Things that confound.

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I have been researching ebook readers. Kindle 2, Sony's offering, and many more are available. They all have issues, and rather large issues. Whether they offer too little content, no control of the content one buys, short battery life, proprietary software or content, and so on, none of them truly stands out (unless popularity is outstanding). From what I have read, this is a toy so far. For princes and princesses it is the new cool toy, not so much because of the price, but because of the price to value to complexity to surety which limits it's value. For professionals perhaps, and a few others, it might be an actual tool. For the home user not in the class which can afford a toy while waiting for a more trustworthy tool, I am guessing that it may need to stay on the shelf for now. Certainly for me it will. Let the manufacturers and law figure out how not to rip people off, how to make a product that is more functional, and let the brutal democracy of the free market settle some things.

The idea is wonderful. Though I will always have a library, especially if I buy a home. I will not have room for as many books as I would like. I am sure I could not afford the number of books that I would like either. I probably cannot afford the number of books I have read. Some books I see as required for any home. Other books, though nice, would be read and filed until more important books came along. The ebook reader would expand the possibilities. If, of course, one can be sure that the books they buy are actually owned and not, as has happened, merely be stripped once bought or be lost in hardware, or possibly software, upgrades. I have read more than one report of people losing many books to two of those three causes.

Another thing that has been whirring in my mind is a passage in which Christ is discussing the woman who marries each of seven brothers, successively (according to Jewish law/custom), bearing no children, who then herself dies. The story or Christ's words are not befuddling until the very end, when He suggests that about these things, the men are very confused. He does not, then, go on to explain. He does indicate that we will live as angels do.

And, yes, I am confused. Some things I do know are that angels may, somehow, have sex. At least with humans. And not only may they engage in these types of relationships, they may father children. Though, and again, it would seem that for the most part, the ones who became fathers were among the fallen. There is little else absolutely clear regarding angels within the bible itself. There might be hints, but these are small and rare. The prophetic books cannot be held to the standard of, say, what Christ said. Then again, I have speculated that Heaven is not the end. Or, more, the initial stop in heaven proper is only the beginning, as perfected children of God. Though I think Heaven is more than it seems, something akin to discussing Church. Is Church the people, the building, the ceremony, the bride or body of Christ, or what? Huh? Yeah, I know. Heaven, technically, will be everything that is not Hell or, in my belief, Purgatory. So, will their be a capitol of NotHell called Heaven, or will Heaven be a land (all land other than the exceptions)?

Next up, technology, as a whole, is often more troubling than it is helpful. I suppose one needs to be very interested in the technology to invest more than a glance at most of the items, devices, and systems. Though, I suspect, being more social (or professionally oriented) might help, at least with those who share similar interests. To be shown how to do something, enough to get the feet wet, does help. I have found that many know a technology very well, but only in a very limited way. For example, someone might know Linux very well, but how to get it on a computer, which distro to use, how to fix Windows XP, how to set it up for security, these all simply are not a consideration. Or, they know what is secure, for example, but someone else set up their security and they have no more of a clue about it than I do.

With as many technologies that are out there, and how many invade even a home computer user's space, it becomes more than a bit daunting. Furthering the dilemma is the fact that even should you catch up on today's computer and internet, unless you are in the pack which develops usage, tomorrow you will be just as lost as you were before you learned yesterday's technologies. This, then requires trust. Many computer users simply trust what they buy, the internet, and their ISP. I think this is a huge mistake and yet it is difficult to fault that too much. As someone who tries to keep a machine safe and functional, who has some education, capacity, and time, I have to say it would probably be better, more functional, and safer (since nothing now seems to work on this machine) to simply let it be.

I suppose it would be like the man who wants to do the work on his own automobile these days. He will end up over his head in expensive tools, labor demands, and technology requirements most mechanics do not fully understand. It seems to take a team to complicate a system beyond the reach of diy'ers, or even often practicality. How much he will end up paying to repair even a simple mistake is difficult to say, but he will most likely end up without a vehicle, with a large bill, and possibly out of work due either to a lack of transportation or missing work to fix his ride. The difference is, he does not put private thoughts in his vehicle that a mechanic or thief could gather for whatever purposes. Oh, in case you were wondering, no, I have not fixed the computer(s) yet.

*bam, bam, bam!* Ouch. Well, it gives me something to think about when all else fails and the walls become my closest friends for a bit.