1. I am not teaching the FCE course, this fall, as I no longer work at MFF but at Rebo Publishers.
2. "Gympl" is a very funny movie with great music. I highly recommend it.
3. My other, entirely unacademic, blog is here and has been since 2006. Enjoy.
Happy start of the semester and best of luck to you all. Hope to see you at Pivovarsky klub in Karlin, sometime. ;-)
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Summertime
One of my favorite summer songs is George Gershwin's "Summertime" (written with DuBoise Heyward for the 1935 opera, "Porgy and Bess"). It's the antithesis of upbeat Beach Boys surf music (which I love); the melody and words symbolize authentic American summer, to me. On the other hand, the song is written in a minor key, and reminds me of all the melancholy summer nights I spent in Missouri, as a grad student, with the cicadas humming, the air hazy and humid, and the sun setting in a hot-metal ball.
Summers in Colorado were, and are, much happier: there aren't any insects droning or buzzing, the air is light and cool and there's usually been a thunderstorm, earlier; and the sun sets over the mountains. Mainly, my family's in Colorado, and we're all sitting on the front patio, sitting around the table, talking. This is how I spent my first night back, on Sunday, even though I was so jetlagged I nearly fell off my chair.
Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
Summers in Colorado were, and are, much happier: there aren't any insects droning or buzzing, the air is light and cool and there's usually been a thunderstorm, earlier; and the sun sets over the mountains. Mainly, my family's in Colorado, and we're all sitting on the front patio, sitting around the table, talking. This is how I spent my first night back, on Sunday, even though I was so jetlagged I nearly fell off my chair.
On Monday, my parents and I drove up to Boulder, which is a great place to walk around in the summer, and, moreover, is a fantastic place to study as a graduate student (at the University of Colorado). Boulder is a politically way-left-of-center city, set against the reddish-brown Flatirons mountains, and bursting with intellectual and cultural activity. Here's a sampling of the kinds of bumper stickers you see in Boulder: "Wanted, dead or alive: Schroedinger's cat, with or without its box."
Only in Boulder would you find a reconstructed teahouse from Tajikistan, with tanned people in shorts and sandals lined up outside, waiting for tables. We stopped there for lunch. It's known as the Dushanbe Teahouse, and is named for the town of Dushanbe in Tajikistan. Tajikistan and Boulder are "sister cities", and the major of Tajikistan sent the mayor of Boulder the teahouse, as a gift. That's a pretty big gift to top; I have no idea what the mayor of Boulder sent back. (Photo from http://www.boulderteahouse.com/.)
As you can see, it's carved from wood and plaster, and is covered in colorful designs. The teahouse's web page notes that the artistic traditions reflected in the teahouse date back over 2,000 years.
The teahouse is open on two sides to the wind; inside, with its carved pillars and multicolored painted walls, it looks and feels like no other cafe or restaurant in the U.S. It reflects the essence of Boulder: colorful, playful, and atypical.
It doesn't feel that strange to be back in the U.S. Everything looks and sounds familiar, even though I've been away from it for a year and a half. However, daily life here is very different from daily life in Prague.
In Prague: I have a tiny espresso at breakfast. Here: I have a big mug of coffee.
In Prague: I leave the apartment and hop on a tram. Here: I get in the car.
In Prague: I have to think hard about what I say, both in English and in Czech. Here: conversation is easy! ;-)
The view out the window in Prague: the courtyard and other people's gardens. The view out the window, here: a giant deer, munching on grass.
I'm glad to be back. Prague is home, but Colorado is home, in a different sense. It's where I grew up.
A bit of news: I'm leaving the KJP to be the English-language editor at the Prague branch of a Dutch publishing company. I've always wanted to work in publishing, but I'll miss MFF, especially you all.
Here's one of the final stanzas of "Summertime"; I've always liked its optimism.
"One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky."
