thesaurus « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Let Your Computer Tools Help

Gail Tycer — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:37:41 +0000

There’s a lot more to your word processing program than just spell checker! For most PC and MA

New arrival: The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary

P. O'Donnell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:24:42 +0000

Professor Christian Kay, one of four editors on the project Now available in the library: The Histor

Projecto Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos em Língua Portuguesa

Ana Carvalho — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:17:33 +0000

Apresentação do “Projecto Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos em Língua Portuguesa”.
Museu de Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa
Anfiteatro Manuel Valadares
18 Nov. 2009

Teve lugar ontem, tal como havíamos anunciado aqui no blogue, a apresentação pública do “Projecto Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos em Língua Portuguesa”.

Coube a Marta Lourenço algumas notas introdutórias sobre os aspectos fundamentais desta iniciativa e de seguida Marcus Granato (Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins, Rio de Janeiro) desenvolveu com maior detalhe aspectos concretos do projecto.

Património Científico Português – um património a ser preservado! De facto, como bem sublinhou Marta Lourenço este tem sido um património negligenciado em Portugal. Falta um plano à escala nacional que proteja e promova este património, envolvendo vários ministérios. Sobre o que tem sido feito nesta área pelo Museu de Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa, Marta Lourenço (coordenadora) destacou algumas linhas de intervenção:

-Desenvolvimento de Investigação e Ensino Pós-graduado em Património Científico e Cultura Material da Ciência (Hist. da Ciência) (2006)

-Levantamento do Património Cientifico Português (UC+ UP) (2006). O conhecimento sobre as colecções existentes no país, que dimensão e características é muitas vezes inexistente. Neste sentido é necessário desenvolver metodologias que permitam sistematizar a informação e promover o seu conhecimento.

-Divulgação do Património Científico Português na esfera internacional (2007)

-Programa de apoio a instituições com património científico (2008). Neste momento nove instituições portuguesas estão a receber apoio.

-Normas Gerais de Inventariação e Conservação de Instrumentos Científicos – Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos de Língua Portuguesa (+ MAST)

O que é afinal um thesaurus?

Sumariamente, pode dizer-se que um thesaurus cumpre três propósitos. Primeiramente, serve para controlar a terminologia, refere os termos que deverão ser utilizados e os que não deverão ser utilizados. Para além disso, explica o que significa cada um dos termos usados na lista. Finalmente, permite hierarquizar a informação (para uma explicação mais aprofundada consulte a página do ministério da cultura francês sobre a base de dados JOCONDE e onde se apresenta uma breve explicação sobre o que é um thesaurus: (http://www.culture.gouv.fr/)

Marta Lourenço sublinhou que em Museus de Ciência, ao contrário do que acontece com outras tipologias de museus, não se conhecem muitos exemplos de thesaurus publicados. Sobre esta matéria a conferencista fez referência ao thesaurus publicado pelo Museu do Índio (+IPHAN), cuja referência é a seguinte:

Motta, Dilza Fonseca da – Tesauro de cultura material dos índios no Brasil. Colaboração de: Leandra de Oliveira. Rio de Janeiro: Museu do Índio, 2006. 249 p. ISBN 8585986085.

E fez-se ainda menção a um thesaurus criado no seio dos museus de França (Thesaurus des objects mobiliers?) que inclui os instrumentos científicos.

Como um dos exemplos mais importantes de thesaurus na área dos museus foi referido o instituto Getty, que tem um thesaurus online para a arte e arquitectura (http://www.getty.edu/) (entre outros thesaurus) (No menu deste blogue, na categoria “Documentation & Cataloguing” pode encontrar um conjunto de links interessantes para esta área).

Está previsto que o Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos em Língua Portuguesa seja publicado em livro, em DVD e apresentado num portal web para consulta de todos. A configuração do portal ainda está a ser discutida, mas tudo indica que terá um motor de busca, um fórum, um banco de imagens e acesso às bases de dados das instituições que participam no projecto.

Marcus Granato começou a sua comunicação por dar a conhecer os antecedentes do projecto, que recuam a 1999 e explanou sobre as motivações subjacentes ao projecto. O objectivo geral deste projecto é efectivamente a criação do thesaurus, mas em concreto pretende-se:

1. Levantar, identificar e pesquisar os termos utilizados pelas instituições detentoras de acervo científico de carácter histórico
2. Classificar, padronizar, controlar e relacionar as terminologias utilizadas
3. Pesquisar e definir imagens padrão a serem utilizadas nos instrumentos (Como vamos fotografar?)
4. Produzir o thesaurus com notas explicativas e procedimentos de utilização
5. Disponibilizar os resultados do trabalho

Em Portugal fazem parte da rede as seguintes instituições:

Museu de Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa (Instituição Coordenadora)
Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra
Museu de Ciência da Universidade do Porto
Museu da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
Museu do Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto
Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa

No Brasil:

Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins, Rio de Janeiro (Instituição Coordenadora)
Museu de Ciência e Técnica da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
Museu Dinâmico de Ciência e Tecnologia da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
Museu da Escola Politécnica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Colégio Pedro II, Rio de Janeiro
Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia, Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia

“No Mundo dos Museus” felicita Marta Lourenço e toda a equipa pelo projecto e excelente trabalho que têm feito neste domínio. Este é um exemplo de que o trabalho em equipa e em rede pode trazer bons resultados. Talvez este projecto possa inspirar outras iniciativas na área da normalização em Portugal.

