--------  MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------

	Number 110 - November 2005 - ISSN 1470-1863

	Comics - Music - Slang - Graphics - eCommerce

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0---	'Understanding Comics' - classic study

	Every time comics are discussed as a serious
	medium, one name always crops up - Scott McCloud.

	There are two reasons why. One is that his study
	of how comics work is itself in the form of a comic.

	The second reason is that he's thought about the
	subject in an amazing amount of depth. His book is
	not just about how comics are designed, but how
	human beings perceive and understand visual
	narratives.

	So if you're interested in comics as a media genre,
	or in narratology and graphic iconography, you'll
	find this book of interest. Full details at -

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/mc_cloud.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Question #1
	What is wild marjoram also called?



0---	'fanboys and overdogs' - new book

	Every year around this time Susie Dent issues
	a book which discusses all the new words that
	have come into circulation during the previous
	twelve months.

	In fact it does more than that. It also looks at
	how language is being distorted and abused by
	politicians such as Tony Blair and George Bush
	(just for instance).

	She lists new slang on the street, new technical
	terms, and language that seems to be in the process
	of change. It's aimed at the Xmas market I think,
	because it's entertaining and instructive at the
	same time. Full details at -

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-dent2.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Question #2
	What head is on the Sphinx?



0---	Blogging Services - Update

	I came across a f.r.e.e blogging service. It lists
	your blog in an index, and tracks where your visitors
	are coming from. Not only that, it teams up with
	Google maps to show you exactly where they are located.

	You can zoom down from a satellite view of earth -
	click, click, click - down to street map level of
	exactly where your blog visitors are located.

	I've had visitors from New York, Budapest, Vancouver,
	and Paris recently - but also from Rochdale [hello!]
	and Rusholme, which is a slightly dodgy area of
	Manchester where I'm located. C'est la vie!
	Very useful to the Bloggerati -

	http://www.blogflux.com



0---	Pub quiz - Question #3
	How many of Henry VIII's wives were beheaded?



0---    'Digital Art History' - new book

	This is a collection of academic conference papers
	on the application of new digital technology in the
	field of teaching and learning art history - or
	'visual studies' as it's known today.

	Computers and digital technology can now permit
	quasi-scientific analysis of paintings; but even
	more amazingly it is possible to digitise the flat
	image of a painting, then using CAD (Computer
	Assisted Design) software, create 3-D versions
	of the same scene.

	This should appeal to anybody teaching art, or
	those interested in eLearning techniques.

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/kafel.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Question #4
	What does a blue flag at a beach mean?



0---	'Writing: Urban Calligraphy and Beyond'

	Those kids who spray graffiti on the sides of
	trains and motorway underpasses sometimes take
	their graphic inventiveness to amazing lengths.

	I've been reading Markus Mai's book on the subject
	which not only explains the aims of these 'writers'
	as they call themselves, but shows how the more
	creative of them turn their typographic designs
	into 3-D works of abstract sculpture.

	The most fascinating examples in his handsomely
	illustrated study are single letters viewed from
	several perspectives. Some of the former vandals
	now advise fashion houses on graphic design.

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/markus_mai.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Question #5
	In which French town was Joan of Arc burnt at the stake?



0---	How Does He Do It?

	The kid with sticky-up hair in the 7-UP ad
	has a fiendishly clever puzzle on line.

	He predicts which number you'll choose
	at the end of a simple subtraction.

	No - I don't know how he does it. I tried
	the game twice and he got it right both times.

	http://digicc.com/fido/



0---	Pub quiz - Question #6
	What colour is the egg of a kingfisher?



0--- 	F.r.e.e Books On Line - Wikisource

	There is now an alternative to Project Bartelby
	in the form of a Wiki collection of digitised
	texts.

	It covers fiction, non-fiction, biography,
	poetry, speeches, and historical documents.

	They claim to have 19,000+ texts.

	http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page



0---	Pub quiz - Question #7
	What is on the top of the Mona Lisa's left hand?



0---	'Roger's Profanisaurus Rex' - new edition

	Do you know what a 'carpet muncher' and 'a lady
	in comfortable shoes' have in common? Or would
	you know how to 'paint the baby's bedroom'?

	If you need an explanation of 'the vinegar strokes'
	or 'spanking the monkey' - then look no further.

	This book is a compendium of all the slang words
	you will ever need - plus a lot more you might not
	*want* to know. And it's hysterically funny.

	It's compiled from the pages of VIZ - the very
	politically IN-correct comic monthly. Somebody
	gave me a copy as a present, and I haven't stopped
	laughing since. DEFINITELY not for the faint-hearted.

	There's a new and hugely enlarged [sic] second
	edition which the publisher describes as "an exhaustive
	lexicon of four letter filth which contains over 8,000
	useful words and phrases to turn the air bluer
	than a baboon's a.r.s.e." Full review and details at -

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/roger-p.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Question #8
	In which London building does the Lutine Bell hang?



0---	Maze Game

	Cute Japanese game in which a robot tries to
	escape from a maze. I'll give you a clue.
	The idea is to get the key to unlock the door.
	You *don't* need to download the Japanese fonts
	to play. I've just done it in 60 seconds.

	http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/maze/maze.html



0---	'Faith in Time: The Life of Jimmy Scott'

	Jimmy Scott is the most amazing and the most
	under-rated singer in the history of jazz.

	He started his career with people such as
	Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Billie
	Holliday in the 1940s - yet he's only been
	recognised quite recently.

	His life has been quintessentially jazz-tragic.
	Born into a dysfunctional family; suffering
	from an inherited disease which stunted his
	growth; orphaned as a teenager; married four
	times, and cheated by record producers.

	And yet he has survived to be the bearer of
	the torch-song tradition without equal.

