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Vance's CALL
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Meet the people in the chat today
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| Vance | Maggi | John | Ying Lan | Michael | Arif | Gloria | Nicia |
| UAE | Germany | Puerto Rico | Taiwan | Australia | Turkey | Paraguay | Brasil |
The chat this evening took place in Homestead.and Hear Me <-- click to jump to either
We talked on the usual wide range of topics, and because Gloria was with us without mic or sound card, we did a lot of our chat in text. We talked about how to distinguish like, love, and passion, what we eat for Christmas dinner, and John's difficulty with maps (you can see an example here). Michael came on just as I was telling the class about his email wondering why more students don't come to our Sunday chats. He thought perhaps we should start a separate session each week for different level students, and we got on the subject of what Webheads want out of our class, more formal lessons, for example. Maggi thought we could just ask them, but John has been interviewing students and he told us that one had suggested we include more directed reading. So we talked about reading and how to read effectively in a second language. Ying Lan was most concerned about vocabulary, and we talked about research suggesting that we can remember only 7 things at a time. By comparison, this got us on to the topic of Stephen Krashen's i+1 hypothesis, where he suggests that second language input should be just (+1) beyond comprehensible input. Michael was by that hour in Australia comprehending at a -1 level, so he and Vance quickly planned their guitar jam next day (another Webheads milestone event!), and John prepared to leave as well, saying he had to finish painting his house. Meanwhile Nicia had arrived, and we found out things about her recycled-paper business by using search engines on the Internet. Nicia and Maggi are both single mothers, and since it was time for me to leave, I left them talking together.
Homestead logs (You can see where this fits in with the Hear Me chat by clicking here)
Connecting to chat server...
Connected and signed in.
Members of room: Anonymous1158
You have changed your name to Vance.
Anonymous6699 has joined the chat room.
Anonymous6699 is now known as rif.
<Vance> Hi Rif
<rif> hi Vance, how are you
<Vance> Sorry, I got up for a minute
<Vance> We're all in Hear Me. Are you there too?
<rif> no I just checked here now...
<Vance> It's easy for me to miss people here
<rif> we are at the last week of the semester here, and I have about 53 portfolios to grade. I thought if i opened the chat I would spend couple of hours. Maybe later
<Vance> We're 5 people there. Gloria is there from Paraguay, and Ying Lan
<rif> I just wanted to say hi to you and I will go back to my grading :-(
<Vance> I'll give them your regards, and your greetings will appear in our chat logs (with your kind permission)
<rif> thanks a lot. I would be very glad
Anonymous57 has joined the chat room.
Anonymous57 is now known as Maggi.
<Vance> Hi Maggi.
<Maggi> Hi...
<Vance> Rif is a bit busy today. Papers to grade.
<rif> hi maggi
<rif> please excuse me. I need to go back to work. Wish you all a wonderful day.. Bye fro now
<Maggi> bye rif
<Vance> ok, see you Rif
rif has left the chat room.
<Maggi> well...that was short...I'm hungry
<Vance> Should I send you a cookie?
<Vance> .. sends Maggi a cookie ... do you accept?
<Vance> eats Maggi's cookie himself>
Navigate: The chat this evening took place in Homestead.and Hear Me <-- click to jump to either
John has joined
Ying has joined
Maggi has joined
Status: Connected
Vance has joined
John: Yes, Maggi. My wife keeps reminding me of it.
Ying: Her family.
Maggi: Hi Vance
Vance: Hi all. I'll be with you in a moment
John: Hi, Vance. Ying has a very interesting question today.
Ying: But she finally married another medical student when the author joined the army.
Vance: what question is that
John: John... how to say a word.... like I like a guy but he don't know I love him...
Ying: I read a story "the first love" this afternoon.
John: That is the question - Vance.
Ying: I asked.
Ying: I love this one
Vance: Do you like him or love him?
Vance: Hey, and that's great, btw !!!
John: It's about an essay she read.
Ying: "I just want to see you once more. To tell you something." Her eyes met me. " I wanted to thank you for having love me as you did."
Vance: Oh, truly, are you in love Ying? Or is this about a sroty.
John: OK, so who said that?
Maggi: ;-)
Ying: Vance, take easy.... it is a story.
Maggi: Vance loves a juicy story
Ying: What is a juicy story?
