M A N T E X N E W S L E T T E R Number 44 - March 2001 Design, FREE software, Writing ----- ISSN 1470-1863 ---- 0----- 'The Design of Everyday Things' Donald A. Norman is a design and usability guru who now teams up with Jakob Nielsen to tell businesses where they are going wrong - for a big fee. His most influential book is a delightful tour through the problems and disasters of everyday life as we grapple with the problems of bad design. Video recorders adults cannot program; doors which don't open; taps you don't know which way to turn. He explains why they don't work properly - and he shows how they could be designed more successfully. This book has become a modern classic of good design practice. You can see why at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/norman.htm 0----- WAN2TLK? - ltle bk of txt msgs Text messaging is the new email - especially amongst the young. There's a whole new language of F2T (free to talk) and MYOB [mind your own business]. If you want to get up to speed with the latest in electronic messaging, have a look at the mini guidance manual which knocked Harry Potter off the top of the best-seller list. Review and details - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/omara.htm 0----- Design Tutor - latest issue The latest edition of the elegantly produced Design Tutor contains articles on the principles of good design for web sites; how to use grids for layout; designing folded A4 leaflets; special effects in DTP programs; and a descriptive rundown of all the fonts offered as part of Microsoft programs. Full details at - http://www.designtutor.com 0----- 'Passing Exams without Anxiety' Everybody feels nervous about exams - but some people find it difficult to overcome their fears. David Acres' book is the answer to their prayers. He gives plenty of revision and exam tips, but the main emphasis of his advice is on stress relief and coping with anxiety. This book is now in its fifth edition, and it's suitable for GCSE and A level studies as well as undergraduate level. Review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/acres.htm 0----- FREE Software Movement There's a new edition of Eric Raymond's influential 'The Cathedral and the Bazaar'. Why has this book made such a big impact? Because Raymond is a pioneer of the move to make software FREE - and his arguments are gaining ground. If you are interested in some of the major new developments in the politics of software design, have a look at this. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/raymond.htm 0----- FREE resources for journalists Poynter is the Florida-based Institute for Media Studies. It is committed to good journalism, good reporting, and good editing. And it is committed to good ethical standards. It also runs courses, publishes papers and conducts research. Most importantly, if you have ambitions to be a professional author, it has lots of free downloadable tutorials on writing techniques and the practical issues of being an efficient reporter. Have a look at their materials at - http://poynter.org 0----- FREE PDF files from the Internet Here's a great tip to get access to lots of PDF files on the Internet, about virtually any topic. PDF files, or Portable Document Files, can be viewed from both Mac's and PC's. You'll need Adobe's PDF software to view the files. It's FREE and you can get a copy at - http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/ Then log into a search engine. For instance http://www.google.com Do a search for your subject, but narrow your search by adding the phrase 'inurl:pdf' (without the quotation marks) For example: "writing skills" inurl:pdf Click go, and soon you'll be presented with thousands of PDF files to view or browse. You can enter a different search in the search box. Just change the term between the quote marks. 0----- Safety First - Password tips To make your system safe, good passwords should meet all the following criteria: * at least seven characters long * at least one character that is uppercase, lowercase, a number, and a symbol like $ or % * at least one symbol character in the second through sixth positions * entirely different from a user's previous passwords * contain no names or usernames * contain no common words or names found in a dictionary. 0----- New domains for sale! The new TLDs (top-level domains) are now on sale. There's still some controversy on this, but they are - .chat .club .family .free .game .gmbh .hola .inc .kids .law .ltd .med .mp3 .shop .soc .sport .tech .travel .video .xxx At $25 per year, many people will be prepared to take a gamble - but remember that all the old rules about trademarks still apply. 0----- Coming soon! * Wan2Learn? - teaching with texting [Launch date - 4 April 2001] * Online Search Strategies (c) Copyright 2001, 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 FREE BACK ISSUES featuring news items, reviews, and product details are available at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/news/archive.htm Please retain the copyright and subscription information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and subscription 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 unsubscribe, go to -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm News-44-March-2001 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library