lundi 25 mai 2009
Ginette
Ginette est verte autour des bajoues. Elle se sent bleue, prête à aller (aux) bananes. Elle tient à son petit ami comme à la pomme de son œil, mais entre eux, c’est à six et à sept, et ça va vraiment aux chiens. Il est aussi frais qu’un concombre, mais même s’il mord la balle, ce sera le diable à payer si les choses continuent ainsi. Il va la battre noir et bleu et lui donner la brosse. Ginette ne peut pas lui tenir une bougie. C’est un vrai castor avide, toujours plein de haricots et quoiqu’il paraisse un diable peut s’en soucier, elle est simplement poulet. Il a vraiment envie de la laisser debout à l’autel en lui larguant un : « Vitesse de Dieu ! On se voit plus tard crocodile ! » avant qu’elle puisse dire Jack Robinson.
Get your english right!
We, the willing led by the unknowing are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so muchfor so long with so little we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Here is a collection of strange signs found across the world. Read the sentences carefully and pay attention to their "title": they can give you hints for understanding the sentence. Then, set the sentences right! Some of them are grammatically correct, but the wrong words have been used. Others are just a literal translation of the language, or just have a rather clumsy word order.
1 - Private school:
NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.
2 - Hotel bedroom, Japan:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
3 - Doctor's surgery, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
4 - Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
5 - Hotel, Acapulco:
THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE.
6 - Hotel air conditioner instructions, Japan:
COOLES AND HEATES: IF YOU WANT CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF.
7 - Zoo, Hungary:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.
8 - Restaurant, Nairobi:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
9 - Car rental brochure, Tokyo:
WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOUR.
10 - River highway:
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
11 - Poster:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.
12 - Restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.
13 - Automatic hand dryer in public lavatory:
DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS.
14 - Maternity ward:
NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.
15 – Cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
16 - Restaurant menu, Switzerland:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
17 - Bar, Tokyo:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
18 - Temple, Bangkok:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN EVEN A FOREIGNER IF DRESSED AS A MAN.
19 - Japanese public bath:
FOREIGN GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO PULL COCK IN TUB.
20 - Hotel bedroom, Thailand:
PLEASE DO NOT BRING SOLICITORS INTO YOUR ROOM.
We have done so muchfor so long with so little we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Here is a collection of strange signs found across the world. Read the sentences carefully and pay attention to their "title": they can give you hints for understanding the sentence. Then, set the sentences right! Some of them are grammatically correct, but the wrong words have been used. Others are just a literal translation of the language, or just have a rather clumsy word order.
1 - Private school:
NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.
2 - Hotel bedroom, Japan:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
3 - Doctor's surgery, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
4 - Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
5 - Hotel, Acapulco:
THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE.
6 - Hotel air conditioner instructions, Japan:
COOLES AND HEATES: IF YOU WANT CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF.
7 - Zoo, Hungary:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.
8 - Restaurant, Nairobi:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
9 - Car rental brochure, Tokyo:
WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOUR.
10 - River highway:
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
11 - Poster:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.
12 - Restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.
13 - Automatic hand dryer in public lavatory:
DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS.
14 - Maternity ward:
NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.
15 – Cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
16 - Restaurant menu, Switzerland:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
17 - Bar, Tokyo:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
18 - Temple, Bangkok:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN EVEN A FOREIGNER IF DRESSED AS A MAN.
19 - Japanese public bath:
FOREIGN GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO PULL COCK IN TUB.
20 - Hotel bedroom, Thailand:
PLEASE DO NOT BRING SOLICITORS INTO YOUR ROOM.
21 - Hotel brochure, Italy:
THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE.
22 - Hotel bedroom, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
23 - Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
24 - Hotel lobby, Bucharest:
THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE.
25 - Supermarket, Hong Kong:
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE.
26 - Hotel, Moscow (opposite Russian Orthodox monastery):
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
27 - From the Soviet Weekly:
THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
28 - Newspaper, East Africa:
A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS.
29 - Black Forest, Germany:
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.
30 - Hotel, Zurich:
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED.
31 - Laundry, Rome:
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.
32 - Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
33 - Hotel bedroom, Moscow:
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE USSR, YOU ARE WELCOME TO IT.
34 - Tourist agency, Czechoslovakia:
TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE NO MISCARRIAGES.
35 - Dentist's advertisement, Hong Kong:
TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.