John: Gossip, Ying.
Vance: take it easy ... ok, taking it easy
Vance: brb
Maggi: makes your mouth water
Ying: The girl.... but when they met, they were grandpresent.
gloria has joined
Maggi: Hey, Gloria!
John: Hello, Gloria.
gloria: Hi everybody
Ying: Hi... Gloria. Long time no see. How are you?
gloria: fine thanks
John: Ok, so who didn't know who loved who?
Ying: The boy loved the girl and wanted to marry her.
gloria: I'm not able to speak or to listen becasuse I have no proper equipment
John: And the girl knew that?
Maggi: that's ok Gloria
John: No problem, Glora.
Maggi: we mostly use the text chat anyway
Ying: But the girl did not love him. She is Jewish and He is Catholic
Maggi: nice mix
John: Yes, very nice mix.
John: So at the end he thanks her for her love?
Ying: yes.
Maggi: but you said she didn't love him
Maggi: how are you Gloria?
Vance: Hi Gloria. Is anyone talking today?
Ying: The writer said... "it might have been grand indeed--My Irish conscience and your Jewish guilt."
gloria: reading what you are talking about :)
John: Really would have been grand.
Maggi: interesting Ying
John: We are talking about an essay Ying read.
Vance: essay or fiction?
Ying: Why did not Irish and Jewsih make a couple?
Ying: essay
gloria: what's your religion Ying?
Maggi: their backgrounds
Ying: Buddiest.
gloria: I see
Vance: Rif is in Homestead if you want to say hi
Ying: Why?
Vance: http://www.homestead.com/vstevens/
gloria: just curious
Ying: Ethnic background?
Vance: talking with Rif in Homestead
Ying: another question..... a young girl asked about the distinguish between LOVE and LIKE.... I don't know how to answer the quesiton.
Maggi: yes...because there is a lot of history and culture behind it
Ying: I have to study history first.
Vance: This is not an answer you can explain, you just know
Maggi: like is nice, love is better
Ying: Good answer ,maagi.
Ying: Ok. vance, how to explain?
Vance: hmmm, you know when you break up
John: Vance, I can't connect to homestead today.
Vance: love is painful, like is regrettable
Ying: I have to wait until I break up the guy... then I will finally understand I love him, but he won't love me anymore....nightmar!!
gloria: there is no love without suffering
Ying: nightmare!!
John: You can't get him out of your mind.
Maggi: a risk but worth it
Maggi: the love is yours to keep anyway
Vance: small consolation
Ying: I mentioned another question... how to distinguish between passion and true love?
John: That's a hard one.
Vance: hopefully, the two go hand in hand
John: But often passion is just physical.
gloria: passion finally ends, but love remains
Maggi: and if they don't the passion runs out first
Vance: Passion is very high if you haven't enjoyed another person for a while
John: That's a good answer Gloria.
Ying: In our conversation, another friend asked us ... have we met someone with his/her true love in our life? I was thinking of Vance and Bobbi.
Maggi: yes, Gloria has it
Vance: Once you have enjoyed that person, if you retain the passion, that could be love
Vance: That's what I was trying to say, Gloria said it more simply
Maggi: Could?
Vance: could what?
Maggi: you said could be love...
Vance: oh, well, maybe you're just a passionate person
Status: Disconnected
Status: Disconnected
John has joined
Ying has joined
Maggi has joined
gloria has joined
Status: Connected
Vance has joined
Maggi: who were passionate John?
John: That said, Passion.
Maggi: :-)
John: (be passionate)
John: They meant compassionate.
Maggi: good one
Vance: So Gloria, we haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing?
Maggi: bet it raised your eyebrows though!
John: Sure did, Maggi.
gloria: enjoying my time
Vance: Doing what?
John: So, Gloria, did you feel the earthquake where you are?
Vance: She's in Paraguay. The quake was in El Salvador, wasn't it?
gloria: no earthquake here
John: Yes, but I understand it was felt rather far away.
Maggi: I didn''t feel anything
gloria: relaxing with the family (nephewa and niece) and my two dogs
John: They felt it in Mexico City. Isn't Paraguay about the same distance?
Vance: I think Marina has a dog too, a big one.
