In a Bangkok temple:
"IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN."
Cocktail lounge, Norway:
"LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."
Doctors office, Rome:
"SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES."
Dry cleaners, Bangkok:
"DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS."
In a Nairobi restaurant:
"CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."
On an Athi River highway:this is the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi.
"TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."
On a poster at Kencom:
"ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP."
In a City restaurant:
"OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS."
A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
"DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."
In a cemetery:
"PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES."
Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
"GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED."
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
"OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."
In a Tokyo bar:
"SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."
Hotel, Yugoslavia:
"THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
Hotel, Japan:
"YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."
A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
"IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."
Hotel, Zurich:
"BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."
In a Swiss mountain inn:
"SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM."
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
"WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS."
A laundry in Rome:
"LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME."
****************************
What's about Vietnam? Any suggestion huh???
I'm thinking about it....
Monday, 26 November 2007
English arround the world
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Internet facing 'meltdown' by 2010
(This report public on Nov-20-2007 at vnunet.com)
The internet could suffer a dramatic slowdown by 2010 as the sheer scale of data exceeds the ability of the network to cope.
Analyst firm Nemertes Research Group has spent the past year analysing data flows over the internet and the core infrastructure that carries that information.
The company has concluded that serious bottlenecks will occur in three to five years.
"Our findings indicate that core fibre and switching/routing resources will scale nicely to support virtually any conceivable user demand," said the Nemertes report.
"But internet access infrastructure, specifically in North America, will cease to be adequate for supporting demand within the next three to five years.
"We estimate that the financial investment required by access providers to 'bridge the gap' between demand and capacity ranges from $42bn to $55bn, or roughly 60 to 70 per cent more than service providers currently plan to invest. "
The authors do not envisage that the internet will actually fail to operate, but that access times and bandwidth constraints will fall to such levels that innovation will be seriously hampered.
The next generation of YouTube, for example, would not be possible in this scenario, according to the research.
E-commerce will also be hit hard as access times will be erratic, and customers will be turned off and less able to make purchases.
Business will suffer much less, however, since most have access to fast network connections that are unavailable to consumers.
"Consumers are often not able to purchase these 'fat pipes' at any price," the report continues.
"So an additional effect of the bandwidth crunch at the edges would be to increase the gap between the 'haves' (chiefly businesses) and the 'have-nots' (chiefly consumers)."
The report echoes earlier warnings by Dr Larry Roberts who led the team that built the internet's predecessor, Arpanet.
Dr Roberts warned last month that the internet would be in trouble unless serious technological advances were achieved in networking.
>> There are more interesting related links and comments, click here
(Source: vnunet)
Related Vietnamese link:
1/ At Dantri goes here
2/ Internet map at procul.org
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
You don't know me
Michael Buble
You give your hands to me
Then you say hello
I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me
No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
Oh I'm just a friend
That's all I've ever been
'Cause you don't know me
I never knew
The art of making love
Though my heart aches
With love for you
Afraid and shy
I've let my chance to go by
The chance that you might
Love me, too
You give your hand to me
And then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
You'll never never know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don't know me
You give your hand to me, baby
Then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
No, no, you'll never ever know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don't know me
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Saying "no" nicely
Sometimes you need to say no when someone make a suggestion, offers something or ask you to do something for them. Of course, saying just 'no' can be rather rude. Here are some of the most common ways to say 'no' nicely - or at least not rudely.
* Would you like to see a film tonight?
I'm afraid I can't go out tonight. I've got a test tomorrow
* Why don't we have Chinese food?
Sorry, but I don't particular like Chinese food.
* How about taking a nice walk?
I'd really rather not to take a walk this afternoon
* Would you like to come to the museum with us?
Thank you, but it's not my idea of a fun afternoon out.
* Let's go for a drive
Sorry, I'm not really fond of driving for the fun of it
* Why don't you stay the night?
That's very kind of you, but I really have to get back to the city.
NOTE: Notice how we often say 'thank you' in some way before refusing the offer. When someone make an offer it is polite to first thank that person and then say 'no', often offering an excuse for not wanting or being able to do something. Just say 'no' is considered very rude behavior indeed!
After you study these about constructions, take the saying no nicely quiz to check your understanding. Click here when you are ready.
