# Thanksgiving is coming and I can NOT let anyone see my Fire.... what to do?



## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

My family is coming to Thanksgiving.  My 6 year old is BOUND to say something about Mommy's new Kindle Fire.  My now Kindle OBSESSED mother is going to absolutely INSIST on seeing it.  But my carousel still sits in full view.  Books about a topic that could DEVASTATE my family sit front and center.  Besides downloading nearly ever book I've ever bought so THESE books are at the tail end of the carousel... what can I do?

I tried that Go Launcher EX and COULD NOT FIGURE IT OUT!  So I deleted it in a moment of frustration.  Really I'm just distraught about this and couldn't think clearly.  Now it's gone from Amazon and to get it back I'd have to... well, I don't even know.  I hated it any way and am not clear how it helps because she's still going to want to dig through my books and see what I'm reading.  At least with the regular Kindle I could archive them until she's gone.  

Anyway... I don't know what to do.


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## Dangerosa (Dec 5, 2008)

Tell her you left it at work/at a friend's house/on the bus?


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

Register it to a new account for that day?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Or as a minimum deregister it...and delete the offending books.  Tell them it's not currently registered so some of the features aren't working.

Betsy


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

Ooohhh, deregister it!  Why didn't I think of that.  STINKS to do but.... hmm... I work from home so it's hard to say I left it somewhere although I did think of that! LOL!

You know, I never understood this.  I VOWED that I would live the kind of life that could be lived out loud.  No secrets, no skeletons in the closet.  If I couldn't share it with the world than it wasn't something I should have/be doing/be seeing/be reading/be watching/whatever.  So I didn't understand people who would have issues with others seeing what was on their Kindle.  

Sadly, now I get it.  And I'm angry about because this is NO FAULT of my own.  My husband has an issue and at least for now I need to protect his privacy.  Someday I think he'll share it.  But not right now. 

lesson learned... never say never... you just don't know what life has.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

What you are facing with the Carousel is something that I commented on in a different thread. While I don't have any personal issues that are very serious, I do still read books that I'd rather not have my friends and family see when I'm demonstrating the Kindle. I've used GoLauncher a bit but am not yet proficient at it.

I really understand & really hope Amazon will remedy this with a software update eventually and not make all of us early adopters have to buy an upgraded version to get that convenience (like us originial Kindle users never got to use the collections feature  _ETA - and now we can't use that feature either on our Fires!_)


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## ErinLindsey (Jan 18, 2009)

Buy an extra Fire. Put the safe-for-people-to-see-your-reading-list Fire out for everyone to see. Hide your real Fire in the back of your closet.


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

I just want to know what kind of stuff?  LOL...


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

monkeyluis said:


> I just want to know what kind of stuff? LOL...


I have been curious too!

Buying another fire even with being able to return it is not an easy option because of the cost. Most people can't afford that.


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## Carol Collett (Oct 4, 2009)

The deregistering for a day sounds like the easiest thing to do. I totally understand. I have some books that I wouldn't want most people I know to see. They just aren't front and center on my carousel right now.


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

Just FYI I was just playing around with my BF's Fire as I returned mine, but I don't see a way to do anything on it if it's not registered.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

If you can't do anything on a de-registered Fire, maybe then just create a new amazon account, register the fire, and grab some free books. There are also some samples and trailers of movies that you could watch/download to demo its capabilities.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

run your battery down and tell 'em you didn't get a chance to recharge it.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

The total cheeseball in me wants to encourage you to say:

Don't touch the Fire if you can't handle the heat. 

But I won't go there.


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

scarlet said:


> run your battery down and tell 'em you didn't get a chance to recharge it.


This would work if they don't know you can plug it in and play on it while it's plugged in


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

There's a discussion in the Carousel thread which might be of use...

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,91669.msg1442152.html#msg1442152

Betsy


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## Tam (Jan 7, 2010)

CrystalStarr said:


> lesson learned... never say never... you just don't know what life has.


Very good point we could all learn from...
No words of wisdom but do let us know if deregistering and opening a new account temporarily works for you. (Or whatever you decide to do.)

And here I was worried about my mother-in-law seeing The Walking Dead in my Videos and finding out I have a weakness for horror and zombie apocolypse stuff! Your problem certainly puts that in perspective.