Maggi: better get a map John
John: Yep. I guess I better.
gloria: Paraguay is far away from Mexico
Vance: Paraquay is pretty far south
John: The earthquake was in El Salvador
John: Well, I've never been good with distances.
Maggi: that's Latin Ameica
Ying: Gloria... I remember you went to atten the test... TOEFL?
Ying: Have you passed it?
gloria: enjoyin season's foods (christmas and new year)
John: What do you eat for Christmas there?
Maggi: mmmmmmmm...sounds nummy!
gloria: no I changed my mind I didn't take
Ying: oh... forget it.
Vance: Have you taken TOEFL Ying Lan?
gloria: european tradicional foods (as italian and spaniard's)
John: We eat a lot of roast pork during Christmas.
gloria: also our proper meals (paraguayan)
Maggi: I'm hungry...
Vance: hmmm we had turkey
Vance: I miss a good pork roast
John: i just realized why I can't remember what I had for breakfast. I haven't eaten it yet.
Maggi: oink oink
Ying: for vance,,, I have never taken TOEL.
Vance: Not impossible to get here, but not widely available
Maggi: lol
gloria: lots of candies, chocolats and panettones
John: We have other foods we eat during Christmas, too. But I'm not sure how to translate them from Spanish.
Vance: What's a panettone?
Ying: Who cares over-weight?
Maggi: cake?
John: What is the panettone made out of?
Vance: Gloria, why don't you send us a recipe?
gloria: a sweet bread with fruits
Vance: Marina sent a good one, but I didn't attempt it
Vance: We call it fruit cake
gloria: maybe it is the same
John: I doubt if it the same as our traditional fruit cake.
John: We don't eat them. We just pass them down from generation to generation.
gloria: we also have lots of fruit in this season, like water melon, melon, papayas
gloria: guayabas, grapes,
John: We eat something we call Pasteles. It is made from green bananas and meat.
Vance: I'm reading an email from Michael, to me and Maggi
Maggi: oh...
Vance: He thinks students don't come to our chats because there are too many teachers here.
Vance: What do you think?
Vance: I guess that's to Ying Lan and Gloria ...
gloria: I don't think so
Vance: But then Ying Lan and Gloria can hold there own at international conferences with LOTS of teachers present.
Maggi: I can leave...
Ying: leave?
Maggi: if there are too many teachers here
gloria: John, do you speak spanish?
John: Hello, Michael.
Ying: i don't understand why michael think there are too many teachers here.
Vance: Hi Michael, we were just discussing your email.
John: Gloria, yes I do.
Michael: Hello Everyone!
Michael: I see...what do people think?
John: I learned it when I moved to Puerto Rico.
gloria: entonces me dices donde vive?
John: Vivo en Puerto Rico.
gloria: la isla del encanto..dicen
Michael: I can hear you Vance
Michael: Que?
John: That is correct. I live close to the west coast of the Island.
Ying: Students have their reasons not being here.
Vance: It is said that these are enchanted islands?
Maggi: I agree Ying
John: One of them told me it is because of the hour. - too early for him.
gloria: me gusta el ingles pero me gusta mucho mi propio idioma
Vance: Yeah, we have a good turnout tonight. Still I wonder why Pon, for example, hasn't been back
John: Vance, what she said was that she heard it was the Island of Enchantment.
Michael: Of course Ying...but if we have another session with less teachers it might encourage some....
Maggi: ask the list
Vance: yo tombien, pero me gusto hablar en las idiomas otros ...
John: I like Spanish, too. Gloria. I just don't use it when there are people who don't speak it.
Michael: Good point Maggi.
Vance: otras, desculpe
Michael: no habla espanol!
Vance: anyway, it's fun to play with languages
Maggi: I talk to lots of students on icq
Vance: I'm taking Arabic at the Alliance Francaise
Michael: I know Maggi - that's great.
Vance: So when I call over there, I start speaking in French,
Vance: they discover I'm enquiring about Arabic courses
Vance: so they start speaking in Arabic
gloria: Yeah but I'm sure at least everybody here can Have an idea of what we're talking about
Maggi: no one has ever mentioned there were too many teachers here
Vance: When communication breaks down we use English, or back to French
Michael: Yes Gloria...true.
Maggi: yes Gloria...I understood it
John: Would they ever tell a teacher that, Maggi?
