Now you see them and now you don't. Most of the time when you check the Amazon web site, the refurbished Kindles are out of stock (but there are some "used" and "new" ones being sold by third parties, for about $200 more, for those that must have one under the tree). However, that doesn't mean that Amazon is out of the refurbished units completely. Readers of this blog have snagged 30 refurbished Kindles this month, after they supposedly sold out last weekend. The trick is to set up one-click shopping and to keep refreshing the page, then pounce when one hits inventory. Yesterday, there were confirmed sightings (and quick buys) at approximate 2:30 PM, 3:15 PM, 9:30 PM and another this morning at 7:45 AM. And that's just the ones that I know about, so many more may have hit inventory for a few minutes and then been snapped up. In case you are away from your bookmarked link, remember you can check from any compuer using the shortcut www.tinyurl.com/RefurbKindle.
For those not in a huge hurry and not wanting to spend $200 to $1,200 above list price, you can still buy a new Kindle and wait for delivery - although current estimates put that into February of next year, several have already reported getting some of the late December deliveries shipped this week. Speculation is that a lot of these are from cancellations of new units by those who managed to snag one of the refurbished Kindles, but no one knows for sure. If the true backlog is batteries, as has long been speculated, perhaps Amazon managed to get production of those faster than anticipated. And perhaps they decided after last year's indefinte wait and no shipping time for back orders caused a lot of complaints, that this year they would simply make up a date and push it so far into the future that they would have no problem delivering them ahead of schedule.
Book Reviews and Bargain reads for the Amazon Kindle, nook, Kobo, Sony and other ereaders, Kindle Fire, nookColor, Kobo Vox, and other tablets, along with some games, music, technology and computers tossed in now and then.
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Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
I'm a Lotto Winner
Kindle Lotto, that is. I grabbed one when the refurbished Kindles
came back in stock yesterday. My estimated ship date was December 10, but the order almost immediately went into a shipping soon status. Last night, it shipped shortly before 8pm (EST). Of course, that really means it's in the shipping room of Amazon's warehouse in Atlanta, GA, waiting to be picked up by the shipping company, but it should still get here in a couple of days.
So, what are your odds of getting one? The refurbished units were in stock all last weekend and I know of at least 5 people who ordered one (and have read of many more). They went out of stock on Monday, but I have confirmation of at least 30 more that managed to order one since then. It pays to be persistent and check at odd times of day, but it seems that they are just as likely to show up on your lunch break as at 3 AM; it's just more likely there are fewer people checking during non-prime hours.
came back in stock yesterday. My estimated ship date was December 10, but the order almost immediately went into a shipping soon status. Last night, it shipped shortly before 8pm (EST). Of course, that really means it's in the shipping room of Amazon's warehouse in Atlanta, GA, waiting to be picked up by the shipping company, but it should still get here in a couple of days.So, what are your odds of getting one? The refurbished units were in stock all last weekend and I know of at least 5 people who ordered one (and have read of many more). They went out of stock on Monday, but I have confirmation of at least 30 more that managed to order one since then. It pays to be persistent and check at odd times of day, but it seems that they are just as likely to show up on your lunch break as at 3 AM; it's just more likely there are fewer people checking during non-prime hours.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Update: Refurbished Kindles in stock again
As of the current time (3:56 am EST), refurbished Kindles ($329) are back in stock at Amazon (at least two and now down to at least one!). Dozens have been sold and shipped this week, but they keep rolling in and back out again. They won't last, so order one while you can. If you miss one this morning, be sure to read my post about playing Kindle Lotto. You too can have a bright shiny Kindle under the tree this year, and without having to pay the exorbitant prices on eBay.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Reading about Beekeepers
Unlike the references books of the past few posts, these are all books I'd love to see available on the Kindle. They are essentially memoirs of those who have raised honeybees for a living or as a hobby.
First, two from Sue Hubbell, the well known A Country Year: Living the Questions, which details her life on a 100 acre farm with 200 beehives, and her followup book A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them that has more about beekeeping tasks and when to do them, interspersed with her prose. Both are an honest look at the real work involved in having so many bees. And there is some manual labor in even one hive -- honey is heavy and so are the boxes and frames used for your hive; even bees add to the weight when a hive is densely populated, with a deep hive body full of honey and bees topping 90 lbs (fear not, there are ways to avoid lifting anything this heavy). By the second book, her farm has expanded to 300 hives, with some scattered about on other properties. All in all, it's a good description of a typical sideliner beekeeper, which is the title for those who have grown beyond the hobbyist level, but are not yet considered commercial beekeepers (who migrate their bees around the nation on a constant basis).
For the story of a commercial beekeeper, check out Bad Beekeeping. A young man from Pennsylvania buys a honey ranch, then ends up herding his bees from Florida in the winter (where he raises 10,000 queens) to the badlands of southern Saskatchewan in summer. Covering a ten year span, this is a look at one of the few people who have kept bees across the US-Canadian border.
