Amazon Kindle Books Outselling Paperback Books

The digital revolution in publishing has hit a major milestone with Amazon.com announcing that the sales of their Kindle e-books have outpaced sales of paperback books so far in 2011 for the first time.

Sales of the Kindle e-books have also been three times greater that hardback sales. All these figures do not include any free e-book downloads. Here is an article that highlights this achievement.

The surge in digital sales is predicted to fundamentally change the book publishing industry, especially the traditional brick and mortar bookstores.

At the recently held Digital Book World conference, James McQuivey of Forrester Research presented some research findings before a CEO panel on Tuesday. He included the estimate that consumers spent about $1 billion on e-books in 2010 and that sales should reach at least $1.3 billion in 2011. McQuivey said that the consensus among those surveyed was that e-books would constitute half of all trade book units by 2014, and 53 percent said they expected print sales to decrease this year.

I do not yet have an actual Kindle, but as I have blogged before I have had both an iPhone and now a PC Kindle app and love it. I have purchased more e-books in the last two months than physical books.

Is this a sign of things to come? Let me know if you have jumped on the digital e-book revolution yet and where you think we are headed.

Written by Dan Davidson, from his WordSketching.com blog

Geeky Mad Scientist Creates iPhone App Overnight - Muuuuuaaahh!!!

I love to find things that I can create overnight. I feel like a geeky mad scientist - pause for countdown to maniacal, diabolical evil laugh .... 3, 2, 1 Muuuuuaaahhhhhh!!!!

Last night I created an iPhone app overnight instantly! How cool is that? It started with a dare to myself at midnight. Because I am a "Dare Geek", I dared myself to find a way to create a sample app pronto!

After some googling and gurgling (actually I didn't really care about the freshness of my breath at midnight and I didn't really gurgle - it just sounds really fun after the word "googling") I found a review at Mashable of a cool new site called iSites.

Here is the rocking review so you can mash the concept in and around your brain synapses.

You basically load RSS feeds plus other social media streams from sites like Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Smug Mug, Picassa, etc and can create a pretty cool app very quickly online. You can also do a "quick post" and create additional content on the fly with images and links to media files. Customizing category folders, logos, icons, splash page etc is a snap.

They call it an "Instant App" because it works through Safari browser for the first time set up for the iPhone. It has the feel of a real iPhone app but works through their geeky interface - kinda like the Wizard of OZ - I really don't need to know what's behind the curtain - I was up way past my bedtime already and I put trust in their software engine.

I was able to set up a test account for free with a 30 day trial - I like Free Trials! I can pay only $25.00 a month to keep the Instant App functional which is a great price. For just $49.00 a month I can submit a "native iPhone app" to Apple and have a complete iPhone app which is the real deal!

The iSites website is very user friendly and I can update the content and categories in real time. Oh and for the same price you will be able to publish a similar Android app starting in February!

I created my Instant App for a LaunchPod.com client of ours - The Vitality Depot. We do their social media marketing and I wanted to surprise them with an affordable iPhone app.

Here are the instructions to install the app from the Safari browser on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad - you can test it for yourself -

Link to download: http://vitalitydepot.isites.us

Instructions to install

1. When you click the link, the app will open in your Safari browser.

2. Follow the instructions on the browser screen and click “+” sign to add the app to your home screen

3. This will create an app icon on the your iPhone home screen.

   
   

How fun was that? I can't wait until the clock strikes midnight again. What will the Dare Geek dare himself to do tonight? Muuuuuuaaaahhhh!!!

Written by Dan Davidson, from his DareGeek.com blog

I Dare You To Have A Soda Quota

We all should have a quota on our soda. The best quota to probably have is zero!

It turns out that diet soda is just as bad if not worse than drinking regular soda when it comes to weight gain. Go figure! Well it does go to our expanded figures!

Let's look at two research studies -

First a study that shows how drinking regular soda can contribute to weight gain. A research study of more than 50,000 U.S. nurses found that those who drank just one serving of soda or fruit punch a day tended to gain much more weight than those who drank less than one a month, and had more than an 80 percent increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. The risk pertained to drinks sweetened with either sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

That makes sense because here is the calorie breakdown of a Classic Coke - 8 oz = 105 calories / 12 oz = 155 calories / 16 oz = 200 calories. Drink 16 oz a day and it will only take 18 days to gain an extra pound!