Good luck and best of success to each one of you. :-)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Cool Site for IT Folks
TechRepublic, which calls itself a "resource for IT professionals," is an interesting site, with articles, downloads, forums, blogs, white papers (scholarly papers written outside academia), and occasionally funny stories, such as this one ("What if Microsoft [had] invented the Apple iPhone?").
Too bad they didn't call it "Techia." ;-)
Too bad they didn't call it "Techia." ;-)
Request
Computer fans, I need your help.
Where would I go to find a can of compressed air to clean electronics? (It looks like a big can of spray paint, but it has a nozzle attachment you can use to direct a blast of air at your computer keyboard...to dislodge, for example, cookie crumbs.)
Cheers, Erin
p.s. I found out yesterday that I'll be teaching FCE (First Certificate in English) next year, so email me if you want more info on this course. You could also take CAE (Certificate of Advanced English). Both of these classes are for people who passed the Big English Exam. The Department will offer a placement exam, if you're not sure in which course to enroll.
Where would I go to find a can of compressed air to clean electronics? (It looks like a big can of spray paint, but it has a nozzle attachment you can use to direct a blast of air at your computer keyboard...to dislodge, for example, cookie crumbs.)
Cheers, Erin
p.s. I found out yesterday that I'll be teaching FCE (First Certificate in English) next year, so email me if you want more info on this course. You could also take CAE (Certificate of Advanced English). Both of these classes are for people who passed the Big English Exam. The Department will offer a placement exam, if you're not sure in which course to enroll.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Going to the U.S.
In two weeks, I'm going back home to spend a month in Colorado with my family. For the benefit of any MFF folk travelling to my country, this summer, here's a (greatly-abridged) list of Quirky Things About the U.S., in no particular order. Perhaps it'll be of some use to you. Feel free to add your own tips, based on experience in the U.S.
1. Sales tax.
It's everywhere: cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and it's not included in the price on the menu/item. It varies from city to city (and even within cities) and from state to state. You can usually ask the waiter/cashier what the local sales tax is, if you want, before you pay; otherwise, you're in for a small surprise on your bill.
2. "Y'all."
The shortened form of "you all", this expression is used mainly in the South. It's not offensive. It's not always used in the plural, either.
3. Tipping.
If you're in a cafe or restaurant--and this excludes McDonald's and other fast-food places--the norm is to tip at least 10-15% for service, because service is not included in the bill. You can leave change on the table, as you're leaving. (Don't expect waiters/waitresses to tally your bill instantly at your table... My country is not that good at arithmetic.) If you want to pay, in any cafe/restaurant, just ask for the check.
4. For Americans, dinner is the main meal of the day.
5. The drinking age for any kind of alcohol is 21.
6. "Hey, how's it going?" is another way of saying, "How are you?", among people under 40.
7. If you're in the Northeast (Massachussetts, etc.), "wicked" means "good". "Wicked good" means "great".
8. A factoid from Lonely Planet: "In America, the rich are getting much, much richer. 20% of Americans earn 55% of the nation's annual income. The top 1% earns around 17% of all income and controls 35% of the nation's wealth."
9. Buying vegetables or fruit in a market? No need to tag it. And the store will bag your stuff for you. Don't try to bag your own, or the unionized bagger will yell at you. True story.
10. No one jokes about September 11th.
11. The 2000 Presidential election, in which George W. Bush came to power, was decided by the Supreme Court--not by the majority of Americans.
12. Tap water is usually fine to drink.
13. Currency notes are all the same color and size.
14. Check to make sure your ATM/bank card is set up to be used in the U.S. This is a better approach to cash than hauling around stacks of notes/bills.
15. Have fun, and if you come through Colorado, let me know. :-)
1. Sales tax.
It's everywhere: cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and it's not included in the price on the menu/item. It varies from city to city (and even within cities) and from state to state. You can usually ask the waiter/cashier what the local sales tax is, if you want, before you pay; otherwise, you're in for a small surprise on your bill.
2. "Y'all."
