Dear John Witherspoon: Myspace

Dr. Stephen Hawking is one of our best-known cosmologists, a person who studies the universe and develops theories to explain it is creation. Dr. Hawking suffers from a debilitating disease, is in a wheel chair, and speaks with a particular computer. You may have seen him on television at times.

Dr. Hawking is an example of a man that did not let adversity conquer him. Despite his illness, he has outlived the foretelling of his doctors by years. He has children and a loving wife who cares for him in spite of what his outcome was supposed to be. He is known and valued worldwide. He will have to be admired by youth and held up as an example of a person who did and does very difficult things in spite of his physical short comings. All of us have shortcomings. All of us may succeed.

When my children were young I told them to do things that were difficult for others. Many persons timid away from mathematics, chemistry, physics, alien languages, political science and other difficult subjects. When you do difficult things, you improve your capacity to do still more difficult task. Why are engineers, scientist, medical doctors, nurses and architects paid more than other people. It’s because they form a littler percentage of our population with special skills. Rarity has always paid off. That is why gold and diamonds are worth more than iron and coal.

So what happened to my children. My oldest son is a neurosurgeon, hand surgeon, and neurologist, my second son, a ventriloquist and juggler in his spare time, is a pediatric anesthesiologist, my daughter married a cardiac anesthesiologist and is a professional portrait artist, my second son, who has 13 children here in my hometown (9 adopted), is a veterinarian, and my youngest son, who has triplets, is an attorney. All of my children have musical capacity and music is a major part of their lives and the lives of their children.

One thing that numerous youth don’t recognise is that people who are not as smart or competent are doing things that they themselves could be doing. The divergence is hard work and desire. Be like Dr. Hawking. You may ask Dr. Hawking questions at

[http://www.hawking.org.uk/home/hindex.html] Please be patient for an answer to your question.

Would you like a more elaborate comprehensible statement of cosmology? There is a good article at

http://www.reference.com/search?q=cosmology

I have asked Dr. Hawking for answers to universe questions before and I got an answer from his staff. I have some more questions for Dr. Hawking but initial we will have to explore the universe a bit.

Here is the time-line for a Big Bang theory universe:

Too-Big Boom: Energy blows everything apart too rapidly, matter that form never coalesce into stars, everything is dark and boring. God takes not-so-deep a breath and tries again.

Too-Little Boom: Too little poop to pop. Not sufficient time for stars to form. All is black. God again decides to start out over.

Ah, Ha! Just Right!: God gets it right this time. The universe is devised from not one thing everyplace at the same time (that’s what one fellow member of Dr. Hawking’s staff told me in an e-mail a lot of years ago).

As the universe expands, stars form. I think black holes may be already around from “incomplete combustion.” (Well what do you suppose from a ceramic engineer?)

Anyway, black holes form at a heap of time as stars and galaxies get confused and forget that they are supposed to be moving isolated from each other.

Stars go supernovae disseminating the stuff that men are made of into the surroundings. Planets form and gather up the star dust as they do so. A planet of just the right size and composition forms at just the right distance from just the right size star and Taylor Jones, the Hack Writer, is invented in Salt Lake City in January of 1932. The universe proceeds to expand, things get colder as even the background radiation of the universe dissipates (well, it wasn’t sufficient to keep us warm anyway) everything gets so far isolated that except for local traffic, entropy wins.

I’m sorry I threw “entropy” in there. Now you will have to read in regards to thermodynamics at http://www.reference.com/search?q=laws%20of%20thermodynamics

Read when it comes to entropy at http://www.reference.com/search?q=entropy

Here are the Three Laws of Thermodynamics in simple terms if you are a gambler who likes Texas Hold’em (read my EzineArticles.com article Texas Hold’em is Not a Sport:

First Law: You can’t win.

Second Law: You can’t break even.

Third Law (entropy): You aren’t even in the game!

Back to cosmology.

