-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------
Number 90 - March 2004 - ISSN 1470-1863
Dictionaries - Typography - Writing
0----- Collins Talking Dictionary - Spanish-English
Talking dictionaries are now all the rage. This
one combines Spanish-English and English-Spanish
into one pane which sits in the corner of your screen.
You start typing the word you want and - hey presto!
up it comes. You can click to hear what it sounds like,
and even check your own pronunciation against a
professional native speaker.
There are crossword puzzles and a shooting gallery
game to check your progress in learning new vocabulary.
The data-base of words is built on Collins successful
paper dictionary, and the whole thing costs little more
than an average paperback. Full review and details at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/col-span.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1
What is a zarzuela?
0----- 'ABZ: More Alphabets and Other Signs'
This is a wonderfully designed book which presents
examples of typefaces, logos, monograms, letter
headings, packaging labels, posters, shop signs,
opticians' eye test charts, book jackets, film
posters, technical manuals, propaganda leaflets,
magazine covers, and dingbats.
Most of them are from the Modernist period of the
last century, and this gives them a very attractive
period charm. Have a look yourself at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/alpha-bz.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2
Which is the world's most widely read magazine?
0----- Publish your Writing
We keep getting requests from aspiring writers
who have produced stories, articles, memoirs,
or novels - but who don't know how to get them
published. It's not that difficult, but you do
need to know how to go about it properly.
So we've created some guidance notes which talk
you through topics such as 'Knowing the Marketplace',
'Editing and Presenting your Work', 'Publishing on
the Internet', 'eBooks and ePublishing', 'Writing
for the Web', and 'Writing for Magazines'.
These pages will point you in the right direction
and tell you what resources are available to help
you place your writing. Go to -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/pub-00.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3
Which term describes the fineness of yarns?
0----- Identify a Font
Identifont is a unique font identifier that
enables you to identify a font from a sample
by answering a series of simple questions.
It is ideal if you want to match an existing
typeface, or identify a typeface you have
seen in a publication.
Identifont includes information about fonts
from most of the major type libraries, including
Adobe, Agfa-Monotype, Berthold, Bitstream,
Elsner+Flake, Font Bureau, FontFont, ITC,
Letraset, Linotype, P22, and URW++.
You can identify a typeface by answering a
series of questions, or look up a typeface
by its name, and see a sample.
http://www.identifont.com/index.html
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4
Which novel is set in the seventh century AF?
0----- Close Reading Techniques - Guidance notes
Most of literary studies is based on a technique
called 'close reading'. This is paying close
attention to exactly what's written on the page,
so that you can extract all the possible meaning
from a piece of writing. But how is it done?
Can it be learned?
We think so, and have created guidance notes
showing you how to do it. These talk you
through a practical example, and point you
towards any special technical terms you might
need. As usual - it's all buckshee.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/closeread.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5
What is a gallivat?
0----- 'Dictionary of Political Quotes' - new book
Anthony Jay's compendium of memorable quotes
ranges from classical Greeks to the present day.
In fact in a supplement to the main dictionary
he includes Soundbites from all forms of media
in the last three years.
Entries range from famous statements ('Veni, Vidi,
Vici' - Julius Caesar) to put-downs in the House
of Commons such as Winston Churchill describing
Clement Atlee as 'a sheep in sheep's clothing'.
If you like browsing through reference books, or
you're interested in politics - this five hundred
page compendium will keep you intrigued for a
long time. Full review and details at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-polq.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6
What is another name for grape-sugar?
0----- 'Writing your CV' - new book
If you're going to apply for a job, you
probably need all the help you can get.
Including the production of a decent CV.
The days of submitting a list of your
previous employments are over. You need
something closer to a personal press release.
Paul McGee's simple guide does just that.
His entire emphasis is that your CV should
be used to present yourself in the best
possible light. That means making the
document itself attractive - and he
shows you how to do it. Review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/mcgee.htm
0----- Pub Quiz Question #7
What is the capital of the Ukraine?
0----- eBooks F-r-e-e Offer
Do you remember Stephen King releasing a novel
as an eBook in cheap chapters. The scheme didn't
work - because his chapters weren't cheap enough.
Now here's the latest variation on that theme.
Science fiction writer Cory Doctorow is giving
away the eBook version of his latest novel,
'Eastern Standard Tribe'. The theory is that,
contradictory though it may seem, the freebie might
actually stimulate sales of the printed version.
Test out his theory by downloading at -
http://craphound.com/est/
0----- Pub Quiz Question #8
Which two notes do not have flats on black keys?
0----- Bloomsbury - New Artist, New Writer
Duncan Grant was an artist and designer
who worked alongside Vanessa Bell as part
of the influential Omega Workshop group.
They lived together and had a daughter,
even though his preference was for men.
Such was the way of the Bloomsbury Group.
See our new biographical note at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/dungrant.htm
Leonard Woolf is best known for being husband
to Virginia Woolf, but he was an interesting
character in his own right.
He too wrote novels; he laid the foundations
for what is now the United Nations; and he
managed to have an unusual love life, including
for the last twenty-five years of his life
having an affair with his next door neighbour.
New biographical note on Leonard Woolf at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/l-woolf.htm
0----- Pub Quiz Question #9
In which musical is the song 'Summertime'?
0----- Hexadecimal Colour Codes that Look or Sound
Dodgy - but are in fact merely colourful.
BY ANGELA GENUSA
(I hope this one makes it through the filters)
FF00CC F0CCED F0CCEE
CC00CC DD11CC 696969
B0FFED 362436 44DDDD
DCDCDC EFF0FF F0CF0C
thanks to Timothy McSweeny's
http://www.mcsweenys.net
0----- Pub Quiz Question #10
Who executed Mata Hari?
0----- Contemporary Art Course - Start now!
The Tate Gallery has introduced an online course
on contemporary art. It covers Art and Materials,
Art and Storytelling, Art and Landscape, Art and
Politics, Art and Everyday Objects. You can study
the units in any order.
The first level 1 course is f-r-e-e - and you pay
when you move on to Level 2.
You can work at your own pace, take a break at
any time, and come back to where you left off.
It includes work by Paula Rego, Kurt Schwitters,
Andy Warhol, Peter Lanyon, and Pablo Picasso.
http://www.tate.org.uk/ita/
0----- Quotable quotes
A professional is a man who can do his job when
he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who
can't do his job when he does feel like it.
James Agee
0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS
What is a zarzuela?
ANSWER: A Spanish light opera - or fish stew.
Which is the world's most widely read magazine?
ANSWER: Reader's Digest
Which term describes the fineness of yarns?
ANSWER: Denier
Which novel is set in the seventh century AF?
ANSWER: Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'
What is a gallivat?
ANSWER: A boat
What is another name for grape-sugar?
ANSWER: Glucose
What is the capital of the Ukraine?
ANSWER: Kiev
Which two notes do not have flats on black keys?
ANSWER: C and F
In which musical is the song 'Summertime'?
ANSWER: 'Porgy and Bess'
Who executed Mata Hari?
ANSWER: The French
0----- COMING SOON
'Oxford English Reference Shelf'
'English talking Dictionary'
'Design Through Digital Interaction'
'Creative Content for the Web'
'Designing Web Graphics'
Talking Dictionaries
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News-90-March-2004
ISSN 1470-1863
The British Library