36 - Airline, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
Source: http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/funnyeng.htm
Practical English Lesson, October 12th 2007.
dimanche 10 mai 2009
Boot Camp cure for Web Obsession
Martin Fackler, November 18th, 2007, From the New York Times
The boot camp, part rehab centre, resembles programs around the world for troubled youths. Drill instructors drive young men through military-style obstacle courses, counsellors lead group sessions, and there are even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming. Lee Chang-Hoon, 15, runs an obstacle course at the "Internet Rescue School". He spent almost all of his time online before his mother sent him to the camp. “Seventeen hours a day online is fine,” he said at the camp. These young people have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace. South Korea is one of the most wired nations on earth: 90% of homes connect to cheap, high-speed broadband; and online gaming is now a professional sport. But such ready access to the Web has come at a price as legions of obsessed users find that they cannot tear themselves away from their computer screens. Compulsive Internet use has been identified as a mental health issue in Korea, and has become a national issue in recent years, as users started dropping dead from exhaustion after playing online games for days on end. "Up to 30% of South Koreans under 18, or about 2.4 million people, are at risk of Internet addiction", said a child psychiatrist at a Seoul University. Up to a quarter million probably show signs of actual addiction, like rising levels of tolerance that drive them to seek ever longer sessions online or withdrawal symptoms like anger and craving when prevented from logging on.
The rescue camp, in a forested area about an hour south of Seoul, was created to treat the most severe cases. The camp is entirely paid for by the government, making it tuition-free. During a session, participants live at the camp, where they are denied computer use and allowed only one hour of cell phone calls a day, to prevent them from playing online games via the phone. They also follow a rigorous regimen of physical exercise and group activities, aimed at building emotional connections to the real world and weakening those with the virtual one. The campers are under constant surveillance, including while asleep, and are kept busy with chores, like washing their clothes and cleaning their rooms.
Lee Chang-Hoon, 15, began using the computer to pass the time while he was home alone. He said he quickly came to prefer the virtual world, where he seemed to enjoy more success and popularity than in the real one. He spent 17 hours a day online, mostly playing games, and skipped school two or three times a week to catch up on sleep. Desperate, his mother sent him to the camp. "I don’t have a problem," Chang-hoon said in an interview three days after starting the camp. "Seventeen hours a day online is fine." But later that day, he seemed to start changing his mind, if only slightly. As a drill instructor barked orders, Chang-hoon marched through a cold autumn rain to the obstacle course. Chang-hoon began climbing the first obstacle, a telephone pole with small metal rings. At the top, he slowly stood up, legs quaking. Below, the other boys held a safety rope attached to a harness on his chest. "Jump!" ordered the instructor. Chang-hoon squatted and leapt to a nearby trapeze.
After Chang-hoon descended, he said, "That was better than games! From now on, maybe I’ll just spend five hours a day online."
Was it thrilling enough to wean him from the Internet?
The boot camp, part rehab centre, resembles programs around the world for troubled youths. Drill instructors drive young men through military-style obstacle courses, counsellors lead group sessions, and there are even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming. Lee Chang-Hoon, 15, runs an obstacle course at the "Internet Rescue School". He spent almost all of his time online before his mother sent him to the camp. “Seventeen hours a day online is fine,” he said at the camp. These young people have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace. South Korea is one of the most wired nations on earth: 90% of homes connect to cheap, high-speed broadband; and online gaming is now a professional sport. But such ready access to the Web has come at a price as legions of obsessed users find that they cannot tear themselves away from their computer screens. Compulsive Internet use has been identified as a mental health issue in Korea, and has become a national issue in recent years, as users started dropping dead from exhaustion after playing online games for days on end. "Up to 30% of South Koreans under 18, or about 2.4 million people, are at risk of Internet addiction", said a child psychiatrist at a Seoul University. Up to a quarter million probably show signs of actual addiction, like rising levels of tolerance that drive them to seek ever longer sessions online or withdrawal symptoms like anger and craving when prevented from logging on.
The rescue camp, in a forested area about an hour south of Seoul, was created to treat the most severe cases. The camp is entirely paid for by the government, making it tuition-free. During a session, participants live at the camp, where they are denied computer use and allowed only one hour of cell phone calls a day, to prevent them from playing online games via the phone. They also follow a rigorous regimen of physical exercise and group activities, aimed at building emotional connections to the real world and weakening those with the virtual one. The campers are under constant surveillance, including while asleep, and are kept busy with chores, like washing their clothes and cleaning their rooms.
