Handy Kindle annotations tool to avoid Amazon’s notes trap

I read a lot on my Kindle and like to make highlights and notes while reading. You can read your annotations at https://read.amazon.com. However, Amazon only synchronizes the annotations for the books you have purchased through Amazon. I am unsure whether that is because of copyright issues or because Amazon does not want to help you with books purchased elsewhere. Both are equally probable. But annoying it is. (Even more so because I think Amazon is an unsympathetic company, and I prefer to use their offerings as little as possible. For stories about Amazon practices, read Cory Doctorow’s story, but a quick search on the internet will surface many more typical monopolist practices.)

Fortunately, the annotations are stored locally on the Kindle in a file called My Clippings.txt. When you connect the Kindle to your computer, you can browse the file structure on the Kindle and find this file.

I created a small Python program to read this file’s somewhat cryptic format and convert it to a human-readable format. You can find it in a Gitlab repository here. The program currently requires some computer and Python literacy. When time allows, I will make it more user-friendly.

Last days in Bucharest

(Last Friday)

The Muzeul National al Taranului Roman (National Museum of the Romanian Peasant) is being renovated. Not many of the interesting exhibits to which the Michelin Guide devotes three pages are now on view. The renovation leads to an amusing search of the halls through the cafe-restaurant on the terrace with its old wooden church. A golden McDonald’s arch stands in the courtyard to a set of stone tombstones. In a small room displaying religious drawings, the attendant keeps accurate records of visitor numbers.

We take the subway to Polytechnika station, where fossils can be studied in the marble of the subway station.

We walk on to the AFI Cotroceni mall. All the malls in the world of this type look alike, whether you are in NYC, KL, or Bucharest. In the food court, we find a Lebanese restaurant among the KFC-like restaurants, where we eat labneh, sambusek, falafel, sarmalute, and some flatbread. Not very Romanian, but fine.

We walk back past the botanical garden where a light show, Belle and the Beast, is built up, so we can’t go in. We walk back through the Cotroceni district, a nice neighborhood with old houses of the more luxurious category. At the edge of the district is the Saint Eleutherius Church; we take a look.

In the evening, to restaurant Manuc’s Inn, Hunul lui Manuc, traditional and with dances (review mode:) which was nice but also very touristy; so what, why should I be ashamed of that?

The next day with Bolt (an Uber-like app) a cab for 45 lei but the airport. That’s 9 euros for a half-hour ride. How can a person earn anything from that? (Lei is the plural of leu, I just read)

Sealed

Lazarus in Bucharest; an orthodox service

Bucharest Cathedral is enormously crowded. We walk around the cathedral area, enter through the back entrance, and encounter a crowd attending an Orthodox service.

The Orthodox Times writes the following about it.

https://orthodoxtimes.com/archbishop-of-cyprus-participates-in-reception-of-saint-lazarus-relics-in-bucharest/

On Thursday, October 24, 2024, Archbishop George of Cyprus joined Patriarch Daniel of Romania at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest for the solemn reception of the relics of Saint Lazarus. The event took place as part of the celebrations dedicated to Saint Demetrios the New, Protector of Bucharest.

We watch and listen to the meeting. Unfortunately, the cathedral is not open for viewing today. In town that afternoon, we see many Orthodox clergy wearing their yellow habit (which is what this garment is called?) over their arms.

We visit the Church of St Nicholas – Vladica (Biserica Sfantul Nicolae – Vladica), at the exit of Patriarchal Street, the uphill road to the cathedral.

We walk to A’s apartment via the Parcul Carol with the monument for the unknown soldier.