Maggi: sure
Vance: And also, there are the logs. I think if this was in French or Spanish
Michael: Well I had one student several months ago mention that they would like a separate session.
Vance: I would read the logs afterwards to see what I missed
Vance: and I'd learn from that
Ying: When I was in David's class, only me attened his class. remember?
Vance: I suppose we could attract more students if we actually had lessons
Michael: It's not that there are too many teachers....just sometimes the level of English is too high for some.
Vance: And when there are a lot of teachers, we start talking amongst ourselves
Michael: I remember Ying. You've always been a star student.
Michael: Yes Vance - exactly
Vance: Well, some students do expect a lesson
Vance: There are a lot of places where you can get lessons on the Internet if that's what you want
Vance: For example, Randall's Listening Lab
Michael: But we could have chats around a pre-arranged topic maybe....
Vance: Or the interview site .. maggi knows it
gloria: maybe that is the point Michael
Michael: What do you think about this question Gloria?
Michael: Oh - you answered already....
Vance: Yes, that's a good idea. But I wonder if people would stick to a topic. It's like herding cats ...
Michael: LOL
Vance: Even when we do presentations, people hardly stick to topic
Michael: Chat always tends towards chaos!
Vance: Given that, is it beneficial for students?
Michael: You have to be strict!
Vance: (who me? strict? ...
Michael: I think that different types of chats have different benefits.
Vance: You be strict, Michael (this I gotta see)
Michael: LOL
Michael: I can be strict!!!
Maggi: leave me out
Michael: I'd be toughest on you maggi!
Vance: Sounds like you're ready to shake up the webheads, Michael
Maggi: no comment
Michael: mmm...
Vance: (I'd better watch out ... )
Ying: Students are always afraid of "Presentation."..
Vance: Good point, YL. But practice makes perfect (as in your case)
Michael: True....
Maggi: Do you read Reader's Digest often Ying?
Michael: Not shake up the webheads Vance...but maybe present other options.
Vance: What if we found something for people to read or a site to look at and agreed to meet and discuss it.
Michael: John - what are your thoughts?
Michael: I think that's an excelllent idea Vance.
John: Only one of the four people I have spoken to so far has said anything about lessons.
Ying: i forget the word... I buy the magazine ... I pay the down payment to the company.
John: In general, they seem to like the informality of webheads.
Vance: Maybe if we asked students to propose sites in turn ...
John: The one person who mentioned lessons recommended reading.
Maggi: So, Gloria....isn't it difficult to have so much good food to eat in the heat?
Michael: That's true --- they do like the informality. That is one of the strenghts of this group.
Vance: Yes, we asked them about it one time, and that was a prominent response
John: I think maybe Vance's idea is the best thate.
Vance: I think Gloria and YL participated in that survey
Vance: It's on the webheads site, under reports, linked at the top of almost every page
Maggi: Right now Michael you are doing what you just mentioned was a detraction for students....tsk tsk
Michael: Exactky maggi.
Michael: But I didn't start it!
Vance: What's that (don't get it)
gloria: no inconvenience in an air conditioned room :)
Maggi: ok...Ying, Gloria...I asked you questions....-)
Maggi: you mean then you can eat more Gloria?
gloria: yes :)
Maggi: so that is the trick..lol
gloria: it is not our fault it is our ancestor's fault, they costumed to eat those high calories food on Christmas
Vance: When I'm talking with people about online learning (excuse me if I talk on the side here) ...
gloria: because of the winter in Europe
Maggi: that's because here it is cold
Vance: I often find that people have the idea of a 'course' being time-bound (listening to your converstation about food)
Maggi: I can't imagine cooking a turkey in the summer
Michael: Australians do it too.
Vance: But MY idea is that an online course can have more of a community dynamic
Vance: Ying Lan and Gloria are both interesting examples
Maggi: and what about some people in Oz celebrating in July?
Vance: Ying Lan does not regard our course as time-bound, nor do we.
Michael: We have nothing to celebrate in July!
Maggi: I've read some are trying to move the food to winter
John: We have celebrations in every month here.
Michael: I agree with everything you write Vance.
gloria: I know what you mean Michael ;)
Vance: Gloria also has been with us for almost two years, not regularly, but obviously she feels herself part of the community.
