M A N T E X N E W S L E T T E R Number 64 - mid-February 2002 Writing - on Screen + Paper ------ ISSN 1470-1863 ------ 0----- "Hot Text: Web Writing that Works" If you're thinking of putting some of your writing on line, keep this rule of thumb in mind. Write 50% less, otherwise people will not read it. This is one of the hundreds of tips and guidelines packed into Jonathan and Lisa Price's new book 'Hot Text'. They explain how to make your writing for the web more effective - and they pay a lot of attention to detail - from vocabulary and punctuation, through bulleted lists and well-chunked paragraphs, to the structure of whole documents. This book will appeal to anybody writing for the screen, but it is a *must* for web content developers, documentation authors, online course constructors, and e-Commerce editors. Further details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/price-2.htm 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - 1 Who wrote the play, 'The Homecoming'? 0----- Teachers - EXAM ALERT Have you got tests and mock exams in mind - ready for the real thing after Easter? Do you need some extra booster pack materials for your students? Have a look at 'Revision and Exams' and 'Study Skills' - two of the best selling books on our site. Both offer guidance notes useful for GCSE, A level, or undergraduate students. Next day delivery in UK. http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/exams.htm http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/skills.htm There is also an on line [and bigger] version of STUDY SKILLS available as a self-instruction program - at http://www.mantex.co.uk/software/study.htm 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - 2 What is the French name of the German city Aachen? 0----- How do you say that? The Internet produces new language at an alarming rate. Look at the use of mobile phones for sending text messages. People now say 'I'll text you', but what would you *say* if the message was sent yesterday? You might *write* 'I texted you yesterday' - but would you *say* tex-ted or text'd? [Technically, that's with or without a 'voiced' final 'e'.] It's impossible to look up the correct answer, because the convention is not yet known. How do *you* pronounce the past tense of the verb 'to text'? Send us an email with your choice. If you want to check on two books which deal with these issues, have a look at Constance Hale's style guide 'Wired Style', or Darrel Ince's 'Dictionary of the Internet'. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/hale.htm http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-int.htm 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - 3 What is the major religion of Malaysia? 0----- Welcome to new subscribers from Romania [.ro] Mexico [.mx] Brazil [.br] Estonia [.ee] plus India [.in] Namibia [.na] Pakistan [.pk] Singapore [.sg] China [.cn] Sweden [.se] and Cuba [.cu] - as well as Hotmailers and Yahoo-ers from all around the world. 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - 4 In which US state is Cape Canaveral? 0----- 'Eye' magazine goes on line On 6th February 2002, after months of preparation, the first phase of the Eye site goes live. This is a different kind of graphic design website: not a webzine; not a portfolio; nor even an onscreen version of the printed magazine. www.eyemagazine.com is an information resource, an expanding index for past, present and future readers of the international review of graphic design. The site provides several ways to search and browse back issues, plus details of how to subscribe or buy the magazine anywhere in the world. http://www.eyemagazine.com 0---- THE PUB QUIZ - 5 What is Batman's real name? 0----- "Handwriting in the 20th Century" Typographist Rosemary Sassoon has a new book out which documents the development of handwriting styles during the last 100 years. It's an elegantly written and profusely illustrated account of attempts to teach clear handwriting. She uses examples from school copy books and commercial tutor notes. The styles gradually move away from traditional copperplate towards the italic script which is common now. She takes a very tolerant and humane line - and her observations will be of interest to educationalists and those in teacher training, as well as both typographists and designers. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/sassoon3.htm 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - 6 Who designed the Seagram building in New York? 0----- FREE encryption software If you don't want people reading your documents, you need encryption. Cryptext v3.40 can encrypt your files, but it will also make sure two files are not encrypted with the same keystream - which will guarantee security. "Each block is read, encrypted, and then written back to disk, so that when the encryption of the file is complete, the original file has been completely overwritten by the encrypted version." It's only a 201k download and is available for W9x/2k/XP FREE http://www.tip.net.au/~njpayne/cryptext.exe http://www.pcug.org.au/~njpayne/ 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - 7 What is cynophobia? 0----- Henry James - 'The Art of Fiction' Students of literature might be interested to know that we have just added a famous essay to our FREE tutorials. It's Henry James' 1884 essay on the novel - what it is; what it can and cannot do; and how it is best written. Henry James is an acquired taste, but you can see a guide to his most approachable works, as well as biographical notes at -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/aa810/james-00.htm 0----- THE PUB QUIZ - Answers Who wrote the play, 'The Homecoming'? ANSWER - Harold Pinter What is the French name of the German city Aachen? ANSWER - Aix-la-Chapelle What is the major religion of Malaysia? ANSWER - Muslim In which US state is Cape Canaveral? ANSWER - Florida What is Batman's real name? ANSWER - Bruce Wayne Who designed the Seagram building in New York? ANSWER - Mies van der Rohe What is cynophobia? ANSWER - a fear of dogs 0----- COMING SOON 'Back to the User' 'Getting Hits' 'Blown to Bits' [e-Commerce] 'The Non-Designer's Web Book' 'Flash for Cartooning' 'Dreamweaver 4 in a Nutshell' 'Innovating in Higher Education' (c) Copyright 2002, 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-64-mid-Feb-2002 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library