Audible.com - an early user opinion

I keep this website up simply to house my tangents.  Too often, I get too far off point as I write.  Author's use footnotes, I use this.  When I get too far off topic, but still want to express the rest of the thought... I warehouse it here.

This particular tangent is from this section of my main website.

This is about my brief experience with Audible.com

I should note they did nothing wrong.  I was just very disappointed with what the offer was.  I drive a lot.  Probably about 25 to 30 hours a week in my truck.  So, I listen to a lot of podcasts and books on tape.  Up to now, I have been using my local library.  They are awesome!  Through a free app on my phone called 'Overdrive' I can borrow audiobooks from the library right to my cell phone... without ever stepping foot into the library.  Problem is, their selection is understandably limited. 
I have heard Audible commercials for years.  I had a loose understanding of the concept, which was - pay about $10 a month and listen to however much you want.  I don't want, or need, to own the books.  Just want to stream them.  At a good clip, I knock out about a book a week.  I figured maybe that is worth $10 a month.

I was wrong.  Again, nothing Audible did wrong.  I just misunderstood the deal.  The deal, instead, is this - $15 a month, and you get 1 book a month.  That's it.  Finish your book in 3 days (like I just did)?  You have to wait 3 more weeks, or buy a new credit at $15 to get a new book early.

At the rate I consume, that I would have to pay about $50 a month.  They do have an unlimited program, but it costs about that much.  I chatted with their customer service last night, and dude was extremely helpful.

Here is the situation I am in.  The next book I want to read is Christopher Moore's 'Second Hand Souls'.  It is a continuation of his amazing book 'A Dirty Job'.  Here are my choices to listen to that book tomorrow:

not listen to it tomorrow, but wait 3 weeks for a new credit from Audible
pay $16.53 to Audible for a new credit (on top of the monthly $14.95 I pay already)
pay Amazon.com $15.97 to stream it right to my phone

It is cheaper for me to get it through Amazon than through Audible.  AND... if I do that I may as well just drop Audible.com.   The weird part is this, though - Amazon owns Audible.

I know we aren't allowed to use the term 'retarded' anymore... but I have to cite myself in this bizarre business practice. About 15 years ago, I wrote about United's low cost carrier Ted.  It didn't last long, because their tickets cost more than full fare United tickets.

Guns & Roses riot St Louis

I tend to go off on so many tangents that I created this appendix blog just for my own side rants.  if I had a half decent editor (or... and editor at all) we wouldn't need this site.

the thing is, I think my tangents are interesting and pertinent.  So... I keep them, but move them over here to help with flow.

This piece here is a footnote to my 'Found Sound' piece.

Here is a funny aside I just remembered as I was typing this up.  It think it was Guns' second riot- St Louis, or something like that.  Axl saw a guy taking a picture.  Axl snapped, and dove in the crowd.  Then, he beat the kid up... and then stormed out of the arena.  This ended the big show. They were, understandably, banned from St Louis for a long time.  With that in mind, I have changed my position.  I now FULLY endorse Rolling Stone making money off illegal G&R footage.
During the band's performance of "Rocket Queen", the 15th song in the set (counting drum and guitar solos), lead singer Axl Rose, in the middle of the chorus, pointed out a fan who was taking still pictures of the show, saying "...Hey, take that! Take that! Now, get that guy and take that!" When security was unable to deal with the person, Rose decided to confiscate the camera himself, saying "I'll take it, god damn it!" and then jumped into the audience and tackled the person.

 After taking the camera, striking members of the audience and the security team, and being pulled out of the audience by crew members, Rose grabbed his microphone and said "Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!", slammed his microphone on the stage and left.

The sound the microphone made sounded to some fans like a gunshot. After Rose left, lead guitarist Slash quickly told the audience, "He just smashed the microphone. We're out of here." This infuriated the audience, setting off a riot in which dozens of people were injured.

The footage was captured by Robert John, who was documenting the entire tour for the band. Rose was charged with having incited the riot, but police were unable to arrest him until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour.

Lighten up, Francis!

site explained

Hey all,

I do a lot of writing.  Primarily, it is these two sites.  My regular site - I am Correct.com, and my music site Maybe I am Wrong.com (see what I did there?).   In my writing, I get very tangential... just lost down side roads.  I figured it would be clearer, and easier reading, if I moved some of these tangents aside.  That is what this is for.  Almost always, you will find a link to the original piece.  You should always start there.  No pieces, aside from this, will originate here.