The Visual Thesaurus

eunmac — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:05:56 +0000

From the vault: I do like this visual thesaurus tool/website http://www.visualthesaurus.com. Creatively it’s never easy finding that perfect word but this tool makes life a lot easier. Hopping between words is effortless and the definitions are always to hand. The default animation can be a little distracting at times but you can tweak the settings somewhat. The only downside – trial is pretty short, and then you’re up for $2.95 per month or $19.95 a year.

http://www.visualthesaurus.com

~@eunmac

"Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos", divulgação do projecto, 18 Nov. 2009

Ana Carvalho — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:05:03 +0000

Transcrevemos, em baixo, email de Marta Lourenço e Marcus Granato sobre o projecto de thesaurus para colecções de instrumentos científicos. O tema suscita muito interesse, já que em Portugal não temos trabalhado muito na área da normalização, nomeadamente a criação de thesaurus, sobretudo na área dos museus.

Projecto ‘Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos em Língua Portuguesa

Apesar de existirem vários thesauri para museus, nunca foi desenvolvido um instrumento sistemático de referência para controlo e uniformização terminológica de colecções de instrumentos científicos em língua portuguesa (nem em outras línguas, de resto).

O ‘Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos em Língua Portuguesa’, um projecto de cooperação internacional iniciado em 2006 e envolvendo uma rede de 12 instituições de Portugal e do Brasil (ver lista em baixo), pretende dar resposta a esta necessidade.

De âmbito lusófono e pioneiro na sua natureza e na metodologia, o projecto tem um interesse múltiplo para a comunidade científica, para os profissionais de museus e para a sociedade em geral. Permitirá, por um lado, contribuir para o conhecimento nas áreas da museologia da ciência e da história da instrumentação. Constituirá um instrumento simples para os profissionais de museus, facilitando a gestão de colecções e as novas acessibilidades através da sociedade da informação. Finalmente, possibilitará uma maior visibilidade e reconhecimento do património científico, quer através da sua organização e acessibilidade a investigadores quer através da sua divulgação ao público em geral.

O Projecto é coordenado pelo Museu de Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa (MCUL) e pelo Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins do Rio de Janeiro (MAST).

Será apresentado publicamente, dia 18 de Novembro, no Museu de Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa, pelas 17 h (Anfiteatro Manuel Valadares),

Marta Lourenço, MCUL
Marcus Granato, MAST

REDE

Portugal
Museu de Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa (Instituição Coordenadora)
Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra
Museu de Ciência da Universidade do Porto
Museu da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
Museu do Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto
Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa

Brasil
Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins, Rio de Janeiro (Instituição
Coordenadora)
Museu de Ciência e Técnica da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
Museu Dinâmico de Ciência e Tecnologia da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
Museu da Escola Politécnica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Colégio Pedro II, Rio de Janeiro
Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia, Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia

O Projecto Thesaurus de Instrumentos Científicos é financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) e pelo Conselho Nacional para o Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

Conta com o apoio do Centro Interuniversitário de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia (CIUHCT – Pólo da Universidade de Lisboa).
Fonte: Lista de discussão MUSEUM

In Other Words

evanstonpubliclibrary — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:48:20 +0000

Word nerds of the world rejoice: the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is here! After 44 years of work, 4,000 pages, and 800,000 meanings the first ever historical thesaurus is ready to answer everything you ever wanted to know about the history of our language. The book chronologically and thematically arranges all the words from the mother of all English dictionaries, the OED. What this means is that you can view the history and evolution of words from their Old English incarnations through their many linguical permutations and on up to their present day forms. So if you’ve been itching to affect the terminology of, say, a seventeenth century Pilgrim, or perhaps want to give a fresh shine of authenticity to your annual basement production of Beowulf, then the HTOED may be right up your alley. And for all the writers out there, this new tool should serve as the antidote to trite prose and muddled meanings. If you’ve ever tried to use a regular thesaurus (or the dreaded thesaurus function in your word processing program of choice), then you know that few so called synonyms are actually that. Most words have very subtle shadings of their own which can end up tweaking their meaning just enough to make them a tad unsuitable for expressing the exact idea that you’re trying to get across. And this is where the HTOED should prove to be vastly beneficial to word seekers, as each category is broken down again and again into multiple (and often humorously precise) sub-meanings, making it possible to get closer than ever before to exactly that word. But before you expire in a swoon of wordly delight, beware, the pricetag, like the thesaurus itself is as breathtaking as it is hefty. There are, however, plans to put the HTOED online to be used in conjunction with the online version of the OED. For more information on the history of the book and the daunting task of its creation, read this fascinating post from Good Magazine.

A Hot Minute: Cursing Videogame nerds!

bluemanrule — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:40:22 +0000

This section features my rant for the week. I don’t normally complain about things but sometimes, I simply reach the boiling point. So here is where I vent. If you don’t want to read it, fine by me. I won’t take it personally. This week: Cursing VideoGame Nerds!