The shortened form of "you all", this expression is used mainly in the South. It's not offensive. It's not always used in the plural, either.
3. Tipping.
If you're in a cafe or restaurant--and this excludes McDonald's and other fast-food places--the norm is to tip at least 10-15% for service, because service is not included in the bill. You can leave change on the table, as you're leaving. (Don't expect waiters/waitresses to tally your bill instantly at your table... My country is not that good at arithmetic.) If you want to pay, in any cafe/restaurant, just ask for the check.
4. For Americans, dinner is the main meal of the day.
5. The drinking age for any kind of alcohol is 21.
6. "Hey, how's it going?" is another way of saying, "How are you?", among people under 40.
7. If you're in the Northeast (Massachussetts, etc.), "wicked" means "good". "Wicked good" means "great".
8. A factoid from Lonely Planet: "In America, the rich are getting much, much richer. 20% of Americans earn 55% of the nation's annual income. The top 1% earns around 17% of all income and controls 35% of the nation's wealth."
9. Buying vegetables or fruit in a market? No need to tag it. And the store will bag your stuff for you. Don't try to bag your own, or the unionized bagger will yell at you. True story.
10. No one jokes about September 11th.
11. The 2000 Presidential election, in which George W. Bush came to power, was decided by the Supreme Court--not by the majority of Americans.
12. Tap water is usually fine to drink.
13. Currency notes are all the same color and size.
14. Check to make sure your ATM/bank card is set up to be used in the U.S. This is a better approach to cash than hauling around stacks of notes/bills.
15. Have fun, and if you come through Colorado, let me know. :-)
Exams
One of the greatest perks of this job is that I get paid to talk to truly interesting people. During the Big Exam's oral-exam component, in which I first participated last Wednesday, I got to listen to students discourse variously about the birth of binary stars, quantum physics, Markov chains, the history of cryptography, C++, and upcoming vacations in Italy. (Am I the only one who's not going on holiday in Italy, this summer? Gee whiz.)
So I find the oral-exam part of the Big English Exam to be vastly entertaining, like one great Mat-Fyz epic, with a dozen different characters talking about their studies and lives in erudite and detailed ways. For a writer, it's an excellent way to spend an afternoon.
(I'm sure some of you have slightly different feelings about it.)
Some official and previously-mentioned tips for the Big Exam:
1. For the oral exam, you need to bring a specialized text in English, 30 pages long, to discuss and explain. The text should be written at a scholarly level; that is to say, at a non-introductory level. Don't choose a text older than ten years, as it will no doubt contain outdated information. If you have a copy of the text which you've marked with tranlations and/or notes, make sure to bring a clean copy, as well.
2. Bring something to eat. Some examiners begin the orals an hour after the exam ends, around 1:00-1:30 pm. Given that each examiner has 12 students, for fifteen minutes each, your oral exam might not take place until 4:00 pm (for example).
3. Do not be alarmed if your examiner begins oral exams half an hour behind schedule. Take a stroll around the building. Admire our remarkable collection of potted plants, many of which appear to predate the revolution.
4. Study! The exam covers material from your two years' worth of English studies, including the Small Book With the Unpronounceable Title (R.M.). So you no doubt have lots and lots of in-class notes to study from... Right?!
5. Bring your index. No index? No entry to the exam at 9:00 am.
6. Relax. Put your brain to work, and you'll do fine.
So I find the oral-exam part of the Big English Exam to be vastly entertaining, like one great Mat-Fyz epic, with a dozen different characters talking about their studies and lives in erudite and detailed ways. For a writer, it's an excellent way to spend an afternoon.
(I'm sure some of you have slightly different feelings about it.)
Some official and previously-mentioned tips for the Big Exam:
1. For the oral exam, you need to bring a specialized text in English, 30 pages long, to discuss and explain. The text should be written at a scholarly level; that is to say, at a non-introductory level. Don't choose a text older than ten years, as it will no doubt contain outdated information. If you have a copy of the text which you've marked with tranlations and/or notes, make sure to bring a clean copy, as well.
