Does anybody know if Amazon ever pushes security updates to the Fires?

Has anyone tried using Calibre to convert to AZW and then dropping them onto Kindle rather than emailing? I hope the bold option shows up with this method, as that's how I normally process (you get covers too). I'll try later or tomorrow.

I use Calibre to convert to AZW, but I use the server built into Calibre to send the books wirelessly to my Kindle. The bold option did show up.

I had one that seemed to fail a while ago. I replaced the battery, even though the battery was fairly new, and it started working again. I'm  still not sure if there was actually anything wrong with the battery, or if taking it out and replacing it allowed the remote to reboot itself. Any chance the issue with yours is related to the battery and not to the remote itself?

I re-booted both the Echo and the Dot multiple times, replaced the remote batteries, brushed the contacts, and sacrificed two cookies. No luck.

I've just had my second Echo Remote fail yesterday. It lasted a year and a week. I'm more than a bit annoyed. I have to use the thing frequently, since neither the Echo or the Dot are that good at rejecting even low-level ambient noise from TVs and such.

Pfui (as a famous detective would say).

Binge watching Kingdom. I've watched it all before (3 seasons) and they left the last episode hanging. I mean, Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery, Celia Imrie ... why would they cancel it?

Network budget cuts, according to the info I got. The series was just too expensive, although it didn't seem to have any unusual features that would require a lot of money. Maybe salaries.

I enjoyed it a lot.

I think I'll wait a while before deciding on which model to get. In the meantime, I picked up an LG V20 Android phone for a remarkably good price, so I'll be using that for a while. I predict that by the time the iPhone X is in good supply and any warts have been exposed, I'll be ready to go back to iPhone. I have relatives I can foist the LG phone onto.

I'm very annoyed with Apple at the moment, due to them dropping 32-bit support, eliminating backups of phones to your computer (new 'improved' version of iTunes), and 'fixing' iOS so that my network analysis app can't label devices anymore (so I can't tell what is logged into the WiFi network). It will take a while before the hassle of using Android overrides my snit*.


*Well, it didn't take all that long. Geofencing hardly works, a wretched notifications system, and the non-responsiveness of the developer on problems with an interface app for my home automation system ("well, some phones seem to have problems"). Back to the iPhone.

Somehow I missed this at the time, but a few weeks ago, Congress actually managed to pass something that was signed into law: The FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017. This Act includes The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act, which directs the FDA to issue regulations making prescription-quality hearing aids available without a medical exam or prescription for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

This should result in much lower-priced devices in the not-too-distant future. I have to wonder how this bill got signed into law, as I'm sure the lobbyists of hearing aid manufacturers threw a ton of money at legislators to kill it.

We won one. Congratulations to us. 

or a separate charger that plugs into a cigarrete lighter/power port

That's what the 12V to 5V adapter is. It steps down the voltage from the 12V car system to the 5V USB standard.

Yeah, you might need a higher-wattage charger. The one I use will keep iPhone/Waze going all day at 100%. When I really load down the iPhone 6 with more apps, I use a high-output battery pack, which keeps things going all day.

My new program to binge-watch is The Avengers. The real Avengers, with John Steed and Emma Peel, not the super-hero one from Marvel.

I discovered it while searching through programs on my Roku box. It's on a free channel called TubiTV. The commercials are sort of annoying, but worth it to see a classic TV series. They have the two series prior to Diana Rigg joining the cast, and the one series after she left. I'm nearly finished with the first Rigg series (in B&W). Fun stuff.

Apple's new phones are scheduled to be announced on 12 Sep. Anybody thinking about getting a new phone? It looks as thought the new flagship iPhone is going to be priced over $1000, so that's clearly out for me.


The rest of the line (rumored to be called the 7s and 7s Plus) will likely be around $800-$900.This is still pretty steep, but the Samsung and Google phones cost that also.


I'm thinking to get the previous model when the price drops in two months or so to replace my three-year old phone. An iPhone 7 Plus will do me fine. It would have four things I would like to have: slightly larger keyboard for my clumsy old fingers, enough memory to get all my music on, better camera, and better battery life on a charge.


I really like the Motorola G5 phones (at $300 or so), but the thing that keeps me from getting one is that the ones they sell here in the US don't have NFC (Near Field Communications), which means I couldn't use my phone to pay for things at stores. I've gotten accustomed to zipping through checkout lines with a button tap to pay from a debit card, not to mention the massive security improvement over plastic cards.

Heh...I'd say stop while you're ahead and just stick with the original 3 films.

Agreed. But I did like Rogue One.