Sunday, January 29, 2012
SPIES ATTACK English Club
Have you ever heard about spies? Is it a profession for everyone?
In and out of wartime, spies play an essential role in information gathering for their nations (and, on occasion, as double-spies for other nations). One of the most effective ways to gather data and information about an enemy (or potential enemy) is by infiltrating the enemy's ranks. This is the job of the spy (espionage agent). Spies can bring back all sorts of information concerning the size and strength of an enemy army. They can also find dissidents within the enemy's forces and influence them to defect. In times of crisis, spies can also be used to steal technology and to sabotage the enemy in various ways.
Discuss the following topic with us and you'll get to know more:
TOPIC: SPIES
1. What qualities should a spy possess? Is it a profession for everyone? How should a spy behave not to be detected?
2. Did you ever meet or see someone you thought might be a spy?
3. Do women make better spies than men? Why? Who are more suspicious?
4. Do you think that any spies are living in Vinnytsia? What information are they gathering?
5. Would you like to be a spy with a dangerous and intriguing lifestyle. Have you ever had situations in life when you had to act like a spy to complete some important mission?
6. What do you think is true in movies about spies? Are they absolutely fantastic?
Activities!
REAd MoRe:
REAd MoRe:
Top 10 Famous Spies - http://listverse.com/2007/08/24/top-10-famous-spies/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Chinese New Year, Calendar Predictions and Star Signs
Topic: Chinese New Year, Calendar Predictions and Star Signs
Fun Fact of the Day: Celebrations of Chinese New Year in the U.S. can be dated back as far as 1860 and perhaps began even earlier (www.sanfranciscochinatown.com).
Discuss the following topic with us and you will get to know more on "Chinese New Year":
1. What is the difference between the lunar and solar calendars? Do you know why “Chinese New Year,” which has 12 signs and 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), began on the 23 of January this year but changes every year? What do you know about this system?2. Do you believe that “signs” have a meaning, either zodiac animal signs or sun signs? Do you think that people with certain signs have special characteristics or attributes? Are there signs that tend to be compatible or antagonistic, either in general or to each other?
3. Do you believe in horoscopes? Do you read them or follow their advice? Do you think they can predict actions in the coming year?
4. There are many predictions for the following year based on calendars. The Mayan Calendar has sparked controversy over the end of the world and the Year of the Dragon will be potentially “prosperous” or “disastrous.” Do you believe any of these predictions?
6. What do you hope will happen during the Year of the “Water” Dragon?
Sun Signs: Aries (Mar21-Apr20): Assertive, impulsive, aggressive, humanitarian; Taurus (Apr21-May20): Resourceful, thorough, sometimes indulgent; Gemini (May21-Jun21): Imaginative, sensitive, sometimes impractical; Cancer (Jun22-Jul22): Tenacious, calm, sensitive, sometimes clinging; Leo (Jul23-Aug22): Arrogant, dominating, generous; Virgo (Aug23-Sep22): Practical, efficient, sometimes over-critical; Libra (Sep23-Oct22): Cooperative, fair, sometimes indecisive; Scorpio (Oct23-Nov21): Intelligent, cunning, sensitive; Sagittarius (Nov22-Dec21): Intelligent, straightforward, sometimes careless; Capricorn (Dec22-Jan20): Intelligent, ambitious, can't trust anyone easily, introverts, straightforward; Aquarius (Jan21-Feb18): Logical, hard working, cold, detached; Pisces (Feb19-Mar20): Passionate, kind, unconventional, emotional, sometimes obsessive.
Animal Signs: Rat: quick-witted, smart, charming, and persuasive; Ox: patient, kind, stubborn, and conservative; Tiger: authoritative, emotional, courageous, and intense; Rabbit: popular, compassionate, and sincere; Dragon: energetic, fearless, warm-hearted, and charismatic; Snake: charming, gregarious, introverted, generous, and smart; Horse: energetic, independent, impatient, and enjoy traveling; Sheep: mild-mannered, shy, kind, and peace-loving; Monkey: fun, energetic, and active; Rooster: independent, practical, hard-working, and observant; Dog: patient, diligent, generous, faithful, and kind; Pig: loving, tolerant, honest, and appreciative of luxury.
Saturday 28 of January at 10:30
Thursday 09 of February at 5:30- Special Skype Conference! “Ruffner Mountaion NP” (Birmingham (Alabama)).
