Proper English Grammar
(From http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/6683.htm)
1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat)
6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
10. No sentence fragments.
11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's
highly superfluous.
14. One should NEVER generalize.
15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
16. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
19. The passive voice is to be ignored.
20. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words
however should be enclosed in commas.
21. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
22. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
23. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-
shaking ideas.
24. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate
quotations. Tell me what you know."
25. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist
hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
26. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
27. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
28. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
29. Who needs rhetorical questions?
30. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
And the last one...
31. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
Tone Matrix
Hope over to Andre Michelle's Laboratory and check out his fantastic Tone Matrix. The concept being so simplistic, the possibilities it opens is unlimited and you'll find yourself engrossed for a long time.
Tip: You can copy and paste creations to share with your friends. Just right click on the Tone Matrix...
Sumo Paint – an online mini Photoshop
Sumo Paint is a rich, powerful graphics editor that runs in your browser using Flash - you'll be surprised at the graphics quality and the features packed into this webapp. What you get is the ability to create an image from scratch using an impressive array of drawing tools (I personally like the gravity mode in the brush tools), or to load an image from your computer or from a remote location.
Firefox Search Tip
Here's a small Firefox tip that will save you some time.
Let's say you want to search YouTube for "honda accord ad". Try this:
1) Go to Youtube
2) Right click in the search text box on the main page and select 'Add a Keyword for this Search'
3) Give a Name ('YouTube') and Keyword ('yt'), without quotes, and click the 'Add' button
4) To use the new search keyword, type 'yt honda accord ad' without quotes in your address bar.
There you go - and this works for almost every search you'd probably want.
Virtual Aurality – Holophonic Sound
If you have a pair of headphones nearby, waste no time - give this page a visit and marvel at the amazing realism of the sound clips on that page.
The audio files were recorded using a dummy head with two microphones situated where the ears should be. The resulting recording is so real, if you close your eyes while listening to the Virtual Haircut clip, you actually get goosebumps by the realism (wait for the electric clipper to get near your ear). Awesome!
Brahmachari – Main Gaaun Tum So Jao (Keyboard)
My take on the lullaby from the movie Brahmachari
Podiobooks – free audiobooks
Audiobook (noun) - A book in audio form (duh!)
Podiobooks.com has a lot of free audiobooks, submitted by authors directly (you can interact with the authors on the site). The books are released in chapters, as a podcast. I've listened to a few chapters, and the quality of work is really high - great for that commute to work and back!
Banksy Graffiti
Banksy (a pseudonym) is probably the most (in)famous graffiti artist in Britain. His works are mostly satirical takes on politics, governance, culture etc. Graffiti blurs the line between public art and vandalism, with much of Banksy's work being erased by graffiti-cleanup crews. In most places, his art has been declared as vandalism; though in some cases, it has been allowed to remain by public consensus.
Banksy's website offers a rich experience; watch freedom of expression at work...
Some of his works:
