My Brand New Cybook Gen3!

Woohoo! I just received my Cybook Gen3! I've read two chapters of 1984 on the device last night, and it's true what they say. It feels like you're actually reading from paper instead of from a screen. I haven't tested it yet with pdf or txt files, but it works good with Mobipocket format.

Although it's not cheap, it's still one of the less expensive e-readers on the market. I've also considered the Amazon Kindle, but it's only available in the US (damn those companies who always cater to the US market first!) and you are placed on a waiting list due to heavy demand. Plus it's really ugly, and it doesn't work with Mobipocket or pdf; it uses its own proprietary format. The Cybook works great in the one thing it allows you to do (reading e-books, d'uh!), but it could certainly use a lot of additional functions. One absolute must is folder support, or at least a search function. Actually, I can't believe those are not standard features already; cycling through books in one giant folder can be a pain if you have hundreds of books on your card. The ability to highlight text or write notes would be welcome as well. I also like to flip through pages when I'm reading, which is not easy on the Cybook (or any other electronic device I guess), so it requires a slightly different reading behavior.

Still, I'm pretty psyched about having the Cybook. One of the huge advantages of an e-reader is that I finally have an easy way to read books I download from Feedbooks and Gutenberg, who offer free legal downloads of books of which the copyright have expired. I wish there was some easy and cheap way to convert all my printed books into e-books as well, but for the time being I have enough reading material. I also haven't bought many books lately due to lack of shelf space, which is also not an issue anymore.

I can't wait to make another intercontinental flight on my own. Having the Cybook with me instead of dragging tons of books with me, mmm...

So Sick of Myself

I'm so sick of myself right now. So sick of this insecurity and doubt gnawing at my insides for the last couple of weeks, and it affects my entire being. I feel like nobody likes me, that I suck at my job, and that I'll never find love. I feel like a total loser and that I don't really deserve the good things that happen to me. And feeling like a loser makes me feel like a whiner. I have no idea where it comes from. But let's try to stay positive:

People like me, right?!? (Of course not! Who the hell would like you?) (Shut up!)

And come on, I'm pretty good at my job, right?!?
(No way! You suck so bad!) (Shut up!)

And I'm definitely going to find um...well, I guess two out of three isn't bad. (At least we agree on this one...) (SHUT UP!!!!)

(In case you're wondering, that's me arguing with myself inside my head. And yes, I do this all the time.)

Every once in a while, this feeling of insecurity comes at me like a tidal wave, and I have hardly any defense against it. The good thing is, I'm still holding on, doing my best to still show myself at work and in social situations. I would have crawled back into my shell and would have completely hidden myself from the outside world. But still, doing so had drained me mentally. I've been feeling tired all the time during the last couple of weeks. Not in the normal, sleepy sort of way (though I'm feeling sleepy already since 8:30 pm), but more in an empty sort of way.

Wow, that was a lot of complaining! I guess I just needed to get that out of my system before I go crazy. (No, it's because you're such a whiner!) (Shut up!)

My M3 Score: 85%