New Kindle Game - Panda Poet

There is a new game out for Kindle, Panda Poet (A Word Game for Kindle) ($2.99), from Spry Fox. Two 5-star reviews already this morning and I've just downloaded it to my Kindle as well. I had to make myself stop playing, so I could finish the post (hey, I got a 7-letter word, already).

Book Description
Do you like word games? And pandas?

With Panda Poet you use the letters on the game board to form words. Words formed from letters in open spaces create pandas. Words formed from letters near pandas make existing pandas grow.

The goal is grow the biggest panda possible. You get the highest scores from either creating the biggest possible panda or from forming the longest possible words.

To add to the challenge, each letter is only available for a fixed number of turns. Each time you enter a word, all the letters on the screen come one step closer to expiring. When a letter expires, it is replaced by a skull, which prevents you from growing your pandas in that direction. This makes playing Panda Poet a delicate balancing act: you must consider where a letter is located on the grid and how soon it will expire, not simply spell the longest word you can.

Try it today and see!

Video Game Gold Box Day

Today appears to be Video Game Gold Box Day, from the deals up already and the descriptions for later today. Retailers have already been competing for your Black Friday holiday spending and the online retailers are no exception. This looks like one of Amazon's early deals days, like they had last year (their deals after Black Friday were often not as good as those leading up to it). If you've been considering some of these games, it's definitely time to grab (or pre-order them). Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit ($49.95 - $59.95) has release date delivery for only 99 cents extra, for non-Prime members, but if you order the XBox or PS3 versions, you'll also get a bonus $20 credit for future video games. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is the main Gold Box deal and is marked down to $25 for XBox or PS3. With some of the other deals, like Sid Meier's Pirates! ($37.99 $25.00), there is a limited quantity and time window and you have to buy them on the Gold Box. This particular one is now half gone and it's less than an hour into it's time slot, but it looks like there will be different deals ever few hours all day.

Christian Fiction and Non-Fiction Under a Buck

Despite the pricing, these are not self-published books, but instead are (with one exception) vastly discounted Kindle editions from WaterBrook Press/Multnomah Books. Themes range from thrillers to vampires to apocalyptic on the fiction side and from politics to Christianity to Islam on the non-fiction side.

The Veritas Conflict ($0.99), by Shaunti Feldhahn

Book Description
Claire Rivers races to the mailbox to receive a letter of acceptance to Harvard University while a heavenly battle rages. In this fast-paced, suspenseful novel, the ageless war for the hearts and minds of students on our college campuses is revealed. Conflict between unseen evil and angelic forces reflects their battle for victorious living amidst confused messages. When Claire and her roommate encounter attacks on their faith, a deeper mystery -- involving Harvard's Christian heritage, the pull of money, and a dark plan for societal corruption -- unfolds around them. Will they succumb to temptation and destruction? What has become of Harvard's founding motto: Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae -- "Truth for Christ and the Church"? Can Claire -- with other praying students and their parents -- counteract the forces of humanism and relativism ... and what will it cost them to do so?

Deadline ($0.89), by Randy Alcorn. His first novel, it stayed on the bestseller’s list for thirty-six months.

Book Description
Heart-Pounding Murder Mystery
Involved in a tragic accident under suspicious circumstances, award-winning journalist Jake Woods teams with detective Ollie Chandler to uncover the truth. This alluring repackage of the Randy Alcorn bestseller finds Jake drawing upon all his resources in an ever-intensifying, dangerous murder investigation. Unaware of the imminent threat to his own life, Jake struggles for answers to the mystery at hand and is plunged into a deeper search for the meaning of his own existence.

His Body Hung Suspended Between Two Friends--His Soul Between Two Worlds
Doc’s shoulder jammed into Jake as he swerved the Suburban sharply to the right, cut between a telephone pole and a billboard, then careened into a ten-foot high embankment. Sometime between the sound of Doc’s last cry and the sickening crunch of bent metal from the car’s first roll, Jake lost consciousness. The last sensation he felt was that of being crushed between the two men he had known since childhood…

When tragedy strikes those closest to him, award-winning journalist Jake Woods must draw upon all his resources to uncover the truth about their suspicious accident. Soon he finds himself swept up in a murder investigation that is both complex and dangerous. Unaware of the threat to his own life, Jake is drawn in deeper and deeper as he desperately searches for the answers to the immediate mystery at hand and—ultimately—the deeper meaning of his own existence.

