-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------
Number 117 - June 2006 - ISSN 1470-1863
Writing - Art - Blogging - Language
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0--- 'The Art of Punctuation' - new book
If you are interested in creative writing and
would like to be successful, listen to the advice
of a top literary agent. Hugh Lukeman tells
you how to use the comma, semicolon and full
stop. And there are no grammar lessons involved.
Instead he shows you how great writers have
punctuated their work. And along the way he
drops lots of very useful tips about how to
get your work accepted by publishers. Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lukeman.htm
More on punctuation ...
We have just developed some new, f.r.e.e
downloadable guidance notes on all the basic
marks of punctuation, with full illustrations
of how to use then correctly. Click away on
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/commas.htm
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/semicolons.htm
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/colons.htm
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/fullstops.htm
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/sentences.htm
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/paragraphs.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #1
Which famous writer shot his wife dead with
a gun playing 'William Tell' - and got away with it?
0--- 'Words Words Words' - new book
David Crystal is a world authority on languages -
how they are used; how many there are; how they
change; and how dictionaries are compiled.
He has a huge publishing record on the subject,
and this is his latest - a short book written for
non-specialists who would like to learn more
about language.
He certainly conveys his own enthusiasm for the
subject, and he has lots of fun on the way. He has
an ultra-tolerant attitude to language and the way
it is used. He comes up with persuasive arguments
for tolerating cliche, swearing, and even the poor
old grocer's apostrophe - making the odd dig at
Lynne Truss whilst doing so.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/crystal-2.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #2
Which famous composer died on the
same day as Joseph Stalin?
0--- Polly Glotto - instant online translations
This is one of those instant translation
sites which offers on-the-fly content - in
13 different languages.
Polly herself is brunette with a passing
resemblance to Tracey Temple (John Prescott's
a-hem, secretary). When you've typed in your
text, she'll speak it back at you in a language
of your choice.
http://www.pollyglotto.com/
Hat tip for this one to Tara Calishain at
her ResearchBuzz newsletter:
http://www.researchbuzz.com/
0--- Pub quiz - Question #3
Which famous British artist and typographer
had sex with his own daughters - and got away with it?
0--- 'Modern Art: A Very Short Introduction'
This is the latest title from the very successful
new series from Oxford University Press. Julian
Stallabrass explains what's happening in the art
business today - and it *is* a business, he argues.
He explains why sharks in formaldehyde, unmade
beds, and paintings featuring elephant dung have
sold for amazing sums recently.
His analysis is very political, and the best parts
are where he reveals all the backstage deals, price
fixing, and corporate scams which help to boost some
artists' reputations. All the details at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/stallabrass.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #4
Which famous poet gave up writing at
twenty and became a rich gun-runner?
0--- 'Web Site Cookbook' - new book
This is a guidance manual for those people who
want to establish a fairly serious web site - one
which is capable of making money, or at least a
good professional impact.
Doug Addison explains how it can be done - and
I was glad to see that he included plenty of f.r.e.e
software and services for those who don't have a big
development budget. Full details here at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/addison.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #5
Which famous mathematician committed suicide
by eating an apple he had injected with cyanide?
0--- 'Brokeback Mountain' - film review
Yes - it's about gay cowboys. But a lot more
than that opines regular film reviewer Bill
Jones. To start with, the two cowpokes in
question happen to get married to women
during the course of the film - and they are
herding sheep, not cattle.
This film gathered prizes for its stunning
cinematography. See Bill's argument for a
modern version of 'forbidden love' here at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lee-3.htm
Oh, and by the way - just in case you didn't
know - you can now *rent* DVDs from Amazon.
Click through for a one month f.r.e.e trial at
the bottom of the review.
0--- Pub quiz - Question #6
Which famous poet wrote about a duel,
then was killed in one a few years later?
0--- Typography and Biscuits - fun stuff
It's what the world has been waiting for.
Type something in - anything you want - and
it comes out in the shape of biscuits!
