Tools like Google Translate don’t always offer perfect translations, often because there’s no context. When you want a more accurate translation, use Wikipedia instead. More »
Any expression can get worn out through overuse. Business social networking service LinkedIn ran an analysis on its Australian members, and identified the 10 most overused words and phrases in their profiles. The top offender? Creative. More »
This is just one more awesome thing Wolfram Alpha is capable of: it can take a jumbled set of letters and tell you what Scrabble words you can make with them. More »
Learning a language at a later stage in your life is hard. Your time is at a premium and your plate’s already so full that taking on all that new information is a serious challenge. Here’s how to passively attach a new language without much effort or time with the help of technology and the things you already own. More »
Profanity is a divisive subject. Some think obscenities have no place in any polite conversation, ever; some feel, judiciously applied, profanity is the best flavour in their communication spice rack; others lob expletives like they’re trying to unlock a coveted F**k-Yeah Four-Letter Words badge. It’s a touchy subject, and one that’s been the focus of some enjoyable debate in the past week. So let’s talk about it, shall we? More »
Your kind attentions, I pray: this coming Sunday marks 200 years since Jane Austen’s first publication, Sense And Sensibility, an occasion being marked by her supporters with a campaign to encourage speech in the style of Austen in everyday discourse, as well as in any networks of sociability that might divert your attention momentarily. More »
This is one I often get caught out with. I did a science degree and often find that stuff I say is misinterpreted by non-sciency people. More »
A simple but effective tweak: searches on Google which produce dictionary results now also show synonyms alongside the definition. Handy. (Like many Google changes, it might take a few days to show up on your system.) [via Google Operating System]
