At some point in almost all of my university filled days, my phone will vibrate to alert me of an incoming text and the bottom of my computer screen will flash in the usual MSN message orange. So today I flip open my phone, and it reads, “I spoke to Kevin. Their on there way!” I then check my MSN, which says “Your not gonna believe what happened last night...” Ok, so I’m excited that my friend is coming, and am now curious to hear about the previous night’s shenanigans, but as I read these messages, I can’t help but grind my teeth and question how it’s possible for us to either a) be this lazy or b) be this... silly... for lack of a better word... as not to know the difference between some of the most basic and commonly used words in the English language.
What seriously boggles my mind is the extent to which these words are misused and the variety of people who misuse them... There is really no excuse that anyone with at least a grade 8 education should not be able to differentiate between the contraction of “YOU” and “ARE” to create “YOU’RE” and the possessive form of “YOU” which is “YOUR”. Same thing applies to perhaps the more tricky disparities between “THEY’RE” “THERE” and “THEIR”. If most people actually know the right usage but are simply lazy to type/write it out, well, that right there is a clear indicator of our increasing laziness and ignorance, which is not any better than not knowing the difference in the first place.
All I’m saying is I don’t fully get it, and it never ceases to get under my skin when I see these mistakes being made by friends, managers, doctors, and even public institutions. It’s been said that we are very much in the process of destroying the English language, and to me, this is one of those silent snipers, capable of doing much more damage than originally perceived.
-V. Brejkaln
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Renting Textbooks = Sweet ... iPod Textbooks = ?
Where do you buy your textbooks? Do you prefer to use them on reserve in the library? Do you even read your textbooks? And finally, will you buy textbooks on your iPhone this year?
Apple has introduced a new app called CourseSmart where you can purchase and use your textbooks on your iPhone or iPod touch. The benefits are that it’s portable and the content is searchable, but I personally have no interest in reading an entire textbook on a screen that small. I’m not sure on how the price compares to regular textbook purchases.
A better idea, in my opinion, is that of one of the largest textbook publishers in America, Cengage Learning, who is going to start renting textbooks to students at 40-70% of the sale price. Upon paying, you’ll be given access to the first chapter digitally and then sent the book for a rental term. When the term is up, you can send the book back or pay to keep it.
According to an article in the New York Times, textbook prices have increased by about 6% a year for the past 20 years – that’s about twice the inflation rate. This rental business sounds like a great idea for everyone, then! The only major problems, it seems, are the universities themselves. This particular rental program would have been offered at more colleges and universities if faculty members had been willing to commit to using the same textbooks for two years or more. At most schools they won’t, and so students are stuck with old fashioned, overpriced options.
How can we make this happen at Guelph??
NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/education/14textbook.html?_r=4&em
YouTube Video about iPhone App: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEUjy6fdKhA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booknetcanada.ca%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_wordpress%26Itemid%3D319&feature=player_embedded#t=84
Apple has introduced a new app called CourseSmart where you can purchase and use your textbooks on your iPhone or iPod touch. The benefits are that it’s portable and the content is searchable, but I personally have no interest in reading an entire textbook on a screen that small. I’m not sure on how the price compares to regular textbook purchases.
A better idea, in my opinion, is that of one of the largest textbook publishers in America, Cengage Learning, who is going to start renting textbooks to students at 40-70% of the sale price. Upon paying, you’ll be given access to the first chapter digitally and then sent the book for a rental term. When the term is up, you can send the book back or pay to keep it.
According to an article in the New York Times, textbook prices have increased by about 6% a year for the past 20 years – that’s about twice the inflation rate. This rental business sounds like a great idea for everyone, then! The only major problems, it seems, are the universities themselves. This particular rental program would have been offered at more colleges and universities if faculty members had been willing to commit to using the same textbooks for two years or more. At most schools they won’t, and so students are stuck with old fashioned, overpriced options.
How can we make this happen at Guelph??
NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/education/14textbook.html?_r=4&em
YouTube Video about iPhone App: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEUjy6fdKhA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booknetcanada.ca%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_wordpress%26Itemid%3D319&feature=player_embedded#t=84
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