The Geekly Reader

Just as I predicted, I knew I would not go wrong with a John Green novel.   I really enjoyed kicking off 2013 with Paper Towns, John Green's third novel.   I do not think I have found a writer that best captures the modern American teenager.  Working in a high school, I believe I have a pretty good understanding of the modern teenage lifestyle.  As I read Green's work, I think to myself that he has to be walking the halls of Carlson High School (or any suburban high school) for that matter to collect his information. Paper Towns follows main character and narrator Quentin Jacobsen during his senior year of high school.  He has been in love with his neighbor Margo Spellman for his entire life.  After spending an exciting evening together, she disappears, leaving Quentin devastated and looking for answers.  The second half of the novel is an exciting mystery as Quentin struggles to find his missing neighbor (and himself). I loved the book, Quentin is such an amazing character

Are we closer to end of the "Big Book Store?"  Back in 2011 I wrote about the sad demise of Borders Books .  The Michigan book store did not keep up with the eBook movement and sadly went out of business.  It was one of my favorite stores to visit whenever I made a trip to the mall.  Barnes and Noble was able to survive as the only large bookstores, thanks in part to their Nook eReaders .  Instead of ignoring the eBook movement, Barnes and Noble decided to join the movement by creating their own eReader to compete with Amazon's Kindle. Now that the numbers have been analyzed from the 2012 holiday shopping season, things are not looking so good for Barnes and Noble.  This article examines if the large book chain can survive in the era of tablets and eBooks. Can the Nook Keep Barnes and Noble Afloat? Sadly, I do not visit Barnes and Noble as often as I would visit Borders in the past.  There is one locally, just not conveniently located for me.  I have nothing aga

I have made it clear, that even in my 30's I am still a "gamer."   I still enjoy gaming on my Xbox 360.  I also enjoy playing some of the Mario games on our Wii, not to mention the games I enjoy on my phone and iPad.  Both of my kids enjoy gaming as well.  They spend most of the time on the Wii and their Nintendo DS systems.  However, this past year my son inquired about Star Wars Kinect for the Xbox 360.  He realized we had the system and wanted to buy the game with one of his gift cards.  I informed him that we could not buy the game because I did not own the Kinect controller system. If you are not familiar with the Kinect controller system it is basically a device you attach to your Xbox and place near the television.  It allows a user to control the Xbox with their voice and body movements.  Basically, it is a step beyond the Wii which requires users to hold a controller while playing games.  "Santa" decided to give the Kinect a try it appeared under th

With the start of a new year it is time to think about what gadgets I need to update in the Pehote household this year.  I make about two or three gadget/technology updates each year and I am sure 2013 will not be different from previous years.  In 2012 I made a few major purchases, including a new laptop and phone.  So what do I have in mind for 2013?  Let's see: A New iPad :  I currently own the iPad 2, 16g version.  I look back and realize that I should have purchased one with more storage space.  My iPad2 still works fine, so I will keep it around for the kids.  I never thought the retina display would mean much, but since purchasing my new iPhone 5 a few months ago it is really easy to notice the difference.  Now, I may have to take a look at the new iPad Mini but I plan to stick with the full size and more storage space (maybe 32 gig). Should I give the iPad mini a try? A New Printer :  Yep, it looks like it is time to hit CNET and find a new printer for my home.