Cursing VideoGame Nerds: Why does this oxymoron even exist? I listen to roughly 12 podcasts each week. This number is down from about 20. I’ve removed several podcast from my RSS feed because of many failed, forced attempts at, what I suppose, appealing to gamers, sounding cool, and releasing repressed anger. I will not mention these podcasts by name but you know who they are.

Why do we, as gamers, feel the need to inexplicably curse? I can understand cursing to delineate anger, frustration, fear, pain, or even humor. However these nerds often curse just because of the unregulated nature of podcasts. How many times in the past week have you heard “f*#$” used as a noun? Think about it? How did that make you feel? The worst part of this is that these podcasters try so hard to speak intelligently about games with pretentious and pompous opinions on crap that doesn’t even matter (who gives a rip about lighting or anti-aliasing?).

The dissonance I experience when I listen to these pompous jerks ticks me off. Who are you appealing to? Are you losing control of your “regressed-childhood-I-was-swirlied” feelings or are you trying to appeal to the “hard core” gamer? Either way, it’s a sad, sad display. Man up and use a thesaurus.

Posting Foto Information Retrieval Kategori 3

ijoijocendol — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:19:50 +0000

Malam yang dingin

Malam yang dingin, membuat seorang mahasiswa berjalan sendirian yang larut dengan kesendiriannya karena mengikuti kuliah di IT Telkom yang penuh dengan duka dan lara.

ini searching ato indexing ?

Mahasiswa keren itu sedang mencari-cari kuncinya yang hilang. Mahasiswa tersebut bernama G@#$fg(taulaaa). Karena habis kuliah information retrieval jadi harus pandai-pandai searching kunci yang hilang.

Beeeuhh ... datang preman

Tiba-tiba ada mahasiswa lain datang, dan meneriaki mahasiswa tersebut dengan teriakan,”Maling… Ayo Hajar!” Tiga mahasiswa tersebut mempunyai informasi yang sama tentang keberadaan maling yang selalu meresahkan mahasiswa.

apa lo liat2 ????

Ketika berhasil menemukan kuncinya, dan berusaha menyalakan motornya, mahasiswa keren tersebut bingung dengan adanya teriakan maling tersebut. Mahasiswa keren hanya bisa bingung dan pasrah, karena tidak bisa melakukan information retrieval.

ciaat...ciatt.... hiyaaaa ... Rasengaaaan !!!

Gustaf langsung dengan sigap lompat dari motornya. Sedangkan yogi dan pongki sudah bersiaga juga akan menangkap gustaf dan akan memberi pukulan dengan pembobotan. Semua jurus-jurus pukulan ala google.

hiyaaa... Gomu-gomu goo

Dengan sigap, jimmy dan pongki segera menghadang gustaf yang mereka anggap pencuri dengan hadangan inverse document frequency dicampur indexing.

Ampuunn bang... ane emang ganteng...tapi bukan maling @#@$@$#

Akhirnya gustaf tertangkap, dan tanpa basa-basi langsung dihajar dengan pukulan yang bertubi-tubi. Pukulan crawler, tinju indexing, jotosan recall, semuanya pokonya dikeluarkan.

haiiiiyaaaaaaa ... lu sala olangg... haaa

Kemudian dengan tampang kesakitan gustaf berusaha menjelaskan tentang identitas dirinya dan relasinya dengan motor tersebut.

si jimmy lagi melihat BB17 ... hahaha

Jimmy dan pongki segera melihat identitas yang tertera dalam STNK tersebut. Dan guastaf masih mengerang kesakitan karena pukulan-pukulan yang dasyat yang telah dipelajari dalam padepokan information retrieval.

gw bata loo ... maw ???

Karena merasa bersalah jimmy dan pongki meminta maaf kepada gustaf. Gustaf menasehati supaya jangan langsung menghakimi orang dengan seenaknya. Dan akhir kata dari jimmy dan pongki,” Ya maap lach”.

Posting Foto Information Retrieval Kategori 2

ijoijocendol — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:16:27 +0000

Asdos yang anehhh

Hari ini kuliah tentang information retrieval. Tapi kok quiz ya. Asdos yang jengkelin, ech Soalnya gak mutu juga. Dasar kuliah information retrieval yang aneh.

Mahasiswa yang anehh

Tiba-tiba datang mahasiswa yang ambil matkul information retrieval juga tapi terlambat. Mahasiswa tersebut bernama G*s**f. Puff.. Asdos yang belagu. Qta buat indexing baru tahu rasa tuch asdos.

Mahasiswa-mahasiswa serba aneh dan membingungkan

Tiga mahasiswa yang bingung dengan soal quiz yang diberikan. Mau ketawa bingung, mau sedih juga gak tahu caranya. Dasar quiz informationretrieval yang aneh.

Format Tempat duduk yang aneh

Formasi tempat duduk yang aneh. Masak harus selang-selang. Ini asdos harus dilakukan pembototan dulu dech biar tahu rasa tuch asdos.

Quis yang benar2 aneh

Seperti biasa kalo quiz. Asdos lengah, kita bertindak. Ha.ha… Setiap quiz information retrieval pasti begitu. Namanya jugal kuiah information retrieval, jadi harus aktif mencari informasi jawaban ke teman.