Deadline is a dramatic and vivid novel of substance, filled with hope and perspective for every reader who longs to feel purpose in life.

Thirsty ($0.99), by Tracey Bateman

Book Description
There's no place like home, they say.

"Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

Broken Angel ($0.89), by Sigmund Brouwer

Book Description
Her birth was shrouded in mystery and tragedy.
Her destiny is beyond comprehension.
Her pursuers long to see her broken.
She fights to soar.

In the rough, shadowy hills of Appalachia, a nation carved from the United States following years of government infighting, Caitlyn and her companions are the prey in a terrifying hunt. They must outwit the relentless bounty hunters, skirt an oppressive, ever-watchful society, and find passage over the walls of Appalachia to reveal the dark secrets behind Caitlyn’s existence–and understand her father’s betrayal.

In this engrossing, lightning-paced story with a post-apocalyptic edge, best-selling author Sigmund Brouwer weaves a heroic, harrowing journey through the path of a treacherous culture only one or two steps removed from our own.

Upon the Isles of the Sea ($0.99), by Gordon Ryan & Kate Armitage

Book Description
LDS Inspirational Fiction:

When Seth, a young Stripling Warrior comes home from the wars after nearly eight years of fighting, he barely has time to settle in before Helaman, his former commander, now a missionary, comes to the village and calls him on yet another assignment. But Lilliana is determined that Seth will not leave the village again—at least not without her.

Jared, Seth’s best friend and also a former Stripling Warrior, is persuaded by General Moroni to remain in government service to infiltrate the devious “Secret Combinations.” When Seth and Jared meet Hagoth—an “exceedingly curious man,”—in the City of Bountiful, their quest takes on a whole new dimension.

Upon The Isles of The Sea, the first adventure tale from The Nephite Chronicles, is a story of courage, sacrifice, and honor.

The Next World War: What Prophecy Reveals about Extreme Islam and the West ($0.99), by Grant R. Jeffrey

Book Description
The first warning shots of WW III have already been fired

The escalating terrorist attacks in the Middle East and in major cities in the West are not isolated acts of extremism. They are the first warning shots fired in a coming world war.

For decades, prophecy expert Grant R. Jeffrey has been analyzing geopolitical developments through the lenses of history, religion, and prophecy. As current events unfold according to the prophecies of the Bible, Jeffrey says Islamic extremists are preparing to attack Israel and conquer western civilization–destroying our freedom.

Drawing from firsthand interviews, intelligence reports, and ancient prophecy, Jeffrey reveals:

• Saddam Hussein’s role in the 9/11 attack on America
• Where Iraq hid its Weapons of Mass Destruction
• How Russia and extreme Islam will launch World War III
• The Bible’s prophecy of the destruction of extremist Islam
• How Israel will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem

With Grant Jeffrey’s incisive and sometimes surprising analysis, you can understand the hidden agenda and powerful players behind today’s news headlines.

How Would Jesus Vote?: A Christian Perspective on the Issues ($0.99), by Jerry Newcombe & Dr.D. James Kennedy

Book Description
The 2008 election is shaping up to be one of the most important political contests in American history. In fact, Dr. D. James Kennedy believes it will be a watershed moment that could impact our very survival as a nation under God.

Values voters–people whose political views and votes are based on their faith in God–are being targeted as never before. As we move forward in the campaign season, the significant players will debate terrorism, radical Islam, nuclear threats, global warming, social issues, gay marriage, immigration, education, health care, and many other essential issues that can create sharp ideological divisions.

Into this overwhelmingly complex political situation, Dr. Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe bring a clear, compelling, and nonpartisan exploration of what God’s Word has to say on these critical matters. How Would Jesus Vote? isn’t intended to tell you which candidates to support; rather it offers you a Christ-centered understanding of the world to help you draw your own political conclusions.

This election, don’t cast an uninformed vote that fails to reflect your values. Instead, learn how to apply your faith and obedience to God to your ballot. This timely, helpful, and hopeful book will enable you to do just that.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering ($0.99), by David Gregory

Book Description
You are Invited to a Dinner with Jesus of Nazareth

The mysterious envelope arrives on Nick Cominsky’s desk amid a stack of credit card applications and business-related junk mail. Although his seventy-hour workweek has already eaten into his limited family time, Nick can’t pass up the opportunity to see what kind of plot his colleagues have hatched.

