Life Coach - Kaikaku - 5 - Kindle

From my YOs till the time I left army, I attended a lot of courses and with each course added to my collection of notes. I had a trunk for my course notes. Add to it books from my IGNOU MBA and later ISB MBA, also my various certifications and now I have a closet of books. Do I need them? I dont know, but once in a while I come across some material and I know where to exactly find it.

Most of us go through YOs, two odd courses, JC, Staff College, SC, if in technical arms then degree courses and MTech. And we carry around books everywhere. Not to mention the fact that every institution needs to keep books, maintain physical inventory, repair them, discard them, etc.

Add to it the subscriptions for Defence Journals, IDSA, Part B and Part D exams and then sundry readings. Most of the time we dump the magazines and move forward. As a weapons officer I recollected an article I had read about an EME officer coating the weapons with a chemical that reduced carbon deposits. But I had read that article when I was a YO in a magazine that I failed to recollect. So my knowledge was wasted.

What could be a Kaikaku solution?

Enters the Kindle. I was travelling to Phoenix and my co-passenger had a Kindle and he was browsing books and magazines. I was intrigued and started researching on Kindle. So what is Kindle?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=4421533945&ref=pd_sl_19calxq4k4_e

Say Hello to the Newest Kindle

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle
Global Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries.
Paper-Like Display: Reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight
Carry Your Library: Holds up to 1,500 books
Longer Battery Life: Now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of 4 days
Built-In PDF Reader: Your Kindle can now display PDF documents natively.
Read-to-Me: With the experimental Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you
Free Book Samples: Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy
Large Selection: Over 400,000 books, including 101 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

Look at the implications for us. If every officer is issued a Kindle when he is commissioned there is no need to issue books, write notes, carry them around, etc. An officer attends a course, the books get downloaded to his Kindle. He can read them. They can be downloaded even before he starts on the course. He can use the Kindle to highlight points, make notes. About 25% of the time spent in making notes can be spent on understanding them. Where ever the posting the officer has his notes with him, easily accessible. Any improvements in say mine laying drills can be posted as RSS feeds. The whole concept of studying would be different.

What do you think?