Sunday 25 July 2010

Twitter and Business Objectives

Most of you must be acquainted with Twitter but for those who aren't, let's go over what this is. Twitter (Trademark) is a social networking service on the Internet that allows mini-blogging (=sending short text messages to other users). Originally, the word refers to the short high sounds made by birds, and that's why the logo for Twitter is a bird.
But, apparently, this service can go beyond this social use and if you're in business, you can make profit out of it.
Let's see how:



For more info on Twitter and its history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

Sunday 11 July 2010

Things in the office


How many of the objects in this office can you name? A desk, a chair, some pictures...can you name others?
Click on these links and see how many objects you can say in English:

My cubicle

A cubicle is "a small room etc closed off in some way from a larger one" (The Free Dictionary). Some people work in an office, but most do so in a cubicle. This song exaggerates the frustration felt by many who don't like working in this way but it's really funny to listen to and read. Hope you have a good laugh!

Monday 5 July 2010

Flying cars

Can you believe it? Yes, it seems like news taken from a science-fiction novel, but it's true.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of these vehicles according to the report?

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com



You may read the report and click on the words you can't understand

(Thumbnail Image: Terrafugia)

Get more multi-source video news analysis at Newsy.com.

The Federal Aviation Administration has just given the go-ahead for a Massachusetts company to start production on the first-ever flying car.

The company, Terrafugia, has spent years working on The Transition. In the air it can go about 115 miles per hour. On the ground, it gets about 30 miles per gallon. Terrafugia says the product brings convenience to consumers: Take a trip, then simply land the bird, let it fold up its wings, drive home and park it in your garage. MSNBC’s Willie Geist says this has been a long time coming.

WILLIE GEIST: “We Americans were promised flying cars a long, long time ago. We’ve been lied to, frankly, for decades now — by our government, our scientists and our cartoon characters. The Jetsons teased us with the idea that we could run out to the grocery store by flying through the clouds with a talking dog at our side. ... The Transition. We can work on the name, but the point is the FAA just approved a damn flying car. It’s here. After all these years.”


The Transition is a bit heavy because it has to have safety devices required for both planes and cars, like air bags. So, a disadvantage is that it can only fit two people and a little bit of luggage. The Tech Journal says Terrafugia got lucky with the FAA.

“Uniquely… the FAA has granted The Transition an exemption — allowing it to be classified as a light sport aircraft despite being 120 lb over the limit. Light sport aircraft licences require just 20 hours’ flying time, making them much easier to obtain than full private licences.”


So how common will the car become? Discover Magazine has some early numbers.


“So far, Terrafugia says 70 futuristic folks have pre-ordered the car … The total price tag is $194,000.”

Those buyers should get their cars in the next year and a half. What do you think? Would you get a Transition?

Friday 2 July 2010

Mocking companies

To mock is to laugh at someone, often copying them in a funny but unkind way. In this segment of The Simpsons, we can see their mockery of a well-known company. Pay attention to the slogan and the logo. What company are they making fun of? What are they criticising?

Taking part in meetings

I've been trying to find positive quotations about holding a meeting but to my surprise, most of them portray meetings as useless and boring. Look at some of them:
"A meeting is an event where the minutes are kept and the hours are lost."
"
A meeting is a gathering where people speak up, say nothing, then all disagree."
Why is there such a negative view of meetings? I'll be glad to read your comments.



You can also practise some useful expressions you can use in meetings. Do the exercises and press on the green button at the bottom of the page to check your answers
http://www.business-english.com/meetings/meetings1/exercise1.html
http://www.business-english.com/meetings/meetings1/exercise2.html
http://www.business-english.com/meetings/meetings1/exercise4.html