=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= EDline Vol. 3, no. 30 (26 July 1998) Editorial mailing list Published by the Electric Editors =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Contents: Q & A---previous queries [2eh] Usage---fine-grained sand, etc [2ek] More jargon [2el] Plurals Q & A---new queries [2em] Rats [2en] The Fully Monty [2ep] Widows and page layouts FYI [3cr] A technical solution for spelling [3cs] Spotlight on telnet Business matters---previous posting [4au] Equipment---appeal for gizmos and design tips Business matters---new postings [4ba] Hourly versus fixed rates of pay [4bc] Banking Canadian money orders [5] Bookmarks [6] Just for fun [8] Administration =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ---[2] Q & A --------------------------------------------------------- ** [2eh] Usage---fine-grained sand, etc Date: Sat, 25 July 1998 From: Laura Pomeroy, 100131.3564@compuserve.com Roger Jones wrote (at the end of June): > Why "fine-grained sand" and "three-storeyed house", and not > "fine-grain sand" and "three-storey house"? And is a "four-leafed > clover" luckier than a "four-leaf clover"? I notice that no-one has taken up the challenge of answering these queries, so I'm going to wade in with my opinion. (a) "Three-storeyed house": My trusty COD has this to say: "1. any of the parts into which a building is divided horizontally; the whole of the rooms etc. having a continuous floor (_a third-storey window; a house of five storeys_)." THEN, the COD gives the derivative of "storey" as -storeyed (in combination). Hence "three-storeyed house". (But, does anyone say "three-storeyed house"? I think I would say "it was a three-storey house". Does tis mean me gramma and spech need korecting? (b) "Fine-grained sand": I don't know. Would it be following the above COD explanation? If it is, then why is a "fine-tooth comb" not a "fine-toothed comb"? (c) "Four-leafed clover": I should say anyone would be lucky to find a clover with four leaves. Once someone has found this clover, then we can argue over the "ed"ness of it. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2ek] More jargon Date: Mon, 21 July 1998 From: Eddie Kent, eddie.kent@MCR1.poptel.org.uk Jane Kerr writes > 2. And back to the other book: has anyone ever come across the > word "negentropy" (meaning, presumably, the opposite of entropy, > if such a thing is possible). Is it a legitimate term? Negentropy: The universe is an entropic system with ocasional bubbles of negentropy. We are one such bubble. Some people think there might be others. In fact of course there is no such thing as negentropy, which is why the word doesn't exist. Entropy is a 'facilitating' quantity, defined purely to give clear expression to certain results in thermodynamics. Uvarov and Isaacs give the definition 'the ratio of the quantity of energy taken up, to the thermodynamic temperature at which the energy is absorbed'. Which doesn't help a lot. There are four laws of thermodynamics. The zeroth merely states that things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another, the first says that in a closed isolated system energy cannot be created or destroyed, the second implies that the total entropy of any closed system can never decrease - it can increase irreversibly, or remain constant (reversible). The third law is just there to prevent getting to absolute zero. So there you have it. In a closed isolated system (the universe perhaps) entropy increases or stops for a while. When it stops odd things happen, like life. But this cannot last. Entropy, overall, increases to a maximum; available energy tends towards a minimum. If the universe is a thermodynamically closed system (which is disputed) then it will 'unwind' until there is no energy available. This state is known as 'the heat death of the universe'. Time's arrow points in one direction only. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2el] Plurals Date: Mon, 20 July 1998 From: Caroline Mackenzie, Caroline.Mackenzie@hol.fr To you, Jane > 'One coup d'etat, two ... coup d'etats, coups d'etat? > Logic would demand the latter, I suppose, but logic doesn't > always come into it. What do you think?' In French, it's the coups which are plural which confirms the logic that you are likely to have two attacks against the state and not two coup d'etats would mean a single attack on several states / governments / kings or whatever, or even perhaps one revolution brought on by several governments - that boggles the mind! +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2em] Rats Date: Thurs, 23 July 1998 From: Jane Kerr, bywater@zetnet.co.uk Are the experimental animals in question correctly named Sprague Dawley (with a space), Sprague-Dawley (with a hyphen) or Sprague--Dawley (with an en-rule)? +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2en] The Fully Monty Date: Sat, 25 July 1998 From: Sue Lightfoot, SLightfoot@compuserve.com I know I read a lot about the derivation of the name when [the film] "The Full Monty" was released, but I can't remember what it was. Can anyone enlighten me? +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2ep] Widows and page layouts Date: Sat, 25 July 1998 From: Iain Brown, i_brown@compuserve.com In a recent editing job, I came across a layout problem which continues to bug me now, even though the book is published. The problem was this: there were a number of paragraphs in the book which were only three lines long. And inevitably "Brown's Law" came into play: a good number of these three-line paragraphs fell at the bottom of pages. There was not sufficient room to squeeze the entire paragraph onto the one page, and