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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Complaint letter - stepper/Climber



Complaint letter - NON edited version


Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in response to the incorrect contents I have found in HealthMax Stepper/Climber HP, the product I bought in your store three weeks ago and about which I would like to comment on.
First of all, I must say I bought your product because it was often suggested by the mass media, specially by the TV, as the best exercising house equipment in the market with a consistently high standard of packing. Due to this reasonable statement, which I took it for granted, I frankly believed that buying the HealthMax could be a wise healthy investment although I had to get out quite a big amount of money from my current account for the first payment as I was told.
Unfortunatelly, neither the media saying nor the product standard were totally true so no sooner had I installed the fitness machine than I realised some of its pressed body-building functions didn't work. Furthermore, after 20-day trial more inconveniences appeared such as the electronic workout monitor had suddenly no signal.
Having said that and as you can imagine, I am a complete desillusioned and bitterly disappointed customer. However, I would apreciate if you would settle me back the whole money as soon as possible or send me and deliver at home a new HealthMax completely free of charge. I would also strongly recomend doing one of these two actions otherwise I will have to make an appointment to the Complain Customer Agent (CCA) as you can perfectly understand. In a word, we should try to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,


NN

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Jazz chants with Carolyn Graham

Jazz chants

Y book medieval ware



Are you Ansgarr?
- Yes
- Good
- What seems to be the problem?
- It's this thing here.
  Have a seat.
- Thanks.
- I haven't been able to do anything all morning.
- Yes, I apologize, it takes time. Everyone needs help with the new system.
  So you can't open it?
- No, it's just been lying there.
- Have you tried to opening it?
- Open it?
  If it had been that straight forward, I wouldn't have called Helpdesk.
  Would you like some water?
- No, thanks.
  Well if we go like this...
  There! We're in.
- I got to that point myself.
  But then I stopped, fearing I would lose some text.
  I didn't have the nerve to go on.
- Okay. In here there may be hundreds of pages of stored text.
  To proceed, you take hold of a page...
  ... and turn the page.
  And the text continues there.
- I "turn the page"?
- Yes, turn the page.
- But what if I want to go back?
- Just turn the page in the opposite direction.
  .. and you're back at the previous text.
- Okay. So it ends here...
  and continues there!
  Okay. But what do I do when I finish?
- You simply close the book like this.
  There. It's closed and all its text is stored for you.
- And you're sure I won't lose any of the text?
- Yes; everything is safely stored here.
- Compared to the scroll...
  it takes longer to turn the pages of a book.
  Wait, just to repeat this before you leave.
  I open it like this...
  And then - what did you call it?
- To "turn the pages".
- Right. I turn the pages back and forth.
  And when I'm done I close it.
  Splendid! Thanks.
  No, wait, wait, wait!
  Now it's like this - I can't open it.
- You must open it from the front.
- Oh, so that actually matters?
- Yes. You must open it like this.
- I see!



& No comments here!









Here's a bit of computer history and humor with one of Compaq Computer's ads. Compaq was trying to show its computer was compatible with IBM's personal computer.

The ad showcases John Cleese comparing the Compaq Computer with a dead fish. See if you get the connection... and the dry humor.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

google offices





google offices








Monday, April 19, 2010

wordlet

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends (see one with the words from this blog).

Wordle – the five guidelines in PPT
or follow Jonathan Feinberg's blog.

ma-serendipity worlet


tribute to http://www.wordle.net/ .

Here's a wonderful presentation (54 slides) from Free Technology for Teachers on all the amazing ways you might use wordle in your classroom. (my heart votes for n. 9 - huxley and 33 - kipling) 

 Thanks Janet!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Global issues: empires, themes and brands

1. Cartographs: massland according to variables.



2. brands: empires land masss1804-1980

This is mainly an experimentation with soft bodies using toxi's verlet springs.
The data refers to the evolution of the top 4 maritime empires of the XIX and XX centuries by extent. The visual emphasis is on their decline.




and time before some of the others:


Obesity -back to 1902... hard to believe

There has been a lot of very thoughtful discussion lately about the obesity epidemic facing this country. All I have to add to this insightful and informed conversation is a comment on and picture of a turn-of-the-century sideshow freak:






This is Chauncy Morlan, and around 100 years ago his obesity was so shocking that people would pay money to see him as he toured the country as a circus “fat man”. I find the unremarkableness of his size to be a telling sign of how we’ve pushed the limits of obesity in the past 100 years. Imagine, if you will, what society would look like if 100 years from now if what passed as spectacularly obese today would not even turn heads at the mall.

