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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Stop using Wikipedia for school work or at least consider the alternatives!

"Although Wikipedia is a great place to find information, it's subject to incomplete citations, biased views, and inaccuracies. And when you absolutely have to have undisputable facts, that's just not good enough. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives out there that can deliver with high quality accuracy, and we've listed 25 of the best here." (www.collegedegree.com)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

2011- the 400th Anniversary of the Book That Changed the World: King James Bible

King James Bible is the Book that changed the world and the way we speak English today. There are several common expressions derived from the King James or other versions of the Bible, such as: sour grapes, turn the other cheek, nothing new under the sun, apple of one's eye, scapegoat, etc.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Online Courses: The Best Websites!

My pick:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Free lecture notes and presentations



Free lectures, presentations and stuff. One of the best cyber study group! Still in the beta, though.

Google Translate Accuracy

Recommended reading: an article from Translation Journal (click on the title of this post or on the following link).

An Analysis of Google Translate Accuracy

by Milam Aiken and Shilpa Balan

"
Although Google Translate provides translations among a large number of languages, the accuracies vary greatly. This study gives for the first time an estimate of how good a potential translation might be using the software. Our analysis shows that translations between European languages are usually good, while those involving Asian languages are often relatively poor. Further, the vast majority of language combinations probably provide sufficient accuracy for reading comprehension in college" (Aiken and Balan 2011).

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Understanding Computers and the Internet, Prof. David J. Malan, Harvard

"This course is all about understanding: understanding what's going on inside your computer when you flip on the switch, why tech support has you constantly rebooting your computer, how everything you do on the Internet can be watched by others, and how your computer can become infected with a worm just by turning it on. In this course we demystify computers and the Internet, along with their jargon, so that students understand not only what they can do with each but also how it all works and why. Students leave this course armed with a new vocabulary and equipped for further exploration of computers and the Internet. Topics include hardware, software, the Internet, multimedia, security, website development, programming, and dotcoms. This course is designed both for those with little, if any, computer experience and for those who use a computer every day." (www.academicearth.org)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Online Course: Literary Theory, Prof. Paul H Fry, Yale

This is a survey of the main trends in twentieth-century literary theory. Lectures will provide background for the readings and explicate them where appropriate, while attempting to develop a coherent overall context that incorporates philosophical and social perspectives on the recurrent questions: what is literature, how is it produced, how can it be understood, and what is its purpose?

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Reading Club!

(click on the title above to visit our Facebook page and give us a huge "Like")

WHO WE ARE
We are a book club made up of English-speaking students, alumni and teachers at Lucian Blaga University who love to read. Our club is organized by the Department of British and American Studies. Participation in our weekly meetings is not restricted to club members, but extends to English-speaking guests from outside the University. There is no membership fee and no attendance obligation. We promote an informal, relaxed atmosphere in our meetings.

WHAT WE DO
Our meetings cover a wide area of interests that range from Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays to contemporary Anglo-American literature and cinema, from Christmas carols to politically correct versions of fairy tales, and from the work of the great classics to the creative writing and critical productions of club members. We also organize and participate in events such as book bazaars, theatre evenings and nights out, creative writing workshops conducted by reputed British writers, colloquia and symposia during the Anglo-American week scheduled by our Department in mid-May, Shakespeare celebration evenings in April, Christmas carol concerts, etc. We publish a journal titled "Cultures in Transit" that includes a selection of the papers presented at the student symposium, as well as creative writing productions. Our upcoming webpage contains the most valuable productions of our members – creative writing as well as literary criticism – and we invite constructive comments and reactions in the Forum section.

WHEN & WHERE
We meet weekly, throughout the academic term, on Thursdays between 7 and 9 p.m., either in Room 54 or 62 of the Faculty of Letters and Arts or in a Café on creative writing evenings. Topics of discussion are announced by means of paper and virtual posters, e-mail newsletters and word of mouth and are decided on by the members present at the preceding meeting.

COME ONE, COME ALL!

Trip to Vienna, Graz, Ljubljana, Venice


April 14 - April 19, 2011: 155EUR
Registration deadline: February 28, 2011
Contact me! (ovidiu.matiu@gmail.com)