Vance: She doesn't consider this a 'course' but a community where she can come practice her English, as it's convenient for her. Would you agree GLoria?
Vance: And I suppose if you keep returning from time to time you must be benefiting from it.
Vance: I'm sure Ying Lan benefits.
Vance: Another question I have is what the other students get out of it.
Ying: all right... post the quesion in our mailing list. Ask student why they don't want to join our chatting class.
Michael: But i think there are some webheads who are not as advanced as Ying and Gloria....maybe they come here once or twice and just find that it's too hard.
Vance: Take a guy like Valentin in Spain who almost never writes but now and then, once every year or two, mentions how much he enjoys the email
gloria: yes and I'm not closed only to english the main idea is to communicate whatever the language is
Ying: Or when is the best time to join the chatting class.
Vance: Yeah, reading YL's response, I'm not sure if we can really ask them. The one's you'd want to answer you wouldn't
Vance: So to make it benefit more students we have to make it more attractive to come to the chat class.
Maggi: maybe if you ask right
Vance: ok, how should we ask ...
Maggi: send a form to tick off ansers...written ver simple...and return it to a person not the list
Vance: John might be asking such questions ..
Maggi: might be
Maggi: John?
John: I'm asking two or three questions related to what they would like to see added to the class.
John: Only one person has said to add anything - reading
Vance: In other words, what would attract them
John: The others say they can't think of anything to add.
John: Maybe I should add a questions such as what they would find more attractive?
Ying: They must have the strong desire ... to make their English better.
John: I'll have to spend a while phrasing it, they I'll send it to you to see if you think it might help.
Vance: I wonder what he or she means by reading ... there's a lot to read, so does the person have in mind reading development? But then it's like running. The more you do the better you get at it.
Ying: For me, at the beginning I only sat before my computer to read teacher's words.
John: He. I'll have to look at my notes, but if i recall it was posting something for everybody to read and then having us discuss it.
gloria: bye everybody!
Michael: Ciao Gloria.
John: Adios.
Vance: OK Gloria. Very nice to see you again.
Vance: Thanks for joining us.
Ying: bye .. gloria.
Ying: You know.. ... I was bored.. because I did not know how to express myself in English.
gloria has left
Michael: But slowly you learnt to be more confident...
John: Maybe that is one of the really great things about the informality. We all learn to be more confident.
Vance: Yeah, I've been impressed by some of the things Ying Lan and Gloria and Moral have said to people at conferences
Maggi: vocabulary
Ying: Now, I think I need more vocabulary.
Maggi: that's active
<Ying lan is telling us that she speaks English once a week with us and an hour a week with another guy and almost never at work. Michael thinks that's amazing. - GVS>
Maggi: that's active
Maggi: no, if you do and how often?
John: I agree with Vance, also.
Ying: sorry... i was not here... what were you talking about, vance?
Vance: I said that I have started in my Arabic classes to NOT take notes from what the teacher writes on the board
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Vance: I said if I stop to write it only distracts me
John: Hello, Casper.
Maggi: Hi Casper...
Vance: If the word is important I will meet it again.
Ying: But how do you remember it?
Vance: It's only valuable to me if it's in my mind, not if it's on paper
Casper has left
Vance: If a word is important, you will remember it.
Vance: Like Maggi is saying now, you remember it by meeting it often
Vance: So you have to put yourself in situations where you will meet more words
John: A word you seldom meet is seldom important.
Vance: Right. If you meet it only once, forget it.
Casper has joined
Vance: Up to you. If I am honest with myself, I never go back and read my notebooks, so it's a waste of time for me.
Michael: Michael smiles at Maggi's comment!
Vance: Hi caspar
Casper: Hi, is me: Nicia!
John: Hello, Nicia.
Ying: write your idea down,,, please.
Vance: Hi Nicia. We're talking about how to learn vocabulary
Maggi: Hi Nicia!
Casper: HI!
Ying: I can not hear your voice, maggi.
Ying: your words were broken..
Vance: First of all, 7 is the number of items you can remember at one time.
Maggi: oh...sorry
Vance: Can you hear us Nicia?
Michael: Is that right Vance? I didn't know that.
Casper: I can hear Maggi...only
Vance: There's a famous article suggesting that, I can't remember who by. Can you remember, John?
