-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 105 - June 2005 - ISSN 1470-1863 Music - Design - Literature - Art 0--- 'Weather Bird' - jazz criticism Garry Giddins was jazz critic of the Village Voice between 1974 and 2003. This is a collection of his writing over the last ten years - record reviews, live jazz concerts, sleeve notes, and long essays on stars such as Billy Holliday, Benny Carter, and Sonny Rollins. It's an excellent compilation if you want to catch up with who's new on the scene, or if you want to get a taste of New York City jazz club life. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/giddins.htm 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #1 How many British popes have there been? 0--- Weird Facts #1 Snails can sleep for 3 years without eating. 0--- Auto-Complete - Good or Bad? Do you get annoyed when Outlook automatically completes an email address - with the wrong person? You can turn off this feature if you wish. It's deeply buried in the menus. In Outlook go to Tools, then Options. Choose Preferences, then E-mail Options. Click on the Advanced E-mail Options button, and uncheck the box labelled "Suggest names while completing To, CC, and Bcc fields". When you've done this, click on OK, and keep clicking OK as you exit all the dialogue boxes. 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #2 Who was the Albanian Agnes Gauxha Bojaxhiu better known as? 0--- Weird Facts #2 If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top then sinking to the bottom. [Ask for a demo in your local pub.] 0--- 'Dictionary of British Politics' - new book My friend Bill Jones has just published another title in the series he edits on UK politics today. His 'Dictionary of British Politics' is a reference book which offers potted biographies of prominent members of parliament (including bits of gossip); explanations and definitions of key terms, offices of state, and political events; plus explanations of some of the arcane parliamentary rules. Woven in as a sort of sub-text are sketches of the other institutions such as pressure groups and media companies who have an influence on political life in the UK today. If you want to know what's going on in UK society and politics today, this book is the definitive resource. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/jones-2.htm He's also just started a political blog, commenting on day-to-day events in parliament and the media. Gossip file at - http://skipper59.blogspot.com 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #3 Which guerilla fighter had a biscuit named after him? 0--- Weird Facts #3 A rat can last longer without water than a camel. 0--- Marking Time - Flash Animation Want to set your watch and see a cute piece of animation at the same time? Have a look at Industrious Clock by Yugo Nakamura. It's simple but clever. http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/clock.php 0--- Self-Publishing - F.r.e.e software Have you ever thought of printing and publishing your own book? Say, a few copies of your poems, stories, recipes, memoirs, or local town history - just to show you meant business? There's some f.r.e.e software to help you over at http://www.ragtime-online.com But here's an extra tip. Printing and publishing is easy: it's distribution that's the hard part. 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #4 What is the largest muscle in the human body? 0--- Weird Facts #4 There is no mention of Adam and Eve eating an apple in the Bible. [So where did that myth come from?] 0--- 'Art Theory' - short Introduction Do you want to know how to interpret art? Would you like to look at paintings, sculpture, buildings, photographs, even gardens in new ways? This book from OUP's short introduction series offers new ways of considering works of art. Cynthia Freeland provides good reasons why you should take sharks in formaldehyde seriously, and she also covers the latest views on architecture, music, performance and video art. Even Japanese Zen gardening gets a mention. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk./reviews/oxf-vart.htm 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #5 Which famous writer collapsed and died whilst mixing a mayonnaise? 0--- Weird Facts #5 'Facetious' and 'abstemious' contain all the vowels in the correct order. 0--- Preparing for Exams - help is at hand! It's May/June - and the period for exams is on us once again. Do you need to brush up on your own techniques - or teach others how prepare and do their best under exam conditions? We have two books of guidance notes and a software program to cover what's required. 'Revision and Examinations' explains the best techniques for exam preparation, and how to deliver your best performance in the exam itself. http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/exams.htm 'Study Skills' covers reading and writing skills, time management, and work planning. It also includes organising and writing essays, research skills, and an introduction to the use of computer technology. http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/skills.htm If you prefer a software program which includes all the above and more besides, you can see sample pages and download a demo version at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/software/study.htm 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #6 What is a calzone? 0--- Weird Facts #6 The giraffe has the same number of bones in its neck as a human being. [PS. I've not actually counted them.] 0--- 'Literary Theory' - short introduction Jonathan Culler's very short introduction shows how literary theorists look at novels, poetry (and even drama) today. If you're not used to modern literary studies, you'll be amazed at some of the radical approaches he shows in action. This is a good starting point if you want an explanation of New Criticism, through Structuralism, Marxism, and Deconstruction, to the latest fashions of Post-Colonialism and Queer Theory. