Amazon Kindle, Part 2

I promised to talk about some audience-building things Amazon is doing with the Kindle, and my favorite is what I call "snacking."

Amazon gives its Kindle customers the ability to download for free a sample chapter of any of the 300,000 digital books it has in stock. This does a few things: One, it mimics the experience one has in a bookstore, where you can physically sample a book before buying.

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Amazon Kindle, Part 1

I'm a relatively new user of the Amazon Kindle, and I've become a fanatic.

My lovely wife bought me a Kindle 2 for my birthday, and I've used it daily in the two-plus monthKindle 1 is a dogs since. I've purchased multiple books, newspapers, even subscribed to a blog. Now, I've added a blog from bakersfield.com -- where I work -- to Amazon's list of offerings (more on that in a subsequent installment).

In multiple posts, I'll detail some things that interest me about the Kindle, beginning with Version 2.0 and it's brilliant design. I'll also tackle some amazing but very subtle things Amazon is doing to pull customers into its grasp, as well as challenges and opportunities in local marketplaces.

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Researching Marchbanks Speedway

One of my loves is auto racing, and more specifically what is called open-wheel racing.

I've spent most of my life in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California, and have visited a variety of dirt and paved tracks in the area, half of which no longer exist. 

Sadly, one I never saw was Marchbanks Speedway near Hanford, Calif. Even more sad is that little is known of what was once among California's pre-eminent tracks, hosting Champ Cars (think Indy) and the equivalent of NASCAR's Sprint Cup series.

The main track was a 1.3-1.4-mile oval, with two smaller ovals of varying sizes inside. The banking was as steep as 30 degrees in spots, which is nearly impossible to walk up. Racing was frequent in the 1950s and 1960s, but apparently died out in the early 1970s.

There are a few mentions on websites, including a short blip mentioning the NASCAR tie, and an informative community thread on Track Forum. There's a simple but interesting track diagram at The Racing Line and an entry documenting the death of James Stainton.

Wikipedia even has a bare-bones entry.

Mario Andretti in a Ford at "Hanford Motor Speedway" in 1967The only photo I've seen is one of Mario Andretti racing at "Hanford Motor Speedway" in 1967. Several sites list different locations for the track, but from what I can tell from satellite photos, evidence of the track is long gone.

But I'd love to see other photos, particularly shots of the track itself, as well as track down more detail. If you have any knowledge of the track, please feel free to share here or contact me through the Email Me link. I'll get back to you asap.

I'll start my own research and share it as I collect it.