(Source: About.com)
(Next time would be for saying yes)
Are you lonesome tonight?
Elvis Presley
Are you lonesome tonight?
do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart
Does your memory stray to a bright sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
Spoken:
I wonder if you're lonesome tonight
You know someone said that the world's a stage
And each must play a part
Fate had me playing in love you as my sweet heart
Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
Then came act two, you seemed to change and you acted strange
And why I'll never know
Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
And I had no cause to doubt you
But I'd rather go on hearing your lies
Than go on living without you
Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then they can bring the curtain down
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight....
Friday, 16 November 2007
A difficult day just closed
Today is the hardest day during my working life. I have decided to leave the company after 2 year working full-hard there. It's not so easy to send such an email, but I must have a choice... which one? food or sand? Yes, of course. Sand cannot be count as food, but sometime you need a time to think back, think deep (right now, sand to me here mean lying on the nice ocean somewhere else, not in an office, crazy thought!) . Friends, life, Bill, colleague, project, managers, lead, engineers, elderly, lonely, nothing... oh, one song just come up in my soul... are you lonesome tonight, did you miss me tonight...ohh.... Elvis, Elvis you are always my king.
Anyhow, the mail was sent, the word was gone. Sorry/painful/new horizon/ whatever happen here and there, it seem something just lost ... something.. I don't know. Best friends, best staffs, best manager, best "đại ca", best Hans, best CEO, everything perfect. I still remember exactly the date I've been employed at LTRC, it was a bit lucky I can say. Yes, lucky is always a part of everybody's life. You need it, you want it, you like it, you love it, ... I'm not exception, just in the last few minutes of an interview for Web developer position. Then I have changed the situation just by a suggestion/question "I'm also interested in Testing, can I applied for that?", that was amazing luck I have ever met. Now, guess what...I got employee ID "25" now the total is employees is closed 300. That's great. It likes a dream, you close your eyes one night with a several people around and then tomorrow morning, open up with hundreds wow.... "What are you doing man...you shocked me.... are you sure???", "...everything cannot be done well if you lose focus...", "people cannot go to university without graduate from high school..." these are the emotional comment in Skype I got. And next question "what's next?"... IBM, or an European one, even a Holland or maybe a Vietnamese, ... thanks and thanks you guys H, C, T, Dz for all the messages/advices.
So... what's next??? I ask myself. Let's see thing happen... OK, for now, next will be the bed.
The song is still keep going in my mind...are you lonesome tonight, did you miss me tonight...
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
East vs West -- a sharp cut of differnces in Culture
Understanding of Chinese/ Asian culture vs. Western...interesting research.
I think it also applies to all Asians, including the Indians, Japanese, Thais, Koreans, Indonesian, Malays, etc...
These icons were designed by Liu Young who was born in China and educated in Germany.
Blue --> Westerner Red --> Asian/Chinese
Now, enjoy...
Punctuality
Queue when waiting
Handling problem
In a restaurant
Ways of life
Names Are Read to Mark 25th Anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Wall
Download MP3 here
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
We listen to some music from the movie "Into the Wild"…
Answer a question about a famous American landmark…
And report about a special anniversary for Veterans' Day.
Anniversary of the Wall
HOST:
November eleventh is Veterans Day in the United States. It is the day Americans remember those who have fought in the nation's wars. This year is a special one at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. That memorial honors American men and women who served in the Vietnam War. Faith Lapidus has more.
FAITH LAPIDUS:
~~ A Vietnam veteran holds a rose to a name on the memorial
This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial known as the Wall. The Wall is two large,shiny, black stones built into the ground, forming the letter V. The names of more than fifty-eight thousand Americans are cut into the stone.
These are the names of those who died or who are missing as a result of their service in Vietnam. As part of the anniversary observance, the names of all those listed on the Wall are being read aloud this week.
(SOUND)
The Wall has the power to create strong feelings. The shiny black stone acts like a mirror. It seems to draw in visitors so that they too are part of the Wall. This is especially emotional for those visitors who served in Vietnam and for the family members of those killed there.