Friday, April 16, 2010

googling words: branding out GOOGLE itself


The dire facts from google: nothing succeeds like success, and it will be called TOPEKA.


The world best brands 2006(1--> 7)

Google changes its logo frequently to celebrate events such as birth anniversaries of well known people, holiday seasons etc. These logos are known as Google Doodle. Today's relates to Isaac Newton, D'you like it?


Best companies in 2008: No. 2 Google

2008 Annual Sales (millions): $21,796
Sales CAGR (2004-2008): 61.7%
Value CAGR (2004-2008): 8.6%

Google first found success with its search engine. Now the towering leader in search, the Mountain View (Calif.) company has aggressively expanded its offerings to e-mail and instant messaging, Web browsing, social networking, and most recently an operating system.

http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/guykawasaki/cpahorshAyCucdeowojHnegwlIjjaAuctjcdlFdqbgFEFfylIDbehGnrJwww/media_httpimageshuffi_uadbq.jpg.scaled500.jpg





Google
the infinite quest


the 9 Living Stories experiment ran in Google Labs from Dec 2009 - Feb 2010.

PROject MAP of Prejudice (2006)
"germans are known for *"



preFOTO



How to forget the unbelievbable GOOGLE EARTH with its STREETVIEW and 3D videos of cities, see this one VLC!
with the program in 2.0 Building Maker.

the tech commandments




from I to V




from one to five


from VI to XX

The bestest money quotes

Value these quotes from 1 to 7: 1 the least 7 the most.

A- Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. ~Woody Allen

B- If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy” -proverb

C- Money often costs too much. Emerson

D- When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is. ~Oscar Wilde

E- check up once in a while, and make sure that you haven't lost, the things that money can't buy.

F- They who are of the opinion that Money will do everything, may very well be suspected to do everything for Money.

G- The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money. ~Author Unknown




common sense

“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.”

If money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money?”

if money does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.”

I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money. ~Pablo Picasso

mark twain -worth - value - money - Money quotes

Mark Twain quotes prove difficult to resist. One read through some quotes from Mark Twain, and his colorful life is evident. His early works showcase his unique wit and humorous inclinations.

"The Father of American Literature" WM. Faulkner
At the close of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom and Huck find gold. We readers of Twain's work continue to uncover the same in Mark Twain quotes.

Born: November 30, 1835 (with Halley's Comet)
Died: April 21, 1910 (also with Halley's Comet...Twain predicted that his own death would occur with the return of the comet)
Education: Very little, other than self-education in a library
Occupation: Printer's apprentice, typesetter, printer, steam boat pilot, miner, actor, author, humorist, inventor

Next Mark Twain Famous Quote



The lack of money is the root of all evil.

Some men worship rank, some worship heroes, some worship power, some worship God, & over these ideals they dispute & cannot unite--but they all worship money.
- Mark Twain's Notebook


Honesty is the best policy - when there is money in it.

We have the best government that money can buy.

Illustration by "Dwig" from the Dave Thomson collection

MONEY - WORTH - VALUE

"To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.





Humans life is worth nothing

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

SCAERMLBD WORDS-spelling rules!

SCAERMLBD WORDS
“I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!” is not particularly insightful. Can you read these words?

Sunday, April 11, 2010

modals everywhere







1. What are the two sentences to come to your mind...
if you are their mum/
elder brother/sister?

2. Wonder what happen'd afterwards?


see all the series






Tesco ergo sum ..... with 30 ¥ € $ silver coins




1. Money matters?  ¥  €  $ !!

Consumerism clearly tells away our new religion in sentences full of connotacions such as:
Tesco ergo sum (Tesco stores)
(from Descartes: Cogito ergo sum... therefore I am)
Shop until you drop
You are what you shop

and the noble art of advertising
Brave new brand (plays with the words Brave new world, Huxley's Utopia, taken from Shakespeare)
(you name another couple)
................
........................


