I got an Amazon Kindle for Christmas! What an awesome device. It’s remarkably thin and light, and it holds up to 1,500 books. The E Ink screen is unbelievably paper-like, allowing for glare-free reading in any light.

The Kindle is already changing the way I read. The 3G connectivity means that there’s a gigantic library of books at my fingertips. With such easy access to titles, it’s not hard to find the motivation to read. At my current rate, I’m reading a book every two days!

I was happy to find that the Kindle Store offers a large number of free books. So far, I’ve downloaded more than 40 titles at no cost! Many literary classics have expired copyrights, so they are freely available for download. With so much to read, I don’t think my book list will ever be empty again.

The Kindle also has a couple of promising experimental features. First is the web browser. It’s slightly difficult to navigate, and many web pages aren’t displayed correctly. With the free 3G connection, though, it could be quite handy in a pinch. Second is the text-to-speech feature, which seems quite good. It does a nice job of pronouncing words, and even makes an attempt at using  voice inflection. I don’t think I’d want to listen to an entire book this way, but it is an impressive feature.

Netflix has changed the way people rent movies. When they started offering DVDs through the mail with no late fees, I thought it couldn’t get any simpler. Their addition of content streamed directly to your computer seemed like a nice feature, but it didn’t compare to the comfort of watching from your living room.

Recently, Netflix has been finding ways to connect home televisions to their streaming service. Newer game consoles, Blu-ray players, and televisions are beginning to come with this feature pre-installed. What if you don’t have any of these cutting-edge devices? There’s a solution for you too.

A company called Roku produces a small device which connects to your home network and the back of your TV. After some minimal setup (about two minutes, in my experience) you have access to all 50,000 titles in the Netflix streaming library. The Roku player supports both wired and wireless connection to the Internet. Composite video is the standard output connection, but HDMI is also available.

Kristen and I have had our Roku for about a week now, and we really enjoy it. With thousands options at our fingertips, we’ve been able to catch up on some television shows we’ve been waiting to see. Even though our Clearwire Internet connection is pretty slow and spotty, the Roku player is still able to serve up video with medium to medium-high quality.

I would easily choose a Roku and Netflix combination over a cable or satellite subscription with hundreds of channels of worthless programming. The value lies in the ability to watch what you want, when you want, without the distraction of advertisements.

Everyday Greatness is a collection of stories that prove a point. The editor, Stephen R. Covey, wants to show that every individual has the potential to live a full and admirable life. The stories come from a variety of sources – writers, cultural icons, athletes, common folk, and more – but they all highlight the fact that our choices make us who we are.

Covey believes that a core set of character traits allow people to achieve everyday greatness. He groups the stories according to these traits and concludes that it all comes down to a set of three choices:

1. The Choice to Act
2. The Choice of Purpose
3. The Choice for Principles

While this book is filled with great anecdotes and inspirational bits of wisdom, it’s hard for me to imagine someone sitting down and reading it cover-to-cover. Though Covey tries to interject with transitions and use overarching themes to link the stories together, the book is much too disjointed to be a compelling read. As a result, it’s unlikely that this work will ever reach the true heart of any reader.

That being said, this collection isn’t a complete bust. I could see it serving as a useful resource for speech illustrations or personal counseling. The end of each chapter consists of a list of quotations relating to the theme, so Everyday Greatness might still be a good reference book to keep on your shelf.

I am a Thomas Nelson book review blogger.

The dawn is fire bright against the city lights.

More than any other song on the album, ‘Your Love is a Song’ has what it takes to stand the test of time. It is a heartfelt offering that finds its power in melodious lyrics and spacious chords. Jon’s vocals seem a bit sparse at times, but this underscores the emotions of vulnerability and honesty. Drew’s tasteful guitar work soars over the swelling chords to provide a completely uplifting feel.

In order to fully understand this song, you have to know its history. ‘Your Love is a Song’ is part of a musical trilogy. It all started with a track on Oh! Gravity called ‘Let Your Love Be Strong’. In that tune, Jon Foreman prays for God’s love in his life. Then came a track called ‘Your Love is Strong’ from Jon’s solo Spring album in 2008. Jon uses that track to explain his realization that God’s love never fails, even if we fail to see it. ‘Your Love is a Song’ completes the journey, reveling in the beauty and perfection of God’s love for us.

Switchfoot has made its name on emotional, meaningful, inspirational music. This tune continues that tradition, and I could see it becoming one of the most appreciated songs that the band will ever produce. ‘Your Love Is a Song’ is definitely my favorite song from this new album.

(This post is part of a series on the new Switchfoot album, Hello Hurricane.)

I want to spend the rest of my life alive.

‘Mess of Me’ was the first single from Hello Hurricane. It represents the lamentations of a fallen man and his longing to live up to his full potential.

Switchfoot chose to give this song a driving, earnest tone, which is particularly appropriate for the subject matter being presented. To me, the best part of this song is the backing vocal that leads into the chorus. Tim and keyboard player Jerome Fontamillas create an ethereal sound that contrasts nicely with the rough guitars and the pounding drums.

Although this is a strong tune, it was a risky choice for the first single. It’s an entirely new sound for Switchfoot, more harsh and in-your-face than any of their previous work. Of course, after a few listens, it’s easy to see that this is a genuine Switchfoot song. I’m glad the guys are not afraid of exploring new sounds if that’s what it takes to get their message across.

(This post is part of a series on the new Switchfoot album, Hello Hurricane.)