Now for the second research study on diet soda -

People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows. The findings come from eight years of data collected at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Researchers found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas. There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day

This study showed that people who drank diet soda actually were more likely to gain weight compared to those who drank regular soda. We don't exactly know why, but part of it may be we are fooling ourselves by consuming "diet foods" and thinking we can eat more food because of it.

Since the late 1970`s the soft drink consumption in the United States has doubled for females and tripled for males. The highest consumption is in the males between the ages of 12 - 29; they average 1/2 gallon a day or 160 gallons a year. It's estimated that 21 percent of all sugar intake is from soft drinks.

The bottom line is that we need to signficantly limit or cut out soda drinking. I dare you to have a Soda Quota!

Written by Dan Davidson, from his DareDiet.com blog

I Dare You To Make Small Changes

One of the biggest mistakes I have made over the last 25 years is not realizing how small food choices can add up. A simple change of 50 to 250 calories each day can make a big difference over weeks and months.

Below is a great chart from the website www.Loseit.com which offers a free desktop and iPhone app software solution to track your calories and energy output.

Source

You can see how easily you can start trimming extra pounds by making wiser choices. Day by day all our decisions do add up. I dare you to make small changes everyday that will make a difference in your Dare Diet journey.

Written by Dan Davidson, from his DareDiet.com blog

I Dare You To Walk A Million Steps

Actually we all will probably walk a million steps in the next 12 to 18 months. The dare for today to to walk a million steps in 3 to 9 months.

Everyone knows that walking in good for us. It's one of the best overall exercises because it's easy to do and affordable. It's also great for all ages and various fitness levels. Walking improves our circulation, strengthens our heart, boosts our immune system, enhances our moods and - oh yes it burn calories!!

Let's look at some numbers for the next one million steps you take -

2000 steps a day - 500 days (16.6 months)

4000 steps a day - 250 days (8.3 months)

5000 steps a day - 200 days (6.6 months)

10,000 step a day - 100 days (3.3 months)

I dare you to buy an inexpensive pedometer and start tracking how many steps you take each day. Remember - "whatever you measure and monitor, you improve!"

Track your steps for the next week. Make a log and record the steps you take each day. Then dare yourself to Improve Your Move! Make a specific goal to walk the next one million steps faster than you walked your last million.

You will be much healthier for it and it will help you lose weight and stay fit.

Written by Dan Davidson, From his DareDiet.com blog

USB 3 Is Ready To Rock The World

The infamous USB 2 port is ubiquitous now (that means it's everywhere!!). But the USB 3 format is ready to roll out and become a new standard in the near future.

I was really jazzed when I read about it in a recent article at CNET Here is an exerpt that highlights the main advantages of the new USB 3 technology:

USB 3's sales pitch is seemingly a slam dunk: its 5-gigabit-per-second data-transfer rate is 10 times faster than USB 2's, it cuts power consumption by a third, and it can be used to send 80 percent more electrical current so that phones or other devices can charge faster over USB.

Is that cool or what? Everything is going faster - our digital lives are speeding up!

So be ready to adopt the new USB 3 format into your life - coming to a geek device near you soon!


Written by Dan Davidson, from his DareGeek.com blog

DareGeek.com Is Born!

I have always been a techy, gadgety and geeky guy. I guess alot of guys are.

Geek used to have somewhat of a negative connotation, but now geeks are cool. Best Buy even has the "Geek Squad."

My dad was always the first to have the newest gadget when I grew up in the '70's. He bought one of the first Texas Instruments calculators - simple four functions for about $120.00 - WOW! My dad and uncle Bill also were into ham and shortwave radios.

I guess I picked up a lot from my dad and love gadgety geeky stuff today more than ever. What an awesome time to be alive!

My brother Dave and I also have this "Dare" gene in us that propels us to "Think WOW." We love to dare ourselves and others to maximize technology to help us all follow our dreams and live life abundantly!

Welcome to DareGeek.com - I Dare You To Get Geeky!


Written by Dan Davidson, From his DareGeek.com blog