-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------
Number 99 - December 2004 - ISSN 1470-1863
Bumper issue for the festive season!
Language - Writing - Searching - Jazz
Design - Writing competition - Leet
0----- "Larpers and Shroomers" - new book
Do you know what 'chav', 'shibby', and 'wiki'
mean? Or have you ever thought about having a
'council house facelift'?
If you are at all interested in the very latest
slang and word coinings, this is the new version
of Susie Dent's 'language report'.
She looks at the latest slang, new words coined
for new situations, and the distortions of language
foisted on us by politicians, showbiz, and advertising.
[A 'larper' is a Live Action RolePlayer by the way,
and a 'shroomer' eats hallucinogenic mushrooms.]
It's very entertaining, easy to read, and slap up
to date. And at this time of year, it would also
make an ideal present. Ignore the crap jacket cover.
Full details and review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-dent.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1
Where is Aotearoa?
0----- Weird Facts #1
A shrimp's heart is in its head.
0----- "Web Search Garage" - new book
Tara Calishain is an expert on using the
Internet for research. This is her latest
book on the subject.
She shows you how to get the best out of
search engines, how to discover the hidden
gems within Google and Yahoo, and how to
narrow your searches using Boolean modifiers
[that's AND, OR, and NOT].
There are lots of interesting tips and tricks,
such as searching using the *slang* or special
language of your subject.
And she even tells you how to assess the
quality of the information you find. Full
review and details at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/calishain-4.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2
What were the names of the Marx bothers?
0----- Weird Facts #2
A pig's orgasm lasts thirty minutes.
[That's half an HOUR! Lucky pig!]
0----- "Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook"
There is now a version of the 'Writers' and
Artists' Yearbook' for people who specialise
in children's writing.
The 'Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook'
lists the names and contact details for publishers,
agents, magazines, newspapers, and outlets
for all kinds of children's writing.
Sandwiched between these lists, there are
essays and articles written by well-known
writers on teenage fiction, how to get an agent,
illustrating children's books, and writing for
children's television. Full details and review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/morpurgo.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3
What is hypermetropia?
0----- Weird Facts #3
Pearls melt in vinegar.
[Careful at the chip shop!]
0----- "PDF Hacks" - new book
If you thought PDF files were only used for
transmitting printable documents - think again.
Sid Steward's new book from O'Reilly offers
100 tips and tools for customising PDF viewers,
speeding up Acrobat by controlling its plug-ins,
shrinking down PDFs into much smaller files,
and how to create your own PDF files using a
variety of different software programs.
He also shows you how to add interactive forms
to PDFs, how to download all the free software
programs for doing these tasks, and even, if
you feel up to it, how to get under the bonnet
to re-program the Acrobat software. Full details
and review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/steward.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4
Is the Isle of Man part of Great Britain?
0----- Weird Facts #4
Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
0----- "Artie Shaw: His Life and Music" - new book
Did you know that the swing master Artie Shaw
was once married to Ava Gardner and Lana Turner -
though not at the same time of course.
He was also a poll-topping clarinetist who for
some time sold more records than his rival
Benny Goodman.
Yet he gave it all up to live in Spain, write
fiction, and even run a cattle ranch. There were
come-backs of course - and amazingly he's still
alive at 95.
All this and more is captured in John White's
critical biography, which also includes an
extensive discography. Full review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/white.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5
Which Australian composer wrote 'Shepherd's Hey!'?
0----- Weird Facts #5
Starfish have no brains.
[But plenty of arms]
0----- Using Amazon as a search engine
Did you know that Amazon allows you to
"look inside" a book? And you can use this
facility to search for words and quotes.
For instance, if you know a phrase but can't
remember where it is from, just type it into
Amazon's search box.
I just typed in "Someone must have been
telling lies about Joseph K" - and sure enough,
it identified the book as Kafka's 'The Trial'.
Look inside the book, and it correctly places
the quote as the opening of Chapter One.
You can't *necessarily* see the page [for copyright
reasons] - though I got access to the first six.
But it does confirm the location of what you are
looking for.
http://www.amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.com
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6
What is the capital of Peru?
0----- Weird Facts #6
Pigs are unable to look up at the sky.
[But who needs the stars when you've got...]
0----- LeetSpeak - "w00t!" - new language?
Leet (often Eleet, leetspeak, leetspeek, l33t,
ej33t, 31337, or 1337; from "elite") is a cipher,
or novel form of English spelling.
It's characterized by the use of non-alphabet
characters to stand for letters bearing a
superficial resemblance, and by a number of
quasi-standard spelling changes such as the
substitution of "z" for final "s" and "x"
for "(c)ks".
Leet is used by hackers, crackers, script
kiddies, gamers, Animators, and even lamers.
Simple forms of leet have become quite
mainstream, as employees use the alternative
spellings to circumvent their companies' mail
filters designed to censor swearwords
and other objectionable content.
Also known as hakspeak, leetspeak is a type
of communications where a user replaces letters
for numbers or other characters. For example,
"leet" in leetspeak would become "1337".
This is a sentence in advanced Leetspeak
T|-|i5 i5 4 53||+3||(3 i|| L33+5p34k
Google even has a search facility in it!
where 'normal search' becomes 'n0rM4L s34rCh'
http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/
If you want to translate normal English into Leetspeak,
there is a f.r.e.e downloadable program at -
http://ryanross.net/leet/
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #7
Who wrote 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'?
0----- Weird Facts #7
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
[Check if you get the chance.]
0----- "Little Book of Nicknames" - new book
Did you know that the queen's nickname is Brenda?
And her son's is Action Man.
Andrew Delahunty has compiled an amusing version
of his longer Oxford Dictionary of Nicknames.