2. Bring something to eat. Some examiners begin the orals an hour after the exam ends, around 1:00-1:30 pm. Given that each examiner has 12 students, for fifteen minutes each, your oral exam might not take place until 4:00 pm (for example).
3. Do not be alarmed if your examiner begins oral exams half an hour behind schedule. Take a stroll around the building. Admire our remarkable collection of potted plants, many of which appear to predate the revolution.
4. Study! The exam covers material from your two years' worth of English studies, including the Small Book With the Unpronounceable Title (R.M.). So you no doubt have lots and lots of in-class notes to study from... Right?!
5. Bring your index. No index? No entry to the exam at 9:00 am.
6. Relax. Put your brain to work, and you'll do fine.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
May 25th: Towel Day...and the end of the semester
Towel Day is a tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (Coincidentally--or maybe not--May 25th is also the end of the Charles U. semester.)
From the tribute site, and the novel:
"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
"More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with."
This photo, taken in Innsbruck, Austria, is from Wikipedia's "Towel Day" entry; the towel in the photo shows the geographical coordinates for Innsbruck, where Adams first thought of the idea for Hitchhiker's Guide.
Good luck on exams and in your adventures, this summer! Hope to see you around campus (i.e., Prague), next year.
So long, and thanks for all the fish,
Erin
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Study Break II (long)
Copy, paste into a comment, and add your answers, if you'd like, anonymously or otherwise.
1. What do you do, in addition to school and studying?
2. What is on your feet, right now?
3. What are you listening to, right now?
4. What was the last thing you ate?
5. If you were a colored pencil, what color would you be?
6. Whom did you last speak to on the phone?
7. What is your favorite drink?
8. What is your favorite sport?
9. Have you ever dyed your hair?
10. Have you ever had any pets?
11. What is your favorite food?
12. What was the last movie you watched?
13. What do you do to release anger?
14. What was your favorite toy as a child?
15. Which season is your favorite?
16. In what kind of building do you live?
17. What is on the floor of your closet?
18. Do you think in black-and-white terms, or gray?
19. What did you do, yesterday?
20. What are your favorite smells?
21. What inspires you?
22. What are you afraid of?
23. What's your favorite snack food?
24. How many keys are on your key ring?
25. What's your favorite day of the week?
26. In how many different locations have you lived?
27. What are your favorite holidays?
1. What do you do, in addition to school and studying?
2. What is on your feet, right now?
3. What are you listening to, right now?
4. What was the last thing you ate?
5. If you were a colored pencil, what color would you be?
6. Whom did you last speak to on the phone?
7. What is your favorite drink?
8. What is your favorite sport?
9. Have you ever dyed your hair?
10. Have you ever had any pets?
11. What is your favorite food?
12. What was the last movie you watched?
13. What do you do to release anger?
14. What was your favorite toy as a child?
15. Which season is your favorite?
16. In what kind of building do you live?
17. What is on the floor of your closet?
18. Do you think in black-and-white terms, or gray?
19. What did you do, yesterday?
20. What are your favorite smells?
21. What inspires you?
22. What are you afraid of?
23. What's your favorite snack food?
24. How many keys are on your key ring?
25. What's your favorite day of the week?
26. In how many different locations have you lived?
27. What are your favorite holidays?
Friday, May 18, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Summer 2007
If you're traveling abroad, this summer, check out the Lonely Planet Thorntree forum, a site run by the travel-guide publishing company. Travelers from all over the world write in to this forum with tips on where to stay, what to see, where to eat, and how to meet the locals. Many of the posters/travelers are university-aged backpackers or city dwellers.
Each branch has an FAQ section posted at the top.
The U.S.A. branch.
The UK and Ireland branch.
The Western Europe branch.
Each branch has an FAQ section posted at the top.
The U.S.A. branch.