Vietnam Veteran Jan Scruggs thought of the idea for the memorial as a way to honor those killed in one of America's most divisive wars. He formed an organization to build the memorial. In nineteen eighty, a competition was held to choose the design. Judges considered more than one thousand designs. They chose the design of a twenty-one-year-old Yale University student, Maya Lin.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was officially opened on November thirteenth, nineteen eighty-two. The design of the memorial caused great debate. Supporters thought it was simple and powerful. But some people said it was not personal enough and did not show the heroic efforts of those who fought in the war.
As a result, other structures were added to the memorial. They are the Three Servicemen Statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial statue. A special plaque honors those who died later as a result of injuries from the war.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most visited memorial in the nation's capital. More than four million people visit each year. Some visitors make a copy of one of the names on the Wall. Others leave a special object of love and remembrance. Visitors have left tens of thousands of such objects at the Wall. These include flowers, letters, poems, toys, photographs, baseballs and military medals. These objects are links between those who were killed and those who will always remember them.
The Gateway Arch
HOST:
~~The Gateway Arch
Our listener question this week comes from Russia. Andrey Lopatin wants to know The Gateway Arch about the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri. This famous curved steel structure next to the Mississippi River rises one hundred ninety-two meters in the air. This is the same distance between the arch’s two legs. The Gateway Arch is the tallest freestanding federal monument in the United States.
Plans for the arch developed in the nineteen thirties. During this time, the city of Saint Louis decided to build a federal monument to honor the westward expansion of the United States during the nineteenth century. In eighteen oh three, President Thomas Jefferson had bought more than two million square kilometers of land from France, including what would become the state of Missouri.
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States at the time. This famous land deal made it possible for the young American nation to expand and grow. The next year, President Jefferson hired Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this large new area of land. The Lewis and Clark Expedition started just west of Saint Louis. So Saint Louis became known as the Gateway to the West.
The Jefferson National Expansion Park was established in nineteen thirty-five. The federal government and city of Saint Louis agreed to share the building costs. During the nineteen forties, city officials created a national competition among building designers to decide what form the new monument would take.
The Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen won the competition in nineteen forty-eight. Building the arch finally began in nineteen sixty-three was completed two years later. The arch is an example of excellent structural engineering. The shape of the structure is called an inverted catenary curve. This is the form a free-hanging heavy rope or metal chain takes when it is hung between two supports.
Each year, about one million visitors ride special vehicles to the top of the Gateway Arch to enjoy its history and expansive views of Saint Louis.
"Into The Wild"
HOST:
“Into the Wild” is a new movie that tells the true story of a young man named Christopher McCandless. In the nineteen nineties, he dropped out of society after college to test himself in the American wilderness. Actor Sean Penn wrote and directed the movie, which is based on a book by Jon Krakauer.
Penn asked his friend, the singer Eddie Vedder, to write the music for this powerful film. The songs help express the inner voice and personal discovery of this brave young man. Barbara Klein has more.
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN:
That was Eddie Vedder singing “No Ceiling.” You might recognize his voice. Vedder is the lead singer for the rock band Pearl Jam. This is the first album in which he performs on his own. Vedder says that when he read the book “Into the Wild” and started to write songs for the movie, the story of Christopher McCandless took control of him.
For two years, this young man traveled through deserts, down rivers, and up mountains in the western United States. He traveled all the way to the northern state of Alaska. On the road, he met many people and influenced them with his intense and intelligent personality. Here is the song “Hard Sun.”
(MUSIC)
Christopher McCandless did not survive his adventure. Some people have noted that he really was not prepared to survive in the wild. He died of starvation at the age of twenty-four, all alone in the Alaskan wilderness. But the story of his independence and desire to live in the simple beauty of nature lives on.
We leave you with the song “Society.” In it, Eddie Vedder imagines the thoughts of Chris McCandless as he says goodbye to the rules and demands of society in order to lively freely on his own.
(MUSIC)
(Source: VOA - American mosaic)
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
A lucky day with Ms. Margot Politis
.jpg)
This seminar was held in 5th floor 5 stars Majestic Hotel on November-11-2007, at 9h30h am. It was a rainy Sunday, not so heavy but I also need a rain coat to come to seminar in dry.
Although I looked forward to this seminar, I had come there a bit late, around 9.10, but it was so crowded. ACET has done PR very good to inform many many students coming to join the seminar, I observed a group of teen-people still standing over the gate of conference room. The seminar started at 9h30 with a video clip Ms. Margot Politis who is the speaker of 'Study English' in Australia Network TV.