Michael: I know it's magic..but is there some research that backs it up?!
John: I can't remember it.
Vance: That's right, plus or minus one. This might come up at your thesis defense, John?
Vance: Ok, name a researcher who espouses that theory.
Casper: About magic?
John: If you are talking about i-1, it means you need just a little more than you already know.
Casper has left
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Maggi: no...learning vocabulary
Nicia: good.
Vance: No, i+1 is Krashen's idea. That the best input (like this) is 'one more' than your comprehension level
Ying: What is "i+1"?
John: OK. The plus or minus 1, I haven't heard yet.
Vance: i is input.
Maggi: having a good weekend Nicia?
Vance: input that you can understand
Nicia: yes... nice...try to resting...
Vance: i plus one is input just a little higher than you can understand
John: A little more difficult than what you can understand.
Vance: This is supposed to be the best kind of input for you to help you learn a language
Vance: to learn it from the input, that is, or to 'acquire' it
Vance: without being taught it
Maggi: I was talking about how you brain works
Vance: That's right, Maggi says that there is a lot of research supporting the notion or idea that memory can deal with 7 items at one time, plus or minus one (6, 7 or 8)
John: Where can I read about what Maggi was telling us?
Vance: That's what I was asking Maggi. It came up in my MA/ESL courses
Vance: But it was the 9th thing I had to learn that day so I didn't remember it.
Maggi: it's based on neurobiology...
John: It must have been the tenth for me. I vaguely remember one of my professors mentioning something like this - but...
Maggi: the best book is Straw in the Brin...or that's how it translate
Maggi: sorry...brain
Michael: I think I must have already learned 7 things today as none of this is going in!
Maggi: no matter mc
John: I must have, also.
Michael: That's actually my way of saying I'm leaving....
John: My first wish is that my dog would stop barking.
Maggi: bye...slaap lekker
Michael: If anyone comes up with the reference to this 7 thing let me know!
John: See you, Michael.
Ying: Vance, before you post the chat conversation... can you email it to me?
Maggi: How warm is it in Taiwan?
Vance: Sure, YL
Ying has left
Ying has joined
Maggi: yuk
Ying: I have to go now.... I have to get up early tomorrow.
John: Good night.
Maggi: night Ying...:-)
Ying: good night.
John: Night, Ying. Pleasant dreams.
Michael: lol
Nicia: Good night.... but is very early to me!
John: It is for me, too.
Michael: Ciao!
Michael has left
Vance: See you Michael
Maggi: me too!
Vance: We just agreed to meet tomorrow and try out our guitar jam
Nicia: It´s half past 12:00 p.m....
Ying: When?
Vance: So if any of you other guys want to meet us
John: It is 9:40 in the morning.
Vance: Yeah, we decided about one hour before now we'd look for each other
Maggi: 2 hrs later here
Ying: My brother always occupy the computer... he is carzy for reading novel on line.
Vance: We can't do it on HearMe. We have to use Yahoo or Excite
Maggi: get him some books Ying
John: I'll be finishing painting my house.
Nicia: Are you in time to lunch, Maggi?
Vance: Nicia, what are you going to do today?
Maggi: I just ate something here in front of the computer
Maggi: Gloria was talking about food earlier
Ying: who is him... for books.
Vance: You ate something in front of the computer? Is that a riddle? Was it the keyboard?
Nicia: I dont know yet...
Vance: ah, the mouse! You ate the mouse.
Maggi: no...guess again...
Vance: What would you LIKE to do today, Nicia?
Vance: It's Sunday, right? Is it your day off?
Maggi: I don't have a mouse
Nicia: But I need to rest...
Ying: vance.... send me the chat script.
John: The mouse pad?
Ying: I want to go now.
Vance: I will do it within the hour YL.
Nicia: No... my day is beggining....
Ying: bye-bye.
Maggi: don't have one of those either
John: Bye Ying.
Vance: OK, have a nice sleep, YL
Maggi: I have a touch pad
Maggi: bye Ying
Nicia: bye Ying
Vance: Well, what did you do last Sunday, Nicia?
Maggi: sweet dreams!
Ying has left
Vance: Me, I have to work on Sundays :-(
Maggi: only because you have a different weekend
John: I'm not going to do a thing today.