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-vlit.htm 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #7 What is the only surviving wonder of the ancient world? 0--- Weird Facts #7 One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet! 0--- 'Grid Systems' - new book Good page (and screen) designs are based on hidden grids providing a structure which holds all the parts in place. Magazines, newspapers, web pages, and catalogues are all built on this principal. Kimberley Elam's new book shows how to create grids and how to arrange the elements of your pages for maximum effect. The really cool part of the book is that is shows examples of some classic designs with their hidden grids revealed on transparent pages interleaved. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/elam.htm 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #8 Who wrote 'The Diary of a Madman'? 0--- Weird Facts #8 The starfish can turn its stomach inside-out. [Some folk in Manchester do this every Saturday.] 0--- 'Russian Literature' - new book Two centuries of Russian poetry and novels are covered in Catriona Kelly's very short introduction to Russian Literature. She covers the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in great detail, working on a a number of common themes and the work of Pushkin as a fixed point of reference. She's particularly well informed on work of the Soviet period, and she has a special interest in women writers. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-vrus.htm 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #9 Who painted 'Mr and Mrs Clark and their cat Percy'? 0--- Weird Facts #9 A hamlet is a village without a church, and a town is not a city until it has a cathedral. 0--- Literary Magazines - online editions The London Review of Books and the New Yorker both allow you to view generous extracts from their latest issues. So do the New York Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement. In trawling round to find these links, I also came across the excellent blog from Alex Ross (musical critic of the New Yorker). His is a huge repository of notes, reviews, and even full length essays - a feast for (mainly classical) music lovers. All these links are listed in the sidebar at - http://mantex.blogspot.com 0--- Pub Quiz - Question #10 Who composed the hit tune 'Misty'? 0--- Weird Facts #10 The only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica. 0--- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS #1.How many British popes have there been? ANSWER: One #2.Who was the Albanian Agnes Gauxha Bojaxhiu better known as? ANSWER: Mother Teresa of Calcutta #3. Which guerilla fighter had a biscuit named after him? ANSWER: Garibaldi #4. What is the largest muscle in the human body? ANSWER: The gluteus maximus #5. Which famous writer collapsed and died whilst mixing a mayonnaise? ANSWER: Robert Louis Stevenson #6. What is a calzone? ANSWER: A folded-over pizza #7. What is the only surviving wonder of the ancient world? ANSWER: The great pyramids of Egypt #8. Who wrote 'The Diary of a Madman'? ANSWER: Fyodor Dostoyevski #9. Who painted 'Mr and Mrs Clark and their cat Percy'? ANSWER: David Hockney #10. Who composed the hit tune 'Misty'? ANSWER: Errol Garner 0--- Readers' Letters + Corrections David Rudd writes from the new University of Bolton: Sorry to be a party-pooper, but it is a myth that Barrie invented the name 'Wendy'. He certainly popularised it, but it appears in census records before his play (1904) - see http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpeterpanwendy.html And Tom Church points out: The Titanic question is sadly wrong. SOS was used as a distress call from ships for many years prior to its use on the Titanic, one of the earliest uses dating to 1909. See this link for more detail: http://www.snopes.com/titanic/sos.asp Hawk-Eye Charles Johnson writes from Kensington: "J+E Design has a crisp, whacky, and comic-book selection of work" No 'h' in wacky ;-) New Jersey fisherman Raymond Caffrey tells us: Last month's issue features a question about Fluke. I am no fisherman, but on several occasions, I was in a boat with my father in the bay fishing for fluke with live bait. Fluke is a flattish fish, a bottom feeder. I don't know about worms! And David Edwards writes from Sydenham to say: Thanks for the FastStone link. It looks good, but in my pompous opinion the original and best f.r.e.e image manipulation software is IrfanView. It does just about everything you would want without a flashy interface! http://www.irfanview.com 0--- COMING SOON 'Test Driving Linux' 'Design in the USA' 'The History and Power of Writing' 'Web Services Essentials' 'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary' (c) Copyright 2005, MANTEX All Rights Reserved PO Box 100 Tel +44 0161 432 5811 Manchester Fax +44 0161 443 2766 M20 6GZ UK www.mantex.co.uk If you like this newsletter, PLEASE FORWARD IT to friends and colleagues. New subscribers should register at the following address -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm BACK ISSUES featuring news items, reviews, and product details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/news/archive.htm Please retain the copyright and list-joining information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and list-joining information remains. If you have any requests, observations, or items you would like to be included in our next issues, just mail us at -- news@mantex.co.uk You receive the MANTEX newsletter because you subscribed to it. If you wish to leave the list, go to -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm News-105-June-2005 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library