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Metrolingua |
| Metrolingua Updated : Simon & Schuster is ripping ebook readers off I was looking at the forthcoming Steve Jobs biography on the Barnes & Noble site, and I thought "great, another B&N ripoff" since I'd discovered such over-pricing of ebooks before, so I looked at the Amazon site. Same over-inflated price for an ebook: $16.99, while the print version is $17.88. Then I saw this claim: "This price was set by the publisher" which is Simon & Schuster. I went to their site, and it had the same price, ie, they're ripping off ebook readers by offering less than one dollar off the print price. So who's to blame: Simon & Schuster, all publishers, or the online book sellers? Or everyone? Hopefully their price gouging will cause people to not buy books, which will affect their bottom line. To act as if the same costs go into publishing ebooks as print is to assume that consumers are ignorant. I'm not, which is why I'm posting this here, and will continue to point out such greedy behavior until something changes. Author : mj What English sounds like to non-English speakers A short fake English film made to sound like what non-English speakers hear. It's funny to see how others perceive the language. Thanks to Jordan for this. Author : mj A poem inspired by overnight radio Here's a poem that I saw at Dale Fanella's blog. Dale is a *very* talented and interesting guy who I worked with on a radio show a couple of years ago. Poem Inspired By Working Overnights In Radio Author : mj Some good advice I can't find I've been searching for an article that gives advice to creative people (artists really) about pursuing their dream vs working at a regular job and doing the dream on the side. I remember finding the article online last year, and assumed I'd be able to find it again, but I can't! I've done all kinds of searches for different time periods, and have been to all types of sites, but haven't had any luck--which has made me frustrated. So I will share the helpful advice that I found in that article: basically, what they said was not to give up on the dream, but to have some kind of day job, even if it's just part time, because the stability will make you feel a lot better and more grounded instead of enduring the ups and downs, and consistent disappointments, of creative pursuits. It was one of the best tips I've read on the subject, and I found it to be true, because I did what they said. Even though I probably won't be able to fully live "the dream", I feel great because I'm appreciated, paid fairly, and really enjoy the regular work, which helps to offset the utter disappointments of the dream. In the search to try to find that helpful article, I found another one that advises people to get a regular job, and to find the dream there. Essentially, "Do what you love and the money will follow" is rarely true. He says: Following your dream isn't all it's cracked up to be. Fact is, most wannabes aren't happy. In addition to the constant rejection, they feel unproductive. And when hired, they worry that they're just one wrong word from being unemployed again.I agree and can relate. I landed what I thought was a "dream" job, which didn't even pay a salary but a low hourly wage with no promise of an increase (and they eventually decreased everyone's pay anyway), and I was yelled at regularly, ignored, gossiped about, lied to, and eventually used. In another "dream" pursuit, I never attained much despite my efforts, and was even yelled and sworn at. At one point, I felt afraid that anything I said or did that was not deemed acceptable would lead to me losing what crumbs I had. And it's true that some folks in charge allow bad treatment and lousy pay because there are several people wanting the same gig who are willing to put up with the junk. But once I decided to put the dream to the side and primarily pursue stability, everything instantly improved. Sometimes I'm disappointed that the dream can't be attained, but meanwhile, I have no complaints about my work situation--pretty much every aspect of it is great. I'm not giving up the dream, I've just accepted it as a sliver of what I do instead of trying to get it to happen more substantially. So if you're wondering if you should put all your energy into a dream, put a time limit on it, and then assess what you're experiencing. If you feel consistently insecure, unappreciated, underpaid, and unaccomplished, find the dream in other work you can do well, and your life will be way better! Author : mj Sweden is not in Eastern Europe I thought Whole Foods was more savvy than the average grocery store, but apparently they need some education: they say that these Swedish meatballs are a "taste of Eastern Europe", but Sweden is in Northern Europe. Check your geography, people. Author : mj Weird English from Europe You'd think that Europe wouldn't exhibit any bad English since a lot of people have studied it, and they've been interacting with England, Ireland, and Scotland for years, but I spotted some strange English on the label of