Situasi yang anehh..apa yaa ????

Asdos merasa heran dengan bentuk formasi kita yang baru. Yach, asdos information retrieval cuma bisa bingung dengan apa yang telah terjadi. Wkwkwkw…

Soalnya aneehh siiihh ...

Asdos ini memberikan muka yang sinis kepada kami. Seperti mau mengatkan,”Mahasiswa sekarang payah-payah. Masak quiz information retrieval yang mudah ini aja gak bisa di kerjain!!”

beeeuuhh malah pesbukannn...anehh pisann euyy !!!

Seperti biasa kebanyakan asdos, selalu melihatt profile tentang mahasiswanya. Untuk menggali informasi tipe-tipe dari mahasiswa tersebut.

Maksa ngumpulinn...anehh banget ssiihh

Quiz sudah berakhir. Tapi Jimmy jelek belum selesai mengerjakan. Maka terjadilah tarik-menarik anatara mahasiswa dan asdos. Please dech mas, ini belum selesai beneran.

awasss lww yaa ...anehh !!!

Dengan tampang belagu, asdos information retrieval ini melihat hasil quiz dengan nada mengejek. Dan kedua mahasiswa ini, Yogi gendut dan Jimmy jelek berjanji akan memberikan pelajaran terhadap asdos tersebut.

Posting Foto Information Retrieval Kategori 1

ijoijocendol — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:15:10 +0000

Anak Pulau - Langit Biru di pantai matras

keindahan pantai matras di pulau bangka pada sore hari, langit yang membiru serasa ada laut di atas langit … beeuhhhh.. 4 thumbs up

Anak Pulau - ganteng

Pemandangan pantai dengan langit biru di sore menjadi background yang bisa membuat pria manapun serasa ganteng… apalagi ane, makin ganteng

Anak Pulau - Langit Biru lagi

Keren euy, pemandangan pantai di sore,mana langitnya biru … pulau di tempat ane emang mangstab 4 thumbs up …againn hihi

Anak Pulau - Aernya biru

Gelokk , aernya cuy … ini nih dapat dipastikan bakalan saingannya Bali.. hahaha … serba biru langit+aer ,.maen2 kesini, full recomended

Anak Pulau - Putra Daerah

beuhhh, senengnya maen di pantai … pasirnya euuyy … putihhhh … pake citraa white kaleeeee ….hahahahaha .. garing !!!!

meng-arak bade

Di bali “bade” merupakan wadah yang digunakan untuk meng-arak orang yang telah meninggal dunia(layon) secara beramai-ramai oleh keturunannya dan masyarakat setempat menuju ke kuburan/setra untuk diaben. Hal ini sebagai bentuk penghormatan kepada orang yang telah meninggal dunia.

pemidahan ke wadag

setelah sampai dikuburan, layon dipindahkan dari bade ke wadag untuk dilakukan prosesi ngaben bersama wadag tersebut. Wadag merupakan sebagai simbol kendaraan sang roh menuju ke alam roh (swah loka).

pembakaran layon

setelah menjalani berbagai tahap upacara ngaben barulah dilakukan pembakaran layon. Hindu percaya manusia terdiri dari 5 unsur(api,tanah,air,udara,ether) dan jika manusia tersebut meninggal maka harus dikembalikan seperti semula. Pembakaran layon merupakan prosesi untuk mengembalikan layon menjadi unsur api,tanah, dan udara.

meng-arak abu layon

dalam ngaben setelah pembakaran layon maka layon yang telah dikembalikan menjadi tanah(abu), maka prosesi selanjutnya abu tersebut akan diarak menuju pantai untuk dilakukan pengembalian ke unsur air.

penghanyutan abu layon

sesampainya abu layon di pantai, maka selanjutnya abu layon tersebut akan dihanyutkan ke tengah pantai untuk mengembalikan layon ke unsur air

Bandung,Tempat Makanan.

Sebenarnya gak ada yang spesial di hiasan dinding ini, cuman tempatnya itu yang rame pas sebelum hari lebaran.Ada yang tau hiasan dinding ini dimana?

si doggie,, eh catty

Putih, Ngegemesin, Kadang-Kadang Nyebelin.Ada yang bisa sebutin Kucing Jenis apa nih ?

lebaran cuuyy

Hari pertama lebaran harus kita isi dengan…..Silaturahmi dengan Pegawai Fast Food!!:hammer: :hammer:

ke lautt ajee !!!

Very NOT Recommended…Ane pengen moto laut gan, tapi….sambil nyetir!!jangan ditiru ya….Langitnya biru banget ya….

Mewah = mepet sawah

pemandangan yang udah sulit dilihat lagi di perkotaan,Sawah yang subur…yang membuat negara kita dijuluki negara Agraris.Dulu……

Malam yang indah.

Malam yang indah. Mobil-mobil berlalu lalang sesuai dengan kehendak pemiliknya. Mencari keinginan dan informasi yang diinginkan oleh pemiliknya. Karena setiap orang pasti akan menemukan informasi tentang arti hidup ini.

cahaya malam

Berkas cahaya pada malam ini menandakan cahaya juga bisa memberikan informasi kepada semua orang. Berkas cahaya ini menunjukan tingkat kesibukan di kota besar. Infromation retrieval.. itulah yang terpenting saat ini.

