=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= EDline Vol. 6, no. 7 (18 February 2001) Editorial mailing list (digest version) Published by the Electric Editors =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Contents: Q & A [2nd] Turn of the century FYI [3ga] Punctuated Business matters [4dy] Resources: e-books and e-publishing [5] Bookmarks [6] Just for fun [8] Administration =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ---[2] Q&A ----------------------------------------------------- ** [2nd] Turn of the century Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Jane Kerr, bywater@ntlworld.com What do my fellow editors understand by the expression "the turn of the 19th century"? Round about 1800, or round about 1900? ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Josephine Bacon, bacon@langservice.com The 18th to 19th century. The other one would be the turn of the twentieth century. ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Sulaiman Adebowale, sulaiman.adebowale@codesria.sn I think "Round about 1900", closer to 1900, or minus a decade for example???? But don't shoot me! ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Lesley Butland, lbutland@thefreeinternet.co.uk I think it means around 1800, but wonder whether the writer meant 1900. Does the context give any clue? ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Sven Wair, svwa@globalnet.co.uk I would understand it as around about 1800. But if context did not confirm this, I would not trust any author to intend the same meaning that I infer. The phrase 'turn of the [nth] century' is too ambiguous or at the very least prone to being misunderstood. Thus, my general inclination is to rewrite it if possible if there is any danger of ambiguity. At the moment some authors are helpfully writing things such as 'at this turn of the century'. However, as some works take a long time to be published, I am also finding such things as 'at the end of this century'! ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Philip Weston, phil.weston@btinternet.com I guess it doesn't matter what WE understand by it, the question is what does the author who wrote it thinks it means? -- and I reckon there's a 50:50 chance of it going either way! So, if the context is clear, use "at the start of the XXth century" or "at the end of the YYth century" or the like, but if there is any doubt at all, raise an author query. And be very careful with the phrase "during _this_ century" and the like for a while, if the context isn't clear, as one probably has no idea when the author actually wrote it. ---[3] FYI ----------------------------------------------------- ** [3ga] Punctuated Date: Tues, 13 Feb 2001 From: Iain Brown, iain.brown@ucl.ac.uk Seen in today's "Times", p. 21, a letter to the editor: Is punctuation dead? The Royal Mail has determined that it is no longer acceptable in this electronic age. In completing its "Contact Us" form, the use of a semi-colon generated the following error message: "Please enter only letter, numbers, spaces and @ # £ $ ( ) _ characters in comments." ---[4] Business matters --------------------------------------- ** [4dy] Resources: e-books and e-publishing Date: Tues, 20 Feb 2001 From: Judyth Mermelstein, espresso@e-scape.net "Ebook Junction" is an electronic newsletter which bills itself as "Exploring the World of E-Books and E-Publishing" so, being insatiably curious, I subscribed (ebookjunction-request@atlanticbridge.net with "subscribe" in the subject line). Two items I found to be of particular interest. 1. A while back, there was some discussion here (I think, but it may have been LANGline!) of how to protect electronic documents from unauthorized duplication and use. The current issue has a description of RoyaltyLock e-book security < http://www.e-bookdirectory.com > which apparently enables one to distribute copies of which a portion is readable free, after which the reader has to pay to read the rest. However: Plus it has built-in piracy protection, so that even if a customer tries to give away his paid copy to a friend, the friend can only read the chapters that you designate to be "free" before he too hits the "pay" option. While I'm sure the idea of this type of copy-protection will appeal to some publishers and authors, I must confess I find the latter aspect totally repugnant. I would certainly not wish to buy a book whose quthor defines my lending my copy to a friend or a library from making it available to its members as "piracy". Copy OVER-protection, I'd call it. 2. Tending in the completely opposite direction, there's an item on the University of Virginia's Electronic Text Center, which is one of several initiatives to make books more widely available in electronic form: Open since 1992, the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia has tens of thousands of users a day from all over the world. As of December 31, 2000, the center had made more than 1,200 of their 50,000 online texts available as free e-books. The Etext Center is the world's largest public e-library with more than one million downloads since the project was launched August 2000. No URL was provided but I assume a Google search will turn it up and plan to check it out as soon as I have the time. I must confess I am rather curious about what they decided to make available at no charge and how much they charge to read the others. I'd be interested in knowing what my fellow-editors make of these opposite trends. ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Josephine Bacon, bacon@langservice.com How about a device like that which you embed in a translation and if the agency didn't pay you, the translation would self-destruct!!! ---------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 From: Iain Brown, iain.brown@ucl.ac.uk Just to save any readers spending valuable time online, here are the URLs for the Electronic Text Center: Available e-book titles: < http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/ebooklist.html > E-book Library homepage: < http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/ > Homepage: < http://etext.lib.virginia.edu > ---[5] Bookmarks ---------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2001 From: Chris Baggs, cmb@aber.ac.uk List members might be interested in the following web resources: British Library Collections online catalogue The long awaited new online catalogue of the British Library Collections is now available at: < http://blpc.bl.uk > Online Access to the Statistical Accounts of Scotland 'EDINA is pleased to announce the launch on 25 January of a new and free web service - the online version of the old (first) and New (second) Statistical Accounts of Scotland, first published in 1791-9 and 1845. This service is provided by EDINA on behalf of the Joint Board for the Statistical Accounts of Scotland.' < http://edina.ac.uk/StatAcc > [Cross-posted from SHARP-L] ---[6] Just for fun -------------------------------------------- Oxymorons, no. 22 Peace force +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ "I'm glad we clarified that", no. 11 On a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use". (I have to admit I'm curious!) ---[8] Administration ------------------------------------------ EDline provides the opportunity for an online discussion of matters editorial and editorial business. To post to the mailing list via ListBot, use the following address: ee_edline@listbot.com For digest subscribers, please post your EDline messages to: bywater@zetnet.co.uk 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. The sections of the EDline digest 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 Iain Brown, at: iain.brown@ucl.ac.uk with "EDline ADMIN" in the subject line. * To subscribe to the automated version of EDline Send a blank email to: ee_edline-subscribe@listbot.com If you would prefer to read EDline as a weekly digest, send an e-mail to ElectricEds@bigfoot.com with "Subscribe [EDline digest]" as the subject line. * Homepage and back issues: Visit the Electric Editors at: < http://www.electriceditors.net/ > Archives of the EDline automated discussions can be found at: < http://ee_edline.listbot.com/ > --------- ** 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) 2001, by individual contributors Design (c) 1996, 1997, 2000 Iain Brown Compilation (c) 2001, Iain Brown / The Electric Editors =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= END OF EDline 6.7 Next digest issue: 25 February 2001 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=