Here is a homework assignment: Read the article at http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010625/story.html

Here is an excerption from that article:

“THE FATE OF THE COSMOS

“But that’s not the end, according to University of Michigan astrophysicist Fred Adams. An expert on the fate of the cosmos and co-author with Greg Laughlin of The Five Ages of the Universe (Touchstone Books; 2000), Adams predicts that all this dead matter will finally collapse into black holes. By the time the universe is 1 trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion years old, the black holes themselves will disintegrate into stray particles, which will bind loosely to form person “atoms” more prominent than the size of today’s universe. Eventually, even these will decay, leaving a featureless, infinitely big void. And that will be that—unless, of course, whatsoever inconceivable event that launched the basi Big Bang must recur, and the uttermost free lunch is served once more.”

If you read the article as you were supposed to, you know that “dark energy” and “dark matter” confuse things. Present thinking is that there is little or no curvature to our universe. Now that is confusing. Here’s why:

The universe didn’t subsist until regarding 15 billion years ago. We know that because everything we see in the universe seems to be moving away from us that we are on the surface of a great celestial sphere. Like two dots on a balloon, if we blow the balloon until the circumference has doubled in length, the distance of the two dots will have doubled too. Cosmologist do not thing in three dimensions as we do. They like to think in “n” dimensions where “n” is any whole number they want it to be. Solid state physicists do this to. They like to think of “momentum space” and “energy space,” and such.

Since I’m a simpleton, I like to think of the universe as a spherical annulus. Draw a circle inside a circle both having the same center. I’m talking in regards to the space amid the circles.

So, you may blow a balloon up inside a balloon, can’t you?

Of course you can.

If you may center the littler balloon, the space amongst the two balloons is my “spherical annulus.”

Okay, so you couldn’t center the inner balloon. Neither could I. Actually, old men have an evolutionary discrepancy in their DNA. We can’t blow air into balloons without our teeth flying throughout the room.

So, here are my questions for Dr. Hawking and his staff (other cosmologist may jump in—we will assume that cosmological forces have not yet altogether pancaked the universe):

If Galaxy “A” is on one side of the annulus and Galaxy “B” is on the other side of the annulus on the same diameter line, may I turn my super-telescope around 180 degrees and see the galaxy from the other direction?

What if I draw a straight line all over the balloon to the galaxy? Will the galaxy look dissimilar from this view or will light refuse to enter a “central forbidden zone” and refuse to look in that direction?

What if I hop into my super-spaceship (For those who read my UFO articles at http://www.ezinearticles.com this is the spaceship owned by Xrytspet© from

Fanton in G10009845788899990766, the FnL7 Time Craft), may I fly in any direction from Galaxy “A” and get to Galaxy “B” as long as I stay in the annulus of the sphere? (Will my FnL7 Time Craft ignore the annulus and shoot throughout to Galaxy “B” following a diameter line? (String theory says it might do more clever things.)

Back to the flat universe idea: What does a cosmologist mean when he or she says that the flat universe lets him or her see God? Was he obscured by the curvature back in the old days?

Well, that ought to do it.

Dr. Hawking and you other cosmologist, send me your answers by e-mail: tjbooks@yahoo.com

I thank you!

The End

copyright©2007 John Taylor Jones, Ph.D.

Dear John Witherspoon Myspace

The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent littler body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, and a 17 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces. The new Kindle also offers 20 percent quicker page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, built-in Wi-Fi, a graphite color option and more—all for only $139.

Dear John Witherspoon Myspace Pic

Dear John Witherspoon Myspace Pic

Dear John Witherspoon Myspace Pic

Dear John Witherspoon Myspace Pic

Most helpful client reviews

29603 of 29947 people found the following review helpful.
Kindle vs. Nook (updated 6/2/2011)
By Ron Cronovich
When I wrote this review in August 2010, there was only one Nook, which is now called “Nook First Edition.” It proceeds to be available, but there are two new Nooks. The Nook Color was introduced last fall – it’s basically a tablet computer, and runs the Android software that is standard on a good deal of smartphones nowadays. It’s twice as heavy and costs twice as much as a Kindle, but equated to other tablet computers, it is a very good value.

And now (early June 2011), a new e-ink based Nook is coming out. It’s called the “Nook Simple Touch.” It is just now starting to ship, so plainly I don’t have one and can’t tell you anything in regards to it that you can’t learn by reading online reviews. But the reviews are very favorable, so if you’re taking into account a Kindle, you ought to take a look at the new Nook Simple Touch, too.

