Category Archives: Computer Tips

Kindle NCX file demystified

Posted on January 26, 2012 by dave

Kindle! Everyone wants their book on Kindle. And, everyone wants it to look gorgeous. As covered in previous posts (here for cover images, getting Kindlegen to recognize the cover image, and an introduction to the all-important OPF file), the key … Continue reading →

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Opening a Command Window Directly

Posted on January 26, 2012 by dave

As I’ve been exploring how to use Kindlegen to prepare my new fantasy novel, The Unexpected Traveler, for upload to Kindle, I made a couple posts (see here, here, and here) about the Kindlegen experience. Reader Ellie O. sent me … Continue reading →

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Is Skybeam Incompetent?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by dave

I continue to have trouble with Skybeam, my Internet Service Provider. I called again today and was given the same status that I’ve been given for a month: it’s been assigned to someone who is actively working it. Really? As … Continue reading →

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Kindlegen and the OPF file

Posted on January 19, 2012 by dave

In an earlier post, I talked about Kindlegen and how to make it sing. This post talks about the key to all that singing: the OPF file. The OPF file is essentially a list of things for Kindlegen to do. … Continue reading →

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Skybeam still AWOL

Posted on January 19, 2012 by dave

My troubles with Skybeam, my ISP, continue. Some time prior to Dec 8th, my 5 Mbps download speed suddenly became 2 Mbps. That’s too slow for YouTube videos and many other things. I’ve called over a dozen times. I keep … Continue reading →

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Kindlegen: Making it stand up and sing!

Posted on January 19, 2012 by dave

Amazon’s Kindlegen is for books, right? Those following this blog know that I’m getting close to releasing my new novel, The Unexpected Traveler, on Kindle. So why am I writing here instead of on the Mt. Sneffels Press website? The … Continue reading →

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Kindlegen: Preparing Books for Kindle – Cover Image

Posted on January 13, 2012 by dave

In the past few days, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing came out with an update to their kindlegen software to support the new Kindle Fire. The process is this: Prepare your document in your word processor (I use Open Office Writer). … Continue reading →

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Skybeam still can’t get things fixed

Posted on January 3, 2012 by dave

My ISP, Skybeam.com, still hasn’t fixed my Internet speeds. I’m supposed to get 5 Mbps up and 2 Mbps down, but I’m getting the opposite. Now today they tell me it’s a “tower issue” and they’re “working on it.” But … Continue reading →

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Skybeam’s star keeps dimming…

Posted on December 27, 2011 by dave

I got a call this evening from one of the network support folks at my ISP, Skybeam, who’s looking into the problem that’s affecting a number of us in the local area—our downlink speed has plunged. I pay for 5 … Continue reading →

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Chrome and Firefox winning the browser wars!

Posted on December 22, 2011 by dave

Just for kicks, I was digging through Google Analytics to learn more about how people are visiting this site. The results are quite interesting. Internet Explorer, which once ruled the roost, continues to be beaten back, standing at 34.4%. Also … Continue reading →

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