After a few talks from ACET, then Mr David show which is most expected. He again mentioned about Accuracy and Fluency and some techniques in the IELTS exam, Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking. Some are known, other is interesting to know. I have it noted already and will post later.
At the last of seminar there is a lucky lottery game which I won one of six prizes. The organizer put a hidden lucky letter under the chair. There are 6 letters like that, wow, I was very lucky to sit on that chair (among 200 chairs)
Here as following are some pictures of mine:
Conference room may contain more than 200 audiences.
A very nice landscape of Saigon river
Reading the prize of lucky game
Hand shaking with lady Margot
Here are the cover and the next page with hand writing of Ms. Margot and Dr. David Larbalestier.
>> Or you can see them Ms. Margot and Dr. David Larbalestier from a Vietnamese interview which reported by TTO here
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Back, Shoulders and Chest: A Pat on the Back for a Job Well Done
Download MP3 file here
There are many American expressions that use parts of the body. These include the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and even the heart. Today we will tell you some expressions that use other body parts – the back, shoulders and chest.
When I am facing a lot of pressure at work, my back and neck will start to hurt. Sometimes, this tension is the result of too much work. I have too many things to do because my supervisor is on my back all the time. In other words, my employer is always telling me to do things.
Sometimes, I want to tell my employer to get off my back! I want her to stop criticizing me and making too many demands on my time. I can not say this, however. I would never turn my back on her and refuse to help when there is a need. If I did refuse to help, my supervisor might say bad things about me behind my back. She might criticize me when I am not present. This would surely be a stab in the back. It is never kind to unfairly harm or say bad things about other people.
Sometimes, when I am very productive in my job, my employer gives me a pat on the back. She praises my work. She might even say “I will scratch your back if you will scratch mine.” This means she will do something for me, if I do something helpful for her in exchange. Such an offer usually comes straight from the shoulder. My supervisor has a very direct, open and honest way of speaking.
I know that my employer carries a lot on her shoulders. She is responsible for many things at the office. And because she is so important, she sometimes gets to rub shoulders with the top officials. She gets to spend time with some very important people.
I believe the top official values my supervisor. He never gives her the cold shoulder. He is never unfriendly to her. He always treats her like she is an important part of the organization.
I also value my supervisor. In fact, I think she is very effective in her job. Of course, I could yell my opinion at the top of my lungs, or as loudly as I possibly could. It might even feel good to get my emotions off my chest. It is always helpful to tell people how you feel so that your emotions do not trouble you.
But it is not necessary for me to praise my supervisor. Most of my co-workers feel the exact same way about her. So, I think I will just save my breath. I will keep silent because talking or repeating myself will not do any good.
(Source: VOA)
Friday, 9 November 2007
Accuracy versus Fluency
It's an subject tonight at Acet, Mr. Thyer wrote on the whiteboard next to the term "Impromptu Talks". I have to note this down right after I come back from school, since this is very interesting thing I have ever heard. Actually, the content is not new to me but the way he present absolutely won my heart.
It answers directly the question: "How should I improve speaking in advance?" which I have been wondering till now.
Accuracy in speaking count the exactly/correctly how you use grammar, idiom, phrase, tense, ...in your speech. And Fluency count the percentage of how people understand what you said.
You might see someone speak English fluently, and people can understand that person easily and clearly. But if you ask a native speaker or a teacher, he will point out several wrong things in grammar, phrase, ... so this person can be called fluency speaker. But with the student very good at grammar, vocabulary, ...if his pronunciation is not so good. Even he uses the sentence in standard and correct of course, but people seem misunderstood him. In speaking, if you think you fair in Accuracy level then you must find yourself the way to improve Fluency.
Not only the pronunciation takes impact on your Fluency, but also many other items. So I'd like to list it below top ten issue for us to measure how good are you in speaking:
1/ Pronunciation
2/ Stress, intonation, rythm
3/ Speed, pause/hesitation (we need some pause during the talk for audience have time to understand you)
4/ Clarity (clear enough) and Volume (must be not too slow)
5/ Grammar and vocabulary
6/ Content and organization.