Lee Chang-Hoon, 15, began using the computer to pass the time while he was home alone. He said he quickly came to prefer the virtual world, where he seemed to enjoy more success and popularity than in the real one. He spent 17 hours a day online, mostly playing games, and skipped school two or three times a week to catch up on sleep. Desperate, his mother sent him to the camp. "I don’t have a problem," Chang-hoon said in an interview three days after starting the camp. "Seventeen hours a day online is fine." But later that day, he seemed to start changing his mind, if only slightly. As a drill instructor barked orders, Chang-hoon marched through a cold autumn rain to the obstacle course. Chang-hoon began climbing the first obstacle, a telephone pole with small metal rings. At the top, he slowly stood up, legs quaking. Below, the other boys held a safety rope attached to a harness on his chest. "Jump!" ordered the instructor. Chang-hoon squatted and leapt to a nearby trapeze.
After Chang-hoon descended, he said, "That was better than games! From now on, maybe I’ll just spend five hours a day online."
Was it thrilling enough to wean him from the Internet?
The Casual Gaming Trend in World of Warcraft
This text has been taken from this website.
It’s not much of a surprise to anyone who has played World of Warcraft in the last two years that the game has been drifting toward being a casual oriented game, one that tries to draw in more players and keep them happy by giving them things to do at all levels so they don’t have to devote hours and days at a time to enjoy it. This has certainly worked out for Blizzard and its shareholders, but how well has it worked out for players who have been with WoW since day one? That depends on who you ask and whether or not you are looking at the big picture.
Probably the best thing about the more casual style of play is that it causes Blizzard to make sure to add lots of fun things to the game.. Achievements, reduced requirements for getting mounts, lower XP requirements to get to the higher level content and a slew of events held throughout the year all add a great deal of depth to the WoW universe and for hardcore players who are constantly playing through the same content trying to earn that new epic shield or pair of spaulder, all this extra stuff makes a great change of pace and adds some depth to your gaming days. After all, life isn’t one dimensional. Why should your game be?
The Cons of the Casual Play Trend
On the flip side, all that time spent putting new content into the game in the form of Achievements, non-combat pets, and lower level instances has drawn away from resources Blizzard previously poured into raiding content and things for more devoted players. Surprisingly, the highest level raid for Level 80 players is significantly easier than the top raids for Level 70. Raid sizes are now 10 and 25 men as well. Players who reached Level 80 in the first few days of the expansion have been reduced to waiting around for the higher end raids that are eventually coming. In the meantime, these players are stuck grinding Achievement or spending all their time in PvP while they wait..
While there are drawbacks as well as benefits, I think attracting casual gamers to WoW is good for the players, the game, and Blizzard in the end. Remember that Blizzard needs to make money to stay in business, and more players means more income. With increased income there’s an increased ability to keep developing new content for all levels of player. It might seem like the faithful are getting shortchanged, but it is the price we have to pay to give the company the resources to develop new content in the future that might not otherwise get the go ahead.
Are you interested in staying up with the trends in WoW, whether toward casual gaming or anything else? If that sounds like you, you should find out more about the Warcraft Formula, a continuously updated guide to all things WoW.
It’s not much of a surprise to anyone who has played World of Warcraft in the last two years that the game has been drifting toward being a casual oriented game, one that tries to draw in more players and keep them happy by giving them things to do at all levels so they don’t have to devote hours and days at a time to enjoy it. This has certainly worked out for Blizzard and its shareholders, but how well has it worked out for players who have been with WoW since day one? That depends on who you ask and whether or not you are looking at the big picture.
Probably the best thing about the more casual style of play is that it causes Blizzard to make sure to add lots of fun things to the game.. Achievements, reduced requirements for getting mounts, lower XP requirements to get to the higher level content and a slew of events held throughout the year all add a great deal of depth to the WoW universe and for hardcore players who are constantly playing through the same content trying to earn that new epic shield or pair of spaulder, all this extra stuff makes a great change of pace and adds some depth to your gaming days. After all, life isn’t one dimensional. Why should your game be?