The UK and Ireland branch.
The Western Europe branch.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Opportunities Abroad (U.S.) with the Council on Int'l. Educational Exchange
The Council on International Educational Exchange offers two programs geared toward university students: Internship USA, and Work&Travel USA.
Internship USA is designed to develop professional skills and contacts, while Work&Travel USA places students in tourism jobs. (There's also a post-graduate option, Professional Career Training USA.)
Here are the local contacts, in case you're interested.
Internship USA is designed to develop professional skills and contacts, while Work&Travel USA places students in tourism jobs. (There's also a post-graduate option, Professional Career Training USA.)
Here are the local contacts, in case you're interested.
BBC News article, "Inside a video game developer studio"
This is a look at ten key members of the GhostRider game development team. Each person briefly describes his or her responsibilities in making the game ready for PS2, PSP, and GameBoy.
There's even a guy responsible for making sure that, within the game, the water in the sewers flows in the right direction.
The lead level designer has a great line; he notes how, when designing the game, "It is almost too tempting to add a pit full of spikes where you know everyone always takes a shortcut, then hear them howl as they pile into it."
There's even a guy responsible for making sure that, within the game, the water in the sewers flows in the right direction.
The lead level designer has a great line; he notes how, when designing the game, "It is almost too tempting to add a pit full of spikes where you know everyone always takes a shortcut, then hear them howl as they pile into it."
Monday, February 19, 2007
Course Policies and Guidelines
These policies apply to classes/lessons I teach. If you're in one of these classes, they apply to you.
The goals for these classes, through speaking, reading, listening, and writing, are to elevate your skills and confidence in English. The classes strive to equip you with a broader vocabulary, and to refine your grammar skills and pronunciation. If you put as sincere and dedicated an effort into this class as you do your core Mat-Fyz classes, you can expect to succeed. Contributing less than your best is unacceptable.
Textbooks. Each class has a Student's textbook and a workbook. (2nd-year classes have the additional Rozirujici materialy text.) Please bring all texts to each class meeting.
Late Assignments. Late assignments of any kind lose 10% for each day they are late.
Absences: If you miss class, please check with your classmates first and visit the course information online to see what you missed and how to catch up. If you have additional questions, feel free to email me (or the other instructor, if the class meets twice a week).
1st-year students have a maximum of 4 absences.
2nd-year students have a maximum of 3 absences.
Tests: Test dates will be announced at the beginning of the semester. A test missed without prior permission or written medical explanation can be taken for half-credit only during office hours before the next lesson.
Extra Credit: You must have all coursework completed and turned in to be eligible for extra credit.
Grade: Students must attain 70 points out of a possible 100 to receive credit for the semester. Please see the individual syllabuses for an explanation of each course's points.
The goals for these classes, through speaking, reading, listening, and writing, are to elevate your skills and confidence in English. The classes strive to equip you with a broader vocabulary, and to refine your grammar skills and pronunciation. If you put as sincere and dedicated an effort into this class as you do your core Mat-Fyz classes, you can expect to succeed. Contributing less than your best is unacceptable.
Textbooks. Each class has a Student's textbook and a workbook. (2nd-year classes have the additional Rozirujici materialy text.) Please bring all texts to each class meeting.
Late Assignments. Late assignments of any kind lose 10% for each day they are late.
Absences: If you miss class, please check with your classmates first and visit the course information online to see what you missed and how to catch up. If you have additional questions, feel free to email me (or the other instructor, if the class meets twice a week).
1st-year students have a maximum of 4 absences.
2nd-year students have a maximum of 3 absences.
Tests: Test dates will be announced at the beginning of the semester. A test missed without prior permission or written medical explanation can be taken for half-credit only during office hours before the next lesson.
Extra Credit: You must have all coursework completed and turned in to be eligible for extra credit.
Grade: Students must attain 70 points out of a possible 100 to receive credit for the semester. Please see the individual syllabuses for an explanation of each course's points.
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