For those more interested in the backyard beekeeper, look to Fifty Years Among the Bees. Although many of the practices are now outdated, this is a classic in beekeeping.
And finally, this one isn't about beekeeping at all. It's an English horror film that predates (1967) the scares of Africanized bees in the US. Keep this one on hand for those relatives that are convinced your bees are dangerous: The Deadly Bees. No matter how yours misbehave, they'll be a lot tamer than the bees depicted here. Don't confuse this one with The Birds, although the group of that name does make a cameo appearance.
First, two from Sue Hubbell, the well known A Country Year: Living the Questions, which details her life on a 100 acre farm with 200 beehives, and her followup book A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them that has more about beekeeping tasks and when to do them, interspersed with her prose. Both are an honest look at the real work involved in having so many bees. And there is some manual labor in even one hive -- honey is heavy and so are the boxes and frames used for your hive; even bees add to the weight when a hive is densely populated, with a deep hive body full of honey and bees topping 90 lbs (fear not, there are ways to avoid lifting anything this heavy). By the second book, her farm has expanded to 300 hives, with some scattered about on other properties. All in all, it's a good description of a typical sideliner beekeeper, which is the title for those who have grown beyond the hobbyist level, but are not yet considered commercial beekeepers (who migrate their bees around the nation on a constant basis).
, which details her life on a 100 acre farm with 200 beehives, and her followup book 
that has more about beekeeping tasks and when to do them, interspersed with her prose. Both are an honest look at the real work involved in having so many bees. And there is some manual labor in even one hive -- honey is heavy and so are the boxes and frames used for your hive; even bees add to the weight when a hive is densely populated, with a deep hive body full of honey and bees topping 90 lbs (fear not, there are ways to avoid lifting anything this heavy). By the second book, her farm has expanded to 300 hives, with some scattered about on other properties. All in all, it's a good description of a typical sideliner beekeeper, which is the title for those who have grown beyond the hobbyist level, but are not yet considered commercial beekeepers (who migrate their bees around the nation on a constant basis).For the story of a commercial beekeeper, check out Bad Beekeeping. A young man from Pennsylvania buys a honey ranch, then ends up herding his bees from Florida in the winter (where he raises 10,000 queens) to the badlands of southern Saskatchewan in summer. Covering a ten year span, this is a look at one of the few people who have kept bees across the US-Canadian border.
. A young man from Pennsylvania buys a honey ranch, then ends up herding his bees from Florida in the winter (where he raises 10,000 queens) to the badlands of southern Saskatchewan in summer. Covering a ten year span, this is a look at one of the few people who have kept bees across the US-Canadian border.For those more interested in the backyard beekeeper, look to Fifty Years Among the Bees. Although many of the practices are now outdated, this is a classic in beekeeping.
. Although many of the practices are now outdated, this is a classic in beekeeping.And finally, this one isn't about beekeeping at all. It's an English horror film that predates (1967) the scares of Africanized bees in the US. Keep this one on hand for those relatives that are convinced your bees are dangerous: The Deadly Bees. No matter how yours misbehave, they'll be a lot tamer than the bees depicted here. Don't confuse this one with The Birds, although the group of that name does make a cameo appearance.
. No matter how yours misbehave, they'll be a lot tamer than the bees depicted here. Don't confuse this one with The Birds, although the group of that name does make a cameo appearance.
Advanced Beekeeping References
In yesterday's recommendations, I seem to have skipped over the excellent The Beekeeper's Handbook, Third Edition
from Cornell University, one of the nation's top research sites for honeybees and developing new varieties of fruit trees (among other things). A book seldom makes a third edition without a lot of sales and in this case, each edition has been updated with the latest research and status of honeybee diseases and pests.
If you are wanting to get more detailed information about honeybees (or their disease and/or parasites), there are some weighty tomes out there to guide you (as well as excellent conferences each year geared towards both beginning and more advanced beekeepers). Two of the best are The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture: An Encyclopedia Pertaining to the Scientific and Practical Culture of Honey Bees
and 21st Century Complete Guide to Bees and Honeybees, Beekeeping, Apiaries, Africanized Honey Bees - USDA Government Research, Parasites, Mites, Pathogens, Threats to Pollination, Food Supply (CD-ROM)
. The first covers practically every topic you can thing of that pertains to honeybees, while the second specifically deals with the threats your hives.