The Cons of the Casual Play Trend
On the flip side, all that time spent putting new content into the game in the form of Achievements, non-combat pets, and lower level instances has drawn away from resources Blizzard previously poured into raiding content and things for more devoted players. Surprisingly, the highest level raid for Level 80 players is significantly easier than the top raids for Level 70. Raid sizes are now 10 and 25 men as well. Players who reached Level 80 in the first few days of the expansion have been reduced to waiting around for the higher end raids that are eventually coming. In the meantime, these players are stuck grinding Achievement or spending all their time in PvP while they wait..
While there are drawbacks as well as benefits, I think attracting casual gamers to WoW is good for the players, the game, and Blizzard in the end. Remember that Blizzard needs to make money to stay in business, and more players means more income. With increased income there’s an increased ability to keep developing new content for all levels of player. It might seem like the faithful are getting shortchanged, but it is the price we have to pay to give the company the resources to develop new content in the future that might not otherwise get the go ahead.
Are you interested in staying up with the trends in WoW, whether toward casual gaming or anything else? If that sounds like you, you should find out more about the Warcraft Formula, a continuously updated guide to all things WoW.
lundi 4 mai 2009
HADOPI: an absurd measure?
Nearly half of daily internet surfers admit they download films and music illegally, a poll has revealed before the starting of a debate to change the law on internet piracy. Music remains the most popular (27% admitted illegally downloading albums and tracks), followed by films (19%), TV series (8%) and games (6%) – according to the TNS Sofres poll for the newspaper Metro.
The National Assembly is set to debate a law which would allow companies to suspend the connections of internet users accused of illegal downloads. The law, which has already been passed by the Senate, is being put forward by the minister for culture, Christine Albanel. "Internet piracy is a plague which will kill French creativity," said the head of the UMP in the National Assembly, Jean-François Copé.
It involves establishing a body, the Haute Autorité, pour la diffusion des œuvres et la protection des droits sur Internet (Hadopi) which will have the power to disconnect customers.
Opposition Socialist Party MPs have said they will vote against the proposal on the grounds of civil liberties and the establishment of internet surveillance to monitor potential suspects. Some MPs of the governing UMP party and the centrist Modem party have also said they will vote against it.
The law to combat internet piracy, including disconnecting users caught downloading films and music illegally, has returned to the National Assembly. The Loi Hadopi was thrown out in a surprise vote by a near-empty assembly on April 9. Many of the MPs had already left for the Easter holidays. The government is pushing for a quick return for the law as it wants to put it into practice ahead of an EU measure that would make an internet connection an automatic right.
Threatening to temporarily disconnect users after two warning letters is part of a graduated response to internet piracy that the French government wants to demonstrate can be effective against illegal downloading. The Socialist Party has said it will vote against the “politically dead” text which a spokesman described as “the Maginot line, already breached and inefficient”.
Several problems have been outlined with the law:
1. The possibility that the body set up to monitor illegal downloads, the Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la Protection des Droits sur Internet (Hadopi), will be overwhelmed.
2. Whether users should be charged for their internet connection if cut off.
3. That many internet providers’ deals are wrapped up with telephone and TV supplies and there is no way of separating them.
4. That the current law which threatens internet piracy with a three-year prison term and €300,000 has still yet to be abolished.
5. That it can be impossible to determine the culprit over shared connections.
6. That internet connections can be hijacked and used by others without the user knowing.
Radiohead challenges labels with free album
The Daily Telegraph, By Angela Monaghan, 8th of November 2007
Radiohead, the internationally renowned band, has taken the unusual step of telling fans that they can pay as much or as little as they like for the band's new album, In Rainbows.
In a break from industry tradition the UK band has told fans "it's up to you" what they pay to digitally download the album.
This isn't the first time that an artist has opted to charge nothing for an album, but the move is significant because Radiohead remains one of the biggest bands in the world.
Radiohead is free to sell its album directly from its official website because it is no longer tied to a record label. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood tells fans on the website that the album is only available to pre-order from the website, where it can be downloaded on release on October 10th.
While loyal fans are likely to want to pay the band something, customers could opt to pay as little 45p – the credit card handling fee. The album is also available separately as part of a £40 box-set which includes the album on CD, two vinyl records, a CD with additional songs, photos, artwork and lyrics.
It is likely that many of its millions of die-hard fans will be unable to resist buying the box-set, available in December, while Radiohead will not be required to share its profits with either a record label or shops.
