Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Faith, Doubt and Uncertainty


Is faith the opposite of doubt? The theologian Paul Tillich did not think so - according to Rabbi David Wolpe in his book "Why Faith Matters". Tillich thought that "doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith". Does this mean that absolute certainty in religion does not need faith? Rabbi Wolpe's book is essential reading for anyone asking life's "big questions".
Read more about David Wolpe's book here.



Monday, June 27, 2011

Converting PDF for Kindle

Sometimes PDF files don't work too well on Kindle. The text may be too small. Whatever. There is a good free program called Calibre which converts PDF to MOBI and loads the MOBI onto your Kindle. It works very well with most PDF files. Make sure your Kindle is on and plugged into your computer when you use Calibre. (By the way, Calibre looks like an excellent program in many other ways as well).

Here is a my very amateurish demo on how to use Calibre to convert a PDF file into MOBI and then to put it on your Kindle. I hope it helps. I may take a little time to load. You may need to scroll down as well.

Sorry about the sound. I was too close to the microphone. However, I long ago learnt that the best is the enemy of the good. So, I just finished the job and put it out there.

Thank you

Download encyclopedias for fast research power

Bump up your research power immediately by loading encyclopedias onto your Kindle.

I have loaded down two encyclopedias onto my Kindle. I use them to quickly get more information about what I reading on my Kindle or when watching the news. This really adds pleasure.  Below is a link to the general encyclopedia I have downloaded onto my Kindle. I also downloaded the Encyclopedia of Philosophy - you can link to it by entering "Encyclopedia of Philosophy" into the Amazon Search box on the right. (Remember: you can scroll to the Kindle Store filter in the Search Box.)

What is amazing is that as at 27 June 2011 you can download the two encyclopedias for less than $20

Here is the link to the Big English Encyclopedia:


Sunday, June 26, 2011

Important Book on Kindle: Why Faith Matters by Rabbi David Wolpe

If you are genuinely searching for useful insights into why faith matters you will find this book useful. Both Rabbi David Wolpe and his wife have battled with cancer. The Rabbi's ministry brings him to the rock face where unjustified suffering strikes good people. This is where the big "Why?" questions are born.

The forward in the book is by Dr. Rick Warren of The Purpose Driven Life. Warren writes:

"This beautiful book is a gift to us all. So much of what is published about faith just rehashes warmed-over cliches and feels out of touch with reality. In contrast, every page of this special volume has a smell of authenticity on it."


The book is available from Amazon.


Great book on assertiveness (available on Kindle as well)

I read "When I Say No I Feel Guilty" by Manuel J. Smith many years ago. It remains the best book on how to be assertive I have ever read. The advice in the book is practical and realistic. It can be applied immediately. At the time of posting this blog Amazon have the Kindle, Hardback and Paperback editions. When I was in practice as an Attorney I advised a client to try a strategy recommended in the book. The strategy worked and the client was saved a big legal bill.

Click here to have a look at the book at Amazon:

Consider buying two Kindles

If you and your wife or partner love reading then buying two Kindles is a good idea. My wife and I each have a Kindle under my one account. The advantage of this is that we share a common archive. When I finish a book I put it into our archive and she can download it onto her Kindle. My experience is that this is allowed for most eBooks on Amazon but not for subscription publications like the Spectator. Having two Kindles works well for us.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Saving your Kindle battery

When you are reading, save battery power by turning off the wireless if you are not using the wireless.

Build your word power with Kindle

Here is how to keep a record of the words you look up using Kindle's dictionary. This is useful if you want to review words you have looked up.
As you know a definition pops up whenever the cursor is next to a word (you can scroll the cursor to any word).
Here is what to do using as an example the word "miracle".

  • Scroll to the word ("miracle").
  • Part of the definition of "miracle"pops up at the top or bottom of the page.
  • Click the little arrow next to the bottom left of the 4 way control panel.
  • The full definition appears.
  • Scroll down to "miracle", highlight it and press Enter. 
  • Press "Back"
  • All done.

Now - When you open the dictionary, the definition of "miracle" and all other definitions you have highlighted will be under "View Notes and Marks" (you get there via ""Menu").

Comments more that welcome. Let's all learn.

Welcome to Kindle Joy

Last year our son from San Francisco (an avid Kindle user) gave me a Kindle. He has also given one to his mother. What a joy this has been for us all. I have started this blog to share things I have learnt about using my Kindle. All the best. Keep reading and enjoy your Kindle.