Vance: Yep. I have off Thu and Friday.
Nicia: I´m not so good with my health....
Maggi: when we work
John: I've just spend the week painting the outside of my house - just missing a window and the fence and I'll be done.
Vance: oh, are you sick today, Nicia?
Nicia: a little...
Vance: Congratulations John. You'll have to send us a picture
John: I hope it is nothing serious.
Maggi: get some rest then!
Vance: When you're done
John: I plan to send one as soon as I have it developed.
Vance: How many hours a day do you work, Nicia?
Maggi: too many probably
Nicia: :) some like... 13 hours...
Vance: woooo that's too much, 5 days a week, or 6?
John: My boss always tells me - Too much work is better than too little" but 13 hours is way to much.
John: too much.
Nicia: 6... yesterday I was work 7 hours only!
Nicia: working.... sorry....
Maggi: I work some 12 hr days easy
Vance: Is it your own business?
Nicia: NO... at home...
Vance: You work at home?
Nicia: I have my sleep dresses yet!....
John: When I found myself going 12 hour work days, I got out of administration.
Vance: You maen you work in your pajamas?
Vance: mean, i mean
Maggi: we can't see you!
Nicia: hahaa....
Vance: Obviously, you work alone ...
Nicia: I´m not working now...
Nicia: I´m at home.... in my son computer...
Maggi: I'm freelance John so sometimes there is no choice as a single mother
Vance: Do you chat with a lot of people around the world?
Nicia: That´s my point too...
John: Yes, I remember you are freelance.
Maggi: don't work, no money
Vance: what's your point, Nicia??
Nicia: Maggi, I saw in your efi home page about your work in Merck Company...
Maggi: that she is a single mother
Vance: I get it
Nicia: Maggi and I ... we are a single mother...
Vance: What's the url for Maggi's homepage?
Maggi: that isn't the same as the US Merck
John: Yes. Single mothers have it tough. My middle daughter is one, too.
John: She has a very hard time.
Nicia: Merck here in Brazil is a quimical products company...
Vance: chemical
Nicia: ok
Nicia: chemical company, that isnt?
Maggi: that is the Merck I work for
Nicia: I used many products in my work
Maggi: they are also in pharmaceutical, liquid crystals, pigments....
Maggi: pigments also for the printing industry
Nicia: yes... pigments, ph measurer...
Vance: Trying to answer my own question about Maggi's url, I get several hits, but none at merck
Nicia: mabe for paper industry too...
Vance: using google.com, I mean
Maggi: yes, they make test kits
Maggi: because it is at efi
Nicia: Yes, in efi Maggi´s page....
Nicia: What is google.com?
Maggi: search engine
Vance: Good clue, there's an article on Christmas traditions
Vance: Google is my favorite search engine at present
Maggi: place to find things...like altavista
Nicia: oh... I dont used this...
Vance: Hey, CyberFriend is still up there.
John: But better than altavista
Vance: Dear CyberFriend ...
Maggi: I don't often
Nicia has left
Vance: uh oh
Vance: connection problem
Nicia has joined
Vance: There she is again ...
Nicia: There is google in portuguese!
Vance: Google has an advantage. It gives you as the top listing the sites most often referred TO that contain your search string
Nicia: Oh! I´m not there with my home page!
Maggi: Ask Jeeves does that too
Nicia: I´m going to put now!
Vance: It can' t find our home page?
Vance: your, I mean?
Nicia: yes, mine...
Vance: I'm looking on the EFI pages for Maggi's home page. Still can't find it. ANyway, let's look for your site ...
John has left
Vance: I'm trying +nicia +brazil +paper
Vance: It pulls up Nicia's Webheads page !!!! :-)
John has joined
John: Sorry, lost my connection for a minute.
Nicia: I can found in many titles... but not in OficinadePapel...
Vance: a reference to Luz, Nicia Vilela, A LUTA PELA INDUSTRIALIZACAO DO BRASIL, 1808 A
Vance: Nicia Cristina Rocha Riccio??
Nicia: No... is Nicia Mafra
John: It's about time for me to go. My stomach is telling me it is time for breakfast.
Vance: Well, for +nicia mafra +brazil +paper
Maggi: enjoy John!
