-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 89 - February 2004 - ISSN 1470-1863 Dictionaries - Typography - Great Writers 0----- Chambers Dictionary - new edition Chambers is one of the world's most popular dictionaries. It's even the official dictionary of the UK Scrabble tournaments. And there's a good reason why this is so. It's because it packs more words into the same space than other one-volume dictionaries. And it lists lots of arcane and unusual words, as well as recent slang and technical terms. This makes it especially popular with crossword solvers and word puzzlers in general. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/chambers.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1 What is the text of an opera called? 0----- Indie Fonts - Typographist's Paradise This is a superb collection of modern digital fonts from independent font foundries. It's a very stylish book with beautiful page designs, and it also comes with a CD containing free fonts. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/p-type.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2 What is a John Dory? 0----- Great Writers - Charles Dickens We have added Charles Dickens to our featured great writers. The pages include a guide to his life and works, plus notes on his greatest novels. http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/aa810/dickens-00.htm Others writers range from Jane Austen via Franz Kafka and James Joyce to Vladimir Nabokov and Thomas Mann. http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/resource/authors.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3 Who wrote 'Under the Volcano'? 0----- Penguin Classics - Re-launch Penguin have launched a new series of their classics editions. The copy of 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' I bought recently comes with an introductory essay, illustrations from the original serialised publication, a chronology, maps, glossary and notes - plus Hardy's prefaces to the 1895 and 1912 editions. All this for less than the price of a bottle of Chardonnay! http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4 What sort of creature is a Russian Blue? 0----- M*y*D*o*o*m Virus [spelt without the asterisks] If you haven't yet caught up with help in dealing with the latest virus, Sophos have posted this note: "An email worm known as M*y*D*o*o*m, which masquerades as an advisory message from a computer technician, is the worst Internet virus since S*o*B*i*g last year. It was first spotted on Monday 26 January in a file sent from Russia. Over the next few hours over 1.5m copies had been intercepted. Like other email worms, M*y*D*o*o*m requires a user to open the attachment before it can infect a machine. Many of these emails are labelled "Test" or "Status". Sean Richmond, technical support manager for Sophos, said yesterday that the M*y*D*o*o*m worm turned an infected computer into 'a zombie', which could be programmed without the owner's knowledge to attack the website of SCO, which is in dispute with the Linux community." Get your disinfection details at - http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/mydoom.html 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5 What is the capital of Slovakia? 0----- Bloomsbury! Bloomsbury! Bloomsbury! We've posted two new sets of free guidance notes on fringe members of the Bloomsbury Group - society hostess Lady Ottoline Morrell and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She hosted parties for writers, intellectuals, and artists at her country estate in Oxfordshire. He was a renowned philosopher who went to prison more than once for his anti-war views. They were both married (to other people) but managed to have an affair with each other under the noses of their respective spouses. Read more at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/morrell.htm http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/russell.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6 In which US state is Cincinnati? 0----- Language Police - New Alert! The last issue of this newsletter was blocked by some anti-spam programs on the grounds of its language. And what do you think the offending term was? Here's the answer. Reason: Blocked message One of the words in the message is blocked. For security reasons the message was not or not completely delivered to the recipient. The blocked string is: " free " The line is: 'no such thing as a free lunch' So now you can feel safer in your bed at night. 0----- Pub Quiz Question #7 Where did Satsumas originate? 0----- 'Headstart' - Preparing for higher education Prepare yourself or your students for higher education with Headstart. It's a 30 hour accredited programme for Level 2 or Level 3 - on line or paper-based. Headstart is a study skills programme covering esssentials from Plagiarism to Personal Development. It's modular and meaty with an assignment for each topic.Self-assessment by sample answers is the solution to tutor overload and there's a bolt-on bonus in the form of a 73 topic reference tool on English Language theory. This has clickable quiz-type self-assessment too. Headstart is part of Aimhigher's Greater Manchester Strategy and it's spreading like wildfire. For details contact - Project Manager, Heather P Pollitt. Email - Heather@turbotext.co.uk 0----- Pub Quiz Question #8 What were the Boston Tea Party protests against? 0----- 'Dictionary of Classical Myth + Religion' This is in fact more like an encyclopedia than just a dictionary. Many of the entries are lengthy essays on the topic they are explaining. It covers all the old favourites of the Greco-Roman world - the Hermes, Pans, and Clytemnaestras of the classics. But it also covers both Judaism and Christianity too. Serious, comprehensive, and very authoritative. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-dcmr.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #9 How many Bits are there in a Byte? 0----- Online Dictionary I came across this online dictionary the other day. It's for beginner's/learner's from Cambridge University Press - and probably best suited to those people learning English as a foreign language. But if you're on broadband, it might be worth keeping the address amongst your 'favourites'. It offers definition(s) plus an example of the word in use. There's also an option to show a phonetic spelling in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Could be quicker than reaching for a book off the shelf. You can also search dictionaries of American English, idioms, and French and Spanish from the same site. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ 0----- Pub Quiz Question #10 Where is Lime Street railway station? 0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS What is the text of an opera called? ANSWER: The libretto What is a John Dory? ANSWER: A fish Who wrote 'Under the Volcano'? ANSWER: Malcolm Lowry What sort of creature is a Russian Blue? ANSWER: A cat What is the capital of Slovakia? ANSWER: Bratislava In which US state is Cincinnati? ANSWER: Ohio Where did Satsumas originate? ANSWER: Japan What were the Boston Tea Party protests against? ANSWER: Taxes - on tea How many Bits are there in a Byte? ANSWER: Eight Where is Lime Street railway station? ANSWER: Liverpool 0----- COMING SOON 'ABZ: More Alphabets and Other Signs' 'Design Through Digital Interaction' 'Creative Content for the Web' 'Designing Web Graphics' Talking Dictionaries (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. 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 leave the list, go to -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm News-89-February-2004 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library