A query from a colleague led me to look back at a Master’s dissertation I wrote in 1996, back in the very early days of the Internet: Writing Conversation: An Analysis of Speech Events in E-mail Mailing Lists In this paper, I looked at the types of speech events used in this specific type of communication. From my abstract:
In this paper, I will discuss how mailing lists function, the different types of mailing lists that exist, and how the type of mailing list can influence the type of discourse that is used on the list. Then I will discuss the different types of speech events that are used on mailing lists. Finally, I will show how those speech events are realized by examining an extended thread from one mailing list.
I had a re-read of the paper this evening, something I hadn’t done in more than ten years (the last time I looked at it was when a linguistics journal asked me to provide a shorter version for publication, back in 2000). And, you know what, it’s actually kind of interesting. I wrote this paper back in a time when computer-mediated communication was new, and the general public hadn’t yet embraced the internet. In addition, I did all my research using the internet: I didn’t set foot in a single library, and found papers on the web, or contacted authors who sent me off-prints of articles they had written.
This probably won’t interest many of my readers, but some of you, who have been using the internet for a long time, may want to take a glance at it and see how much has changed, and how much hasn’t. My paper was the first on a niche subject – speech events in e-mail – and it has been quoted by many other papers. While it earned my a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, I didn’t pursue the field after that. It’s a shame, because it was quite interesting, and with the tools we now have for analyzing textual corpora, the possibilities are endless.
A few years ago, I bought this wonderful complete set of the BBC’s productions of Shakespeare’s plays. Recorded between 1978 and 1985, these recordings show their age, but feature a plethora of excellent actors and actresses, such as John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Bob Hoskins, Brenda Blethyn, Anthony Hopkins and Clive Swift. No modern productions here – all of these are period pieces, and feature the BBC’s minimalist sets and design. (This design can be annoying in some productions, but in most the words take precedence and one ignores the sets.
As yet, I have only watched a handful of the DVDs, but the ones I have watched (the first four Henrys, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors and King Lear) are all excellent. As I said, they show their age, but they do represent a fairly consistent approach to the works, in spite of featuring a number of different directors (notably Jonathan Miller) throughout the series.
For Shakespeare fans, this is a must-have set, especially considering its relatively friendly price (£68 at the time of this writing). Note, however, that the BBC is embarking on a new series of Shakespeare plays in the near future, with today’s actors and actresses. I don’t think that’s any reason to avoid this set, however, as it shows a type of Shakespearean interpretation that is, in a way, for the ages.
Update, September, 2011: since I first posted this in 2008, I’ve watched about half of the plays; I have no desire to go through them all in a hurry. While some productions are weaker than others, overall, the set is magnificent. Notable plays are Hamlet, with Derek Jacobi in the title role, and Othello, with Bob Hoskins as Iago. Some of the productions are a bit dated, and tacky, but the acting is generally very good to excellent. At the price at which this set is sold – a couple of quid per play – this really is a steal.
Last night, I wanted to watch something on TV. There was nothing on the many channels I have by satellite, so I looked at my DVD collection. There were movies I could see watching again, but most of them were too long. I didn’t want to start watching some TV series I had already watched, but I finally decided to watch the first episode of The West Wing, a series that I have watched, in its entirety, twice already.
It’s been a couple of years since I watched it the last time. But when I started watching the first episode, I was immediately hooked. Naturally, I know these characters well, and remembered much of what happened, but the quality of Aaron Sorkin’s writing is just so far above most of what is on TV – or in the movies – that it is a pure pleasure to watch it. Even if you’re not interested in the way the US government works, this series is a wonderful study of a number of characters who work together. The acting is exceptional, for most of the main characters, throughout the seven seasons. There is a core group of characters that stay for the entire series, and some that are present for just one season (especially the final season).
In any case, if you haven’t watched The West Wing, you can get the full seven seasons for for $145 from Amazon. It’s a great bargain, for one of the best series that has ever been on network TV.
At $140 for the entire set (from Amazon) I’d be tempted, if I didn’t have the first seven seasons already. I’m in no hurry to get season 8, as I thought it was pretty weak…
On this week’s all-star episode of the Tech Night Owl, hosted by Gene Steinber, we will examine the ins and outs of iTunes 10 for the Mac and PC with author and commentator Kirk McElhearn. Learn why Kirk doesn’t like Apple’s new Ping social networking feature.
In the next segment, commentator Joe Wilcox, a former tech industry analyst, explains what’s wrong with the recent market share tains recorded for Microsoft’s Bing search engine, and why estimates of smartphone OS market share may be incorrect.
You’ll also hear from Jim Dalrymple, of The Loop, on the changes Apple made to the App Store, which appears to loosen the requirements for new apps, and lets you use third-party development tools, such as Adobe Flash, to create those apps.
So I got my iPad today. I’m impressed. (See the post below.)
But one thing I want to do is use it to read the news. As I wrote a while ago on Macworld, I think there are great opportunities to get people to pay for content – news and other types of web information – using this device.
So I downloaded the New York Times’ “Editors’ Choice” app, and I’m very disappointed. First, by the ads; there aren’t too many, yet, because this is new. But I’m sure there will be more. Second, by the limited number of stories available. I don’t want to read web sites with the iPad, unless they’re optimized for the device; but dedicated apps make sense.
However, if you don’t provide more news and no ads – for a fee – this app is essentially worthless. I don’t only want to read the stories you include, I want to read a lot of your stories (such as book reviews, but also stories from the archives).
So, please improve this app, then come up with a fair price. I’ll sign up right away.
Meet the Night Owl himself, the incomparable Gene Steinberg, best-selling Mac author and columnist. Get to know Gene, and discover his unique, thought-provoking viewpoints about the technology universe, from the always-fascinating happenings at Apple Inc. to consumer electronics, innovative products and overall trends in the tech industry.
On this week’s all-star episode, author and commentator Kirk McElhearn tells you why he’s working hard to banish Google from his Macs, as he regards the service as potentially harmful to your privacy. That very subject is also covered from a somewhat different point of view by Adam Engst, of TidBITS and Take Control Books. Adam also discusses the surprising success of Macworld Expo 2010, which was held without Apple’s participation.
In another segment, Lee Givens, an AOL Mac product manager, tells you about some of the service’s future plans, and describes their newest application updates for the Mac and iPhone, which include seamless integration with Facebook, Twitter and other popular social networking services.
Kirk McElhearn writes about Macs, iPods, iPads, iTunes, books, music and more. He's written a dozen books, is a Senior Contributor to Macworld, where he is The iTunes Guy, and writes for several other web sites and magazines. He reviews classical CDs for MusicWeb and audiobooks for Audiofile, and is a French-English translator.
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My latest book: Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ, Second Edition