What are the Chinese New Year activities for celebrating this most important festival in the Chinese calendar? Let's start at the beginning... In China, Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival. That’s because the first day of Chinese New Year falls on the start of spring. The beginning of spring is a fresh start… It's the start of a new year of sowing and reaping. A wish for a good harvest in the year ahead. (That's how the Chinese character for "year" nian2 年 came about). A cause for celebration! All around the world, Chinese families... put up Chinese New Year scrolls on both sides of the door, set off firecrackers (It's illegal in many Chinese cities now, but people do it anyway) and married adults give children red envelopes filled with “lucky money”. Chinese New Year activities begin 2-4 weeks before the "big day". Here's what you can do to celebrate Chinese New Year. It's what Chinese families do all over the world.
1. Clean up the house. Select a day and together with the family, clean up the house. This ritual gets rid of bad luck in the ending year and welcomes in good luck in the New Year.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Postcrossing...
Do you like to post cards to somebody all over the world or to get one from anybody you don't know? The simple solution of it is to participate in the following project "Postcrossing".
Saturday, January 21, 2012
ES Club: 'Dealing with Distractions'
Tasks with Partners:
- Did you swim on the holiday this week? Would you like to try swimming in such cold water? What is the coldest place/time/memory that you have ever experienced?
- If you had money and time-off from work for the next week, would you rather go on a ski or snowboard vacation, or go to the beach somewhere warm?
When you work from a home office it is easy to get distracted from work, especially if it is work that you do not particularly enjoy like prospecting or cold calling.
Here are a few ideas that can help manage these distractions and improve your productivity /by:
- Create an office.
- Set specific “business” hours. This is particularly important if you have young children. It can be very difficult for children to understand that they can’t disturb us while we’re working.
- Use a “to do” list—everyday. Having a list of what you need to accomplish each day can help keep you focused; otherwise, it becomes too easy to do other things around the house. If you know that you need to accomplish a certain number of tasks by the end of the day, it can prevent you from getting distracted during the day. One of the challenges with this is that household duties or running errands are more enjoyable compared to work we have to complete.
- Set deadlines for the projects you’re working on. Although I don’t have anyone holding me accountable to these deadlines, it find that this approach can help keep me on track. You can also share these deadlines with other people to help keep yourself focused especially if this type of accountability works for you.
- Give your permission to relax from time-to-time. It’s okay to allow yourself to get distracted once in a while. As long it’s not a regular occurrence, you don’t have to worry too much about it. However, if your relaxation time overtakes your work time, then you need to reconsider your priorities.
Perhaps, you have some other pieces of advice. Then share them with us and discuss the following questions.
Distractions
1. Can you easily be distracted? What is it that most commonly distracts you when you are working or studying?2. What can you do to stay focused when you need to complete an important task?
3. Do you day-dream often when you should be working or studying? What about?
4. Do you think that people would work or study better if women and men were working separately? For example, would boys study better if there were no women in the classroom?
5. How do you explain the difference between men and women found in the study?
6. Do you agree with these findings from your own life?
4. Do you think that people would work or study better if women and men were working separately? For example, would boys study better if there were no women in the classroom?
5. How do you explain the difference between men and women found in the study?
6. Do you agree with these findings from your own life?
Our Schedule:
Thursday, January 26 - 17.30
Saturday, January 28 - 10.30
Visit our group on www.Facebook.com - English Club in Vinnytsia
English Club Blog: www.woavinnitsa.blogspot.com
Keys To Good Customer Service
by: Soney John
(Free articles for reprint)
Answering phone call: One of the important steps to good customer service is to make sure that someone is always available to answer the phone when a customer calls into a business. Ensure that there is call forwarding or an answering service. People prefer talking to a live person rather than a machine or any recording device.
Reliable Service: Making sure that the clients, commitments are met and providing them with a reliable service is the key factor to superior customer service. Keeping your promise to meeting your deadline is necessary. Clients feel very annoyed when they realize that their commitment is not kept. Making your clients feel that they can rely on you is a good indicator of good customer service.
Listen to your customers: For any successful business relationship, it is essential to listen to your customers. Clear communication and interaction is important to establish a good customer relation. Customers get annoyed when they realize that their concern or wants are not paid attention to and that they need to explain it all over again. Hence being attentive to client concerns is important.