But the Kindle is notwithstanding still a compelling option. It’s a mature product, very well designed and easy to use, performance is very zippy, it’s competitively priced, and no e-ink based reader has a better, more readable display than the Kindle, not even the new Nook Simple Touch. Also, the Kindle universe is rather extensive: the Kindle store is outstanding and has numerous thousands of free e-books as well as good deals on most other e-books, and once purchased, you may read your Kindle books on closely any device you own (computer, phone, tablet), not just your Kindle. And there are tons of outstanding cases and other accessaries for the Kindle.

So, while my review compares the Kindle to the older Nook, I’ll leave it here because it has a ton of info when it comes to the Kindle, a outstanding e-reader that deserves your attention, and because the basi Nook proceeds to be available. That said, I urge you to NOT buy the original Nook. It was a respectable e-reader when it came out in 2009, and still had a good deal of value when I wrote with regards to it in August 2010, but it is without doubt or question inferior by today’s standards.

———— my primary review ————–

If you’re attempting to choose amid a Nook and a Kindle, perchance I may help. My wife and I have owned a Nook (the initial one), a Kindle 2, and a Kindle DX. When Amazon declared the Kindle 3 this summer, we pre-ordered two Kindle 3′s: the wi-fi only model in graphite, and the wi-fi + 3G model in white. They arrived in late August and we have used them very regularly since then. For us, Kindle is better than Nook, but Nook is a good device with it is own vantages that I will talk about below. I’ll end this review with a few words with regards to the Nook Color.

First, reasons why we prefer the Kindle:

* Speed

In our experience, the Kindle is very zippy equated to the Nook. Page refresh speed (the time it takes a new page to appear after you push the page-turn button) was WAY rapidly and without delay on Kindle 2 than on Nook, and it’s more immediate yet on Kindle 3. Yet, I read a whole book on the Nook and didn’t find the slower page refresh to be annoying – you get used to it, and it’s not a problem.

For me, the more important speed divergence worries navigation – moving the cursor around the screen, for example to pick a book from your library, or to jump to a chapter by selecting it in the table of contents. On Kindle, you do this by pushing a 5-way rocker button, and the cursor moves very quickly. On Nook, you do this by activating the color LCD touchscreen (which ordinarily shuts off when not in use, to conserve battery). A “virtual rocker button” appears on the screen, and you touch it to move the cursor. Unfortunately, the Nook cursor moves very sluggishly. This might not be a big deal to you, but it genuinely got annoying to me, peculiarly since my wife’s Kindle was so quick and responsive.

In November 2010, Nook got a software upgrade that increments page refresh speed and makes navigation more responsive. I returned my Nook months ago, so I can not tell you if the Nook’s performance is now equivalent to the Kindle’s, but Nook owners in the remarks section have convinced me that the software update improves the experience of using the Nook. If performance is a big element in your decision, visit a Best Buy and compare Kindle and Nook side by side.

* Screen contrast

You’ve seen Amazon’s claims that the Kindle 3 e-ink has 50% better contrast than Kindle 2 or other e-ink devices. I have no way of precisely measuring the betterment in contrast, but I may tell you that the Kindle 3 display unquestionably has more contrast than Kindle 2 or Nook. The divergence is noticeable, and important: more screen contrast means less eyestrain when reading in poorly lit rooms.

In well-lit rooms, the Nook and Kindle 2 have sufficient contrast to grant for comfortable reading. But I often read in low-light conditions, like in bed at night, or in a poorly lit room. In these situations, reading on Nook or Kindle 2 was a bit uncomfortable and often gave me a mild headache. When I got the Kindle 3, the extra contrast was without delay noticeable, and made it more comfortable to read beneath less-than-ideal lighting conditions. (If you go with a Nook, just make sure you have a good reading lamp nearby.)

* Battery life

The Nook’s color LCD touch screen drains it is battery speedily – I could never get more than 5 days out of a charge. The Kindle 2 had longer battery life than the Nook, and Kindle 3 has even longer life: in the 3 months since we received our Kindle 3′s, we distinctively get 3 weeks of battery life amongst charges. (We keep wireless off regarding half the time to save battery power.)