Tempat makan

Tempat makan di pinggir jalan. Semua tempat makan punya keunikan masing-masing. Pada tempat ini memberikan informasi tentang dinginnya malam, sunyinya malam. Semuanya tergantung kita dalam menggali infromasi tersebut.

lampu-lampu

Nyala lampu pada malam hari, menandakan aktifitas yg masih berlangsung meskipun hari sudah malam. Lampu ini memberikan informasi kepada kita tentang kesetiaan lampu untuk selalu menerangi manusia.

Tempat makan

Tempat makan di daerah burangrang. Hayao deskripsikan tentang informasi apa yang di dapat dari foto ini.

New Thesaurus Coming!

Tom Rink — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:49:00 +0000

It only took four and a half decades (yes, decades, not years), but Oxford University Press is publishing (later this month) the world’s largest and most comprehensive (2-volume) thesaurus — 4,448 pages, to be exact. And, in addition to being more than twice the size of Roget’s Thesaurus (the current industry standard), it claims to be the first historical thesaurus compiled (for any language).

Here’s the link to the full article.

Synonyms for Human

physiolatris — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:04:13 +0000

It’s hilarious looking up the word ‘human’ in a thesaurus. If you want a cheap worthless laugh, I suggest you look it up. According to Oxford American Dictionaries, these are the synonyms of us (as adjectives):

MORTAL, flesh and blood; fallible, weak, frail, imperfect, vulnerable, susceptible, erring, error-prone; physical, bodily, fleshy.

Funny what Oxford decides to put as the first entry. It seems like they’re all negative adjectives, with the exception of a few, to which I found no negative connotation attached (physical, bodily, fleshy, flesh and blood ). I say hell yea for being physical beings! And hell yeah for being mortal too. But fallible, weak, imperfect, erring?? I don’t think I asked for a gnostic definition of human. I asked for human. Oh wait! There’s more!

Entry no. 2:

COMPASSIONATE, humane, kind, considerate, understanding, sympathetic, tolerant; approachable, accessible.

What happened here? It seems like I suddenly looked up the definition of a good friend, or of a priest.

Hilarious, but true. What a contradiction. We are certainly all of the words above, including the shitty self-deprecating ones. But that’s who we are! So it goes.

This reminds me of Mitch Hedburg’s brief joke about Do Not Disturb signs. They psyche you out. Why? Cause the rules of Western reading tell us to do it from left to right (or top to bottom, in this specific thesaurological example). [Yea you read it right]

‘”I got a ‘Do-Not-Disturb’ sign on my hotel door. It says ‘Do Not Disturb’; it’s time we go with ‘Don’t Disturb’. It’s been ‘Do Not’ for too long. We need to embrace the contraction. ‘Don’t disturb’; ‘Do Not’ psyches you out. ‘Do’: “Alright, I get to disturb this guy”. ‘Not’: “Shit! I need to read faster!”’

Next time I’ll read from bottom to top.

Thanks Oxford American Dictionaries and thanks Mitch Hedburg for a good laugh. R.I.P, mortal Mitch.

(rest in peace? how more redundant can one get, especially when talking about a dead man?)

Humans, I say we compensate and live among these contradictions.

Un(e) documentaliste - Paris

biblioemplois — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:13:22 +0000

Le service Information Documentation du Centre de ressources national soins palliatifs François-Xavier Bagnoud

recrute une documentaliste en CDI a temps plein

poste a pourvoir rapidement

Le Centre de Ressources National soins palliatifs François-Xavier Bagnoud (CDRN FXB)

A POUR MISSION DE CONTRIBUER AU DEVELOPPEMENT DES SOINS PALLIATIFS ET DE LA DEMARCHE PALLIATIVE.

Équipe pluridisciplinaire : formateurs, documentalistes, psychologues, médecins cliniciens ou de santé publique, chercheurs, écoutantes, bénévoles, personnel administratif.

Public : étudiants et professionnels des secteurs sanitaire et médico-social, chercheurs et aussi publics concernés par ces problématiques.

Champ documentaire : accompagnement, maladie grave, soins palliatifs, deuil, mort, d’un point de vue médical mais aussi au regard des sciences humaines et sociales.

Missions de la documentaliste : Accueil, orientation, assistance et conseil aux usagers, conception et réalisation de produits documentaires (bibliographies, synthèses documentaires, etc), conception, réalisation, mise à jour d’outils documentaires (thesaurus, …), indexation et catalogage, gestion de commandes, organisation, rédaction et publication de contenus sur le site Internet, gestion de projets, participation à la vie l’équipe et de la structure, participation aux réseaux professionnels.

