-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 98 - November 2004 - ISSN 1470-1863 Writing - New Web Technology - Fonts - Blogs 0----- 'Dictionary of Modern Quotations' - new book This is an un-put-downable collection of sayings from the twentieth century - plus memorable newspaper headlines, catchphrases, snappy titles, and songs. Topics range from the tragic "We are putting the passengers off in small boats..." (the sinking of the Titanic) to a rare piece of self-deprecation from British conservative minister Edwina Currie on reading John Major's 'frank' autobiography: "I wasn't even in the index". [For non-UK readers, she had been his secret lover whilst he was Prime Minister.] There are also lists of misquotations of the "Come up and see me sometime" variety, plus famous telegrams, such as Robert Benchley's to his newspaper editor on arriving in Venice: "Streets flooded: Please advise." Once you start reading, you can't stop. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-knowles.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1 Which planet has the shortest day? 0----- Weird Facts #1 It is impossible to lick your elbow. [Go on - try it!] 0----- 'A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation' - new book Are you one of those people who wonder where the apostrophe should go? who hesitate before using 'I' or 'me'? - or who are not sure about the difference between the colon and the semicolon? And would you like it all explained without having to plough through lots of grammatical rules and linguistic jargon? John Seely has written the book for you. It's one from the new series by Oxford University Press offering short, clear explanations of grammar and language issues using everyday examples. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/seely-4.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2 Who wrote the song "White Christmas"? 0----- Weird Facts #2 All polar bears are left handed. 0----- 'Supervising the Doctorate' - new edition This is a guide to postgraduate research aimed at supervisors, but I suspect students could profit equally from the advice. The authors cover the whole process from striking up the guidelines between supervisor and student, through how to do the literature review, how to survive despite problems of money and morale, how to tackle the viva, and how to develop your career once you have graduated. Details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/delamont.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3 What number does the Roman numeral M represent 0----- Weird Facts #3 The word 'therein' contains ten words without rearranging letters. [Count them!] 0----- 'We the Media' - new book Don Gillmor is a radical journalist with a sharp knowledge of the latest developments in web technology. He makes the case for what he calls 'open source journalism', giving examples of radical writing and new forms of communication using blogs and RSS feeds (news items sent to you automatically). He's very enthusiastic about the new possibilities, but he also considers some of the problems - of quality, copyright, and the larger issues of ownership and control. Fortunately, his most convincing argument is that the Internet offers a form of self-regulation - so long as enough people actively participate. This is a spirited polemic dealing with a wide range of important issues from the sharp end of modern communications. Full review and details - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/gillmor.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4 Where was the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896? 0----- Weird Facts #4 Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards. 0----- Blog News Subscriber Bob Chapman from Northampton UK enjoyed the Belle de Jour blog item in our last issue, and asked if there was a Mantex blog. There sure is Bob - though we don't cover quite the same sort of, a-hem, subject matter. There's occasional overlap between our blog and newsletter, but you can see it all first and even write your own comments at - http://mantex.blogspot.com Speaking of which, there's more on blogging below. 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5 Which gas is produced by photosynthesis? 0----- Weird Facts #5 The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. 0----- 'Industrial Design A-Z' - new book Taschen books produce a series of very cheap yet well-produced paperbacks on art and design. This one is a counterpart to the A to Z of designers we reviewed in the last issue. It concentrates on industrial design, ranging from the humble ball-point pen to refrigerators, radios, office furniture, railway locomotives, and even a Boeing B52 Stratofortress. Well-known names are mixed with some lesser-known, and the book is beautifully illustrated in full colour. Review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/fiell-2.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6 Who crowned Bonaparte emperor of France in 1804? 0----- Weird Facts #6 The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump. 0----- Hello Fontaholics! - More f.r.e.e stuff Identify a Font http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/ Best-selling fonts http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/bestsellers.html F.r.e.e professional-quality font collections Bitstream Vera http://www.bitstream.com/categories/products/fonts/vera/ Simply the Best http://simplythebest.net/fonts/ 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #7 What is the study of rock fossils called? 0----- Weird Facts #7 A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night. 