* Weight

Nook weighs with regards to 3 ounces more than the new Kindle, and you may genuinely feel the difference. Without a case, Nook is still light sufficient to hold in one hand for long reading sessions without fatigue. But in a case, Nook is a heavy sucker. The new Kindle 3 is so light, even in a case, we find it comfortable keeping in one hand for long reading sessions.

Reasons numerous persons might prefer the Nook:

* In-store experience

If you need help with your nook, you may take it to any barnes and noble and get a real humane to help. You may take your nook into the coffee shop division of your local B&N store and read any book for free for up to one hour per day. When you take your nook to B&N, a lot of in-store particular deals and the occasional free book pop up on your screen.

* User-replaceable battery

Rechargeable batteries ultimately lose their capacity to hold a charge. Nook’s battery is user-replaceable and comparatively inexpensive. To replace Kindle’s battery, Amazon wants you to ship your Kindle to Amazon, and they will ship you back a DIFFERENT Kindle than the one you sent (it’s the same model, for example if you send a white Kindle 3, you get a white Kindle 3 back, but you get a “refurbished” one, NOT the precise one you sent them). I don’t like this at all.

However, various people have posted remarks here that have eased my concerns. Someone looked up stats on the Kindle’s battery and did a lot of simple calculations to show that it ought to last for 3 or more years. Before that happens, I will surely have upgraded to a newer Kindle model by then. Also, an individual found a lot of companies that trade Kindle batteries at reasonable cost and have how-to videos that demonstrate how we may replace the battery ourselves. Doing this would void the Kindle’s warranty, but the battery will in all likelihood not fail until long after the warranty expires.

[update June 2011: The batteries in the Nook Color and Nook Simple Touch are not replaceable, but the battery in the initial Nook is.]

* ePub

Nook uses the ePub format, a widely used open format. Amazon uses a proprietary ebook format. Many libraries will “lend” ebooks in the ePub format, which works with nook but not kindle. However, a free and reputable program called Calibre allows you to translate ebooks from one format to another – it supports galore formats, including ePub and Kindle. The only catch is that it doesn’t work with copy-protected ebooks, so you can’t, for example, buy a Kindle book (which is copy protected) and translate it to ePub so you may read it on a Nook.

* Nook’s color LCD touchscreen

The primary Nook has a little color LCD screen on the bottom for navigation. This could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. It makes the Nook hipper and less drab than Kindle. Some people get enjoyment from using the color LCD to view their library or navigate. I did, at first. But after two weeks of use, and comparings with my wife’s Kindle, I found the committed buttons of the Kindle having little impact and far quicker to use than the Nook’s color touchscreen. I likewise found the bright light from the color screen distracting when I was attempting to read a book or newspaper (though when not in use, it shuts off after a minute or so to conserve battery).

* expandable capacity

Nook comes with 2GB of internal memory. If you need more capacity, you may insert a microSD card to add up to 16GB more memory. Kindle comes with 4GB of internal memory – twice as much as Nook – but there’s no way to exaggerate that. Kindle doesn’t receive memory cards of any type. If you mainly use your device to read ebooks and newspapers, this shouldn’t be an issue. I have over 100 books on my Kindle, and I’ve used only a tiny fraction of the memory. Once Kindle’s memory fills up, just delete books you don’t need prompt access to; you may always restore them later, in seconds, for free.

A few other notes:

Kindle and Nook have other features, such as an MP3 player and a web browser, but I caution you to have low expected values for these features. The MP3 player on the Kindle is like the first-generation iPod shuffle – you can’t see what song is playing, and you can’t navigate to other songs on your device. I don’t like the browser on either device; e-ink is just not a good technology for surfing the web; it’s slower and clunkier than LCD screen technology, so even the browser on an Android phone or iPod touch is more pleasurable to use. However, a heap of commenters have more favorable views of either device’s browser, and you might, too.

* ebook lending

If you have a Nook or a Kindle, you may “lend” an ebook you purchased to somebody else with the same device for up to two weeks. The Nook has always had this feature. The Kindle just got this feature as of December 2010. Most but not all purchased ebooks are lendable, due to publisher restrictions.