.... and advertisers are the new profets.

If you have thought it through thoroughly you may be tempted to agree.
From other traditions we can see a Chinese God of Money on the left.


2. The bare facts:
the UK scene(2005).
life in the UK when it comes to money:
Average adult debt is now £4000 and
students are in more debt than they care to think about.
Yet still we strive for more treasure now.
In the USA
American younsgters watch more than 300.000 adverts before they go to collage.
Apple sold more than 300.000 iPADs the first day after the launching.



3. Another world. Beyond individualism, that XXth century plague:
We've seen signs of cooperation and sharing not seen in the old days.
I will not point out to any examples, one of old, the other brand new.
A. Societas Iesu / The Jesuits, hava a noble house in mu town, or
B. Wikipedia to say two impossible things... before you come to think of them as realitites.

Get Rich, Be Happy?. Looking at how to share the gospel by talking about money. Someone has counted up that 15% of what Jesus said concerned money, and there's plenty more beyond the gospels too.


4. From our Christian tradition, we may as well explore the Gospels.


firstly in Luke 12v13-31 speaking into a dispute over inheritance that the real need is to get rich towards God.
Secondly, Jesus words that advise us to invest well, from Matthew 6v19-21. And that the best investment is in that which lasts for eternity, not in things that rot and rust. Our choice of investment declaring the location of our heart.
Finally we may look at Matthew 13v44 where Jesus tells of the joy of finding the kingdom of heaven, and how it is worth selling everything to attain.


5. To members of other faiths/ethics,
Let us not be so easily satisfied, as any mother would warn us. Let us invest in that which is of true value. ... investing elsewhere is both offensive to him and futile if our desire is happiness.

2010, the year of the e-readers: iPAD, kindle, nook, etcrs

If 2009 was the worst of times for most of the information industry, it was a decidedly good year for manufacturers of digital e-reading alternatives.



Carlton says it will be years before we know. "Right now I'd say we're in the last movement of the final symphony of print. We haven't even heard the first real notes of the first symphony for digital reading." He adds, "It's easy to look at the current era as a period of doom and gloom, but publishing's not dead. It's just changing form."





Comparative e-readers beyond the cloud

HEADLINES:
ipad lives a life to the full
Ipads on the 300.000 sold the first day, will make the million by April 21st!
3.3 Million Kindles Shipped In 2009.
Try Kindle for a Month. Discover for yourself why millions of readers love Kindle.
Barnes and Noble NOOK ebook reader

2010 forecast for Kindle sales to 3.45 million.
e-books figures
Kindle offers 400.000 titles
iPAD offers 60.000 titles




Auxiliary verbs




to follow Sue Swift press here

Conditionals.. another look

10 Slogans: Coke & ... what else?





1.) "I'd Like to Buy The World A Coke" (1971)
Peace. Love. Happiness. The sharing of cola. What's not to love.. a bottle?

lyrics of the single
Jingle's history:
I'd like to buy the world a home and furnish it with love,
Grow apple trees and honey bees, and snow white turtle doves.
I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,
I'd like to BUY the world a Coke and keep it company.
(x2, and in the background)
It's the real thing, Coke is what the world wants today.


Some landmarks:
In the 50's
companies gained opportunities to sponsor entire programs that showcased their products (soap operas)
In the 1960s, an executive at NBC revolutionized the television industry by suggesting using 1-2 minute spots with jingles during television breaks
The 1970s opened with the banning of cigarette ads on television
In the 1980s, television advertising targeted new consumers—children.
By the 1990s the typical hour-long program contained up to 19 minutes of advertising space!
Later, advertisers draw viewers' attention by hiring popular actors and characters to star in commercials.
This century, even though commercials have become shorter and more expensive, they have also become more interesting.
What else?


You must be mistaken.


The target? Women on top.

Once you view the sagas,
they become absolutely more intriguing:
the characters are set, the place more sophisticated,
the plot thicker.
So that you won't forget the catchy phrase and ....
the BRAND.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka

Telephone Conversation
by Wole Soyinka (1936-...)


The price seemed reasonable, location Indifferent.
The landlady swore she lived Off premises.