Deal with customer complaints: When a customer raises an issue, the customer complaint should attended immediately and cause of complaint should be rectified. This is usually done through the customer service activity. Therefore, it is necessary to follow up and improve business processes to rectify the problem. Keep in mind that you cannot please all people at all times. However, dealing with the customer issues and attending their concerns will not only help to please the customer at that point of time but also position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.
Take the extra step and throw something extra: Clients feels satisfied and appreciates good customer service when they realize that their customer service agent is going that extra mile to attend to their wants. Going that extra mile for customers or going above and beyond to accomplish a goal is a good indicator of good customer service. Every customer likes something extra, whether it is a coupon for discounts, additional information on how to use the products, or a genuine smile to exceed their expectation.
English Speaking Club on "Customer Service and Politeness"
Fun Fact of the Day: As of the end of 2011, there were 11,168 Starbucks stores in the U.S. (http://answers.yahoo.com).
Topic: Customer Service and Politeness
You can take customer service practices with us and use them to make your own daily life much better.
1. What does the term 'customer service' mean to you? Do you think that customer service is important? Why or why not?2. Have you ever had a really good customer service experience? What made it positive for you?
3. Have you ever had a bad or unbearable experience? What happened and what did you do to solve this problem?
4. How do you think customer service varies in different types of stores or restaurants? How does it differ in other countries?
5. Do you agree that how you treat others is the way you should be treated? How important is politeness in relations with others, either friends or strangers? Is there anything special that you do try to be polite and respectful of others?
6. Has anyone ever been extremely rude to you, either ana acquaintance or stranger? If this attitude is unwarranted, in your opinion, how can you successfully deal with this situation and dissuade problems?
Friday, January 20, 2012
CO.NX Upcoming Programs (January 19-25, 2012)
Upcoming Program Guide
Live Webcast: President Obama’s State of the Union Address
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 21:00 EST (Wednesday, January 25 at 02:00 UTC) URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/ (Short URL: http://goo.gl/qPHsU)
Description: President Obama will deliver the State of the Union Address live from the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, January 24 at 21:00 EST (Wednesday, January 25 at 02:00 UTC). Join us for an interactive webcast of this important speech. The address will be streamed live to the CO.NX portal, Facebook page, and for the first time ever, to U.S. Embassy websites around the world. Don’t miss your chance to watch and discuss President Obama’s achievements over the past year as well as his vision for America in 2012.
Format: This will be an interactive video webcast in English. Click on the above URL to participate. Follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag: #SOTU.
U.S. Elections Primaries: Overview of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina
Monday, January 23, 2012 (08:00 EST (13:00 UTC)
U.S. Elections Primaries: Overview of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina Monday, January 23, 2012 (08:00 EST (13:00 UTC)
URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/ (Short URL: http://goo.gl/qPHsU)
Description: One caucus and two U.S. primaries have taken place; winners and losers declared. What does this mean for the U.S. election season as it moves toward November 2012? Please join us to hear perspectives from representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties. Ann Stone, President of The Stone Group, a political consulting firm, will present the Republican view of recent events; and Gary Nordlinger, President of Nordlinger Associates, a political and public affairs consulting firm, will provide a view from the Democratic side of the aisle.
Format: This will be an interactive video webcast in English. Please click on the above URL to participate.
Description: One caucus and two U.S. primaries have taken place; winners and losers declared. What does this mean for the U.S. election season as it moves toward November 2012? Please join us to hear perspectives from representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties. Ann Stone, President of The Stone Group, a political consulting firm, will present the Republican view of recent events; and Gary Nordlinger, President of Nordlinger Associates, a political and public affairs consulting firm, will provide a view from the Democratic side of the aisle.
Format: This will be an interactive video webcast in English. Please click on the above URL to participate.
The 2012 U.S. Elections: A Look at the First Caucus and Primaries [Spanish-language program]
Monday, January 23, 2012 13:00 EST (18:00 UTC), URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/ (Short URL: http://goo.gl/qPHsUDescription: It’s election season in the United States, and now the first caucus and two primaries have taken place. What does it all mean for the 2012 Presidential elections? Please join us for a Spanish-language webcast to hear perspectives from representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties. Raul “Danny” Vargas, Executive Director of the Republican Hispanic National Assembly, a grassroots organization, will present the Republican view of recent events; and Estuardo Rodriquez, Principal of the Raben Group, a public policy consulting firm, will provide a view from the Democratic side of the aisle. This program will be conducted in Spanish.