* PDF aid

Kindle and Nook both handle PDF files, but in dissimilar ways. When you put a PDF file on your nook, nook converts it into an ebook-like file, then you may adjust the font size, and the text and pagination will adjust just like with any ebook. But you cannot see the original PDF file in the native format in which it was created. Kindle 3 and Kindle DX have native help for PDF files. You may see PDF files just as they would appear on your computer. You may also convert PDF files to an ebook-like format, and then Kindle handles them just the way the Nook handles them – text and pagination adjust when you modify the font size. Unfortunately, a heap of symbols, equations, and graphics get lost or mangled in the translation – even when observing PDF files in their native format on the Kindle. Moreover, the little screen size of the Kindle 3 and the Nook is not outstanding for PDF files, most of which are designed for a larger page size. You may zoom and pan, but this is cumbersome and tiresome. Thanks to commenters who suggested looking at PDF files in landscape mode on the Kindle (I don’t know if you may do this on Nook); this way, you may see the entire top half of the page without panning, and then scroll down to the bottom half. This works a little better.

SUMMARY:

Nook and Kindle each offer their own advantages. We like the nook’s user-replaceable battery, compatibility with ePub format, and in-store experience. But we strongly prefer Kindle 3 because it is performance is zippier, it is higher-contrast screen is requiring little effort to read, and it’s littler and lighter so it is more portable and more comfortable to hold in one hand for long reading sessions.

* Nook Color

Everything I wrote with regards to the Nook in this review applies to the original Nook (which proceeds to be available), not the new Nook Color. To me, the Nook Color is in a dissimilar product category than the Kindle or introductory Nook. Nook Color has an LCD screen, like an iPad or most computer monitors. That’s a huge disfavor for humans like me, who get headaches from reading a computer screen for long periods of time. Amazon’s Kindle product page has an informative section on e-ink vs. LCD displays.

But a good deal of humans don’t have troubles reading from computer screens, and the Nook Color is getting glowing reviews in the press and by owners. For the money, it offers a lot of functionality such as a good web browser and the capacity to play games and watch movies. But keep in mind: it costs a lot more than the Kindle, it weighs closely twice as much, it doesn’t come in a 3G version, and (unlike the original Nook) the Nook Color doesn’t have a user replaceable battery.

10267 of 10486 humans found the following review helpful.
Worth the money. Not perfect, but very very good for commence to finish novels in good light
By Jeffrey Stanley
The Kindle is my original e-ink reader. I own an iPad, an iPhone, and have owned a Windows-based phone in the past that I used as an ereader.

My overall impression of the device is good.

The good:
I’d frankly rather read linear (read from page one to the end, one page at a time) fiction from it than a book, because I can’t always get comfortable with a book. Hardcovers are now and again a bit heavy, and paperbacks don’t always lie open easily. The Kindle is fantastically light and thin. I may hold it in one hand easily. The page turn buttons are conveniently located. Page-turns aren’t instant, but they’re in all probability rapidly and without delay than turning a physical page in a printed book (there are just a lot more page-turns unless you choose a little font). The contrast is better than other ereaders I’ve seen. There is zero eye strain in good light. My eyesight isn’t the biggest and I like being competent to increase the font size and read without glasses. I love being capable to browse the Kindle store and read samples before resolving to purchase. The “experimental” browser is breathtakingly usable, but isn’t great. It is utile for browsing wikipedia and blogs. The greatest drawback to the browser is the awkward pointer navigation, using the 5-way pad. It syncs your furthest read page over the internet so you may pick up where you left off using your iPhone or iPad.

The so-so:
The kindle store could use more categories and sorting options. You can’t sort by “top rated,” and there is no category for “alternate histories,” for example. Finding a very-specific type of fiction relies on keyword searches, which don’t do a great job. The wifi at times doesn’t connect before it times-out. You seldom need the wifi, but it is annoying if you modify a setting, answer “OK” to the prompt to connect, and the thing tells you it failed to connect two seconds later (the precise moment it gives evidence of that it did ultimately connect, then you need to go back to update the setting again). Most settings don’t require a connection, but it is a minor annoyance. Most of your time will be expended reading, and of course your books are stored on the device and a connection is not required. Part of me wishes I’d purchased the 3G model, because the browser is good sufficient that having lifetime free 3G wireless would be worth the extra money. Magazines don’t look very good and are not very easy to navigate. There is minor glare in a lot of lighting conditions, for the most part when a lamp is positioned behind the reader’s head.