7/ Linking lanuage (Firstly, secondly, therefore, ...to notify audience now you start to go the next idea/items.
8/ Body language: gesture (using hand), posture (the way you sit, just like relax), facial expression (acting in your face must follow the content of speech), eye contact (keep your eyes open and, nervous mannerism (when you nervous you scratch everywhere, especially the back of your head)
9/ Location, movement (just move arround up n down during making speech)
10/ Enthusiasm/Energy/Confident
This is actually the instruction for the "Impromptu Talk" hour in the class. I will talk about this later next post...These top ten issues are not easy at all to go through since you cannot do this by your self, you need a group sitting there and ready listen to you. And I think I'm very lucky to have this situation.
Practice makes perfect...
Notes: One more thing has just connected me to the idea in advance for current English class @LTRC. I think I must discuss with Mr. Marc about this, we should not focus much on Accuracy but the Fluency instead. (I mean this for the advance group, like my group :))
Back to the board
Today I'd like to start a new tag, it is about activities for group of English learner, so that we can both having fun and learning English too. I did apply this to my team in company as an Weekend English Club, and the result is so good. We all having fun, and one more important thing is that it's also help to build-up the team spirit which is very neccessary in modern working enviroment.
Now the first game I'd like to show here is simple and easy to apply in office, this is for a group of 10 or 14 people playing. Just follow the instruction below...
Write on the whiteboard:
This game is played in 2 teams, one person in each team will sit their back to the white board. The rest of the team must give glues to help he/she says the sentence written on the whiteboard.
Rules:
One point for each first correct answer.
And you will lose one point if you:
• Speak Vietnamese.
• Say, or write or spell a word from the whiteboard.
• Don’t keep your back to the board.
>>> After you inform rules to the crowd, now the game can be started. You must write on the board the esiest sentence first, as the following order is OK.
Some example sentences:
I love doing homework .
Dance if you think I'm sexy.
Cows are cool but ducks look funny.
I'm too drunk to ride my motorbike.
Why are you laughing and pointing at me?
I'm really bad at this stupid game.
I look like a man and dress like a little girl.
I'm so beautiful, you should all take my photo.
I think you're all ugly but interesting.
I kicked the chicken in the kitchen.
---------------------
I bet that this will very funny for the whole team, both loser or winner :). Don't you believe that, just try once...this game may take 30min or 45 min depends on the sentences you have. You can think about your own sentence. but just keep it simple and easy humour verb.
And finally, I don't forget to say thank to very kind gentleman, my teacher, Mr. Adam Thyer. He's willing to give me the paper and allow me to post this to my blog. So that's it, now you can use it and share to everyone you like. (just give the link back to my page, thank you)
(Source: Adam Thyer, Australian teacher at Acet)
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
IELTS Roadshow 2007 come to Vietnam this Sunday (Nov-11)
The 'Study English' television program will be hosting a series of two hour examination preparation seminars.The ‘Study English’ television program is jointly produced by INSEARCH and Australia Network and is broadcast to over 20.1 million homes in 41 countries in Asia, the Pacific and Indian Sub-continent. This popular program is now bringing its unique combination of IELTS preparation with information on Australian study options to India and Vietnam!
Designed to assist students planning to study in an Australian univeristy and who need to sit the IELTS exam, the seminar will include guest appearances from well known ‘Study English’ presenter Margot Politis, and will be conducted by author and IELTS expert David Larbalestier.Information on IELTS for academic purposes will be available on the day and a range of handy hints and tips will help prepare any student interested in gaining the competitive global edge in education.You will also have the opportunity to discuss your study options with representatives from INSEARCH.
Click here for schedule and place in VIETNAM
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
First day at ACET
Teacher name is Jeff, 44 years old, coming from USA, started the class with such an introduction day. Students get to know each other in a natural way via a game. Each of students had to answer 10 easy questions (such as: what's yr favorite book, how many shoes you have, what country you like to visit most,...) one by one but not in the same paper, we students have been exchanged the papers after complete one question, after getting done with 10 answer in hand, we stand up and go around to find the writter of that answer. It's interesting game, you have to make questions to all the other people in class.