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## Sherlock (Dec 17, 2008)

Hang in there Crystal..........the most direct thing you could do if asked is say that it has personal information on it and you put it away for the holiday.  Now I get it that advice like that is easy for someone to give who isn't personally involved.  It's very hard to tell family things like that because some people won't take no for an answer and they keep after you.  Whatever you decide to do, I wish you luck and hope the holiday isn't too stressful for you.

Hey -- you could suggest your mother order a Fire of her own to see what it's like.  If she doesn't care for it she can easily return it.  You could even help her order one!


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## Nickinev (Aug 31, 2010)

I would just register it to a new account if possible and just put some free books and apps on it, so they can test it out.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Tam said:


> Very good point we could all learn from...
> No words of wisdom but do let us know if deregistering and opening a new account temporarily works for you. (Or whatever you decide to do.)
> 
> And here I was worried about my mother-in-law seeing The Walking Dead in my Videos and finding out I have a weakness for horror and zombie apocolypse stuff! Your problem certainly puts that in perspective.


I have a couple of books in mine that are just no business of my ex's at the moment. The fact that my DD's kindle is on my account means that if she takes it to her dad's he can snoop. Since he and his GF have admitted to stalking me online, I have no doubt they would snoop. Gee, I'm sure they are reading this too....

It irks the crap out of me.....


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

2 weeks ago today my husband revealed a secret addiction that has brought him to his knees and our marriage to the brink.  My own knee jerk reaction is to seek out books to help me, teach me, and heal us.  I started buying books just days before my Fire arrived.  Amazon and the Kindle make that so so so easy.  I'm devouring books on the topic as there are plenty.  We have 3 small children 6 and under.  We want to restore our marriage.  We don't need the extra burden of helping family through it right now.  It is still too raw and too hard.  We hope to just put it aside for a few hours and enjoy the holiday and what we do have.

I guess I'll deregister and just say I'm having issues with it. They'll loose interstate and the day will move on.  I'll fix it when they are gone!  Best I can do.


Just so aggrevated that my "toy" is such an issue. You watch.  I'll clean the thing out and no one will mention it! LOL


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## parakeetgirl (Feb 27, 2009)

I'm sorry you're going through this. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

As much as I love my Fire, I'm not loving the Carousel feature..right now I don't have anything "controversial" on there but still...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

CrystalStarr--

I think that's the wisest thing to do.  You did the right thing, too, in seeking the helpy you could get and get quickly.  We also have a prayer group in the Bible in Year Book Klub that you might be interested in.  Strength and peace to you!

Betsy


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I have a similar situation on a lesser scale. I decided last night that even though I had downloaded a few picture books for my son specifically for our trip, and added more children's show to Netflix, I'm leaving my Fire at home. Luckily I have that option.

I am one of the many who have used the feedback on the Fire to send my option of the carousel. I simply said that with over 400 books on my account, it makes the carousel cumbersome. Maybe we'll be lucky and a software update could solve this before Christmas.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

If I didn't want to share it with people, I'd just not have it available. If that's the case I'd put it away in the top of my closet and go with "I've put it away today to spend time with the family."  

Said with a big smile and followed by, "would anyone like some pie?" (or something like that.  )


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

My thoughts are with you during this time.  
deb


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

CrystalStarr said:


> 2 weeks ago today my husband revealed a secret addiction that has brought him to his knees and our marriage to the brink. My own knee jerk reaction is to seek out books to help me, teach me, and heal us. I started buying books just days before my Fire arrived. Amazon and the Kindle make that so so so easy. I'm devouring books on the topic as there are plenty. We have 3 small children 6 and under. We want to restore our marriage. We don't need the extra burden of helping family through it right now. It is still too raw and too hard. We hope to just put it aside for a few hours and enjoy the holiday and what we do have.


you sound like you are already on the path to healing. My thoughts are with you as you struggle thru this hard time, especially at a time of year that is already stressful enough.

Hugs to you.



> I guess I'll deregister and just say I'm having issues with it. They'll loose interstate and the day will move on. I'll fix it when they are gone! Best I can do.


Sounds like a good plan!



> Just so aggrevated that my "toy" is such an issue. You watch. I'll clean the thing out and no one will mention it! LOL


Lol, of course that is how it will happen!!! I hope it does for your sake, but otherwise you are prepared.

Enjoy the day and time with your family.


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

Be brutally honest.

Put it away.

