one works just fine. However I know that by nature these things slow down and speed up, when it’s not performing I’ll switch.
Michael, I think the reason that the Kindle works is that there are many less distractions so you actually do read. The Kindle feels very lo-fi but that is why it works.
Dames, it makes a huge difference. Gone are the days of taking half a dozen books on holiday.
Louise – thanks, tried it but seems it is over subscribed, will try again in due course.
SM – as mentioned before – Kindle works because it has less distractions.
Martyn, just finished reading Chris Mullin’s political diaries now started on Mark Kermode’s book, before that I was reading Michael Palin’s Monty Python diaries.
Sapuche – it’s been strange for me to build a home in Vietnam when I have boxed up sold or given away all the possessions I ever had in the west in order to do this. But now my investments are either tech or something big and solid like furniture. Less clutter.
Tinyhands – we all give our own values to things – I recall paying 50 quid for the Godfather trilogy. Way overpriced and it just wouldn’t happen now, although something having less value does colour how you watch. Much less invested in it.
Chriswasafish, never thought I’d miss books but wondered how I’d take to the Kindle but it’s actually easier to read for book. My only grumble would be the occasional not available book and the lack of UK magazines.
Books in Australia are outrageously expensive – I’ve got so many on the kindle now I don’t know how I’m going to get through them. I agree with you about bookcases, etc too – I used to love being surrounded by books, but we haven’t the space, and I read books repeatedly much less than I used to.
’tis the way forward!
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I had turned my nose up at them for a long time, without ever seeing one in the flesh. After all, I love the feel of books, and the smell of them and all the rest of that jazz. Then about two months ago a friend showed me his, and I fell in love with it… I was tempted to lick it and stick it down the back of my pants just so I wouldn’t have to give it back. Mine just arrived the other day and I’m having a great time with it.
I was wondering though, if you know of any books for it in Vietnamese, for my wife (and yours). She doesn’t realise how good it is yet, as she’s not a fan of reading fiction in English. On a similar note, a kindle dictionary with English to Vietnamese capability would be great – for me as well, so I can look up words. I learn by seeing them written, but she never wants to write them down for me then gets cranky when I can’t remember it. I don’t always remember to feed it through google translate or something later.
Rachie, indeed it is.
Thanks Procco – will keep it in mind.
Snellopy – sorry I can’t help. It can read PDF so anything you can get in that format would be useable. Have you tried using instapaper?