Format: This will be an interactive video webcast in Spanish. Please click on the above URL to watch to participate.
Discuss the 2012 State of the Union
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
08:00 EST (13:00 UTC) URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/
08:00 EST (13:00 UTC) URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/
(Short URL: http://goo.gl/qPHsU)
Description: Join us for a review of President Obama’s State of the Union Address as two former Members of the U.S. Congress, Retired Ambassador James Jones, a Democrat, and Representative James Kolbe, a Republican, will discuss their views of the President’s speech and what it means for future U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
Format: This will be an interactive video webcast in English. Click on the URL above to participate. Follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag: #SOTU.
Description: Join us for a review of President Obama’s State of the Union Address as two former Members of the U.S. Congress, Retired Ambassador James Jones, a Democrat, and Representative James Kolbe, a Republican, will discuss their views of the President’s speech and what it means for future U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
Format: This will be an interactive video webcast in English. Click on the URL above to participate. Follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag: #SOTU.
The Role of a Constitution and the Challenges in Interpreting It for Application in Law
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
09:00 EST (14:00 UTC) URL: http://www.facebook.com/usdos.tunisia
(Short URL: http://goo.gl/IixXc)
Description: The Honorable Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyerwill hold a French-language discussion with Tunisians on the role of a Constitution and the challenges of interpreting it for application in law. Tune in to the ‘Live Events’ tab on U.S. Embassy Tunis’ Facebook page to watch this conversation among members of the legal establishment.
Format: This will be a video webcast in French. Click on the URL above to watch.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
09:00 EST (14:00 UTC) URL: http://www.facebook.com/usdos.tunisia
(Short URL: http://goo.gl/IixXc)
Description: The Honorable Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyerwill hold a French-language discussion with Tunisians on the role of a Constitution and the challenges of interpreting it for application in law. Tune in to the ‘Live Events’ tab on U.S. Embassy Tunis’ Facebook page to watch this conversation among members of the legal establishment.
Format: This will be a video webcast in French. Click on the URL above to watch.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Benjamin Franklin's Birthday, January 17
One of the Founding Fathers of the United States
The principle of conservation of charge, Wave theory of light, Concept of cooling, Oceanography findings … It was in the life of this person who was known to have played the violin, the harp, and the guitar. He also composed music, notably a string quartet in early classical style, and invented a much-improved version of the glass armonica, in which the glasses rotate on a shaft…
He was an avid chess player playing chess by around 1733, making him the first chess player known by name in the American colonies. His essay on the "Morals of Chess" in Columbian magazine, in December 1786 is the second known writing on chess in America
He created the Union Fire Company, one of the first volunteer firefighting companies in America Washington , D.C.
In 1787, he served as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention. The sixth President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania …
Who is this person? No doubt, Benjamin Franklin.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15)
An American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement ...
...became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.
... best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights in the United States
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United States
King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
Tune-in to New challenges faced by black Americans:
America Beyond the Color Line
explores
the status of black America at the start of the 21st century
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The Beginning of All Things
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. - Seneca
After the endings new beginnings commence. A new chapter in life, power to change, inspiration for life… Starting to make resolutions to change a certain place or certain people in our lives. Perhaps, some full-proof-plans for extensive life change. What we all have in common is the hope that something will change. Do you have any experience to make new beginnings in your life? What to do the first? Maybe, start travelling or ... Discuss this topic with us:
Tasks with Partners
- Who is your favorite actor and favorite actress? Why?- Do you have a favorite film of all time?
Discussion Topic: New Beginnings
1. Do you remember your first day at school? What was that day like for you? 2. What about the first day at a new job…What can you do to make a good impression at your new job?
3. When starting a new job, how long does it take for you to know if you will like or dislike the job?
4. Do you ever have any interesting experiences on a first date or a first meeting with a new person? How do you like to prepare for such meetings?
5. How important is preparation in starting something new? For example, did you ever start a new project or task and realize that you were not prepared for it?
6. What new opportunities do you hope to follow in the new year?
The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.