Jeff went through the rules of school as well as his too. He did in a very effective or dynamic, called "two-ways" interaction, just making sure his stundent remember that easy, he force us to read loud by ourselves, doing simple quiz about rules and then explain all to us. Thanks to that, now I can remember the rules of whole course and his too.
The first day was closed with filled of emotion, I feel very eager to start. The study enviroment look actual professional as I expected beforehand. Anyhow, this is a hard time which need my all concentration fully and seriously to get pass the course. I think it's not easy but I will try my best to achieve what I plan. Running/watching/playing days are over from now :(
http://www.acet.edu.vn/: site of the school
Saturday, 3 November 2007
Essay about Computer
Topic: write an short essay about advantages and disadvantages of Computer that you have experienced
-------------------------------------------------
With the boom of information century, computer is the machine playing the primary role in this modern time. We actually cannot work without computers but it is sometime cause the trouble to whom use it.
For the first look that I can see, it help me a lot for improving my English with a software called “English for today”. It could be a virtual teacher who ready answer any question immediately fast and trust. Second advantage I would like to mention here is entertainment. It can take the stress out of my mind, I can play funny game, listen to music, watching film…I ‘m really love this tool at this point. Addition to internet nowadays, computer become the great machine ever. All people in the world feel like the same house, it mean that the distance is no longer exist. A girl in Vietnam can have a happy marry with a man in England via internet, in this case I believe that computer turn to be human, no more than a matchmaker.
But everything has two side, positive and negative. The first item in the negative list is the virus. It’s a kind of small ugly software that can make the computer crash and data lost. You properly want to die in one day when your computer in company suddenly infected by a extremly dangerous virus and it deleted all data files. I myself was in that case, and I know how I feel stupid at that time. The next item could be the trouble maker is the game. I’m used to lose myself control into virtual world of the game, I gave up everything then run follow the game, just me and computer, day by day, night by night. It actually dumped me down at that time. Now everything is ok to me.
In conclusion, no one can deny the fact that computer is the pretty nice gift from God. We get benefit from such a tool as much as trouble. As my personal thinking, I love it more than ever before. Since it help me to get income everymonth, on the other hand, I feel that I would not be able to live without *him*.
Friday, 2 November 2007
Mouse trap story
Mr. Marc, English instructor in my company has sent this story out to all employees via email yesterday. This is really interesting fable. After going thru this story, you might say "hmm..." and head up, eyes stick on the ceiling...You are thinking.. and say "hmm..." again, after look back to your life to see how true it is.
Here is story:
---------------------------------------
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
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The next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage and help one another.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Face: Time to Face the Music
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The first is face the music. It means to accept the results of what you have done.
Here is an example from a Reuters news report: Britain’s highest court had ruled that former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was legally arrested. Opponents of General Pinochet welcomed the news. One of them said, “We have waited for years for this man to face the music.”
No one is sure how the expression began. One story is that it came from a military ceremony held when a soldier was forced out of an army.
The buttons were cut from the soldier’s clothing. He was put on a horse, facing the back of the horse and led away. As he left, he faced the music of a military band and the soldiers he had served with.
Another story says the expression began in the theater. New actors, shaking with fright, were told that the only cure was to go out and face the music. The music was played by the orchestra seated in front of the stage.
A similar expression is face up to. It means to accept something that is difficult or painful. For example, a man must face up to the fact that he lied about a business deal and will lose his job. Or, a child must learn to face up to her responsibilities and complete her schoolwork.
Meeting someone face-to-face can be exciting, especially if the other person is famous. It is an expression one might use after visiting the White House and meeting the president face-to-face. Or a teacher might ask for a face-to-face meeting with the parents of a student in trouble. It means to talk to someone in person, not by telephone.
Another expression is as plain as the nose on your face. It means that something is as clear as it can possibly be.
Shakespeare used the words almost five hundred years ago for a joke in his play Two Gentlemen of Verona. Valentine secretly loves Lady Sylvia. His servant jokes that Valentine’s love for her is as hard to see as the nose on a man’s face. Of course, a man’s nose cannot be hidden.
A more recent use of the expression appeared in a report in Newsday magazine. It was about a dispute between the United States and Europe over agriculture. The United States had criticized Europeans for protecting their soybean farmers. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in return criticized the United States for its huge budget deficits. The report said the OECD seemed to be saying, “For God’s sake, it is plain as the nose on your face that you must raise taxes.”