One that is a little less helpful is A Spring without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply
. While giving a good overview of what is going on with CCD, which is still being investigated by top researchers around the world, and it's possible consequences, this particular book has a definite political slant. Right now, CCD is a collection of symptoms (a disorder, not a disease); only when the true source has identified will we be able to name the culprit (and find a cure). The prospects of growing food without the european honeybees, an insect that has been cultivated by man for nearly as long as he has farmed, are definitely not all rosy (although roses won't be affected). While rice, wheat and corn (and other grass grains) do not need honeybees to be grown as crops, many other staple foods do: beans (including soybeans), squash, peppers and many more. Alfalfa doesn't need pollination before being feed to cattle, but does use honeybees on fields where seed will be grown for the alfalfa farmers. Canola is another heavily pollinated crop, as are some crops that may not technically need honeybees (the alternate pollinator is in parentheses next to each), but have much higher yields when they are used: tomatoes (wind pollinated, bumblebees in greenhouses), apples (orchard mason bees) and blueberries (some native bees are better suited, but not easily raised in the numbers needed). However, the costs of raising enough of the alternate pollinators (which often have no honey crop to offset costs to the beekeeper) and/or the lower yields of wind pollinated crops will probably mean much higher prices in stores, if the european honeybee were to disappear. It's true that the european honeybee is not native to the US (or many other parts of the world) and that native pollinators do exist (or did) in most areas. The difference is the increased yield that commercial honeybees bring to intensive monocrops and the decline of native pollinators in nearly any area that is commercially farmed (or subject to typical surbuban grass monoculture practices). I'd skip this one for now and instead keep up with the topic in the bee journals (see below) and wait until a treatment is found before worrying too much about laying blame.
An hour long, in depth view of the inner workings of the hive, NOVA: Bees - Tales From the Hive doesn't get into beekeeping, but will provide you and any school age children a fascinating look at what goes on inside the hive.
Last, the second US magazine for beekeepers is the more technical American Bee Journal
. Many starting beekeepers skip this one for a while, instead opting for Bee Culture magazine
that I mentioned yesterday, but you really can't go wrong with either one (or both - they seldom overlap in their coverage).
from Cornell University, one of the nation's top research sites for honeybees and developing new varieties of fruit trees (among other things). A book seldom makes a third edition without a lot of sales and in this case, each edition has been updated with the latest research and status of honeybee diseases and pests.If you are wanting to get more detailed information about honeybees (or their disease and/or parasites), there are some weighty tomes out there to guide you (as well as excellent conferences each year geared towards both beginning and more advanced beekeepers). Two of the best are The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture: An Encyclopedia Pertaining to the Scientific and Practical Culture of Honey Bees
and 21st Century Complete Guide to Bees and Honeybees, Beekeeping, Apiaries, Africanized Honey Bees - USDA Government Research, Parasites, Mites, Pathogens, Threats to Pollination, Food Supply (CD-ROM). The first covers practically every topic you can thing of that pertains to honeybees, while the second specifically deals with the threats your hives.One that is a little less helpful is A Spring without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply
. While giving a good overview of what is going on with CCD, which is still being investigated by top researchers around the world, and it's possible consequences, this particular book has a definite political slant. Right now, CCD is a collection of symptoms (a disorder, not a disease); only when the true source has identified will we be able to name the culprit (and find a cure). The prospects of growing food without the european honeybees, an insect that has been cultivated by man for nearly as long as he has farmed, are definitely not all rosy (although roses won't be affected). While rice, wheat and corn (and other grass grains) do not need honeybees to be grown as crops, many other staple foods do: beans (including soybeans), squash, peppers and many more. Alfalfa doesn't need pollination before being feed to cattle, but does use honeybees on fields where seed will be grown for the alfalfa farmers. Canola is another heavily pollinated crop, as are some crops that may not technically need honeybees (the alternate pollinator is in parentheses next to each), but have much higher yields when they are used: tomatoes (wind pollinated, bumblebees in greenhouses), apples (orchard mason bees) and blueberries (some native bees are better suited, but not easily raised in the numbers needed). However, the costs of raising enough of the alternate pollinators (which often have no honey crop to offset costs to the beekeeper) and/or the lower yields of wind pollinated crops will probably mean much higher prices in stores, if the european honeybee were to disappear. It's true that the european honeybee is not native to the US (or many other parts of the world) and that native pollinators do exist (or did) in most areas. The difference is the increased yield that commercial honeybees bring to intensive monocrops and the decline of native pollinators in nearly any area that is commercially farmed (or subject to typical surbuban grass monoculture practices). I'd skip this one for now and instead keep up with the topic in the bee journals (see below) and wait until a treatment is found before worrying too much about laying blame.An hour long, in depth view of the inner workings of the hive, NOVA: Bees - Tales From the Hive doesn't get into beekeeping, but will provide you and any school age children a fascinating look at what goes on inside the hive.
Last, the second US magazine for beekeepers is the more technical American Bee Journal
. Many starting beekeepers skip this one for a while, instead opting for Bee Culture magazine that I mentioned yesterday, but you really can't go wrong with either one (or both - they seldom overlap in their coverage).
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