Here's is an interesting newsletter from The British Library. Perhaps, you may wish to subscribe. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 13:44:42 GMT To: prafulla@nisc.co.in Subject: Mantex Newsletter - January 2005 Send reply to: news@mantex.co.uk From: news@mantex.co.uk -------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 100 - January 2005 - ISSN 1470-1863 Happy New Year to all our Subscribers!! Anniversary issue - 100 and going strong Spelling - Research - Software - Design 0----- "Oxford A-Z of Spelling" - new book You'd imagine it was hard to make a book on spelling interesting, but Oxford University Press have done it. This is a beginner's guide to the rules and the exceptions of spelling in English. It covers all the basics without once going into any jargon or elaborate rules which would put off the very people the book is aimed at. Highly recommended for beginners - and I think it would be very useful to anybody using English as another language. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-azspel.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1 Which ingredient turns curry yellow? 0----- Weird Facts #1 No piece of square dry paper can be folded in half more than 7 times. [Go on - try it! - Bet you can't.] 0----- "How to Find Information" - new book Did you know that even though Google has four billion web pages in its database, the Internet contains only a small fraction of the world's total information. This is a guide for anyone who wants to develop really serious research skills. Naturally it tells you how to search on the Web, but it's built on a solid foundation of library research and data retrieval skills. There is even advice on how to identify your own information needs, how to interpret your search results, and how to keep up with the latest trends. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/rumsey.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2 Who invented the aqualung? 0----- Weird Facts #2 French was the official language of England for over 600 years. [C'est vrai!] 0----- "OpenOffice.org Writer" - new book OpenOffice is the f.r.e.e software which is an alternative to the very expensive Microsoft Office. Writer is the word-processor in this suite, and a direct rival to Word. There's a new book from Jean Hollis Weber which is the 'missing manual' for Writer - and most importantly it comes with a CD-ROM which contains the whole of the OpenOffice suite. The book explains all the features and menu options of the Writer program - and in particular where it differs from Word. If you want to make a switch into using open source software, this would be an excellent place to start. Most importantly, having the OpenOffice suite on CD saves you a 50MB+ download. details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/weber.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3 If it's heavy in Scotland, what is it in England? 0----- Weird Facts #3 The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but can't fly. 0----- "CSS Cookbook" - new book This is a book of solutions to common problems in using cascading style sheets. It starts as a beginner's guide and then goes on to more advanced features. First a problem is specified (You want to indent the first line of a paragraph) and then it shows the CSS code to achieve this, followed by an illustrative screen shot. There's an explanation of how and why it works as it does, and there are web links to online tutorials and official specifications directly related to that topic. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/schmitt.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4 What is a shooting star? 0----- Weird Facts #4 Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. [Here's looking at you, kid.] 0----- "Dictionary of Modern Design" - new book Design buffs will be interested in a huge new work of reference from Oxford University Press. Actually, it's closer to an encyclopedia than a dictionary - because each entry is like a short essay. It covers a vast range of topics - from individual designers, painters, and architects, through artistic movements and fashions, to famous products. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/woodham.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5 What is the world's longest river? 0----- Weird Facts #5 A housefly regurgitates its food after eating, and then eats it again. [The fly is a bit like a cow then?] 0----- Online Democratic Dictionaries British publisher Collins has launched an online dictionary that will enable Internet users to debate new words. Users can suggest new words and argue over whether they should be added to the print version of the dictionary. You can log on to and suggest a new word, then wait for positive or negative feedback from other dictionary fans. Words submitted thus far, 'Arab street', 'contrasexual', 'cyberathletics, 'Ingerland', 'manny' and 'podcasting' are likely to be included in the next printed version. http://www.collins.co.uk/wordexchange There's also an online Wikipedia encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia You could also try the FreeDictionary.com at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6 On what date was Jesus Christ conceived? 0----- Weird Facts #6 W is the only letter in the English alphabet to have not one but three syllables. 0----- F.r.e.e Web Design Tutorials Rachna Asirvatham writes from Bangalore India to announce her company's f.r.e.e design tutorials. And very stylish they are too. Tips and tricks for Dreamweaver and Fireworks; how to deal with style sheets; clever use of tables; special effects in Flash; and lots of sensible advice, all delivered in a visually attractive manner. http://www.entheosweb.com/website_design/default.asp 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #7 What's the common name for iron oxide? 