The bad:
The contrast is reasonable to poor in dim light. It is much requiring little effort to read a printed page in dim light. In good light, contrast is on par with a pulp paperback. In dim light it feels closely like reading from an old Palm Pilot (resolution is better than an old Palm, but contrast is bad in dim light). The screen is little sufficient that the frequency of page turns is finelooking high. Even in good light, the light gray background is less pleasant than the eggshell background of a printed page. You must tell it to sync before you switch it off, if you suppose the feature permitting you to pick up where you left off using other appliances to work correctly. The copy shelter prevents you from using the files on anything other than Kindle software or devices.

Vs iPad:
IPad is a lot better for magazines, reference materials, and illustrated materials. Kindle is worlds better for reading novels. IPad is finelooking heavy, making it more difficult to hold in your hand or carry with you everywhere. Kindle is much more portable and having little impact to hold. IPad has galore aweinspiring children’s books and magazines, which take vantage of it is multimedia features. IPad is unreadable in sunlight and glare is bad in bright light. Kindle is as good as a printed page in bright light. Ipad serves as a originative tool, a computing tool, a gaming tool, and a communication tool. Kindle is only a novel machine. I don’t regret buying either one of them. An iPad won’t replace books, but a Kindle can, if the book is text-only.

I highly commend this device at it is new low price if you are a popular reader of novels. I love my kindle. Just don’t suppose it to be more than it is. Leave the magazines and such to the tablet computers.

1924 of 1961 persons found the following review helpful.
A hesistant buyer rejoices on his choice
By Mr Goodwrench
I researched the buy of a Kindle for a long time. I couldn’t determine whether or not it was worth buying a devoted e-reader. Boy am I glad I made this purchase. The downside to Amazon’s online retail of Kindle 3 is that the clients don’t get to see it in person. It is much better in person. This may sound stupid, but when I got my new Kindle, I thought there was a stuck-on overlay on the screen containing a diagram of the unit’s buttons, etc. I actually tried to peel it off. Doh! The e-ink on this unit is THAT good. I didn’t realize that I was staring at the actual display. I also didn’t realize that no power is required until the display changes. (thus the outstanding battery life) I do a lot of reading, but was facing the chance of reading less or buying huge type books because of my variable and deteriorating eyesight. The new Kindle has been a godsend. Now, I may determine the size of type I need depending on my level of fatigue amid other things. The weight and ergonomics are very good. For someone, like me, with neuropathy in his hands, it is exceedingly easy to manage and pleasurable to own. To me, it is more comfortable to read than print books. The ease of navigation is outstanding as is the speed. The battery life, so far, has been extraordinary. It effortlessly connected to our home Wi-Fi, which by design does not broadcast an SSID. It downloads books so fast that I closely thought they were not completely received. I did not buy the 3G version because of the price divergence and the fact that there is no coverage where I live. If you are not perpetually traveling, I don’t see the need to spend the extra bucks, but that is a matter of personal choice. For those who have no Wi-Fi at home, do not forget that you may always download the material to your computer and transfer it thru USB. Just today I was looking at an consultation with Tony Blair on TV. He was talking regarding his new book, which sounded interesting. I picked up the Kindle and downloaded a free sample before the consultation was over. I have only read the preface so far, but will probably buy the book. Now THAT is a great way to buy a book! I haven’t used online browsing spacious yet, but find it reasonable for what the device is. This is principally a book reader, not a laptop or notebook. They are great for what they do, but can’t match the e-ink display, or the light weight. For those of you worrying when it comes to the wait for the new Kindle, let me end with, “It is worth the wait” This new Kindle is all when it comes to the quality of experience. There are a lot of format selections for electronic reading. If you want the best experience, go with the Kindle.

See all 32065 client reviews…