This week I finished my Masters in web publishing. I’d been working on a dissertation project about how language learners can use the internet to get access to authentic foreign-language material and native-speakers. The product of the whole dissertation was a website (http://www.ineedpractice.com/) that Spanish learners can use to access audio, videos, articles, etc in Spanish.
I’m pleased to see it already ranks number 7 in a Google search for “free Spanish audio”. What great SEO skills I have!
I’m going to continue working on the website and I really hope it becomes popular because I think it’ll be a great way for people to practice their Spanish.
Friday, 21 September 2007
Thursday, 13 September 2007
I just want your extra time and your kiss
This post isn’t really in-keeping with the rest of the blog theme (which appears to have developed into complaining about Facebook) but it’s a post I have to make because it refers to Prince, whose song Rasberry Beret gives this blog its title.
I went to see Prince last night at the O2 Arena. When my friend and I bought our tickets a few months back we thought this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Prince, we didn’t realise he was actually playing 21 dates at the damn place. When I found this out I was worried he may be getting bored of this mammoth residency which is about to end. I was hoping to see him perform with energy and enthusiasm… and that is exactly what I got!
The stage was in the shape of the Prince symbol and he had two amazing twin backing dancers. He can still dance, he can still sing and I still definitely would.
Most amazingly of all, he did two encores. The second happened after the lights had gone up and some of the crowd had already left. I had a feeling it may happen because his last words before he left the stage was to tell us take out time leaving and I also spied a roadie hoist a keyboard onto the stage when the lights went down at the end of the first encore. Prince was transported back to the stage in a box and proceeded to play a random collection of hits on the keyboard.
I was also impressed at how he also chatted to the crowd in such a comical way. He is so obviously a born performer. He wasn’t at all the pretentious superstar I may have expected.
You had a pocket full of horses,
Trojan and some of them used.
But it was Saturday night,
I guess that makes it all right.
And you say what have I got to lose?
I went to see Prince last night at the O2 Arena. When my friend and I bought our tickets a few months back we thought this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Prince, we didn’t realise he was actually playing 21 dates at the damn place. When I found this out I was worried he may be getting bored of this mammoth residency which is about to end. I was hoping to see him perform with energy and enthusiasm… and that is exactly what I got!
The stage was in the shape of the Prince symbol and he had two amazing twin backing dancers. He can still dance, he can still sing and I still definitely would.
Most amazingly of all, he did two encores. The second happened after the lights had gone up and some of the crowd had already left. I had a feeling it may happen because his last words before he left the stage was to tell us take out time leaving and I also spied a roadie hoist a keyboard onto the stage when the lights went down at the end of the first encore. Prince was transported back to the stage in a box and proceeded to play a random collection of hits on the keyboard.
I was also impressed at how he also chatted to the crowd in such a comical way. He is so obviously a born performer. He wasn’t at all the pretentious superstar I may have expected.
You had a pocket full of horses,
Trojan and some of them used.
But it was Saturday night,
I guess that makes it all right.
And you say what have I got to lose?
Monday, 3 September 2007
My TV is feeling neglected
I have not turned on my television for over two weeks. It's not broken but I've been busy and the little time I have spent watching anything has been TV and videos online or DVDs on my laptop. It's not that I've been making a special effort to boycott TV, but I find that what I can find online satisfies me so much better!
A website such as http://www.tv-links.co.uk/ lets you watch just about any great TV show from the last few years. It feels so efficient to be able to pick exactly the show you want, instead of being restricted to the TV schedule. I also like 4OD from Channel 4, the closest thing to real TV, in my opinion. I've tried Joost as well, although wasn't as impressed with the content and found the colourful, snazzy graphics a little unnecessary and distracting. Then of course there's YouTube, which is great for a quick fix.
Unfortunately TV Links, my favourite, seems to only stream content which exists illegally. I look forward to a time, hopefully soon, when lots of quality, well-known TV and video content is available online legally. I wouldn't mind paying a little bit to watch it, although I do kind of feel that everything online should be free.
I predict that in five years, or probably less, traditional television as we know it won't exist. All TV will be on-demand and online which, in my opinion, will be an exciting change for the better.
A website such as http://www.tv-links.co.uk/ lets you watch just about any great TV show from the last few years. It feels so efficient to be able to pick exactly the show you want, instead of being restricted to the TV schedule. I also like 4OD from Channel 4, the closest thing to real TV, in my opinion. I've tried Joost as well, although wasn't as impressed with the content and found the colourful, snazzy graphics a little unnecessary and distracting. Then of course there's YouTube, which is great for a quick fix.
Unfortunately TV Links, my favourite, seems to only stream content which exists illegally. I look forward to a time, hopefully soon, when lots of quality, well-known TV and video content is available online legally. I wouldn't mind paying a little bit to watch it, although I do kind of feel that everything online should be free.
I predict that in five years, or probably less, traditional television as we know it won't exist. All TV will be on-demand and online which, in my opinion, will be an exciting change for the better.
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