23
Abr
2010
Who are we? We are but a dot on a globe, a tiny insignificant sphere cruising through time and space. We are but a small, minuscule member of the Milky Way Galaxy, one of many galaxies. 
I'd like you to see this fabulous digital representation of THE KNOWN UNIVERSE as presented by the AMNH, the American Museum of Natural History. It shows us just where we are in the afterglow of the Big Bang. You will see our planet with our artificial satellites and our moon, our sun and beyond.--Wendy
Vocabulary:
a dot: un punto
beyond: más allá
05
Feb
2010
We're lucky here at the UEM. Yes, we are. We have a great Tech Support team , the TIC, hidden away in Building C. They keep tabs on the main computer and solve all our computer issues. You'll see them in the cafeteria or on the bridge, or when you are desperate because your laptop refuses to obey you. Yes, we do have the occasional computer glitch, but it's usually the user who's complicating the issue. At least it is in my case. I admit it. I'm one of the computer illiterate. Well, not completely. I've made great progress since I first learned to double-click. What a strange concept:double click. I'm very grateful to all the friends and colleagues and computer geeks who've helped me over the years. And are still heard saying "Oh, NO" when I cry out for help.
The members of our TIC department speak Spanish! That is a BIG plus in the modern world. Some also speak English. We can communicate with the TIC team: in person, by email, by phone. They respond. They're patient. They're helpful. They understand that many of us have no computer smarts so they try not to speak to us in computerese. We just wouldn't understand what they were saying in any language because we don't know what's going on inside our computers. We can often be heard talking to the computer screens, "No, no , NO! Where did my document go? Not now! Please...don't shut down!"
Yep, we're lucky. We have a very sophisticated TIC department at the UEM. Wendy
VOCABULARY:
to be lucky: tener suerte
tech support tea: equipo de apoyo técnico
hidden away: escondido
keep tabs on: controlar
issues: problems
laptop: portatil
refuse: negarse
obey: obedecer
glitch: fallo en el sistema
grateful: agradecido
geeks: friki del ordenador
computer smarts: mano para el ordenador
computerese: idioma informática
language: idioma
screen: pantalla
shut down: cerrar, apagar
11
Ene
2010
The International Space Station is often in the news,and has been since 1998. We know that there was a basic structure and that other components have been added over the years. We hear about the people on board, the difficulties they have, the experiments that are carried out. We know the ISS is up there and that it is quite an achievement.
Watch this presentation via computer graphics. You'll see the components come together piece by piece. What a difference from the original project. Open it full-screen so you can see the information onthe sides too. This is really neat, cool, awesome, sweet....chuli, chachi, guay, alucinante. O sea, mola mazo!
VOCABULARY:
The news: las noticias
carried out: llevar a cabo
come together: juntarse
full-screen: pantalla completa
the sides: los lados
neat/cool/awesome/sweet: maravilloso
http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm
28
Feb
2009
http:// and https:// What is the difference?
Most people don’t know that there is a difference between http:// and https://. That little “S” can make a big difference.
http means “Hyper Text Transfer Protocol” which is just an elegant way to say that the servers and clients are exchanging information. The big difference is that the “s” means “seguro”: secure/safe.
Most of the web pages you visit probably start with http:// This means that the page is speaking a normal language and it may not be secure. Someone could be spying on your conversation, the conversation between your computer and the web page. If you move information, someone could see it and use it. That is why you should never give your credit card number to an http://.
If the address begins with https://, your compute is connected to a page which is talking to you in a coded secure language, with NO spying.
For your safety/security, be sure that you only send sensitive information to web pages which begin with https://
Check out the Wisegeek.com
23
Ene
2009
Last summer I went to Tucson, Arizona for a week. This is a desert area near the Mexican border. It was very hot during the day, so we went out walking a lot in the evening. There were a lot of beautiful cactus, but not many living creatures. We did see rabbits and quail and lizards and heard that there were snakes about. Eiuuuu! That worried us. Then….walking back towards our room...Oh....watch out! We saw not 1 but 2 tarantulas about 2 meters from our front door! It was dusk and these 2 were checking each other out! O.K. Keep calm! We are the intruders.
Vocabulary:
Border: division between countries; "frontera"
Rabbits: rodents with long ears. Bugs bunny is a famous rabbit; “conejos”
Quail: a bird that runs on the ground, usually with others; “cordoniz”
Lizards: similar to a small crocodile; "lagartos"
snakes: long thin serpent; "serpientes"
Watch out : be careful; “ojo! Ten cuidado!”