James Bates, media and entertainment director at Deloitte, said: "Radiohead are clearly trying to build an independent business model that suits their needs. Unless record company giants wake up and find a model that delivers real value to artists, technology will continue to be used to bypass the record companies, and in comparison piracy will seem a relatively small problem."
Radiohead could even benefit from those who ignore the box set and choose to pay nothing to download the album from Radiohead's online shop, where they will be required to register their details and therefore become targets for future marketing campaigns.
Free albums also drive demand for live tours, which translate to pound signs for the artists behind them.
But there is no denying that the trend towards digital downloads is growing. Statistics from the BPI, which represents the UK recorded music industry, show that annual download sales have grown from zero in 2003 to 53 million in 2006, and more than 90% of single sales are digital. But the sales are still dominated by piracy, with only one in 20 of all music downloads made legally.
Matthew McEachran, retail analyst at Kaupthing said that while Radiohead's move reflected the general way the music market was going, it would not be a route chosen by all bands. "Retailers do a very good job of making bands visible to the mass market, and a lot of people still want the physical product," he said.
(476 words)
Radiohead, the internationally renowned band, has taken the unusual step of telling fans that they can pay as much or as little as they like for the band's new album, In Rainbows.
In a break from industry tradition the UK band has told fans "it's up to you" what they pay to digitally download the album.
This isn't the first time that an artist has opted to charge nothing for an album, but the move is significant because Radiohead remains one of the biggest bands in the world.
Radiohead is free to sell its album directly from its official website because it is no longer tied to a record label. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood tells fans on the website that the album is only available to pre-order from the website, where it can be downloaded on release on October 10th.
While loyal fans are likely to want to pay the band something, customers could opt to pay as little 45p – the credit card handling fee. The album is also available separately as part of a £40 box-set which includes the album on CD, two vinyl records, a CD with additional songs, photos, artwork and lyrics.
It is likely that many of its millions of die-hard fans will be unable to resist buying the box-set, available in December, while Radiohead will not be required to share its profits with either a record label or shops.
James Bates, media and entertainment director at Deloitte, said: "Radiohead are clearly trying to build an independent business model that suits their needs. Unless record company giants wake up and find a model that delivers real value to artists, technology will continue to be used to bypass the record companies, and in comparison piracy will seem a relatively small problem."
Radiohead could even benefit from those who ignore the box set and choose to pay nothing to download the album from Radiohead's online shop, where they will be required to register their details and therefore become targets for future marketing campaigns.
Free albums also drive demand for live tours, which translate to pound signs for the artists behind them.
But there is no denying that the trend towards digital downloads is growing. Statistics from the BPI, which represents the UK recorded music industry, show that annual download sales have grown from zero in 2003 to 53 million in 2006, and more than 90% of single sales are digital. But the sales are still dominated by piracy, with only one in 20 of all music downloads made legally.
Matthew McEachran, retail analyst at Kaupthing said that while Radiohead's move reflected the general way the music market was going, it would not be a route chosen by all bands. "Retailers do a very good job of making bands visible to the mass market, and a lot of people still want the physical product," he said.
(476 words)
dimanche 26 avril 2009
Ig Nobel Prize Awards
Extracts from an article taken from Wikipedia, the Free Enyclopedia
A live frog is magnetically levitated in an experiment that earned André Geim from the University of Nijmegen and Sir Michael Berry from Bristol University the 2000 Ig Nobel Prize in physics.
The Ig Nobel Prizes are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October — around the time the recipients of the genuine Nobel Prizes are announced — for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think." Organized by the scientific humour magazine "Annals of Improbable Research" (AIR), they are presented by a group that includes genuine Nobel Laureates at a ceremony at Harvard University's Sanders Theatres.
The first Ig Nobels were awarded in 1991, at that time for discoveries "that cannot, or should not, be reproduced." Ten prizes are awarded each year in many categories, including the Nobel Prize categories of physics, chemistry, physiology/medicine, literature, and peace, but also other categories such as public health, engineering, biology, and interdisciplinary research. With the exception of three prizes in the first year, the Ig Nobel Prizes are for genuine achievements.
The awards are sometimes veiled criticism , as in the two awards given for homeopathy research, prizes in "science education" to Kansas and Colorado state boards of education for their stance regarding the teaching of evolution.