so the paragraph had to be split. MY QUESTION: should one split the three-line paragraph one line on the bottom of one page and two lines at the top of the next, or two lines + one line? Butcher seems to be quiet on this: "A page should not start with a 'widow' (a short line which is the last line of a paragrah), if this can be avioded." BTW: there was no option to cut the text above; it is a technical book and all text is essential. ---[3] FYI ----------------------------------------------------------- ** [3cr] A technical solution for spelling Date: Thurs, 23 July 1998 From: Margaret Corbett, mcorbett@dial.pipex.com In September 1997 I got the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM at GBP 80, and, because I also use a big textbook on CD-ROM and, occasionally, the MS Bookshelf CD-ROM, in March I added a TEAC CD-ROM Changer at GBP 134 (VAT included). The Changer is an internal fitting in my computer case. I had it fitted and its software installed by my (local) supplier. On the Windows 95 Desktop, My Computer now shows CD-ROM drives G: (the original one) and H: to M:. Apart from an irritating error message that I have learned to click OK and ignore, the drives work very smoothly, either set up as short cuts or not, as required. A friend tells me that the CD-ROMs in his departmental CCD-ROM changer wore well. It is very much safer for valuable CD-ROMs to be available at a click than to be at risk of becoming scratched or mislaid at every change, and of course rather more convenient. A nice extra is that, some 6 months after the purchase of the SOE CD-ROM, OUP sent me a macro that puts an SOE button in Word97 in the Tools menu. If I highlight a word and use this button, the macro looks up the word directly in the CD-ROM - really quite quick and tempting to use. Users of earlier versions of Word can find a suitable macro on the disk, I think. I will be glad to fill in any details; interested people could send me a message direct. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [3cs] Spotlight on telnet Date: Sat, 25 July 1998 From: Jane Kerr, bywater@zetnet.co.uk This is the first in an occasional series that puts the spotlight on different aspects of the Electric Editors resources pages. When chasing references, it's invariably quicker and easier to use the internet - the library at your fingertips - than to ask the author. Socrates, the online catalogue of Stanford University, is generally my first port of call - and it rarely lets me down - but a recent success in tracking down a particularly obscure reference using Harvard University's telnet service has inspired me to extol the virtues of this often overlooked resource. First, what is telnet? In simple terms, it's a text-based internet application that allows you to log on to a remote internet site, to access information. To use it, you'll need some software, such as Netterm, NCSA Telnet or EWAN. The good news for Windows 95 users is that telnet software comes as part of the package, in the form of a program called (surprise) telnet.exe, but if you're haven't got this program, don't despair: you can download freebie telnet applications from the internet (e.g. from < http://www.download.com >; search for "telnet" when you get there). It's simple to set up your browser to launch your telnet application automatically when it encounters the telnet:// prefix when you're browsing (e.g. in Netscape, by entering the path of your telnet application in the appropriate box under General Preferences). In these days of graphics-filled web pages, it may seem strange to praise a text-based application that harks back to an earlier era in network computing, before Mr Gates made everything so simple for us, but this indeed is one of telnet's strengths. It's fast. You don't have to sit around waiting for someone's Java applet to do its stuff, or hold your breath in anticipation as a stunning graphic emerges before your eyes, and you don't have to put up with any photographs of pet cats*. Using telnet To connect to a remote Internet site, you will need to know either its domain name or IP address, and the port you wish to connect to. As with ftp, you may be required to enter a user ID and password, but many sites permit guest or newuser logins. For example, if your browser is configured correctly, you can login to HOLLIS, the Harvard Online Library Information Service, simply by clicking on the Harvard link on the EE Online Library Catalogues page ( < http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/bywater/ee_res02.htm > ). Once you're connected you simply select the database you require from a list, by typing a two-letter code. All of the search commands are entered using the keyboard - giving you a break from mousing - and you'll become familiar with them very quickly. For example, to search for a specific author, you simply type FIND AU BLOGGS or even FIND AU BLOGGS, F (in upper or lower case), and the database will present you with a list, from which you can select the appropriate item by typing its number. You can type HELP at any time if you get stuck or START if you get lost, and every screen gives you a list of useful commands. So, if you haven't done any telnetting lately - or even at all - I urge you to give it a try: it can be a useful and efficient resource. --- * For those of you who haven't been subscribers from the very beginning, the resources page of EDline's earlier incarnation featured Jinks, the editorial cat. ---[4] Business matters ---------------------------------------------- ** [4au] Equipment---appeal for gizmos and design tips Date: Sun, 19 July 1998 From: Christine Headley, stroud@netvigator.com Some weeks ago I asked for suggestions for layout and equipment for my new office in England. I have now put all the information received into one document, which I would be happy to pass on to anyone else who is interested. ----------------------- Date: Mon, 21 July 1998 From: Jane Kerr, bywater@zetnet.co.uk Well, as a follow up to Christine Headley's message about the gizmos and design tips file, I have a copy of the file, and will send it to anyone who wants it. Requests by e-mail, please. Yet another public service from the EEs. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [4ba] Hourly versus fixed rates of pay Date: Mon, 21 July 1998 From: Stephen Hales, 100131.3564@compuserve.com When I started freelancing in 1989, most of the companies I worked for simply offered an hourly rate and accepted however many hours you invoiced. Now I find most of them quote an hourly rate, but also suggest how many hours they expect the job to take. Is this a good thing? How do companies work out how long a job will take? Some of the estimates I have been given are so far out as to be ludicrous. Should we, as professional freelancers, try to work within these estimates, or do the job properly and fully, regardless of the hours it takes? Your opinions and thoughts gratefully received. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [4bc] Banking Canadian money orders Date: Fri, 24 July 1998 From: Iain Brown, i_brown@compuserve.com I have a Canadian money order for US$9, which I need to encash. (Why the amount is so small is irrelevant here.) I have a US dollar account here in the UK, and a contact in New York who happily encashes any small US dollar cheques I receive. However, I have been advised by my contact that I would only get about US$2.50 if he tries to bank the money order; the rest would be taken in bank charges. If I tried to bank the money order here in the UK, similar swingeing bank charges would be applied. As anyone any ideas on how can I bank the cheque and get more than US$2.50??? ---[5] Bookmarks ----------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 19 July 1998 From: John Albee, albee@revealed.net Books & Book Reviews on the Web: < http://home.revealed.net/albee/pages/Books.html > >From here use the "Book Site Navigator" Tool to take you to my other Book Pages, including Reviews & Recommendations, Awards & Prize Winners, Book & Literature Webrings, Writing & Publishing, etc. This should be a handy tool for historians of authorship, reading and publishing, teachers, librarians and the general public. Info/tool pages at Needle in a CyberStack: < http://home.revealed.net/albee/ > There are currently 82 interlinked pages including Books & Book Reviews, 24 alphabetized Business and Career Tools Pages, the Best of Curriculum, 24 alphabetized Medical and Scholarly Research Pages, Reference, Law & Justice, Cybrarians' Favorites, Intelligence & Security, Law Enforcement, Exploring, etc. ---[6] Just for fun -------------------------------------------------- "Lines from the slushpile", no. 44 Dale was not one to mince words and came directly to the point. "Hi," he said. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ "Beguiling ideas about science", no. 15 Many dead animals in the past changed to fossils while others preferred to be oil. ---[8] Administration ------------------------------------------------ EDline provides the opportunity for a weekly online discussion of matters editorial and editorial business. * POSTING MESSAGES TO THE LIST All messages to be posted to the list should be sent to Iain Brown, at: i_brown@compuserve.com Include as the subject line, "EDline [topic]", where [topic] is the subject under discussion. Topics might include areas such as Grammar, Spelling, American English or Punctuation. Messages should be pertinent to the basic premise of the list; they may be withheld, or redirected if more pertinent to one of the other mailing lists. The spelling and grammar of messages will *not* be corrected, but some editing of length may be undertaken. Quoting from previous messages: quote as much as you need to make the context of your reply clear, but no more. The sections of EDline are as follows: [2] Q & A -- questions and answers [3] FYI -- items of general interest [4] Business matters -- items of a business nature [5] Bookmarks -- useful Web pages [6] Just for fun -- time for letting hair down! [7] Miscellaneous -- odds and sods * Administration All messages of a subscription or administrative nature should be directed to Jane Kerr, at: bywater@zetnet.co.uk with "EDline ADMIN" in the subject line. * To subscribe to Grapevine To subscribe to Grapevine, the discussion list concerned with matters computing, please e-mail Electric Editors at: ElectricEds@bigfoot.com with [Subscribe Grapevine] in the subject line. * To subscribe to LANGline To subscribe to LANGline, which discusses modern languages, translation and editing in non-English languages, please e-mail Electric Editors at: ElectricEds@bigfoot.com with [Subscribe LANGline] in the subject line. * Homepage and back issues: Visit the Electric Editors at: < http://www.ikingston.demon.co.uk/ee/home.htm > Back issues of all three mailing lists are available on the Mailing Lists archive page. --------- ** The views expressed in this mailing list are strictly those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the moderators or of the Electric Editors. ** Articles (c) 1998, by individual contributors Design (c) 1996, 1997, Iain Brown Compilation (c) 1998, The Electric Editors =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= END OF EDline 3.30 Next issue: 2 August 1998 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=