Corpus Linguistics
I suspect it'll take me while to be fully back into reading/thinking/writing-mode again. Well, the thinking part is never really absent, but as a student you'll also have to organize your thoughts and reproduce them in writing as something clever and innovative. I feel the pressure, selfinflicted as it is, and only a week into the semester I actually believe I'm behind. Ridiculous, I know, and I'm learning to live with the fact that I'm a slightly obsessed control freak who sets standards for myself almost impossible to meet.
There's also another "problem". As I'm not particularly ambitious careerwise, I'm not sure I have enough drive to expand on my ideas and give them wellfounded support, and having found a logic answer or seen a clear connection in my mind is more than often a satisfying experience in itself, with no need for further confirmations. On the other hand I then often go on missioning, filled with the conviction I could get everyone else to see the light.
Todays calling is to spread the word (!) of dictionary.com. Again. This website has been my trusty companion for quite a while now, but it's only getting better and better, with so many useful functions. (And a new beautiful layout as well.) The latest addition is CleverKeys, a program which allows me with a simple keystroke to access the dictionary from within the browser. Let's say I'm reading an article and come across an unfamiliar word; I highlight the word, press "Ctrl+L" and dictionary.com opens up in a new tab with the explanation right there. Or if I'm blogging and feel my vocabulary is in need of an update "Ctrl+M" brings up a menu and I can choose thesaurus.com; in an instant I'll have 101 results for: "feel".
As a user of these fantastic applications I believe I should support their creators in a more substantial way than just talking nicely about them, and therefore I am, as from today on, a subscriber; which will give them $19.95 and me some extra functions.
It's getting late and I realize I still haven't come any closer to what the heading suggested, i.e. Corpus Linguistics, and it really doesn't matter anymore. Let's just say it's one of my subjects this fall, and it's going to be quite interesting although it's only a smaller part of HUIN102, "ICT in the Humanities". I'm sure there will be other postings emerging from that topic, in some quirky way or another.
Time for bed, if I'm to succeed in my aim at hitting the sack before midnight.
3 comments:
No smiles here, really. Pure agony. Too much to do, too little time, and I'm by far too much disorganized. Not good at prioritizing, not at all. It's so much nicer go fishing, and when I finally do get to work it's usually not with what I was supposed to do. But I guess that's just how I'm wired.
Well, low and behold, that Dictonary.com is magnificent!! Thanks a lot for "the whisper in my ear". Now I can let my worn out Thesaurus (presently in two pieces) retire from the academic sphere, and rest until I'm denied Internet access :)
I tried to import the word of the day to my blog, but realized after I failed (read a little more than the opening paragraph) that I need a little more time to do it than two and a half seconds!! I might even convince you to show me while you're visiting my premises....
I hope you are still smiling, refraining from the temptation of speeding (I don't), and are getting along famously with academic issues and assignments ;)
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