Technology is creeping into our lives in ways we would have never imagined a few years ago. Take a look through any room in your house and you’re likely to find one or more tech gadgets. Kitchen appliances are controlled with computerized panels, laundry appliances are computerized, our entertainment systems consist of a mish-mash of high-tech equipment. Even reading books is now a technical endeavor.
All of this technology is a mixed bag. We welcome the fact that we can access an entire library of books no matter where we are. Devices like the Kindle Fire make it easy to consume Internet content, and being able to carry such a remarkable device everywhere is nothing short of miraculous. However, we also experience a degree of frustration because the technology is sometimes hard. It’s true. Tech is hard.
If you find it tough to figure out all of these technical devices, it’s not because you’re a dummy. It’s because tech is hard. These devices are designed by engineers, and what makes sense to an engineer doesn’t often make sense to everyone else. If you find yourself frustrated when trying to figure out technology, it’s not because you’re a dummy. It’s because the engineers didn’t make this stuff easy enough to figure out.
Entire brands have been built around the fact that technology makes people feel dumb. People swarm to book titles that call them “Dummies” or “Idiots”, and these types of books make certain assumptions based on the premise that you might not be smart enough to “get it”. The end result is that you’re treated like a “dummy” or “idiot”; a lot of information is left out because you’re simply not smart enough to understand.
Many years ago I was working in technical support for a popular web design product. I was a technical lead for the product and our frontline engineers sent a customer to me because he was, according to them, ”too dumb to understand web design.” As I was talking to the customer, I asked him about his web site. It turns out that he was a theoretical physicist, and he was creating a web site to accompany a presentation he was making at a large university. In his presentation, he was refuting theories proposed by Stephen Hawking. This customer was smarter than all of us combined. He was having trouble because web design is hard, not because he was a dummy.
When I set out to write My Kindle Fire, I started with a basic premise; technology is hard and you’re no dummy. What that means to me is that you want to learn everything the device can do, but you want to learn it in a clear and non-tech way. You don’t want me to leave out explaining some of the Kindle Fire’s functionality because I think you’re too dumb to “get it”.
The end result of this approach is a guide for your Kindle Fire that covers the entire device, and it does in a way that is approachable, understandable, and doesn’t talk down to you. You’re not a dummy. Tech is hard. That’s why I wrote My Kindle Fire, and my approach is why I’m certain that you’ll find My Kindle Fire to be the best and most comprehensive guide you can buy for your Kindle Fire.
You’re no dummy. When looking for a guide for your Kindle Fire, choose one that understands why you need a guide in the first place. Tech is hard. Choose My Kindle Fire.
Update: I just read a review from one of the other Kindle Fire guides. The reviewer was disappointed in the quality of the screen shots and said that he couldn’t even make out which icon was which. I noticed the same thing in the guide this reviewer was reading (I purchased it as well to check it out), and I have to say that the screen shots are one of many areas where My Kindle Fire shines!
The screen shots in my book are big and crystal clear, whether you are reading the Kindle edition or the paperback, and that’s no accident. We realize that if you’re trying to look at a screen shot to learn a concept, that screen shot needs to be clear and high quality. (It also needs to be in color and not black and white.) It was important to us because we knew it would be important to you. It’s just one more reason why My Kindle Fire is the best guide you can get for your Kindle Fire.
But don’t take my word for it. Go to the book’s page on Amazon and click the Look Inside link. Compare the table of contents for My Kindle Fire to the other guides. Compare the layout of the book and the quality of the printing. I know you’ll agree with me.
- Jim
There are two ways to transfer documents to your Kindle device. You can either plug your Kindle into your computer and copy files over or you can email files to your Kindle email address and let Amazon deliver them to your Kindle over Wi-Fi or Whispernet. Neither of these methods is as convenient as I’d like, so I am happy to see that Amazon has now made the process much easier with Send to Kindle.