Our Schedule
Thursday, January 19 – 17.30The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.
- Henry David Thoreau
Our Schedule
Saturday, January 21 – 10.30
English Club Blog - www.woavinnitsa.blogspot.com
Friday, January 13, 2012
Time is running out
Fun Fact of the Day: “Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later” (http://www.tealdragon.net). “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Do you agree?Topic: Time
Time limits our freedom or helps us be organized ... Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects. The temporal position of events with respect to the transitory present is continually changing; events happen, then are located further and further in the past. Time has been a major subject of religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a non-controversial manner applicable to all fields of study has consistently eluded the greatest scholars. A simple definition states that "time is what clocks measure".
1. The word “time” has multiple meanings. What comes to your mind when you hear this word? How do you spend your time currently? Is there anything you wish you could change about time spent? Do you feel like you waste time on certain activities and don’t have enough for others? Do you ever have to “kill time”? How?
2. Do you like to stick to a routine or are you more spontaneous? How important is organizing time and following a schedule to you? What are the positives and negatives of these actions?
3. How important is it to you to be on time for something? What kind of message do you think it sends if you arrive somewhere early or late? Can punctuality or a tendency to be late sometimes lead to conflict or problems?
6. If you could pick a different time or age to live in, what would you choose and why? Would you rather go to a more simple time in the past or an unknown period in the future? How would you spend your time? Where would you go if you had tons of time to spare?
Schedule:
Saturday 14 January at 10:30
Thursday 19 January at 5:30
Thursday, January 12, 2012
This Day in History: Jack London in his Art of Creativity (January 12)
Jack London Credo
London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories:I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.
Bio:
John Griffith "Jack" London (born John Griffith Chaney, January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone. He is best remembered as the author of Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen", and of the San Francisco Bay area in The Sea Wolf.
Read More about Jack London:
Find More on the Shelves at the Center:
Monday, January 9, 2012
“A room without books is like a body without a soul”
"A room without books is like a body without a soul"
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa
“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
(Goodreads)
Read More:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/242963-a-collection-of-poetry?chapter=1
"The Perfect Book" by Iviana Moop
She turns the pages,
One by one,
Sitting in that library.
It's always been there,
The library,
Stacked high with books,
All of which she has read,
One time or another.
But there's something different
About the one,
That lays on her lap,
That she now reads.
The little book,
So delicate,
So perfect,
The little book,
That will never end.
The little book that holds her dreams,
Her nightmares,
Her past,
Her future.
The little book,
Is far too perfect.
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa
“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
(Goodreads)
Read More:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/242963-a-collection-of-poetry?chapter=1
"The Perfect Book" by Iviana Moop
She turns the pages,
One by one,
Sitting in that library.
It's always been there,
The library,
Stacked high with books,
All of which she has read,
One time or another.
But there's something different
About the one,
That lays on her lap,
That she now reads.
The little book,
So delicate,
So perfect,
The little book,
That will never end.
The little book that holds her dreams,
Her nightmares,
Her past,
Her future.
The little book,
Is far too perfect.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Digital Poetry
The concept of digital creation in terms of making art & music seems straight forward enough - you use software to manipulate and/or create sounds or images in ways not possible before we had computers. How can a poet make words do more than they would if they were spoken or typed normally /http://www.poetscoop.org/dada/blog/2007/01/concept-of-digital-creation-in-terms-of.html/.
Digital poetry is a form of electronic literature, displaying a wide range of approaches to poetry, with a prominent and crucial use of computers. Digital poetry can be available in form of CD ROM, DVD, as installations in art galleries, in certain cases also recorded as digital video or films, as digital holograms and on the World Wide Web or Internet.
Examples of DP:
A significant portion of current publications of poetry are available either only online or via some combination of online and offline publication. There are many types of 'digital poetry' such as hypertext, kinetic poetry, computer generated animation, digital visual poetry, interactive poetry, code poetry, holographic poetry (holopoetry), experimental video poetry, and poetries that take advantage of the programmable nature of the computer to create works that are interactive, or use generative or combinatorial approach to create text (or one of its states), or involve sound poetry, or take advantage of things like listservs, blogs, and other forms of network communication to create communities of collaborative writing and publication (as in poetical wikis).
