Wednesday News: No Amazon phone this year; B&N sounds confused; more on free speech
Amazon says it won’t launch a free phone – There was this ridiculous rumor spreading around the internet for a couple of days that Amazon’s not yet released Smartphone would be offered up for free. I refused to blog about it because the rumor just did not pass the smell test. So called experts have been asserting that the Kindle would be free now, now or wait, now. But it hasn’t been free. Not with a subscription price. Not with a Prime membership. So free being new Smarthphone by Amazon did not make sense to me. Amazon came out on Monday not only to quell the freebie rumor but to say that Amazon wasn’t putting out a phone this year. No Amazon phone this year and no Amazon free phone ever, or at least not in the foreseeable future. USA Today
Speech And Consequences – Free speech and what it really means is in the air. Robin is addressing it here at Dear Author and Ken at Popehat is talking about it at his blog in addressing the defense of Pax Dickinson who wants to tweet whatever he wants to tweet without offending people. As Ken points out (and as we’ve reiterated here time and again), free speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. Popehat
Riggio Addresses B&N Annual Meeting – PW has a detailed report from the Barnes & Noble annual meeting where various executives of the company took questions. From the sounds of it, B&N is still working on a strategy for the new publishing world. Len Riggio refused to give the reason why he was backing off from taking B&N private. There was no solid response to whether Nook Media was still for sale. At one point, one executive said that nothing is off the table and yet another exec said that the physical and digital platforms would remain together. BN will have a new site out in 2014. Not sure what the new site will offer. Publishers Weekly
Some are saying this next video is a hoax, but I believe it. I found it at Reddit and they are the most cynical people around. Yes people eat crackers after surgery. Yes, they are groggy after surgery. Yes, that is a paw print on his hospital gown. It’s called a Bear Paw gown. If nothing else, I guess I want to believe. Don’t try to convince me otherwise.
LOLOLOLOL Jane! I won’t try and convince you but count me amongst the cynics.
Do people generally make home videos of loved ones recovering from surgery? I don’t buy it for a second. Also, his questions are all wrong. If he doesn’t remember being married, he’s going to tell her they aren’t, not ask how long and do they call each other baby.
How cute! I am a total believer. The comment on the video indicates this is his sixth surgery…maybe he has acted the same after each one! I can attest to the fact that people do and say very strange things after surgery. My dad got up two days after bypass surgery and led an insurrection in the heart unit. He had 2 other heart patients up and heading to “happy hour”. Which the nurses were apparently keeping from them. The party was out in the hallway and they wanted at that keg… They had a heck of a time getting them back into bed without giving them a beer! The next time he was convinced there were flying dragons and samuri in his hospital room. He spent 2 days swinging at them with his sword (a plastic straw we made extra long… because we got sick of him saying he was weaponless against the hordes—I kid you not).
When my niece got her wisdom teeth out we had planned to tape her because we saw all the funny videos on youtube, but that plan went out the window because she was already crying when they wheeled her in the room after surgery. They said that was common for teenage girls. She couldn’t say why she was crying she just cried and then when she realized she could not feel her tongue she got even more upset. We felt so bad for her because she is not a cryer normally, it was funny in its on way but it was also rather sad.
Crackers after surgery? Check. Paw prints? Check. Not having any idea what you’re doing or saying? Checkity-check-check.
Now, is it real? No idea, don’t really care because her reaction is great. Now, if he vomited after sitting upright and in spite of the crackers? Yes, that would add some verisimilitude, but it’s still funny no matter what.
My dad had a knee replaced recently.
He is 77 years old and strong as an ox physically but fun and funny and kind.
The surgery went well, the surgeon came out talked to us, said my dad would be in his room within the hour.
Two hours passed. After much harassment of the desk lady, they came out to talk to us. Apparently when my father was being brought out from the anesthesia, he would come out swinging, ripping out all the machines, and trying to stand up, a no-no on a new knee.
They put him back under twice to calm him down.
The third time he came out, he wasn’t swinging, but he was calling my mother’s name saying, “Judee, they kneecapped me. RUN!” My mother, at 73, is not now and never has been a runner.
So yeah, no telling what people will say after they come out of anesthesia.
If it is a hoax, he played it well. If Jimmy Kimmel comes to take him to his room, then we will know.
Call me a believer!
After my dad’s heart surgery, he stole my mom’s cellphone and called me (despite me having been there) and proclaimed to me the wonders of “Perco… per… perco… PERCOSOMETHING” and gushed about when I was 5 and played T-Ball and how much he loved everyone. This is the same guy who doesn’t own a cell phone, is only capable of one or two words when I call before hurriedly putting someone else on (awful phone anxiety), and has never taken even tylenol for a headache. It was hilarious (and moving).
After my rib surgery I was apparently offering everyone who came by to visit (including the nurses) some of my painkillers because I was happy so everyone else should be happy too, right? My husband was HORRIFIED and so was I a few days later once I’d gotten used to them. Apparently I’m a drug dealer when I’m on narcotics.
Free speech issues are definitely in the air. After the excellent opinion piece here on it, there was a ruling in the case against Lance Armstrong for lying in his autobiographies that cites his right for freedom of speech
Here’s a link to one of the many articles on the ruling today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/federal-judge-rules-for-lance-armstrong-and-publishers-in-book-lawsuit/2013/09/10/cc3202d6-1a7e-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html
The couple of the video appeared on the Today show this morning. Apparently, he always acts a bit weird after surgery. The wife said he had already started asking her funny questions, so she decided to get out her phone and tape it so he could see it later. Apparently his doctor confirmed he had surgery, so I guess it’s real, but I still have some doubts.
@Melissa Cutler: Huh? Free speech isn’t a defence against fraud, surely?
I was kinda expecting to see something about Jude Devereaux today. . .