Warning - there are no letters 'q', 'w' and
'z', but it's a small price to pay.
http://bokstavskex.framtid.nu/agi.asp
0--- Google Trends
The other day I stumbled across an interesting
feature which is part of the vast Google empire.
Type a search term into Google Trends' minimalist
search box, and it will return graphs and a bar chart
showing the volume of searches from 2004 to the
present.
It will also show crucial news items linked to
your search term, plus cities and regions of
the world where the searches were made.
http://www.google.com/trends
0--- Pub quiz - Question #7
Which famous writer was awarded the Nobel Prize
for literature, then shot himself afterwards?
0--- Modern Fiction - Nick Hornby's 'A Long Way Down'
Best-selling author Nick Hornby traces the lives
of four characters in contemporary London who
meet each other in bizarre circumstances at a
New Year's Eve party.
They go on to get to know each other in ways
which reveal Hornby's skill in capturing the
spirit of the age. Bill Jones casts his
fiction-loving eye over the results at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/hornby.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #8
Which country's president was executed by
a firing squad, live on television?
0--- F.r.e.e Storage - back up your files
The cost of hard disk space has been dropping so
much of late, that some companies are now offering
to store your files f.r.e.e of charge.
Noble scion Charles Johnson, a man with a sharp
eye for a bargain, sent me news of Streamload, who
now offer 100 MB space with no strings attached.
http://www.streamload.com/
0--- Pub quiz - Question #9
Which famous singer died from a drug overdose
whilst he was sitting on the toilet?
0--- 'Blogging for Dummies' - new book
You can get a blog up and running in a few
minutes, but knowing how to attract readers
and get them coming back is much harder than
you might think.
Brad Hill's book in the very popular Dummies
series explains how to do it. He even shows
you how to make money with your blog - and
throws in tips on podcasting and photo-blogging
into the bargain.
A friend of mine read this book, put its
principles into practice, and within weeks
his visitor rate had gone up tenfold and he
was being quoted in the national press.
Full details here at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/hill.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #10
Which famous advisor to royalty was assassinated
by poison with cyanide, shot three times, then
thrown into a river?
0--- Quotable quotes
Happiness is like a butterfly which, when
pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but,
if you will sit down quietly, may alight
upon you. - Nathaniel Hawthorne
0--- Readers' Letters + Feedback
We got this straight-from-the-shoulder
comment from a lady in Virginia regarding
the last issue #116. She will be glad she
unsubscribed in time for this issue.
"You are some sick people, please never e-mail
this address again!"
Lisa Anderson
0--- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS
#1. Which famous writer shot his wife dead with
a gun playing 'William Tell' - and got away with it?
Answer: William Burroughs
#2. Which famous composer died on the same day as Joseph Stalin?
Answer: Sergei Prokoviev
#3. Which famous British artist and typographer
had sex with his own daughters - and got away with it?
Answer: Eric Gill
#4. Which famous poet gave up writing at
twenty and became a rich gun-runner?
Answer: Arthur Rimbaud
#5. Which famous mathematician committed suicide
by eating an apple he had injected with cyanide?
Answer: Alan Turing
#6. Which famous poet wrote about a duel,
then was killed in one a few years later?
Answer: Alexander Pushkin
#7. Which famous writer was awarded the Nobel Prize
for literature, then shot himself afterwards?
Answer: Ernest Hemingway
#8. Which country's president was executed by
a firing squad, live on television?
Answer: Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu
#9. Which famous singer died from a drug overdose
whilst he was sitting on the toilet?
Answer: Elvis Presley
#10. Which famous advisor to royalty was assassinated
by poison with cyanide, shot three times, then thrown
into a river?
Answer: Grigory Rasputin
0--- COMING SOON
'Computers and Art'
'InfoTool'
'Information Dashboard Design'
'Web Services Essentials'
'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary'
'eBay - The Missing Manual'
'Penguin Dictionary of Jokes'
'Yahoo! Hacks'
(c) Copyright 2006, MANTEX
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News-117-June-2006
ISSN 1470-1863
The British Library