Tarantula: large, hairy creature similar to a spider; “tarantula
Dusk: evening and almost dark; “anochecer”
Check X out: look at someone/something with interest; fijarse en algo/alguien”
keep calm: don't get nervous; "tranquilízate"
intruders: people that interrupt you or invade your space; "intrusos"
Here is A GAME for you. There is a big spider/tarantula walking around Europe. You can drag it out of your country with your mouse. If you hit your space bar you can put little flies on the map. The spider will eat them, with or without your help! Oh, I love computer technology!
Vocabulary:
Drag: pull something ; “arrastrar”
Mouse: instrument used to activate things on your computer screen; “ratón”
Hit: touch with force; “tocar con gana; pegar”
Spacebar: long key on the bottom of the keyboard of a computer; “barra; tecla”
Flies: common insects which come out in the summer; moscas
screen: the rectangular object you are looking at right now!
Oh, there's a big spider is on MY computer screen! Click on "a big spider"
Send in a comment !
Wendy
21
Oct
2008
This is a math game produced by the British Council.
Can you figure out how the gopher does it?
Gopher-
n. small burrowing rodent (native to the North American prairies)
ardilla de tierra, similar to a mole "topo"
n. Gopher= "go for"
person who goes to get things or do things for others in an office.
17
Oct
2008
Do you love your computer? Does it have a personality of its own?
Do you talk to it, swear at it, encourage it to do what you want?
Do you get frustrated when it just won't behave?
Check out this clever link. Look what your computer does when you are not paying attention! Maybe it is "thinking" about YOU while it is "working" on its own?
(It takes about a minute to open).
Vocabulary:
of its own-----por su cuenta
swear----------maldecir
encourage-----animar
behave---------comportarse
check out------mirar
clever----------ingenioso
pay attention--prestar atención
link-------------enlace
Wendy
23
Jun
2008
This mini-computer looks like a pen.
When opened up, it creates its own stand, and produces a virtual keyboard
Here’s another instrument which produces a virtual keyboard.
You can use these new gadgets on any flat surface.
All 3 of these gadgets are used without a traditional keyboard.
They’re useful, but YOU still need to type in the information.
Maybe you should work on your typing skills. There are on-line courses
to learn to “Touch-Type”. Try one this summer.
I remember learning to type and teaching my kids to type.
We started with “ fff jjj fff jjj” and moved on to “fa fa fa ja ja ja”
“je je je jo jo jo” “ca ca ca no no no” etc. Before we knew it we could type all kinds of combinations without looking at our fingers. And it was even fun.
Once you’ve trained your fingers, see if you can type the following sentence without looking at your keyboard. It includes all the letters of the alphabet:
“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
Technology is fabulous. I’ve gone from a manual typewriter to an electric typewriter to a desk-top computer to a lap-top and I’ve tried a virtual keyboard. It’s fun. It’s futuristic. I love new gadgets. And I can type fast.
What about YOU? Do you know how to touch-type? TEACH YOURSELF NOW !
Useful Vocabulary:
gadget- an instrument, appliance, gizmo, device
In Spanish: artilugio, chisme
Maybe you remember the cartoon:
"Inspector Gadget"who had lots of gadgets.
Laptop- a portable computer that you can use on any surface, including
on your lap.
Lap- the top of your upper legs when you are sitting down.
In Spanish: regazo
A desk top computer is always on top of your desk.
You can use a laptop anywhere, but it was designed to use on your lap.
Touch-type
To write on a typewriter or a keyboard without looking at your fingers.
In Spanish: escribir a máquina sin mirar, mecanografiar al tacto
06
May
2008
The computer age ! What's next?
1968 The University of California, Berkeley.
In the registration packet students received a pile of computer cards. All the students had to do was choose the courses (asignaturas) they wanted to enroll in and take a computer card to the professors on the first day of class. Those cards were then sent to the computer building. They were fed into the huge computer, yes THE computer at the university and voilà, a student was officially admitted into the course. A new school year had begun.
2008 Now we register on-line. And we have desk top computers and lap top computers. And soon it seems, we will be SURFACE COMPUTING.
Check it out
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/727403/microsoft_no_more_keyboards/
Wendy
Últimos comentarios