this fruit spread when I was in a German store yesterday. It said: "For a superb taste mix fruit on top down into jar." What does that mean? I understand the first few words, but then the meaning breaks down as the sentence continues. You'd think the French company that puts this product out would find *someone* who can verify that the English is correct. Puzzling, indeed. Update: upon reading it again a few times, I think they mean that you should mix in the fruit that is on the top. Author : mj If you want to practice your Spanish and learn about manga I came upon a Spanish manga site called Manga Spain ("Todo sobre el increíble mundo del manga, comics, anime y más") while doing a search for Shima Kousaku, and wanted to suggest it to manga and anime fans who want to improve their Spanish while reading about their favorite subject. What's interesting is the use of "mangaka" (romanization for 漫画家) in the post rather than "manga artist" or whatever else the Spanish equivalent would be. I honestly don't know if "mangaka" is used often in English sites, or if they use "manga artist" more often. Using the romanization seems like a better, sophisticated word choice that represents the hard-working Japanese artists. Author : mj Jordan writes about China A couple weeks ago, I was walking down the street and fell. Immediately, a couple of people ran up to me to see how I was doing. I was bruised but okay. But I was really glad that strangers cared to check up on me. The same wasn't true for a two-year-old girl who was killed in China. After a couple of vans hit her, *no one* helped her! If that happened where I live, *many* people would run to the toddler to take care of her ASAP! Well Jordan, who currently lives in Malaysia but spent a year in China, posted the story he wrote for my anthology (read it for free, he's on page 23) as a response to the tragedy. Author : mj An interesting tattoo There's a guy who I often see working at Trader Joe's, and he has this tattoo on his arm: it's the Russian word for "capitalist". If the iron curtain still existed, the irony would be obvious. Author : mj I'm back! This is what I've been working on... Happy new year! I think this is the longest I've gone without posting on this blog, but at the end of 2011, I got more radio work (which receded this week), and in addition to that, I was doing my paid writing and teaching gigs, so it didn't leave me much time. What I've been doing since I've posted here is planning and promoting a free talk about how to create a podcast. Here's the info: How to Create a Podcast Saturday, January 28 3-4 PM Cost: free Sulzer Regional Library Community Meeting Room (on the first floor, just inside the entrance) 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago (just north of Montrose) You will learn the basics of creating a podcast: the tools you need, where you can post it online, and tips on creating and promoting content. There will be time for questions and discussion. After you attend, you will be emailed a free PDF with more detailed information about podcasting. If you have any questions, you can post something here or email me (info AT metrolingua.com). Actually, I was interviewed about it on Rick Kogan's show this past Sunday (he's the successful media guy who was kind enough to allow me to quote him in the masthead of this blog). Rick Kogan is the best! I'll be doing a blog post about him soon. Author : mj Facebook confusion update This summer, I discovered that I confused Facebook when I changed the display language to Japanese and my residence to non-American places. Then, to see what would happen, I changed again and saw Arabic and French ads. Here's the most recent update: the display language is French, and I "reside" in Vietnam, so I currently see all French and Vietnamese ads. Confusing Facebook is fun! I've now decided to "move" from Vietnam to Thailand, so we'll see what pops up next. Stay tuned! Author : mj What I wanted to tell T Bone Burnett I was in St. Louis this past weekend (a *great* place to visit) and ended up staying in the same hotel as T Bone Burnett, who's done a ton of stuff in the music business and beyond. He's not only a prolific musician but a very successful producer and writer who's won all kinds of awards. Anyway, I was eating breakfast in the hotel restaurant and noticed this guy sitting near my table who kept looking my way. I couldn't figure out what he was looking at, because I'm certainly not famous, and after he was done eating, he walked up to a table near mine and introduced himself to T Bone Burnett. Wow, I had no idea he had been in such close proximity to me, eating and talking to a guy who looked Hollywood. I didn't say anything to T Bone because I wasn't interested, but I still thought it was cool that he was so close, and I could even hear his conversation :D When he and Mr. LA left the restaurant, I immediately went online to find out more about him. When I read about everything he'd done throughout such an amazing career, I thought, "Wow, he makes me look like such an underachiever." I kept thinking