-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------
Number 106 - July 2005 - ISSN 1470-1863
Design - Technology - Stunts - Writing
Sorry folks, it's a budget-sized issue
this month. Computer crashes and severe
bandwidth problems have blighted production.
0--- 'Living in Provence' - new design book
If you've ever been to Provence you'll
know it's a region of rich textures,
lush vegetation, and a stunning light
quality.
All of these features are captured in
Diane Stoeltie's beautifully illustrated
guide to interior and garden design.
Reading it made me homesick for a region
that I used to visit for my summer holidays
every year.
The houses range from shacks to chateaux;
the designs from traditional to slightly
wacky modern; but the photo presentation
is pure delight.
It's a publication by the German house
Taschen, who make their money from - ahem,
adult material - but they plough it back
into very good value art books like this
which made me want to book a seat on the
TGV to Avignon immediately.
Details and full review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/stoeltie.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #1
Who wrote 'Hangover Square'?
0--- 'Test Driving Linux' - new book
Linux is the new alternative operating
system to Windows XP. It's more stable,
faster, more secure, and it's available
absolutely f.r.e.e of charge.
Nevertheless, many people are understandably
a bit timid about making the transition.
Well you don't have to be. This book
explaining how it all works comes with
a CD. Slip it into your D: drive and
you can run Linux off the disk.
This means you can try it out before you
decide. Even better, David Brickner explains
how you can partition your hard disk, and
using a dual boot system, run Linux alongside
Windows. So you can switch between the
two until you make up your mind.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/brickner.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #2
Who is the First Lord of the Treasury in the UK?
0--- 'Design: Very Short Introduction' - new book
This book is a repackaging of John Heskett's
'Toothpicks and Logos' - so if you missed it
first time round, you can enjoy it at a
fraction of the cost.
It's in OUP's new short introduction series.
He covers all aspects of design - from graphics,
television, street signs, product design, and
environment, to the politics of corporate
logos and
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/heskett-2.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #3
Who composed 'Intimate Letters'?
0--- Internet Annoyances - Help at hand
I've spent a couple of days recently
tearing my hair out in frustration with
flakey broadband connections.
Getting through to your provider's help
line is almost impossible - especially
when they have outsourced the work to
Bangalore or Madras.
So I was glad to find the tremendous
list of resources, advice, and faqs
run by John Navas. It's a rich source.
http://cable-dsl.home.att.net
John's labour of love was yet another goodie
I picked up from Preston Gralla's book of
Internet Annoyances.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/gralla-3.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #4
Which saint prayed 'Oh Lord, make me chaste,
but not yet.'?
0--- 'Don't Click on the Blue E!' - new book
Puzzled? The subtitle explains it -
'switching to Firefox'. In case you've
not heard of it, this is the revolutionary
new web browser which has been developed
by Open Source Software.
It's faster, more powerful, and much more
secure than Internet Explorer - and it's
completely f.r.e.e.
But many people get emotionally attached
to their web browsers - so Scott Granneman's
book is a hold-your hand guide to making
the transition.
Actually, you can install Firefox and run
it alongside IE at the same time, It offers
all sorts of new features such as tabbed
browsing (have several web sites open at
the same time); built-in searching;
pop-up blocking; and you can customise
the appearance of the interface.
His writing is friendly and cheerful, and
his chapters are packed with web references
to further reading on every Internet topic
you can imagine.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/granneman.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #5
Who painted 'La Giaconda'
0--- 'The Economist Style Guide'
The Economist is rightly renowned for the
clarity of its house style. They have an
online service offering advice on good
writing practice.
It includes tips on how to avoid common
errors and solecisms, and an online quiz to
test your writing skills.
http://www.economist.co.uk/research/StyleGuide/
If you want the complete style guide in book
form, have look at the details here -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/econmist.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #6
What is the difference between larva and magma?
0--- Cunning Stunt - Live action
If you like visual jokes and neat
Flash animations, check out the guys
at Mr and Mrs Wheatley. It's laddish
stuff, but funny and well executed.
http://www.mrandmrswheatley.co.uk/cunningstunt.html
And if you want to see more of the
same kind, zoom over to Viralchart
for amazing clips and mini-ads.
http://www.viralchart.com/
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #7
Who designed the map of London underground?
0--- Mantex Gold - classic archive
'The Internet - A Writer's Guide'
The second edition of Jane Dorner's
excellent handbook covers everything
writers need to know - from getting
connected to getting published.
There are sections on electronic
publishing, and a huge selection of
Web resources. She also lists online
writers' groups and gives advice on
copyright, payments, plagiarism,
and censorship. Strongly recommended.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/dorner-2.htm
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #8
What is the capital of Bolivia?
0--- Ten Most Harmful Books of 19-20 century
If you want a laugh, have a look at the list
of pernicious literature voted by "conservative
scholars and public policy leaders" in the
magazine 'Human Events'.
'The Communist Manifesto' comes top, but it's
followed quickly by 'The Kinsey Report' and
'The Feminine Mystique', narrowly beating
Auguste Comte's 'Introduction to Positive
Philosophy' and Maynard Keynes' 'General
Theory of Employment, Interest and Money'.
Runners up include Mill's 'On Liberty'.
Darwin's 'Origin of Species', and
Freud's 'Introduction to Psychoanalysis'.
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=7591
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #9
How many stomachs does a cow have?
0--- More Animations and Comics
Not as gruesome as you might think.
BurntFaceMan is a gay Batman take-off,
with some rather stylish typography
amongst the comic-book style.
Start with er, episode one.
http://www.burntfaceman.com/episodes.htm
Stylish, weird, and fascinating.
Guide the bikini-clad girl with your
mouse as she slithers through a world
of shiny, rubbery spheres.
http://www.izpitera.ru/lj/tetka.swf
Thanks to the guys at b3ta for these.
http://www.b3ta.com
0--- Pub Quiz - Question #10
Who was Sherlock Holmes' smarter younger brother?
0--- Readers' Letters + Corrections
Graham Hart writes from ULTRALAB at
Anglia Polytechnic University on one
of our weird facts last month.
'A hamlet is a village without a church, and
a town is not a city until it has a cathedral.'
"And not until it has a charter from the Monarch,
Chelmsford has a Cathedral but is not a City!
It failed again at the millennium application time.
(The football club Chelmsford City, may be the
cause of the application being rejected...
It does not even play in Chelmsford!)"
0--- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS
#1 Who wrote 'Hangover Square'?
ANSWER: Patrick Hamilton
#2 Who is the First Lord of the Treasury in the UK?
ANSWER: The Prime Minister
#3 Who composed 'Intimate Letters'?
ANSWER: Leos Janacek
#4 Which saint prayed 'Oh Lord, make me chaste,
but not yet.'
ANSWER: St Augustine
#5 Who painted 'La Giaconda'
ANSWER: Leonardo da Vinci
#6 What is the difference between larva and magma?
ANSWER: Magma becomes larva when it erupts
onto the earth's surface.
#7 Who designed the map of London underground?
ANSWER: Harry Beck
#8 What is the capital of Bolivia?
ANSWER: La Paz
#9 How many stomachs does a cow have?
ANSWER: Four
#10 Who was Sherlock Holmes' smarter younger brother?
ANSWER: Mycroft
0--- COMING SOON
'The Art of Project Management'
'Oxford Guide to Writing and Speaking'
'The History and Power of Writing'
'Web Services Essentials'
'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary'
'Design in the USA'
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News-106-July-2005
ISSN 1470-1863
The British Library