Lana Del Rey: Video Games
Wow. Unbelievably hypnotic. Eamonn, again. Review on Pitchfork. Swinging in the backyard Pull up in your fast car Whistling my name Open up a beer And you say get over here And play a video game I’m in his favorite sun dress Watching me get undressed Take that body downtown I say you the bestest […]
iCloud: iUnderstand
This is one of Steve Job’s last presentations, still explaining “his” products with inspired simplicity and clarity. Focus with me for a moment on his metalanguage (often called signposting), that is the language he uses to take us from one point to the next. Metalanguage or signposting varies widely between presentation types, and is generally […]
Learning to listen to scientific lectures
One of the greatest challenges for non-native academic users of English as a Lingua Franca is keeping up with what is being said in discussions to the point where they can process the information in real time and contribute themselves. In a word, the challenge is information overload. Not only are you trying to understand […]
Pros and cons of selected apps for adult learners of English
I’ve blogged about fun, productive apps on Ask Auntie Web, and posted a summary about technology in teaching a while ago, but check out apps all the time to ponder their overall usefulness. When assessing learner tools I ask: What does it actually require the learners to do linguistically (that they could not do equally […]
John Prine: Dear Abby
The wonderful singer-songwriter John Prine turned 65 yesterday (thanks Eamonn).“Dear Abby” was an advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name of Abigail Van Buren, and was syndicated in the Washington Post. Or was it in the evening paper, the Evening Star (later the Washington Star)? We got both. I never […]