about that: not only am I an underachiever, but most people probably are compared to him. Later, I got on an elevator at the hotel, and there he was! Just me, my husband, and him. I wanted to say something! I wanted to tell him, "Congrats for achieving so much. I feel like such an underachiever!" But I didn't. I just stood silently, waiting for the elevator to arrive at my floor. But still: what he's done is incredible and that is great! Author : mj Bonnie Koloc: an incredible singer I never knew about Bonnie Koloc was a very popular singer in Chicago over 30 years ago, but I've never heard of her, and never heard her music until tonight when I saw her at Chicago Live. I had no idea what to expect. She was on stage with just a guitar player, and since I'd seen such a lineup before, I didn't expect much. But wow--she was really incredible. Even though the songs she sang were simple, and there was no flash and nothing fancy, the way she sang cut right through me and I felt very emotional while I was listening. Her style seems like folk, but she has so much depth, it's more like soul. She's a really amazing performer. I met her after the show, and could barely get the words out to express how much her singing impacted me. I'm not usually so moved when I hear someone sing, but I was seriously holding back tears. Below is a video of her singing a few years ago, but seeing her live is way better--she totally communicates with the audience and truly sings from her heart. She's coming out with a new CD...I bet it's going to be great (here's a list of her previous music). Author : mj In conversation with I often see the phrase "in conversation with" at all kinds of literary and cultural events, and even in some places in the media. I saw on Wikipedia that it's a show on BBC Radio (though I couldn't find it at the station's site). Here's an example of something I usually see: "John Smith in conversation with author Jane Doe". I've seen that phrase so often, I'm starting to think it sounds pretentious. Why can't they just say "John Smith talks with author Jane Doe"? It's more direct and not so distant-sounding, as if they're trying to sound like they want to remain removed from any actual activity. Maybe they think it's too pedestrian to say "talks with", but it's better than using the haughty "in conversation with". Maybe I'll start to use that phrase to replace the more mundane English that I use daily. For instance, yesterday I was in conversation with my boss about a student. I was also in conversation with a coworker about some CD's. Tomorrow I will be in conversation with someone about a website they want revised. Yeah, that sounds like fun :p Author : mj Why wouldn't anyone like the Wizard of Oz I've had a long week, and I still have a long work day tomorrow, so I've been relaxing tonight by watching The Wizard of Oz on TV. I've seen it many times before, and remember being scared of the Wicked Witch when I was a kid, but now I find the moving charming and entertaining. It's not a complex story, but I really enjoy the fantasy, the colors, the simplicity, the positivity...and the actors are fantastic. The three guys who played the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion all had extensive backgrounds in theater and vaudeville, and Judy Garland was great, too. Even though it was made over 70 years ago, it still seems fresh. And even though we have better effects and sets now, including digital capabilities, the technology they used doesn't seem dated or rudimentary. I accept its simplicity rather than pay attention to what's lacking. It's just a great movie, a true classic, and I think it would take a cynical or jaded person to not appreciate its artistry. Author : mj Jeweler or Jeweller? I was puzzled when I saw this sign because I thought the "correct" spelling is "jeweler". I put "correct" in quotes because Merriam-Webster lists two spellings. I suspected that it's a British spelling, so I did a search online, and found a number of sites with it, including the British Jewellers Association. As I'm typing this, Blogger is pointing out that "jeweller" is a misspelling, and word processing programs agree. I wonder if they do the same with "jeweler" over there. Author : mj Why is this baby crying? I saw this picture on One Inch Punch (an East Asian site), and I'm wondering if the baby is crying because he's scared or hungry, or is just acting like a baby. It's an interesting image of Halloween, for sure. This is in Japan, btw. Author : mj Lyrics to the WKRP closing song Interesting timing: just after I did my last post about putting a dream to the side, I ended up having a series of intense work days, including some dream work, and I was way too busy to do anything but sleep (barely), work, and eat (sort of). Now that that the wave of work has receded (because of Thanksgiving), I've had the time to look around Facebook and elsewhere online, and saw this amusing video that tries to decipher the closing song of WKRP In Cincinnati. Enjoy! Author : mj Bad typos won't help this biz I clicked on this internet ad to