Profil : diplômé(e) en documentation (niveau maîtrise ou DESS) et doté(e) d’au moins 5 ans d’expérience, maîtrise de l’anglais professionnel écrit, maîtrise des logiciels bureautiques (Word, Excel…), documentaire (Alexandrie) et web (Spip), goût du contact et du travail en équipe, autonome, réactif(ive), dynamique, organisé(e), connaissance du domaine de la santé souhaitée

CONTACT : Marina RENNESSON

CDRN FXB Centre de Ressources National soins palliatifs François-Xavier Bagnoud

Fondation Croix Saint-Simon

6 avenue du Professeur André Lemierre

75980 PARIS cedex 20

Tél. : 01 49 93 64 33

Email : cdrnfxb.documentation@croix-saint-simon.org

Site internet http://www.croix-saint-simon.org/cdrnfxb

Merci d’envoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation

Un(e) documentaliste - Aix en Provence (13)

biblioemplois — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:52:18 +0000

DOCUMENTALISTE EN CAE PASSERELLE

TITULAIRE D’UN MASTER II PROF. EN METIERS DES ARCHIVES OU IUT METIERS DU LIVRE. VOUS ASSUREZ DES TACHES D’EXUCTION POUR LA GESTION D’UN SYS- TEME DOCUMENTAIRE. SAISIE DES DOCU- MENTS AVEC LANGAGE DOCUMENTAIRE (THESAURUS). CONFIRMER VOTRE ELIGI- BILITE AU CAE PASSERELLE

Lieu de travail : 13 – AIX-EN-PROVENCE

Type et Nature du contrat : CONTRAT A DUREE DETERMINEE DE 12 MOIS / CONTRAT ACCOMPAGN. EMPLOI

Expérience : DEBUTANT ACCEPTE

Formation et connaissances : NIV 1(BAC+5 ET +) EXIGE(E)

Salaire indicatif : HORAIRE 8,82 Euros (57,86 F)

Horaires : 26H00 HEBDO

Postulez à cette offre :

http://www.anpe.fr/espacecandidat/nicola/AfficherOffreDepuisMail.do?reference=461140Z

Source : ANPE, Numéro de l’offre 461140Z

OF NOTE: Online shopping; working for Comcast and Google; history (11.9.09)

Iconoculture — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:21:28 +0000

-Compared to other groups, Mature consumers are most likely to shop online (77%), according to one recent report on lifestages and lifestyles.

-Great bennies, bonuses and bosses are some of the reasons Comcast was named the best place to work in Massachusettes from Boston Globe survey results. Other 2009 list-toppers include Harvard-Pilgrim Health Care, Edward Jones Financial and Google. [Consumerist]

-Speaking of Google, they’re hiring. Good news considering the bleak unemployment rate, but if you ever failed to guess how many jelly beans were in the jar you may think twice before applying.

-Two historical perspectives: words and water use.

Book Review: Flip Dictionary

kathleenwall — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:39:04 +0000

Don't Distract the Judge

esqstyleblog — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:03:22 +0000

Presenting arguments before the US Supreme Court is a nerve-racking experience. How much worse must

Time-traveling through the English language with the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary

lisagoldresearch — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:22:34 +0000

Matt and I recently had the opportunity to spend some time browsing through the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, which has just been published by Oxford University Press.

I began by reading the introduction. He began by looking up curse words. Once he had satisfied his curiosity about when certain very popular profanities first entered the English language, he turned his attention to the more unusual words within the inferior persons, as abused subcategory that have fallen out of use, such as windfucker (1602 to 1616), hog-rubber (1614 to 1621), chuff-cat (1653), shit-sack (1769 to 1785), and son of a sea-cook (1806 to 1977). This led to an animated discussion of the common themes that connected many of the words—comparisons to animals, sex with relatives or objects, and the inability to control one’s bowels.

That’s what happens when you put the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary within reach of a writer.

Browsing this work feels strangely like time-travel. All the words from Old English to 2003—obsolete and current, including slang and dialect—have been extracted from the Oxford English Dictionary and organized by their meanings and dates of use. This places each word within its historical context, revealing how ideas and meanings emerged and the different ways they’ve been expressed through time.

It took forty-four years to bring the HTOED to publication, overcoming what the editors politely describe as “a series of intellectual, financial, and domestic challenges.” About 800,000 meanings from the OED were transcribed onto slips of paper and organized into a unique classification system with over 236,000 categories and subcategories. A fire in 1978 would have destroyed a decade of work but for the fact that the paper slips were stored in a metal filing cabinet. They could have finished making slips by 1980, but the decision was made to add new material from the second edition of the OED and the supplements. Computers were eventually used to enter, store, and retrieve data, but much of the work continued to be done by hand.

The result is the world’s largest thesaurus, nearly 4000 pages of small type in two big volumes weighing fifteen pounds, with a slipcase and folding chart of the top levels of the classification system. I like print references because browsing can lead to serendipitous discoveries, but these books can be awkward to use. It’s especially frustrating when looking up a word with multiple meanings, as the index may list dozens of identification numbers, which means lots of page flipping. No, it’s not available online or on CD, though that may eventually change. I’d like to see the powers-that-be at Oxford University Press quickly add the HTOED to the online OED so both works can be used together and fully cross-referenced and searched.

