February 08 2021, 18:37

I will share a couple of findings from yesterday’s English lesson here. It was quite non-obvious to me that the English word ridiculous cannot be translated into Russian at all, and that go off (to leave) when used with an alarm means exactly the opposite idea (to turn on). Ridiculous is a mix of funny and stupid, and translates closest to “funnily absurd,” but is used in a much wider range of situations than the Russian “funnily absurd.” As for a fire alarm/smoke detector goes off, it translates to “the alarm went off,” not “shut up,” as I would have translated it until yesterday.

#English #pronunciation #notes

February 08 2021, 15:50

I wonder why no marketplace tries to create a convenient survey for typical products – literally a table with two columns, where the first column is the product group, and the second one has three buttons: HAPPY, NOT HAPPY, SKIP. Categories like “television,” “refrigerator,” “washing machine,” “iron,” etc. The online store promises to use this for special offers, tailored specifically for that user. Such questions can be integrated directly into the website, dropping them one by one (but accumulating answers in one place). For completing the survey fully, offer a small discount on the order or a gift in the form of a coupon or a lottery ticket with discounts ranging from small to large.

February 07 2021, 19:07

Lately, I’ve rediscovered Splean for myself. I can’t listen to the old stuff anymore, it’s worn out to holes. How much Vasiliev managed to write in 26 years. Sixteen albums. And lately, a lot of good stuff. “Behind Seven Seals”, “Run, My Life”, “Djinn”, “Hot Air Balloon”, “Anthem”, “Magic Violin”, “Warmth of the Home”, “Temple”, and, here, something relevant about Harry Potter.

…

Harry, I bid farewell to you with this,

As one poet to another, how shall I say,

Allow me to finish with just one verse

Before saying Adieu.

Yesterday the king walked all cool and proud

And a boy said: “But the king is naked”,

They immediately broke the boy’s head off his legs

And pinned a charge on him.

Now he doesn’t drink lemonade from bottles,

Now he sits either in Kresty or in Butyrka,

Sometimes he furrows his brows, sometimes he scratches his back head,

But doesn’t understand why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlP4RVbQMpg