0----- Weird Facts #7 The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. [Lhooq again if you don't believe me.] 0----- "Windows XP Power Hound" - new book XP is now the world's most popular operating system - and thank goodness it's more stable than its predecessors. But did you know that it contains lots and lots of hidden tools, utilities, and settings? It's possible to customise the desktop; you can add bells and whistles to just about any of its functions; and there are powerful software programs just below the surface of the comic-book interface. All of these are explained in Preston Gralla's guidance handbook from O'Reilly's 'Missing Manual' series. If you are an XP user but would like to see what more it can do for you in terms of power and efficiency, have a look at his recommendations. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/gralla-2.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #8 What is the world's biggest baby? 0----- Weird Facts #8 Brigham Young University (Utah) has an undergraduate course on ballroom dancing. 0----- A Message from Albia - Blogspot I've just come across a wonderful satirical blog featuring news from Albia - a 'constitutional monarchy' located on 'the edge of Europe'. It's written in spoof inflated eighteenth-century manner and purports to be written by someone who is living in a cupboard at his local cybercafe, after being evicted from home by his wife. The nation is ruled by Queen Dowdi, who has a son the Heir Apparent Prinz Yusslez. He is in love with his favourite horse, Kamella. Albia is governed by Prime Minister Kiznya Schlopp, head of the Krep Proti. His Home Secretary Fanatik Loon was recently in hot water after siring children with his no-longer-Thai-bride-to-be, Yu Fam Ism. Start with the Albia gazeteer and factbook, then work your way up through the archives. It's great fun. http://albia.blogspot.com He is due to change this address at some point, so if it doesn't work, try the following: http://www.messagefromalbia.com 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #9 What is the capital of Nepal? 0----- Weird Facts #9 The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters. [That's a third of it then in 'Aloha'] 0----- "XML Hacks" - new book This is a roll-up-your-sleeves guide that explains XML in a complete set of practical tips, tricks, and tools for the web developers. It starts from the basics of an XML document and how its content can be displayed in a browser using style sheets. There's also a brief discussion of the free tools available for XML editing, and where to find validators to check your results. Each explication or hack covers a single topic, and each one is followed by suggestions for further reading, free downloadable resources, and web links to tutorials. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/fitzgerald.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #10 When was the Prague Spring? 0----- Weird Facts #10 Westward Ho! is the only English place name to end in a punctuation mark. [Yes - it's named after the book.] 0----- Feedback + Corrections ** That Amazon search facility ** Martin Hampton writes from Portsmouth to say "Guys - was that a porky pie about Amazon in the last newsletter? Damned if I can make it 'look inside' books. Sorry Martin! We forgot to mention that so far it only works at Amazon.com [For non-UK readers, porky pies = lies.] ** English Grammar - again ** Damian Grant wrote from Lille to suggest that the one of our reviews contained a grammatical error. Here's the sentence: "Are you one of those people who wonder where the apostrophe should go?" Andrew Wyllie replies from Bristol "No: it is clear that the verb here has to agree with 'people' not with 'one', so 'wonder' is correct." But Andrew goes on to reveal another problem: "Before Mantex indulges in a collective hug of self-satisfaction, however... David Mamet's surname is spelt with two m's not three." Ooops! ** "Handwritten" - new book ** The link to Stephen Heller's new book on hand-produced fonts got mangled in the last issue. For those interested in new forms of typography, go to - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/heller-2.htm 0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS #1. Which ingredient turns curry yellow? ANSWER: Tumeric #2. Who invented the aqualung? ANSWER: Jaques Cousteau #3. If it's heavy in Scotland, what is it in England? ANSWER: Bitter beer #4. What is a shooting star? ANSWER: A meteorite #5. What is the world's longest river? ANSWER: The Nile #6. On what date was Jesus Christ conceived? ANSWER: 25 March 0000 #7. What's the common name for iron oxide? ANSWER: Rust #8. What is the world's biggest baby? ANSWER: The blue whale calf #9. What is the capital of Nepal? ANSWER: Kathmandu #10. When was the Prague Spring? ANSWER: 1968 0----- COMING SOON Blogging - get started 'The Modern Movement 1910-1940' 'Web Services Essentials' 'Dictionary of Design since 1900' 'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary' 'Graphic Design School' 'PC Hacks' (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-100-January-2005 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library ------- End of forwarded message ------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NISC Export Services Pvt. Ltd. (an affiliate of NISC International, Inc. USA) S-1 Ballad Estates, St.Ann's School Road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500 017 Andhra Pradesh, India - Tel:+91 40 27001517 Tel/Fax:+91 40 27002538 WWW.NISC.COM A company in service to NISC worldwide. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------