Most often, however, they draw attention to scientific articles that have some humorous or unexpected aspect. Examples range from the discovery that the presence of humans tends to sexually arouse ostriches, to the statement that black holes fulfil all the technical requirements to be the location of Hell, to research on the "five-second rule," a tongue-in-cheek belief that food dropped on the floor won't become contaminated if it is picked up within five seconds.
Here are a couple examples of Ig Nobel awards that were presented at a ceremony at Harvard University, New Scientist reports:
- A new use for Viagra earned the Ig Nobel aviation prize for three researchers from Argentina who found that a suitable dose helped hamsters recover more quickly from jet lag . They have yet to test it for alleviating human jet lag.
- A paper entitled "Effects of backward speech and speaker variability in language discrimination by rats" earned the Ig Nobel linguistics prize for three Spanish researchers who found that rats can discriminate between sentences spoken in Dutch and Japanese by recognising rhythmic differences, but they can't if the sentences are played backwards. Human infants and cotton-top tamarin monkeys apparently exhibit the same ability.
Isn't it good to be living in an era of such great scientific progress?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOCABULARY
Magnetically levitate: léviter magnétiquement
To earn: mériter
Achievement: réussite
Veiled criticism: critique voilée
Stance: attitude
To arouse: exciter
To fulfil all the technical requirements: remplir toutes les conditions techniques
A tongue-in-cheek belief: croyance ironique, idiote
Jet-lag: décalage horaire
To alleviate: soulager
Speaker variability: différence d'interlocuteur
Discrimination: (ici) différence
Cotton-top tamarin: type de singe
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(427 words)
Les questions servent d'orientation dans votre commentaire. Vous n'êtes pas contraints d'y répondre.
- Present what type of text this is.
- Sum up the text in your own words.
- Give your opinion on the purpose of such research.
- In your opinion, can it fulfil a particular purpose or is it of marginal utility?
A live frog is magnetically levitated in an experiment that earned André Geim from the University of Nijmegen and Sir Michael Berry from Bristol University the 2000 Ig Nobel Prize in physics.
The Ig Nobel Prizes are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October — around the time the recipients of the genuine Nobel Prizes are announced — for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think." Organized by the scientific humour magazine "Annals of Improbable Research" (AIR), they are presented by a group that includes genuine Nobel Laureates at a ceremony at Harvard University's Sanders Theatres.
The first Ig Nobels were awarded in 1991, at that time for discoveries "that cannot, or should not, be reproduced." Ten prizes are awarded each year in many categories, including the Nobel Prize categories of physics, chemistry, physiology/medicine, literature, and peace, but also other categories such as public health, engineering, biology, and interdisciplinary research. With the exception of three prizes in the first year, the Ig Nobel Prizes are for genuine achievements.
The awards are sometimes veiled criticism , as in the two awards given for homeopathy research, prizes in "science education" to Kansas and Colorado state boards of education for their stance regarding the teaching of evolution.
Most often, however, they draw attention to scientific articles that have some humorous or unexpected aspect. Examples range from the discovery that the presence of humans tends to sexually arouse ostriches, to the statement that black holes fulfil all the technical requirements to be the location of Hell, to research on the "five-second rule," a tongue-in-cheek belief that food dropped on the floor won't become contaminated if it is picked up within five seconds.
Here are a couple examples of Ig Nobel awards that were presented at a ceremony at Harvard University, New Scientist reports:
- A new use for Viagra earned the Ig Nobel aviation prize for three researchers from Argentina who found that a suitable dose helped hamsters recover more quickly from jet lag . They have yet to test it for alleviating human jet lag.
- A paper entitled "Effects of backward speech and speaker variability in language discrimination by rats" earned the Ig Nobel linguistics prize for three Spanish researchers who found that rats can discriminate between sentences spoken in Dutch and Japanese by recognising rhythmic differences, but they can't if the sentences are played backwards. Human infants and cotton-top tamarin monkeys apparently exhibit the same ability.
Isn't it good to be living in an era of such great scientific progress?
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VOCABULARY
Magnetically levitate: léviter magnétiquement
To earn: mériter
Achievement: réussite
Veiled criticism: critique voilée
Stance: attitude
To arouse: exciter
To fulfil all the technical requirements: remplir toutes les conditions techniques
A tongue-in-cheek belief: croyance ironique, idiote
Jet-lag: décalage horaire
To alleviate: soulager
Speaker variability: différence d'interlocuteur
Discrimination: (ici) différence
Cotton-top tamarin: type de singe
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