see what it was all about, and couldn't believe the glaring typos for a service that is language and writing-oriented. We all make mistakes, even after we proofread something a few times. But these show an ignorance that I doubt will help that business. One typo is the first sentence: "How do one knows..." That's just bad English. They should get a grammar book or at least have someone who knows English to proofread their copy. Another one I noticed was the comma splice in the last sentence. Some people use comma splices if they want to be extra-casual, but that intentional use comes from stylistic choices, not uninformed ones. I wonder if other people have noticed these typos and if they will affect this business. I know it didn't impress me. Additionally, it's not just a bad reflection on just this business, but on the one that used it. Should they have corrected his testimonial? I think yes, because they offer writing services, so they should have applied their skills to what he wrote. He is, after all, a happy customer. Author : mj A bilingual sign I haven't seen I've seen this sign at only one drugstore (or "chemist", as Brits say) in Chicago, and it's probably there because it's in a big tourist area and up the street from the German Consulate. I just had to take a picture because it's rare for me to see, plus it's refreshingly bilingual in languages I don't usually see together in the city. Author : mj I finished my third manga! I just finished my third Japanese manga: Young Shima Kousaku (ヤング島耕作), which is a prequel of the Kacho Shima Kousaku (課長島耕作) series. This one was almost 200 pages. It had lots of drama: office politics, blackmail, romance, cheating, and lots more! That's why I really like these: they're not fantasy but crazy dramas based on real-world work annoyances. The other two mangas I read were over 200 pages, so I feel quite a sense of accomplishment. The first one I read was this: And the second one I read was this: It's difficult to read mangas because sometimes I can't figure out the colloquial phrases, so I'm wondering if I should take a break and read more straightforward Japanese texts to give my mind a rest :D Author : mj Happy Thanksgiving, Canada! I forgot to post such a greeting earlier to our neighbors to the North. Hope everyone pigged out like we Americans do every year! Author : mj They should've read their menu before printing it I saw this at an established, popular restaurant that has been around for years. So you know they have enough money to hire someone to proofread their menus, but apparently they didn't bother to do that. And didn't take the time to check their menu before sending it to print. The mistake is quite glaring--look at the last two sentences: they say that they moved to Broadway, and then in the last sentence, they say "We are pleased to bring our special cooking and deli favorites to Broadway". Note how there is no period, which is an obvious mistake, but what's odd is that it seems like they are announcing their new location, as if it has just opened. Did they forget to delete that sentence? The idea doesn't logically flow from the previous sentence or content because they were describing their history, and all of a sudden end the page with the introduction of a new idea and direction. Plus, they've been writing in the past tense, and then switch to present tense. They should have at least created a new paragraph. Seriously, they should've taken the time to read their menu and should have found someone who could carefully look at it to make sure it made sense. I wonder if other customers have noticed this. Author : mj A conscientious bottle Wow, this silver polish is very conscientious: they included the phrase "plus shake space" after they indicated the content size. I wonder if anyone complained about an inaccuracy, which caused them to put that phrase in. It's specific enough to seem like a type of disclaimer. I don't think I've ever seen this on a bottle. Interesting! Author : mj If you want to support Balinese Alissa Stern from BasaBali, a site "encouraging the use of Balinese," contacted me after seeing my post about Tim Brookes' Endangered Language Project. She and some professors are working on "developing the first multimedia language materials for Balinese." She says: Although Balinese is not an endangered language, it is on sharp decline in the increasing shadow of English and Indonesian. Professor Hildred Geertz likens the richness of Balinese to Shakespearean English and 15th century Yiddush, but with only a million speakers left out of aThey started a kickstarter campaign "to try to raise funds to pay the Balinese linguists, videographers, animators, and anthropologists who are working with us." So if you're interested in preserving Balinese, go to the campaign site to see a video and find out more. They have various reward levels for which you can receive a "thank you" gift for contributing. Author : mj |
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TESOL Certification for teaching english abroad in non-native English speaking countries.