Digital computers allow the creation of art that spans different media: text, images, sounds, and interactivity via programming. Contemporary poetries have, therefore, taken advantage of this toward the creation of works that synthesize both arts and media. Whether a work is poetry or visual art or music or programming is sometimes not clear, but we expect an intense engagement with language in poetical works.
Notable people:
Jean-Pierre Balpe Giselle Beiguelman Alan Bigelow Philippe Bootz E. M. de Melo e Castro John Cayley Caterina Davinio Klaus Peter Dencker Tina Escaja es:Tina Escaja Belen Gache Loss Pequeño Glazier Ladislao Pablo Györi Patrick Herron Eduardo Kac Robert Kendall Richard Kostelanetz Orit Kruglanski Rip Kungler Lello Masucci Yucef Merhi Jason Nelson Philip M. Parker Scott Ransopher Jim Rosenberg Bill Seaman Teo Spiller Stephanie Strickland Duc Thuan Gianni Toti André Vallias Paulo Aquarone site Senel Wanniarachci
Hyperfiction: What is it...
Hypertext fiction is a genre of electronic literature, characterized by the use of hypertext links which provides a new context for non-linearity in "literature" and reader interaction. The reader typically chooses links to move from one node of text to the next, and in this fashion arranges a story from a deeper pool of potential stories. Its spirit can also be seen in interactive fiction.
The term can also be used to describe traditionally-published books in which a nonlinear narrative and interactive narrative is achieved through internal references. James Joyce's Ulysses (1922), Enrique Jardiel Poncela's La Tournée de Dios (1932), Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire (1962) and Julio Cortázar's Rayuela (1963; translated as Hopscotch) are early examples predating the word "hypertext", while a common pop-culture example is the Choose Your Own Adventure series in young adult fiction and other similar gamebooks.
The first hypertext fictions were published prior to the development of the World Wide Web, using software such as Storyspace and HyperCard. Michael Joyce's Afternoon, a story, first presented in 1987 and published by Eastgate Systems in 1991, is generally considered one of the first hypertext fictions. Afternoon was followed by a series of other Storyspace hypertext fictions from Eastgate Systems, including Stuart Moulthrop's Victory Garden, its name was Penelope by Judy Malloy, (whose hyperfiction Uncle Roger was published online on Artcom Electronic Network on The WELL from 1986 to 1987) Carolyn Guyer's Quibbling, Shelley Jackson's Patchwork Girl and Deena Larsen's Marble Springs. Judy Malloy's l0ve0ne, created in 1994, was the first selection in the Eastgate Web Workshop.
Shelley Jackson (born 1963) is an American writer and artist known for her cross-genre experiments, including her groundbreaking work of hyperfiction, Patchwork Girl (1995). In 2006, Jackson published her first novel, Half Life.
Born in the Philippines, Jackson grew up in Berkeley, California, where her family ran a small women's bookstore for several years; Jackson later recalled, "I was already in love with books by then....and the family store just confirmed what I already suspected, that books were the most interesting and important things in the world. Of course I wanted to write them!" She graduated from Berkeley High School, and received a B.A. in art from Stanford University and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Brown University. She is self-described as a "student in the art of digression".
While at Brown, Jackson was taught by electronic literature advocates Robert Coover and George Landow. During one of Landow's lectures in 1993, Jackson began drawing "a naked woman with dotted-line scars" in her notebook, an image she eventually expanded into her first hypertext novel, Patchwork Girl. Jackson later said that she never considered publishing Patchwork Girl as a print novel, explaining,
“I guess you could say I want my fiction to be more like a world full of things that you can wander around in, rather than a record or memory of those wanderings. The quilt and graveyard sections [of the hypertext], where a concrete metaphor that resonates with the themes of the work creates a literary structure, satisfy me in a very corporeal way. I salivate, my fingers itch".A nonchronological reworking of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Patchwork Girl was published by Eastgate Systems in 1995 to acclaim; it became Eastgate's best-selling CD-ROM title and is now considered a groundbreaking work of hyperfiction."Patchwork Girl" uses tissue and scars as well as the body and the skeleton as metaphors for the juxtaposition of lexia[disambiguation needed] and link [disambiguation needed]. While working in a San Francisco, California bookstore, Jackson published two more hypertexts, the autobiographical My Body (1997), and The Doll Games (2001), which she wrote with her sister Pamela.
Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelley_Jackson
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