VocalID Certificate

Posted on 2016-05-15 by arjaybe
VocalID Certificate

VocalID Certificate

I got a certificate! VocalID gave me a certificate to reward my efforts, and to encourage more. VocalID is an initiative whose goal is to provide unique voices to people who can’t speak on their own. They need devices that can synthesize a voice for them, and VocalID wants to let them choose their own rather than settle for one of the generic ones. See my original post on VocalID.

Watch Rupal Patel’s TED Talk and get inspired.
Visit VocalID’s website to see what they’re about.

VocalID is looking for people to join their Summer Ambassador Fellowship Program. Do you know any students who are looking for a good cause this summer? See about it here.

Maybe they can get a certificate, like me!-)

rjb

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Different To

Posted on 2016-05-11 by arjaybe

different from

Grammar of the Day – Different To

I used to think that “different than” was bad. As in, “Reading a book is different than watching a movie.” But now it seems almost like an old friend. I think it’s been used in the place of “different from” for so long that the language has begun to accept it. And there’s almost a rationale for it. If you can have “bigger than” and “smaller than” and “older than” and “colder than,” then why can’t you have “different than?” After all, those other phrases imply a “difference,” don’t they?

Okay, I admit it: it still annoys me. I don’t think people would make the same mistake with “similar,” the antonym of “different.” I doubt if anyone would say, “Reading a book is similar than reading a magazine.” They would say that it’s “similar to.” Different – similar. From – to. Apart – together. All very logical. But with language, usage trumps logic, so it’s not surprising that the incorrect usage has become so widely used that it’s also widely accepted.

Does that explain “different to?” Has the original error become so mainstream that it has to be replaced by another one? An even worse one, if you ask me. As explained above, “different than” at least has a rationale, however specious. But “different to” is beyond the pale. It has taken the correct “from” and replaced it with its opposite. When I see it I just roll my mental eyes. I’m beginning to wonder if someone’s doing it on purpose. What happens when this one becomes widely accepted? “Different as?”

By the way, a little research shows that all three — from, than and to — are considered correct, but that “from” is least likely to get you in trouble.

sigh

rjb

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Diamond Dust

Posted on 2016-05-05 by arjaybe
Credit Jari Luomaner

Credit Jari Luomaner

Cloud of the Day – Diamond Dust

It is really hard to find good pictures of diamond dust, so I’m going to have to just describe it to you. Diamond dust is a colloquial name given to ice crystals when they are close enough to the ground that they can be seen individually. Ice crystals are also involved in other optical meteorological phenomena, such as halos and sun dogs, but there they are seen in aggregate.

Ice crystals - dave 3457 - Public Domain

Ice crystals – dave 3457 – Public Domain

In diamond dust you are right among them and you can see them separately. Follow the links for the detailed explanation, a picture and a video. As an illustration of being within the phenomenon, the photographer describes how he moved his arm and stirred the thing he was photographing. Now get ready for the mental pictures.

Imagine you are standing in the middle of a snowy field. It’s thirty below, perfectly calm and brilliantly sunny. You have your parka on but it’s partly open and the hood is thrown back. With no wind and the Sun shining, the walk out here has warmed you up. It’s good walking though; the snow has a good crust. Looking at it, you can see that it’s sparkling like mad.

Raising your eyes to the dark trees at the edge of the field, you become aware of glittering and twinkling in the air. Your eyes dart around, trying to catch the colorful flashes of light. You feel combined joy and disappointment, being there for such a magical display, but knowing it can’t be caught and held.

You hold out your arm and within seconds you catch your first flash of light on the dark fabric. Since the surface of your parka has cooled down enough, they don’t melt right away and they are able to accumulate. Soon you have a random scattering of sparkles that shift and change as you move your arm.

Now you look up and you can see that the sky above you is filled with points of light and color, brief flashes that make you hold your breath as you try to take it all in. You see why it’s called diamond dust, because it looks as if tiny diamonds are sifting down out of a clear blue sky. You just want to stand there all day, head thrown back, filling your eyes with this ephemeral beauty, while an occasional bit of glitter gets caught in your eyelashes.

Walking back home, the snow crunching under your boots, you know that this bright, beautiful clarity will become a cherished memory.

rjb

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