Using the Amazon Kindle for Research and Recall, not Just Reading
I've always been an avid reader, and since July, and avid "e-reader" as well. (In July I purchased a used Amazon Kindle from a friend, and it has become one of my constant companions). When I read -- particularly non-fiction -- I like to underline, highlight, and mark up the text with my handwritten notes. On rare occasions, I've taken the time to actually write down (by typing or with my Livescribe pen) the relevant passages and my thoughts about those passages, putting all of that into a Word document or an Evernote clipping so that I have a customized book summary and reflection. I can go back months or years later to these custom documents and get a quick refresh of a book and my reflections on that book.
The problem with this process is the inordinate amount of extra time it takes to re-type or re-write those passages into some kind of electronic format. This has always been a second step -- after reading a chapter or two -- which takes longer than the first step of reading and highlighting the text in the book. So, as valuable as these documents have been for me, I found that I rarely invest the extra time to complete step two. (I suppose I could ask an assistant to do this for me, but that's not a luxury I've had until recently.)
Enter the Amazon Kindle -- not just the device, but the platform. When I say Kindle, I don't just mean the e-reader itself, but the various Kindle apps for Windows, Mac, IPhone, IPad, and Android (and hopefully soon, HP/Palm's WebOS). One of the huge benefits of the Kindle platform is that it eliminates step two -- the highlights and annotations I make on the Kindle can be quickly converted into a set of customized notes on any book.
On the Kindle itself, I can highlight using the pointing device and annotate using the built-in keyboard. Using the Windows app, I have access to my mouse and full-sized keyboard. Kindle apps on other platforms have similar functionality. And my highlights and annotations are wirelessly synchronized across my devices -- regardless of where I entered the highlights and annotations.
But I've recently discovered a "hidden" Kindle feature -- all of my notes and highlights are automatically uploaded to a personalized website at kindle.amazon.com. (You login to this website using your regular Amazon username and password.) The slogan on the site is "Read, Review, Remember" -- and that's exactly what it allows you to do.
After logging in, I can choose any of my books marked as read and see my highlights, all highlights (from other Kindle users who have read the book and shared their highlights), and my annotations. If I want to add additional annotations to my highlights, I can do that right from the website, and those notes will also be synchronized to the Kindle and Kindle apps.
Here's a quick view of my highlights from Rick Rusaw's book The Externally Focused Quest:
Switching to the all highlights view allows me to see highlights from other Kindle users -- a social view of what's important. I could see this being incredibly useful to students who are doing group study, or who simply want to see what others have marked as important as they review for a test.
Finally -- and this is a killer feature -- there's a "review" feature that will set up review on a time interval that you specify. Your highlights and annotations will be presented to you in a "Flashcard View" on a schedule you determine.