And remind them when they ask that it is a brand new type device (a version 1.0) and that you are having some issues with it that need to be worked out with Amazon and that you are waiting to get back with Amazon concerning those issues and that its not really in a condition to where you can show them anything on it.  And with the holidays and whatnot you just thought it best to wait until after everybody was gone to get back with Amazon to resolve the issues.  
Which is basically the truth -- sort of -- you do have issues with Amazon's implementation of the Carousel.....

Although, to be a bit safer I'd recommend doing whatever is necessary to de-register it and clear out the carousel and then let it be.
That way if anybody does indeed wheedle you into "just looking at it" there's no danger of discovery.

It explains away the issues surrounding it not working at present without much in the way of mis-direction or too many hoops to jump through. 

Good Luck


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

Thank you very very much for the very kind words.  I'm touched!  Wow!


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I understand about living your life openly, but you also have a right to privacy.


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## larryb52 (Nov 18, 2009)

put it in the box & wrap it in x-mas paper, tell her you looked at it but promised to wait till x-mas  works for me


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## teri (Sep 13, 2010)

larryb52 said:


> put it in the box & wrap it in x-mas paper, tell her you looked at it but promised to wait till x-mas  works for me


Great answer! Makes it so much easier than de-registering, getting a new acct, blah, blah, blah....  Hugs to you Crystal, enjoy your holiday without any worries.


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## TessM (Oct 18, 2011)

Tell them your husband took it to work to show off and forgot it. Then hide it until the family is gone.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

You know, I've yet to send my feedback on this topic to Amazon. I've been waiting to see if they announce anything, but why wait?

But a good analogy is that in the real world we choose to display some of our books, we may have ones we choose to keep in our room out on a nightstand out of sight from the casual guest, and then we might have those we keep in a drawer for our viewing only.

Why do we need our entire collection on "public" display? I think it unrealistic to ask a family to have an account for each person - in that case they need to make sharing easier/better, but why can't they grasp that my child might not need to see every blasted book I've bought in my digital lifetime?

Anyway, this topic has always been a button for me.... Lol!


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

In the end I did not reset it. I just stuffed it in a drawer and hoped it wouldn't come up.  It didn't. All that worry for nothing. Which when I took a deep breath and stepped back from it I figured would be the case. We had plenty of distraction with your average family antics.

Thanks for the ideas.


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

Glad everything worked out!


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## Carol Collett (Oct 4, 2009)

Glad it didn't cause any drama.  Hope you had a good day.


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## Vet (Apr 25, 2010)

Crystal, I'm glad dinner went smoothly. I didn't show my Fire off at all yesterday.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

All the best Crystalstar and I totally understand where you are coming from. You need to heal yourselves before dealing with others reactions and possibly judgement.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

CrystalStarr said:


> In the end I did not reset it. I just stuffed it in a drawer and hoped it wouldn't come up. It didn't. All that worry for nothing. Which when I took a deep breath and stepped back from it I figured would be the case. We had plenty of distraction with your average family antics.
> 
> Thanks for the ideas.


I missed earlier that you were having troubles. Sorry for the poorly placed joke. I hope you all are able to work things out. Just being able to talk about it is a good sign. Oh and I'm glad things went smoothly during the holiday. I also had worries with family drama and thing just slid over without any problems. Good luck to you. And again, I'm sorry about that. Just wanted you to know I'm not a jerk.


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

fayrlite said:


> I missed earlier that you were having troubles. Sorry for the poorly placed joke. I hope you all are able to work things out. Just being able to talk about it is a good sign. Oh and I'm glad things went smoothly during the holiday. I also had worries with family drama and thing just slid over without any problems. Good luck to you. And again, I'm sorry about that. Just wanted you to know I'm not a jerk.


My goodness! I wasn't offended at all. A good joke can do a lot of good. You worry for nothing! Thank you!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Glad to hear that everything worked out ok, and I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I'll keep you and your husband in my prayers if you don't mind. As Betsy said, we have a really good prayer group in the One Year Bible thread, and you will find a lot of support there in case you're looking for that. Best wishes to you all.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Glad your holiday had a little less stress.  
Enjoy your new toy.
deb


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## enodice (Jul 29, 2010)

Nice to hear it all worked out in the end.  Perhaps Amazon will have an update for the carousel soon, so this won't be an ongoing issue.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

For future reference, here's a free app that might help:

Kids Place - With Child Lock


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

I just saw this this morning!  I'm going to have to check it out thank you.


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