The classification system of the HTOED is mind-bogglingly complex, forming a hierarchy of meaning from the general to the specific. At the highest level are the three main sections—the external world, the mental world, and the social world—which divide into 26 major categories, such as the earth, life, emotion, society, morality, faith, armed hostility, and communication. These branch into more detailed categories like food, clothing, people, animals, transport, love, moral evil, and sexual relations. More specific categories and subcategories lead to the synonyms and related words, which are organized by part of speech and listed chronologically with the date of the first recorded use in English and, for obsolete words, the last recorded use. (I recommend reading the “guide to the use of the thesaurus” to get your bearings.)

Each level in this hierarchy of meaning is assigned a two-digit number, which when combined creates identification numbers for every word in the thesaurus. Some words have many identification numbers because they have numerous meanings or have changed their meanings over time and thus appear in different locations within the thesaurus.

For example, in the alphabetical index, the first identification number for the noun serendipity, one of my favorite words, is 01.05.05.10.02.01|10.01, locating it in the thesaurus within these nested categories and subcategories:

01                                                         the external world
01.05                                                  existence in time and space
01.05.05                                     action/operation
01.05.05.10                              endeavour
01.05.05.10.02                       searching/seeking
01.05.05.10.02.01 (n.)              finding/discovery (noun)
01.05.05.10.02.01|10               accidentally (subcategory)
01.05.05.10.02.01|10.01        faculty of making happy discoveries by chance

Here you’ll find that the noun serendipity was first cited in 1754. After the finding/discovery (noun) category is the finding/discovery (adjective) category, in which serendipitous (01.05.05.10.02.01|03) dates from 1958.

The HTOED will clearly be important to the study of the English language, but it also could contribute to other subjects, especially history, literature, and culture. The descriptions of life and the earth over centuries are like crash courses in the history of science and medicine. Cultural historians will look for clues in our language to our attitudes about gender, race, and class, as with the words used to describe women based on animals (mare, hen, cow, heifer, bird) or clothing (skirt, smock, petticoat). Advancements in technology are reflected in subjects like travel, tools, telecommunications, and computing. Shakespeare scholars will be able to compare the words in use during his lifetime and argue about the reasons for his word choices. Even a category like clothing can reveal shifts in morality, as when underwear became unmentionables in 1823.

I believe the HTOED could be a rich source of inspiration and world-building for writers. Historical novelists could gain insight into the past and how people lived, what they knew and believed, and how they described their own world. And they’ll know whether the words their characters are speaking were actually in use at the time. (Elizabethans would not have called a packed meal a picnic, as it was first cited in 1748.) Fantasy writers may unearth ideas in forgotten names or descriptions of supernatural beings and mythical creatures. Poets can reintroduce lyrical and imaginative words that have fallen out of use, such as candel (Old English to 1634), luminair (1456 to 1560), or streamer (1513 to 1647), all of which once described heavenly bodies. Eclectic writers like my husband who have a strong love of word-play and enjoy collecting unusual bits of knowledge will find it addictive.

Let’s say you’d like to take advantage of the current craze for vampires or literary monster mash-ups like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The HTOED can tell you when different monsters first entered our nightmares and what we called them at distinct points in time. Follow the hierarchy of categories from the external world to the supernatural to supernatural being/spirit to malignant monster (noun). Here you’ll find that the word vampyre was first cited in 1734, followed by vampire in 1796. Though vampire is still in use today, the last recorded OED citation for vampyre was in 1847. Referring to vampires as undead didn’t begin until 1897. Werewolves trace all the way back to the Old English werewulf, lycanthrope was first cited in 1813 and is still in use, but the more poetic turnskin entered the language in 1831 and exited forty years later. Oh, and zombie was first cited in 1819, two years after the death of Jane Austen.

The editors have included all those words that have been too controversial for some other dictionaries and thesauruses. Curse words, sexual slang, and offensive slurs for racial and sexual minorities appear dispassionately in their chronological place among their less inflammatory cousins. Reading certain entries may cause shock, disgust, or pain, but there is value in putting these powerful words in their historical context. If you are easily offended or prefer your works expurgated, consider yourself warned.

Priced at $395 (on sale at Amazon for $316), the HTOED will unfortunately be out of reach for many of the writers and word lovers who might appreciate it, so keep it mind if you are looking for a fabulous gift for your favorite logophile.

For more information, check out this OUP website for the HTOED and this OUP blog post with “fun facts and figures” about the work. Here’s the link to a sample page from the work at the OUP website.

UPDATE, 10/28: I received an email from Christian Kay, editor of the HTOED. There are indeed plans to eventually link the HTOED to the OED online and make it available to subscribers, but that could be a couple of years away. There are no plans for a CD version. So it looks like the books will be the only option for quite some time.

Vegasaurus Crossing!

louisecolette — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:48:55 +0000

ack in the beginning of my library career (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I worked as a teacher in a private church school. I really enjoyed getting to know the students,and teaching them, especially Language Arts.

I’ll never forget the day they learned about the thesaurus. They loved finding antonyms and synonyms, and seeing how all the words fit into familes.

Timmy especially loved the lesson; he was a bright little guy with a love of books that made teaching him a joy. I was so pleased the day after the lesson when he came up to me and asked to borrow “That book you showed us yesterday”.

“What book?” I asked him, since I had taught several different lessons to different groups the day before.

