Author: John Miedema
Kindle Sharing Limits Workaround using Google Lens
The Kindle and other e-readers are generally terrific for sharing quotes and text snippets for research, but they have unfortunate limitations too. The Kindle does not allow a reader to select or share footnotes. It also blocks you from sharing text if the selection is too long or if you have shared too much from a given book.
You can snap and share a photo of the screen with your camera, but the photo is greyscale and unsuited to editing for research. An effective workaround is a Optical Character Recognition app. I use the free Google Lens Text mode on my Android phone.
- Open the Google Lens app on your phone (or tap the Google Lens icon inside your phone’s camera app if available).
- Point your camera at the text you want to copy.
- Tap the “Text” button at the bottom of the screen.
- The text will be highlighted on the screen. You can then select a larger section by dragging the circles at the ends of the highlighted text.
- Tap “Copy” from the menu that appears above the highlighted section.
- The copied text can be shared and edited.
Windmill
“Dutch windmills have played a vital role in the history of the Netherlands for centuries. There are still more than 1,000 windmills scattered throughout the country, with many still in use. Some of the best-known Holland windmills include those in UNESCO Sites Kinderdijk, Zaanse Schans and Schiedam. The first Dutch windmill was built in 1221. Nowadays, the Dutch are famous for their windmills, and they started building them really early! Windmills are known worldwide as an iconic symbol of Dutch culture. Some 1,200 historic windmills survive, most of which are gristmills or polder mills.” (Bing Chat)
Dutch Ship
“The Dutch were renowned for their maritime expertise and had a formidable navy and merchant fleet that was used for trade and colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was a major trading company established in 1602. It focused on trade with the East Indies and played a pivotal role in Dutch colonization in Asia. The VOC operated a vast fleet of ships, specially designed for long-distance voyages. These ships were large, heavily armed, and capable of carrying substantial cargo. They were used to transport goods, establish trading posts, and assert Dutch dominance in the region.
The Dutch West India Company (WIC) was established in 1621 and focused on trade and colonization in the Americas. The company employed various types of ships, including warships for military expeditions and merchant ships for trade and transportation. The WIC used smaller, faster ships known as “fluits” for transatlantic voyages. Fluits were characterized by their efficient design, with a large cargo capacity and fewer crew members required to operate them.”
These Dutch ships played a crucial role in facilitating trade, establishing colonies, and maintaining control over the territories under Dutch influence. They transported goods such as spices, textiles, slaves, and other commodities between Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The Dutch ships also enabled the establishment of trading posts, fortresses, and settlements, which formed the foundations of Dutch colonial presence in various parts of the world.
The Dutch mastery of shipbuilding, navigation, and seafaring contributed significantly to their success in colonization, trade, and the expansion of their empire.”
~ Wikipedia
“God created the earth but the Dutch made the Netherlands”
“God created the earth but the Dutch made the Netherlands,” so it’s said. Netherlands literally means “lower countries” because of its low elevation, with about 26% falling below sea level.
The Dutch and their ancestors have been reclaiming land from the sea for over 2000 years. Around 400 BCE the Frisians were the first to settle the Netherlands. They built “terpen” (villages), earth mounds upon which they built houses and villages to protect them from flooding. They also began building small dikes. In 1287 the terpen and dikes that held back the North Sea failed and water flooded the country. Known as the St. Lucia’s Flood, this flood killed over fifty thousand people and is considered one of the worst floods in history. The flood created a new bay, called “Zuiderzee” (South Sea). For the next few centuries, the Dutch worked to slowly push back the water of the Zuiderzee. Dikes were built, and canals and pumps kept the land dry. Windmills were used to pump excess water off the fertile soil, and windmills became an icon of the country.
In 1953, a storm over the North Sea and the spring combined to create another devastating flood. Water peaked about dikes upon sleeping towns. A thousand people died and seventy thousand had to be evacuated. This devastation prompted the Dutch to pass the Delta Act in 1958, changing the structure and administration of the dikes in the Netherlands. This new administrative system, in turn, created the project known as the North Sea Protection Works, which included building a dam and barriers across the sea. This vast engineering feat is now considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The Dutch continue to fight rising sea levels with climate change.
The drawing is an image of the “Oosterscheldekering,” the largest in the Zeeland Delta Works series of dams and storm surge barriers, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea.
~ Wikipedia
Barbarella
Jane Fonda is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Here she is seen in her iconic science fiction movie role, Barbarella.