The normally confident, cynical Nick soon finds himself thrown off-balance, drawn into an intriguing conversation with a baffling man who appears to be more than comfortable discussing everything from world religions to the existence of heaven and hell. And this man who calls himself Jesus also seems to know a disturbing amount about Nick’s personal life.

"You’re bored, Nick. You were made for more than this. You’re worried about God stealing your fun, but you’ve got it backwards.… There’s no adventure like being joined to the Creator of the universe." He leaned back off the table. "And your first mission would be to let him guide you out of the mess you’re in at work."

As the evening progresses, their conversation touches on life, God, meaning, pain, faith, and doubt–and it seems that having Dinner with a Perfect Stranger may change Nick’s life forever.

Great Deal on a GPS and Web Browser

It isn't a book reader, but the Garmin nüvi 295W 3.5-Inch Widescreen Wi-Fi Portable GPS Navigator that Amazon has on their Gold Box Deal of the Day looks like a fantastic deal on a unit that is also a web browser when around a wifi hotspot and a 3MP camera and MP3 player. Especially at $84.99 instead of the $279.99 list price shown (the unit has been discounted already, so it's only another $20 from the last price, but this looks like a blow-out attempt to make room for a newer model). I know that the GPS and web browser on my phone are two of the features I use a lot (surprisingly so on the GPS); adding this to a much less expensive phone, though, is probably a smarter option for most people. Since we are now in the extended holiday return period at Amazon (all purchases after Nov 1 can be returned until the end of January, rather than a 30-day return), this one might be perfect as a Christmas gift.

Description
nüvi 295W offers a new take on an old favorite with Wi-Fi® connectivity, a 3 MP camera with auto-focus, dual orientation capability and much more.

Get Connected
Wi-Fi connectivity on the nuvi 295W provides a full desktop web experience with an HTML browser so you can surf the web whenever and wherever you choose. Check your e-mail, including Hotmail, G-mail, AOL mail, POP3 and IMAP, and view email attachments in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and JPG. You can also search an abundance of customer-rated points of interest (POIs), such as restaurants, hotels and more, using Google™ Local Search.

Get Going
With a single tap on the dual-oriented screen, you can avoid writing down addresses and go straight to your destination. nüvi 295W offers 1-touch navigation from your e-mail, address book (with up to 5,000 contacts) and local search results. Additionally, the unique 3 MP camera geotags pictures so you can create routes to them. You can also send the picture to a friend to route to or upload to the web to auto-locate on a map.

Go Beyond Navigation
nüvi 295W isn't just for navigation. A quick tap provides access to the lengthy feature set, including a calculator, stop watch, calendar, check lists and more. Also included are travel tools such as a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter and current and 5-day weather forecasts. With photo navigation, you can download pictures from Garmin Connect™ Photos and navigate to them. Garmin Locate™ automatically marks your position when you remove nüvi from your car so you'll never forget where you parked again, and nüvi 295W is compatible with the free Garmin Garage where you can download custom voices and vehicles. Enhance your travel experience with optional microSD™ cards.

• Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
• Spoken street names (e.g. "Turn right on Elm street in 500 ft.")
• Dual-orientation automatically switches between portrait and landscape view
• 3 MP camera with auto-focus
• Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity
• MP3 player with 2.5mm headphone jack/audio line-out
• 1-step navigation from contacts, e-mail, and local search results

Free Book (PDF) - Virtual Justice

Virtual Justice ($15.13 Kindle), by Greg Lastowka, is free as a PDF directly from the author.

Book Description
Tens of millions of people today are living part of their life in a virtual world. In places like World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Free Realms, people are making friends, building communities, creating art, and making real money. Business is booming on the virtual frontier, as billions of dollars are paid in exchange for pixels on screens. But sometimes things go wrong. Virtual criminals defraud online communities in pursuit of real-world profits. People feel cheated when their avatars lose virtual property to wrongdoers. Increasingly, they turn to legal systems for solutions. But when your avatar has been robbed, what law is there to assist you?

In Virtual Justice, Greg Lastowka illustrates the real legal dilemmas posed by virtual worlds. Presenting the most recent lawsuits and controversies, he explains how governments are responding to the chaos on the cyberspace frontier. After an engaging overview of the history and business models of today's virtual worlds, he explores how laws of property, jurisdiction, crime, and copyright are being adapted to pave the path of virtual law.

Virtual worlds are becoming more important to society with each passing year. This pioneering study will be an invaluable guide to scholars of online communities for years to come.

Click HERE for the free download.