Me: "Madam," I warned, "I hate a wasted journey—I am African."
lady: "HOW DARK?" . . . "ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?" (Considerate she was, varying the emphasis) "ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?"
me: "You mean--like plain or milk chocolate?"
lady: “AHA...”
"West African sepia"--and as afterthought , "Down in my passport."
....Silence ...
"WHAT'S THAT?" conceding "DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS."
"Like brunette."
"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?"
"Not altogether. Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet Are a peroxide blond. Friction, caused-- Foolishly, madam--by sitting down, has turned My bottom raven black--One moment, madam!"- -"Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather See for yourself?"

Now the poem of our Nigerian Nobel Prize -1986


The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. "Madam," I warned,
"I hate a wasted journey—I am African."
Silence. Silenced transmission of
Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was foully.
"HOW DARK?" . . . I had not misheard . . . "ARE YOU LIGHT
OR VERY DARK?" Button B, Button A.* Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar. It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfounded to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis--
"ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?" Revelation came.
"You mean--like plain or milk chocolate?"
Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted,
I chose. "West African sepia"--and as afterthought,
"Down in my passport." Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece. "WHAT'S THAT?" conceding
"DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS." "Like brunette."
"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?" "Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see
The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
Are a peroxide blond. Friction, caused--
Foolishly, madam--by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black--One moment, madam!"--sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears--"Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?"

SFGTD, signed The Lord, all the lore








To: YOU

Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE


This is God.. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you.. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you.



P.S. And, remember....
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.





Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.





If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.





Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.



Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.




Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.



Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.



Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.




Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!



Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Now, you have a nice day...
signed: God


God has seen you struggling,
God says it's over.
A blessing is coming yourway.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

iTunes U - higher learning

iTunes U
iTunes U, part of the iTunes Store, is possibly the world’s greatest collection of free educational media available to students, teachers, and lifelong learners. With over 200,000 educational audio and video files available, iTunes U* has quickly become the engine for the mobile learning movement. It puts the power of the iTunes Store in the hands of qualifying universities so they can distribute their educational media to their students or to the world.

14 Jan 2010 ... Oxford has now passed the 2 millionth download from its iTunes U site and Marianne Talbot is still flying high after 6 months in the iTunes

YouTube & iTunes U: Learned Ilocano & earned my college degree there
Time will be when the snippets of educational videos in YouTube, such as the 95-second episode above, and the profound lectures and podcasts of experts at Apple’s iTunes University will achieve some convergence and become accredited as integral parts of various college curricula. And well, one will then be able to earn his or her college degree in part from YouTube and iTunes University. What a monumental savings that would be, especially for those who can ill afford to attend college or are severely impacted by the economic downturn, considering how expensive college tuition has become.

Of course, under this soon-to-be new educational paradigm shift (if I had my rathers…), there will be parts of the curricula that require the students to attend some classes in school, such as those requiring lab courses or internship. But more than half of the curricula in most baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate degrees could probably be rendered in YouTube and iTunes University. Maybe both discussion and assessment periods could then be scheduled in the classroom for only one-third the norm. That provides the student-student and student-teacher interactions that seem to be missed in online learning.

multinationals brands Cereals




brands sutherland video




Multinationals: Help or Hindrance?
http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/debate1.htm

You are going to debate the pros and cons of international multi nation corporations. It is important to remember that you have been placed in your group based on what seems to be the opposite of what you really think. Use the clues and ideas below to help you create an arguement for your appointed point of view with your team members. Below you will find phrases and language helpful in expressing opinions, offering explanations and disagreeing.

Opinions, Preferences:

I think..., In my opinion..., I'd like to..., I'd rather..., I'd prefer..., The way I see it..., As far as I'm concerned..., If it were up to me..., I suppose..., I suspect that..., I'm pretty sure that..., It is fairly certain that..., I'm convinced that..., I honestly feel that, I strongly believe that..., Without a doubt,...,

Disagreeing:

I don't think that..., Don't you think it would be better..., I don't agree, I'd prefer..., Shouldn't we consider..., But what about..., I'm afraid I don't agree..., Frankly, I doubt if..., Let's face it, The truth of the matter is..., The problem with your point of view is that...