	David Ritz's biography is a gripping and
	heart-rending account of the man, his work,
	plus a frank expose of the record business.

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/ritz.htm

	If you want to hear a voice like you've never
	heard before, listen to the samples at Amazon:

	http://digbig.com/4exwn



0---	Pub quiz - Question #9
	What is a passepied?



0---	'the eBay survival guide' - new book

	Have you got lots of old vinyl LPs in a box
	in the attic? Or back copies of magazines you
	can't bring yourself to throw away?

	Some people now make money out of their old
	junk by selling it on eBay. Or they buy stuff
	at a fraction of what they would pay in the shops.

	Just in case you haven't tried it, eBay works
	as an online auction - and they claim 114 million
	users worldwide.

	This new manual shows you how to make money
	without losing your shirt in the process.

	Michael Banks has been trading via ecommerce
	for twenty years, and he talks you through
	the eBay system in easy stages.

	The secrets for success seem to be - sell at a
	modest price, and make any bid for something
	you want to buy at the last possible moment.
	More secrets and tips at -

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/banks.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Question #10
	Where is fibrin found in your body?



0---	Mental Health Warning

	There's a new operating system from Microsoft
	due for release sometime soon. It's called
	"Vista" and will replace Windows XP.

	Microsoft normally charge full price for
	upgrading from one operating system to another,
	so be prepared for lots of people complaining -
	quite rightly.

	And keep in mind that there's a completely
	f.r.e.e alternative. Open Source Software offers
	a package of operating system and over 200
	software programs to go with it at

	http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html



0---	Pub quiz - Bonus question #11
	What is tansy?



0---    'The Usual Suspects' - new book

	If I hear someone use the expressions 'to die for'
	or 'an arm or a leg' once again, I might commit a crime.

	And there are plenty more in circulation. Aren't you
	fed up of hearing 'at the end of the day' and 'the
	bottom line in all this is ...'?

	Betty Kirkpatrick has an interesting essay in her
	new book on cliches which looks at all aspects of
	their use - including even a few words in their
	possible defence.

	Most of the book is taken up with explanations of
	their origins - some of which are not as obvious
	as you might imagine. Language lovers go to -

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/kirkpatrick.htm



0---	Pub quiz - Tie-breaker Question #12
	What is a cherimoya?



0---	'Blood, Sweat and Tears' - new book

	This is another recent publication for comic buffs.
	It's a collection of weird drawings by German
	graphic artist Benjamin Guedel.

	http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/guedel.htm

	To tell the truth, they're not to my taste at all.
	They seem to illustrate some of the reasons why
	the Second World War was necessary. But his web
	site has some interesting effects, and you can see
	examples of his work there. If you've got a
	strong stomach, check out -

	http://www.guedel.biz/



	"Nothing is unnatural that is not physically impossible."

	Richard Brinsley Sheridan


0---	Readers' Letters + Corrections


	---  Libraries and Learning  ---

	Michael Brett writes from Wandsworth, London to correct
	Damian Grant's sense of history.

	"Caliph Omar did not destroy the Alexandrian Library.
	It was destroyed by the early Christians who objected
	to pagan learning, philosophy and so forth."


	---  Back to the Delta  ---

	Janet Phillips write from Chicago to offer this
	socio-geographic note.

	"As several hundred readers may have already told you,
	'the Mississippi Delta' is often a reference to what
	my dictionary describes under "delta" as "the Delta
	lowlying region in NW Miss., extending eastward from
	the Mississippi river." (I think the Yazoo River
	might be the eastern boundary.)

	This [state of] Mississippi Delta may flood too,
	but you (and many journalists) are more likely
	referring to the terminal delta of the Mississippi
	River south of New Orleans, much in the news now.

	Many Blues and Jazz immortals came from the Delta,
	in the state of Mississippi, not from the delta
	currently in the news. Note that the location puts
	them closer to Memphis and Chicago, which also claim
	a blues and jazz tradition stemming from the Delta
	bluesmen. Cross-check the book you reviewed against
	a Mississippi map and see where the towns mentioned
	are. That should settle the issue. A correction in
	your next mailing would educate a lot of folks.

	Love your newsletter. Keep it coming!"



0---    PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS

	#1  What is wild marjoram also called?
	Answer: Oregano

	#2 What head is on the Sphinx?
	Answer: Human

	#3 How many of Henry VIII's wives were beheaded?
	Answer: Two

	#4 What does a blue flag at a beach mean?
	Answer: Clean and pollution free.

	#5 In which French town was Joan of Arc burnt at the stake?
	Answer: Rouen

	#6 What colour is the egg of a kingfisher?
	Answer: White

	#7 What is on the top of the Mona Lisa's left hand?
	Answer: Her right hand

	#8 In which London building does the Lutine Bell hang?
	Answer: Lloyds of London

	#9 What is a passepied?
	Answer: A dance

	#10 Where is fibrin found in your body?
	Answer: Your blood

	#11 What is tansy?
	Answer: A herb

	#12 What is a cherimoya?
	Answer: A fruit



0---	COMING SOON


	'Journalism - an Introduction'

	'Oxford Companion to Jazz'

	'Hart's New Rules'

	'Dictionary of Contemporary Slang'

	'Oxford Spanish Dictionary'

	'New Oxford Spelling Dictionary'

	'New Dictionary for Writers and Editors'

	'Web Services Essentials'

    	'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary'

    	'eBay - The Missing Manual'

    	'The Weekend Novelist'

    	'Web Site Management Hacks'

    	'Penguin Dictionary of Jokes'

    	'Yahoo! Hacks'

    	'Word Origins'


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    	News-110-November-2005
    	ISSN 1470-1863
    	The British Library