“You know,” he responded. ”The one with all the opposites. The Vegesaurus.”

And from then on, the thesaurus was known in our classroom as the Vegesaurus. I liked to imagine it roaming the classroom at night in the dark, looking for pencil stubs and erasers to snack on. And maybe even hanging out with that other wonder of prehistory, the Encyclosaurus.

Photo: Allosaurus Skeleton on display at the Exhibit Museum on the University of Michigan campus. Photographer: *ejk*

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License.

Un(e) aide-documentaliste - Moulins (03)

biblioemplois — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:35:33 +0000

AIDE-DOCUMENTALISTE H/F

VOUS SEREZ CHARGE(E) DE METTRE EN PLACE LE THESAURUS ET LE PLAN DE RECLASSEMENT, INVENTORIER, CATALOGUER ET INDEXER LES DOCUMENTS. VOUS AVEZ UNE BONNE MAITRISE DES OUTILS BUREAUTIQUUES.

Lieu de travail : 03 – MOULINS

Type de contrat : CONTRAT A DUREE DETERMINEE DE 3 MOIS

Nature d’offre : CONTRAT DE TRAVAIL

Expérience : DEBUTANT ACCEPTE

Formation et connaissances : NIV. 3 (BAC+2) BIBLIOTHEQUE DOC. EXIGE(E)

Qualification : Employé qualifié

Salaire indicatif : MENSUEL DE 1 500 A 1 850 Euros (9 839,36 A 12 135,20 F)

SELON PROFIL

Durée hebdomadaire de travail : 35H00 HEBDO TICKETS RESTAURANTS

Taille de l’entreprise : 100 A 199 SALARIES

Secteur d’activité : ACTIV.GENERAL.SECURITE SOCIALE

Si cette offre vous intéresse, veuillez adresser par mail votre CV et une lettre de motivation, en précisant le numéro de l’offre à :

CAISSE PRIMAIRE ASSURANCE MALADIE – Mle EMILIE TROUSSELIER

recrutement@cpam-moulins.cnamts.fr

Source : ANPE, Numéro d’offre 586384K

http://www.anpe.fr/espacecandidat/nicola/AfficherOffre.do?reference=586384K

They are everywhere and nowhere

Andris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:04:55 +0000

Yesterday we went to the bar and had some drinks with the organizers and participants. The most interesting part was going back to home. You would imagine that clerks are in Canary Wharf only in working hours? No, You can see them along the tables and drinking the beer, speaking to each other. They still are here. The organizers told me that You get used to them and to Yourself, working here and being part of “clerkulture”.

But this morning was opposite. At 9 AM it seems that district is without people. There are only buildings and they are so similar that I got lost and was late for the courses.

I am still wondering, who they are and what are they doing. The thesaurus actually is not saying anything about clerks. It just gives me more intention to find more about them.

OED Thesaurus published after 40 years

raven2009 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:48:42 +0000

BBC News reported the publication of a thesaurus that has been under construction at Glasgow University, since the mid-1960’s. They write:

The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary has nearly 800,000 meanings, organised into more than 236,000 categories and subcategories. Its 4,500 pages are published in two volumes by Oxford University Press.

Amazon will be selling it in early November for over $300. I doubt we’ll buy it.

Self-publishing Advice: Word Usage

selfpublishingadvice — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:47 +0000

Editorial Q&A from an established Self-publishing consulting source:

Q: I would like to know of a book or Web site that shows complete sentences in which a specified word is used. I have a good vocabulary and know how to use a thesaurus, but I’m fearful when it comes to promoting a word from my cognitive vocabulary to my active vocabulary; i.e., actually using a word I know in a sentence I write. (For example, I stepped out on a limb to use the word “cognitive.”)

A: First, never use a word in your writing that you wouldn’t use in casual conversation, and you’ll never go wrong.

Next, if you never stretch your own vocabulary, you won’t grow, so after the first caution, I’ll add my favorite source: American Heritage Dictionary. It often, but not always, uses words in a sentence.

A third warning: When you look something up in a thesaurus, be cautious, because each word has its own connotation, and choosing a word from a list does not ensure that the exact meaning you intend will be relayed to the reader. One of my clients for whom English was not a native language, for example, wanted to impart excitement, so after referring to a thesaurus, he wrote, “Oh, no!” he ejaculated. Yes, the sentence and word use are both technically correct, but Americans more often use ejaculate to mean something other than exclaim, so the word choice was less than ideal. It did give this editor a chuckle, however.

Bobbie Christmas, book doctor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.

So you think you can spell?

LibeRaCe — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:28:05 +0000

Spelling Bee is a highly addictive, but very useful, spelling game hosted on the Visual Thesaurus website. The thesaurus itself is a subscription service, but the spelling game is free to use. You’ll need headphones, then click on the Start button to hear the first word then type in your best guess. You’ll also get a definition and example of how the word is used.

If you’re correct the word will turn green, if not you get three more goes before you can surrender! Points are scored for the number of correct guesses and the number of times you need a hint. You can click on the ‘Play Word’ button at any time. If you are a thesaurus subscriber you can create your own spelling contest or try contest based on other peoples saved favourites. Let the games commence!