Archive for December, 2009
What English sounds like to foreigners
Dec 18th
In 1970 the Italian singer Adriano Celentano composed the song Prisencolinensinainciusol.
What makes the song interesting is that it is gibberish, but specifically designed to sound like American English.
To an English speaker that’s very interesting because it provides an idea of what English sounds like to foreigners.
Listen to the song (it’s actually quite a fun song anyway). It does indeed sound like English – as if I should be understanding it.
Another excellent obituary from The Economist
Dec 17th
If I were to pick a single article from each week’s Economist it would be the obituary. The last article in each edition, I often find the obituaries the most enjoyable to read.
Reading an obituary in The Economist is to be given a series of glimpses into a life, after which you have a feeling for the subject that mere story telling can’t provide.
Not every such article captures me, but some are certainly stunning and I always look forward to the final article in each edition.
This week the subject of the obituary is Charis Wilson, a model and writer who was prominent in the 1930’s and 40’s.
Initially the subject of beautiful photographs by Edward Weston she eventually wrote the articles for his books.
The article is a gem and I recommend it – good returns for a single page of reading.
Photos of diving under the Antarctic ice
Dec 14th
Norbert Wu has spent a lot of time diving under the ice of Antarctica. Very dangerous, very interesting.
Despite the extreme cold, life is relatively abundant and he has some great photos.
Click through to the gallery for more pictures and explanations. Here are some of the best images.
Here a diver is swimming below a crack in the sea ice.
Starfish can be quite vicious. In this case they are slowly devouring a dead seal pup.
In Antarctica you don’t just dig a hole in the ice and start diving. They maintain ‘dive huts’ from which they dive in water as cold as -1.8 Centigrade.
Great idea – a portal and tube have been built to allow researchers to observe what is going on underwater.
Google Goggles – Search with your camera phone
Dec 8th
Google has just released a new service. It is called Google Goggles and it runs on cell phones (not many people know that Google produces a mobile phone operating system).
Basically, you take a picture with your phone and the service gives you information about what you’re looking at. In this example the service recognizes the Golden Gate Bridge and returns information on it.
It’s a very early version of the service, but it also works on books, business cards, paintings, logos, and even wine labels! Take a look at the official site to get a better idea.
I’ve read a review of the service and it seems to work reasonably well. Amazing!
It feels a lot like magic! This could also be quite scary. Imagine a day when people can find your Facebook profile by scanning you with their phone!
Get 10% to 25% off at restaurants in Cape Town
Dec 1st
Last night I tested out Diners Delight – a new service in Cape Town.
I always try to support Cape Town startups so I was very pleased that everything worked so well. And it’s a great service.
The idea is simple:
You get a discount at restaurants in return for filling out a survey on your dining experience.
Simple as that. We got a 10% discount last night. Even though I booked a table of four (the discount applies to the whole bill).
Today they emailed me a reminder to fill out the survey which took about 4 minutes to do (multiple choice questions).
Bargain!
That’s a great return. I effectively got paid R40 to fill out a quick little survey. Awesome.
The best thing is that the discounts get better. Next time I eat at that restaurant the discount will be 15%. Then 20% and then 25%!
Check out their explanation of how Diners Delight works.
The service currently applies to 35 restaurants but more are being added regularly. The site includes a full menu and details about each of the restaurants.
I recommend giving Diners Delight a try. Quick, easy and saves you money.
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