Giving Reasons and offering explanations: To start with, The reason why..., That's why..., For this reason..., That's the reason why..., Many people think...., Considering..., Allowing for the fact that..., When you consider that... For Multinationals

* Offers employment to local workers
* Promotes peace internationally
* Creates sense of community crossing international borders
* Allows entire world to improve standard of living
* Gives access to quality products regardless of location
* Promotes economic stability
* Raises standard of living for regions involved in production
* Gives local economies new economic opportunities
* Fact of life which needs to be accepted
* Reflects global economy

Against Multinationals

* Ruins local economies
* Depletes local work forces by drawing to metro centres
* Stifles cultural growth and expansion on local level
* Provides little help with problems which are local in nature
* Creates cultural homogenization
* Too big, little interest in the individual
* Gives political power to outside interests
* Creates economic unstability by being subject to the whims of the global economy
* Replaces traditional values with materialistic values
* Makes local economies subject to mass layoffs


--
They lived und laughed ant loved end left.
Joyce

Monday, April 5, 2010

Tablet wars: iPAD vs kindle.

Video1.



Video2.


Everyone was expecting the release of the Ipad, but does it have enough to compete with most netbooks or even the Amazon Kindle?

Three Reasons Why the iPad WON’T Kill Amazon’s Kindle
By BRAD STONE
It may be suddenly fashionable to say so, but the new Apple iPad tablet won’t kill the Kindle from Amazon. Here are three reasons. My colleague, Nick Bilton, has weighed in on this topic from the opposite side. Please add your thoughts in the comments section below.

The Kindle is for book lovers, and the iPad is not.

Sure, the Kindle’s potential market may have shrunk today, since the two-books-a-year folks will now choose the more versatile iPad.

But the Kindle (and other devices with E Ink screens) will continue to be the best device for lovers of long-form reading, period. (And they do love it; check the Kindle forums for the passion of Kindle owners.) The iPad’s backlit screen, higher price and more limited battery all make it a poorer choice for curling up with a novel.

Also, there’s the distraction factor. When you read a book, you just don’t want to have e-mail, Twitter and the ESPN Web site beckoning from the browser. The absence of those services on the Kindle — sure, it’s also a flaw — actually make it better for focused leisure reading.

comparison: see user's viewpoint

New york : city profile





You’re watching watchmojo.com,
I’m your host, Alex, and today,
we’re gonna continue our city
profiles; this time, hitting up NYC.
00:10 New York City is the largest city in
the United States, and one of the
world’s major global cities.
00:15 Located in the seat of New York,
the city has a population of 8.2
million, with an area of 321 square
miles…
00:23 …making it the most densely
populated city in North America.
00:27 New York City is an international
center for business, finance,
fashion, medicine, entertainment,
media, and culture.
00:34 The city is also home to the United
Nations and to many of the world’s
most famous skyscrapers such as
the Chrysler Building and the
Empire State Building.
00:44 Otherwise known as ‘The Big Apple’
and ‘The City That Never Sleeps,’
the city attracts people from all over
the globe…
00:50 …who come for its economic
opportunity, culture, and fast-paced
cosmopolitan lifestyle.
00:55 New York City is located on the
coast of the northeastern United
States at the mouth of the Hudson
River, in southeastern New York
State.
01:03 New York has a humid continental
climate resulting from prevailing
wind patterns that bring cool air
from the interior of the North
American continent.
01:12 New York winters are typically cold,
with moderate snowfall, averaging a
total of 2 feet annually.
01:18 New York City is home to the most
complex and extensive
transportation networks in all of the
United States…
01:24 …with more than 12,000 iconic
yellow cabs, 120,000 daily
bicyclists, subways, bus and
railroad systems, immense
airports…
01:34 …landmark bridges and tunnels,
ferry services, and even an aerial
commuter tramway.
01:39 The New York City subway is the
largest subway system in the world,
measured by track mileage.
01:44 And it is also the world’s fourth
largest when measured by annual
ridership.

malditas mujeres-coses que passen





Thursday, April 1, 2010

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success | Video on TED.com

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success | Video on TED.com


Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success | Video on TED.com

It's not the material goods we want. It's the rewards we want. And that's a new way of looking at luxury goods. The next time you see somebody driving a Ferrari don't think, "This is somebody who is greedy." Think, "This is somebody who is incredibly vulnerable and in need of love." In other words -- (Laughter) feel sympathy, rather than contempt.