Vance: There is one hit, and that's your Webheads page
Vance: and from there you can easily link to
Vance: http://www.sebraenet.com.br/bolsa/niciamafra.htm
Vance: ok John, see you
Nicia: Thanks Vance... You allways send to me a good informations!
Vance: and also your picture is there turning the wheel on one of your presses
John: OK. See you all next week.
Vance: ok John, bye for now, enjoyed having you
Maggi: bye John!
Nicia: bye John!
John has left
Vance: But that page isn't working. Is the url correct?!!
Nicia: no... they changed...
Vance: Shall I put in the latest one?
Vance: Also, this one doesn't work either: http://www.cpt.com.br/pageasp/catalogo/SinVideo.ASP?IDVIDEO=0230&m=1
Vance: :-((
Nicia: :((( too
Vance: Can you update me?
Nicia: The correct is: http://www.oficinadepapel.com.br
Vance: ok, I'll put it on your page
Vance: Maybe the reason we weren't getting hits is we were searching in English
Vance: of course, with +"nicia mafra" I get
Vance: OFICINA DE PAPEL E GRAVURA - NÍCIA MAFRA. Mudamos
Nicia: mabe... I need to put it in english....
Vance: de endereço. www.oficinadepapel.com.br.
Nicia: yes... that is right!
Vance: www.niciamafra.cjb.net/ - 2k - Cached - Similar pages
Vance: What you should do, just put the word 'paper' in English on your page, or a sentence in English
Nicia: But I cant understand why it isnt in google search.
Vance: And then it will come up in English browsers
Vance: It would come up in Portuguese
Vance: I asked it to give me any page with Nicia, and obligatorily, paper, and also Brazil
Vance: Nothing without those three things
Vance: That's what the +Nicia +paper etc does
Nicia: uau! I cant undestand...
Nicia: understand...
Vance: Your page has 'papel' but not 'paper;
Nicia: Mabe I need to put again the reference....
Vance: So I couldn't find it. But if you just put one sentence in ENglish on your site, like ...
Nicia: yes, but I try the google in portuguese
Vance: oh, how about
Vance: +nicia +papel +gravura
Vance: Also, you got a reference at http://members.tripod.com/~LGonzaga/linksp.html
Vance: I was going to look that one up
Vance: it's to niciamafra.cjb ... that's prohosting, isn't it?
Nicia: yes...
Vance: You must pay for it, no ads
Nicia: Pay?
Vance: I remember you showed me this page earlier, when we were chatting on ICQ
Vance: Your pages don't have banners, are you hosting for free or paying a small fee (at prohosting)?
Vance: This is your son's Flash graphic (cool)
Vance: He's my son's age isn't he (15?)
Nicia: 16...
Nicia: I pay for it
Vance: Maggi is being very quiet.
Vance: I'd better go and let you guys chat.
Nicia: why?
Maggi: just reading along
Vance: why? Just curious how you avoided the ads. You can also put <killbanner> in your code, but it's a hassle an it only puts the ads on a separate window
Vance: with prohosting
Vance: well, on that note ...
Vance: off I go. Nice visiting with you.
Vance: ok, bye then
Navigate: The chat this evening took place in Homestead.and Hear Me <-- click to jump to either
John's problems with maps and distances
John sent us an email about his problems with maps and distances (Jan 15, 2001)
Hi all,
In last Sunday's chat session, I made a comment the caused somebody (Vance or Michael, I think) to tell me I need to get a map. Well, I've never been good with geography, as the following story will show you.
Many years ago (if I tell you how many, you'll know I'm old) when I was in the US Navy, I had just finished school and was transferred to Puerto Rico. Since I didn't know where PR was located, I went to the library to look for it on the map.
Since I though it was an island near Spain or Italy, I went to the desk and asked for a map of the Mediterranean Sea. Then I looked all along the south coast of Europe. It wasn't there. I looked along the north coast of Africa. It wasn't there. I looked along the west coast of the Middle East. It wasn't there. I looked all over the sea and finally told the librarian. "Gee, the place I'm going is so small it isn't even on the map."
The librarian asked me, "Where are you going?"
"Puerto Rico," I replied.
He grabbed the map, pulled it out of my hands, handed me a map of the Caribbean, and said, "Wrong ocean."
Do you think I need a map?
I hope you enjoyed my little story.
John
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