It combines figures from politics (Paddy Pantsdown)
sport (Goldenballs - Posh's name for Becks) and
an explanation of those standard nicknames attached
to people with certain surnames - such as Dixie
Dean and Nobby Clark.
Good fun, and a reliable guide to street culture.
Full details and review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/delahunty.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #8
In which city did Stradivari make violins?
0----- Weird Facts #8
It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
[Try it next time.]
0----- "Handwritten" - new book
This one for typography and design enthusiasts.
Steven Heller has collected the very best in
contemporary letters created by *hand* rather
than by digital typography.
It's beautifully designed and printed, full
of visually exciting materials, and is edited
in a full scholarly manner.
The examples include letters scratched on
pictures, sewn into fabrics, gouged out of
wood and metal, splattered across hoardings,
and even written onto human flesh [see below].
Full details and review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/heller.htm
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #9
What did Ava Gardner and Lana Turner have in common?
0----- Weird Facts #9
Our eyes remain the same size from birth.
0----- Young Letter Writers' Competition
Royal Mail (UK) has a letter-writing
competition for youngsters - with lots and
lots of prizes. Ideal classroom activity
for primary teachers this month!
All entrants are invited to write a letter
about their 1st Class Hero. The letter might
be addressed directly to their hero, or to
someone else explaining the merits of their hero.
For the first time Royal Mail will accept the
use of slang language in its entries. This is to
reflect the way real children use language.
However, be warned that the examples of slang
they offer include such expressions as -
"I'm just popping out", "You cheeky monkey",
"Cheerio", "Cheers", and "Party pooper".
Not exactly bigging up on street cred there then.
There are 4 categories; 7-8 years old;
9-11 years old, Special Achievement Award;
and Teachers [sic] award.
Closing date for entries - 23rd December 2004
Competition helpline 0970 240 1640
http://www.royalmailgroup.com/community/community1a.asp
0----- Pub Quiz - Question #10
Who wrote 'American Buffalo'?
0----- Weird Facts #10
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
0----- Bloomsbury Group - new pages
We've added a couple of new items to
the popular Bloomsbury Group section
of our f.r.e.e tutorials.
The first is on art and design. It features
books dealing with the work of Vanessa Bell,
Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, and the increasingly
popular Dora Carrington.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/bloom-02.htm
The second is called 'Portraits and Biographies'.
It features studies of Virginia Woolf, Vita
Sackville-West (her lover) Ottiline Morrell,
and *her* lover Bertrand Russell, plus Dora
Carrington and her lover Gerald Brenan.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/bloom-03.htm
0----- Weird News
If you think some of our facts are weird,
you can't beat everyday life for something
even more astounding.
The venerable mailing list Society for the
History of Authorship Reading and Publishing
recently burst into life with a discussion
about books which are bound in human skin - one
example of which was the author's own.
And one contributor emailed to reveal that he
was a volunteer in Shelly Jackson's "Skin" project,
in which participants have one word of a short
story tattooed onto their body.
http://ineradicablestain.com/skin.html
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~madancer/title.html
If you want to sign up, you'd better hurry.
Last time I looked there were only 315 words left.
0----- Feedback + Corrections
We put a duff link in the review of John Seely's
new book "A to Z of Grammar and Punctuation" in
the last issue. Thanks to Andrew Wille for pointing
it out to us. This is the correct link -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/seely-4.htm
Damian Grant writes from Lille to suggest
that the same review contains a grammatical
error. [Shurely shome mishtake!]
"Are you one of those people who wonder where
the apostrophe should go?"
He suggests it should be 'wonders' Is he right?
What's your opinion?
0----- Announcement
Subscriber Dr Mike Unwalla writes from across
the Pennines in Sheffield to say he has just
been appointed Principal UK Expert for software
documentation by the British Standards Institute.
Congratulations Mike!
He also appends a useful list of contact details
for those interested in standards and technical
communication matters:
The British Standards Institution "is about
improving the quality of life through the
application of best practice to everything
we do". See http://www.bsi-global.com
The Institute of Scientific and Technical
Communicators (ISTC) is the principal
professional body for technical communicators
in the UK. See http://www.istc.org.uk
ISO is a network of national standards bodies
from 140 countries. For example, in the UK we
have the BSI, the US has ANSI and Germany has DIN.
These bodies work in partnership with international
organisations, governments, industry, business and
consumer representatives. See http://www.iso.org
TechScribe helps software companies to provide
clear user documentation for their products.
See http://www.techscribe.co.uk
0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS
#1. Where is Aotearoa?
ANSWER: It's the Maori name for New Zealand
#2. What were the names of the Marx bothers?
ANSWER: Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, Gummo
#3. What is hypermetropia?
ANSWER: Long-sightedness
#4. Is the Isle of Man part of Great Britain?
ANSWER: No
#5. Which Australian composer wrote 'Shepherd's Hey!'?
ANSWER: Percy Grainger
#6. What is the capital of Peru?
ANSWER: Lima
#7. Who wrote 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'?
ANSWER: Anita Loos
#8. In which city did Stradivari make violins?
ANSWER: Cremona
#9. What did Ava Gardner and Lana Turner have in common?
ANSWER: They were both married to Artie Shaw
#10. Who wrote 'American Buffalo'?
ANSWER: David Mammet
0----- COMING SOON
'A-Z of Spelling'
'The Modern Movement 1910-1940'
'Web Services Essentials'
'Dictionary of Design since 1900'
'Windows XP Power Hound'
'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary'
'OpenOffice.org Writer'
'CSS Cookbook'
'XML Hacks'
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News-99-December-2004
ISSN 1470-1863
The British Library
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