-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 80 - April 2003 - ISSN 1470-1863 Writing + Literature + Dictionaries 0----- 'Economist Style Guide' - new book This is the published version of an in-house style guide which The Economist issues to all its journalists. It covers metaphors, short and unnecessary words, jargon, tone, journalese, slang, and Americanisms. There are lots of do's and don'ts; plenty on punctuation; tips on how to describe well-known people, events, and institutions; and explanations of common misconceptions about language. And it's not just a dry guide to good grammar. Most of the examples are offered in a dry and witty manner. "Gourmet means epicure; gourmand means greedy-guts." The emphasis is on a world of current affairs, government, politics, and business - but the lessons for developing a clear and precise style are available to all writers. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/econmist.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1 What colour is puce? 0----- 'Complete Guide to Thomas Hardy' - new book Thomas Hardy fans will be interested to know that there's a new guide to his work which has just appeared. Andrew Harvey's 'Complete Guide' offers a full account of Hardy's life and works - all placed in historical context. It includes his strained relationships with his two wives; a survey of his novels, stories, and poems, and even an account of his little-known writing. He also traces the development of criticism of Hardy's work - which is still a thriving business in the academic world. It's arranged in an easy-to-use format, and also includes smack up to date lists of further reading. Full details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/harvey-2.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2 What is the cast off skin of a snake called? 0----- 'Collins Talking Dictionary on CD-ROM' Electronic dictionaries are becoming more and more popular as they come down in price. [And about time too!] This one is based on the very popular print version of Collins paper dictionary - but audio files have been added, as well as a interesting navigation system. It contains 80,000 words and also has a series of interactive exercises so that you can test yourself. These are useful for people who want to learn how a word is pronounced, as well as what it means. Particularly good for foreign students of English - EFL, ESOL, EAL, or whatever they are called these days. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/collins.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3 Who wrote the hit song "Louie Louie"? 0----- New Music - Hot tip If you like subtle, sophisticated jazz piano - try Brad Mehldau. He takes the traditional trio format into new realms. He's like a Bill Evans for today - though I suspect he wouldn't thank me for saying so, This CD contains knockout versions of 'Monk's Dream' and John Coltrane's 'Countdown'. It's the best of his early work, recorded live at the Village Vanguard. He mixes tunes from the standard jazz repertoire with versions of pop songs such as the Beatles 'Blackbird' and Henri Mancini's 'Moon River'. The result is fresh and invigorating. Hear for yourself at - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000062VD/ref=nosim/mantexinformatio http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000062VD/ref=nosim/mantexinformat0b 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4 What is a Habanera? 0----- Online Writing Systems Omniglot is a resource containing over 200 alphabets, syllaberies, logographics, and other writing systems. The site offers free foreign font downloads. Under links, you can find your name written in various languages, and there are listings of online dictionaries and courses, foreign language software, puzzles, and online translation. Go to - http://www.omniglot.com/ 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5 What is the capital of Bavaria? 0----- Techno-Rage :-) A Colorado businessman was arrested earlier this week at his Sportsman's Bar + Restaurant for firing four bullets into his laptop, which had crashed just one too many times. After spending a night in jail, the man was temporarily released but may face charges of felony, menacing, reckless endangerment, and the prohibited use of weapons. Source: AP/USA Today 5 Mar 2003 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6 Which is the slowest moving fish? 0----- 'Windows XP Professional' - new book The Missing Manual series was devised by David Pogue as a strike back against software developers who gave up on supporting their customers. These books are a remarkably cheap replacement for what you would expect to come in the box, but doesn't. This one talks you through the features of Windows XP Professional - which has a number of important features additional to the Home edition of XP. As usual with publications from O'Reilley, it's meticulously designed and printed, and amazingly good value-per-page. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/pogue-2.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #7 Which country surrounds San Marino? 0----- NotePad XP v1.5 - free software NotePad XP is a free text editor which has the simplicity of Windows NotePad - but with lots of added features. These include a word counter, customizable date/time formatting, bullets, mail merge, dockable toolbars, no size limit on documents (unlike regular Notepad), align text, and an XP graphical interface that's clear-cut and easy on the eye. You can even have multiple documents open within the program. And probably the best feature ever is the search and replace feature. I've always used Microsoft's Notepad for creating newsletters - but not any more. And the program opens up in less than one second on my machine. http://www.acsoftware.org 0----- Pub Quiz Question #8 What is the popular name for nitrous oxide? 0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS What colour is puce? ANSWER: Purplish brown What is the cast off skin of a snake called? ANSWER: The slough Who wrote the hit song "Louie Louie"? ANSWER: Richard Berry (1956) What is a Habanera? ANSWER: A dance What is the capital of Bavaria? ANSWER: Munich What is the slowest moving fish? ANSWER: The seahorse Which country surrounds San Marino? ANSWER: Italy What is the popular name for nitrous oxide? ANSWER: Laughing gas 0----- COMING SOON 'Google Hacks' 'WriteItNow' - Novel-writing software 'Design Through Digital Interaction' 'Creative Content for the Web' 'Designing Web Graphics' 'Literacy in the New Media Age' 'Visual Language for the World Wide Web' (c) Copyright 2003, 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 at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/news/archive.htm Please retain the copyright and list-joining information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and list-joining information remains. 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