0----- 'How to Make Money Scriptwriting' - new book Do you have ambitions to write scripts - either for films or television? If so, you need all the help you can get, because it is a notoriously difficult business in which to succeed. Julian Friedmann knows how it can be done, because he is a literary agent specialising in screenwriting. His advice is that you must learn how the business works in depth. You need to know how to present your ideas; who to contact to make your pitch; how to edit and re-write your work; and how to work as part of a production team. His emphasis is on film and television, but his approach will be just as useful in other media. If you want to succeed commercially, you've got to learn how the profession works. Details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/friedmann.htm Want a chance to have your own script turned into a film? Keep reading and see below. 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #8 What is the name of a Hawaiian grass skirt? 0----- Weird Facts #8 Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. 0----- 'The Doctoral Examination Process' - new book This is a detailed guide to the most mysterious part of postgraduate research - the examination which follows the writing of a thesis. The authors aim their advice at both the student doing the research and the lecturers who supervise the work and examine its results. Their observations are based on research done in twenty British universities. It's good practical advice all the way - with the emphasis on making sure well in advance what your responsibilities are, and what rights the process owes you. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/tinkler.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #9 Which country has the email address MV? 0----- Weird Facts #9 A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue. [Don't bother trying.] 0----- Online Editing Tutorial Sonia Jaffe Robbins runs an editing workshop in the Journalism Department of New York University. She puts her course materials on line in what makes a really interesting site if you want to learn about the finer points of sharpening your written style. She includes lots of downloadable guidance notes and course materials. 'Banished words', editing tips and issues, hyphenation, spelling FAQs, plus lots of juicy links to quizzes and tests, plus you can take the 'Gullibility Test' at the Museum of Hoaxes, and you can even check if people are dead yet or not. Even if you simply read the course materials, you will learn a lot about improving your writing skills - and you should have plenty of fun too. http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/syllabus.html 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #10 What is measured in curies or rads? 0----- Weird Facts #10 A duck's quack doesn't echo, and nobody knows why. [Research welcome.] 0----- Blogging, posting, and publishing. What's the difference between a blog and a web site? They may both be HTML pages hosted on a server, but here's the essential difference. Blogs are generally personal online diaries. They can be seen like scrapbooks or sketchpads, or sometimes as a one-person bulletin board. Most web sites on the other hand have more a business-model orientation. The approach will be more business-like, more permanent, and less personal, less chancy. Don Gillmor discusses all these issues in his new book "We the Media", (see above) but so far as the Mantex newsletter is concerned I've now decided to put most new reviews into a blog *first*. If you want the latest news in writing, graphic and web design, editing, language, dictionaries, and all the other things we cover - go to the blog. When you get there, you can even subscribe to the RSS feed, which will automatically update you with every new announcement. http://mantex.blogspot.com You can also leave a message if you want to respond to what's there. Just click on the COMMENT link at the bottom of every posting. If you can't be bothered with all that technological fag - just stay subscribed here to the newsletter. We'll bring you all the latest news in plain text form every month. 0----- Scriptwriters Wanted!! Michael Trott from Speechradio.com writes: "Your readers might be interested to know that I am currently looking for a feature film script to fund into production. We need a specific type of script, although the genre is not important as long as it is based or can be adapted to the UK. We need: 70 to 100 pages/minutes; no more than 6 to 8 characters; one location; appeal to a clear demographic; good dialogue; few, if any, special effects; and ideally a twist at the end. We hope to complete filming and post production by Spring 2005 and enter the film into the major UK and European festivals next year." Replies to - speechrad@aol.com 0----- Feedback + Corrections Subscriber Joyce Meyer wrote from Wilmette, Illinois to query this weird fact in the last issue: 'The state of Florida is bigger than England.' And she's right - it isn't! Florida = 53,927 sq m England = 93,000 sq m Moral: check your facts! 0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS #1. Which planet has the shortest day? ANSWER: Mercury #2. Who wrote the song "White Christmas"? ANSWER: Irving Berlin #3. What number does the Roman numeral M represent ANSWER: 1,000 #4. Where was the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896? ANSWER: Canada #5. Which gas is produced by photosynthesis? ANSWER: Oxygen #6. Who crowned Bonaparte emperor of France in 1804? ANSWER: Himself #7. What is the study of rock fossils called? ANSWER: Palaeontology #8. What is the name of a Hawaiian grass skirt? ANSWER: A hula #9. which country has the email address MV? ANSWER: The Maldives #10. What is measure in curies or rads? ANSWER: Radiation 0----- COMING SOON 'Larpers and Shroomers' 'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary' 'A-Z of Spelling' 'The Modern Movement 1910-1940' 'PDF Hacks' 'Web Search Garage' 'Handwritten' 'Web Services Essentials' 'Dictionary of Design since 1900' 'OpenOffice.org Writer' (c) Copyright 2004, 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 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-98-November-2004 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library