(Source: VOA)
Maka-Maka: the new virtual social from giant Google
Google may have lost the bidding war to invest in Facebook, but it is preparing its own major assault on the social networking scene. It goes by the codename “Maka-Maka” inside the Googleplex (or, perhaps, “Makamaka”).
Maka-Maka encompasses Google’s grand plan to build a social layer across all of its applications. Some details about Maka-Maka have already leaked out, particularly how Google plans to use the feed engine that powers Google Reader (known internally as Reactor) to create “activity streams” for other applications akin to Facebook’s news and mini feeds. But Maka-Maka goes well beyond that.
Maka-Maka will be unveiled in stages. The first peek will come in early November. As we reported previously, Google is planning to “out open” Facebook with a new set of APIs that developers can use to build apps for its social network Orkut, iGoogle, and eventually other applications as well. To recap what we wrote earlier:
Google will announce a new set of APIs on November 5 that will allow developers to leverage Google’s social graph data. They’ll start with Orkut and iGoogle (Google’s personalized home page), and expand from there to include Gmail, Google Talk and other Google services over time.
On November 5 we’ll likely see third party iGoogle gadgets that leverage Orkut’s social graph information - the most basic implementation of what Google is planning. . . . Google is also considering allowing third parties to join the party at the other end of the platform - meaning other social networks (think Bebo, Friendster, Twitter, Digg and thousands of others) to give access to their user data to developers through those same APIs.
We’ve now learned that the original November 5 date Google is shooting for may be delayed. “They need more time,” says one outside developer working on the project. “It is a challenge for them,” confirms another. Still, the expectation right now is that some announcement will be made the week of November 5 (perhaps the 8th or the 9th), and will most likely be limited to Google’s existing social network, Orkut. The APIs will be announced, along with as many as 50 partners that have created applications on top of the APIs. (Most of the top app developers for Facebook will be included—think RockYou, Slide, iLike, SocialMedia, etc.—and a few new ones as well).
All eyes will be on Google, but don’t expect anything too earth-shattering straight out of the gate. Many of these apps will be copycats of what is already available on Facebook (just as the very first apps on Facebook were ported over from other parts of the Web). This first go-round, Google will just be trying to match Facebook’s ante. Remember, even on Facebook, the best apps didn’t emerge on Day One. And now Facebook has a six-month lead.
The bigger challenge for Google in the U.S. is Orkut itself. While there may be 24.6 million monthly visitors to Orkut worldwide, only 500,000 of those are here in the U.S., according to comScore. Cool social apps aren’t much good if none of your friends use them.
That’s where the bigger plan for Maka-Maka comes into play. Maka-Maka is very strategic for Google. Responsibility for it goes all the way up to Jeff Huber, the VP of engineering in charge of all of Google’s apps. Huber is on record as saying that the way Google plans to compete is by using the Web as the platform instead of trying to lock developers into Google’s own platform. One way it will do that from the start is by creating two-way APIs so that any app created for Google can be taken to other Websites. (Whether this will extend to actual user profile data within Orkut or elsewhere inside Google remains to be seen because of privacy issues, but the apps themselves will be portable). And data from other social sites will be able to be imported into Google’s social apps as well.
The bigger vision is to combine all of Google’s apps and services through Maka-Maka. Google already has so much data on you, depending on how many Google apps you already use. It just needs to bring everything together. Your contacts are in Gmail. Your feeds are in Google Reader. Your IM buddy list is in Gtalk. Your upcoming events are in Google Calendar. Your widgets are in iGoogle. And don’t forget about your search history. Overtime, Google will connect all of these together in different ways, along with data about you from other social services across the Web, and give developers access to the social layer tying all of these apps together underneath. The real killer app for Google is not to turn Orkut into a Facebook clone. It is to turn every Google app into a social application without you even noticing that you’ve joined yet another social network.
Update: Google is now planning on revealing the first part of Maka-Maka, its cross-platform social APIs, which it is formally calling OpenSocial, on November 1. This will be mostly for developers. Consumers will see the actual applications that come out of this down the road.
More detail and comments, go here
(Source: Techcrunch)
Going detail about Google API
