Episode II: Learning a foreign language with RosettaStone SharedTalk

By Puntino

It's probable that many people already know Rosetta stone line-products for self-teaching a new language aided by PC.
In this item, however, I want to speak about a new tool provided by Rosetta Stone to learn a foreign language not being alone, but with the help of a community.
Differently from the other RosettaStone products, Shared Talk does not need any installations
but you can make use of it without an installer and free of charge (at least at the time I'm writing!)
Indeed, all you need is an Internet connection and to sign up on the SharedTalk web site.
Since ShardTalk is a community you'll find many people that live in different angles of the world
and want to exchange their native language(s) with the one(s) they want to learn.
Going on look over its main features:

1) Mailbox.
After your registration, you''ll have the right to a private mailbox that you can access only by logging in on the SharedTalk web site.
However they provide a notification service to make you know when a new mail has been sent to you. Simply you'll receive a notification message on your electronic mailbox that you have provided during the registration.
In this way, they avoid spreading your email on the Internet.

2)Partner Search engine.
As I said SharedTalk is a community where people wish to learn a language by exchanging it, in
other words when you fill in your profile form, you have to choose which language(s) you can
teach and which one(s) you wish to learn.
Then with a partner search engine you can find among the community members the best for you.

3)Text Chat
As other Internet communities, SharedTalk is equipped with either a public text chat or a private text chat.
The public chats are categorized by language, for example there is a chat for speaking English, another for Russian and so on.

4)Voice Chat
At last but not least there is the Voice Chat, I think it's an innovative and useful feature and
probably SharedTalk is one of the few learning communities that have this tool.
In order to enter the Voice Chat you don't need any software like Skype but simply a microphone.
The voice chat is well developed because it lets you know which members are speaking and
which aren't, moreover you can know the country where the people are from.
and which language(s) they wish to practice.
These are the major characteristics in my opinion, however we have to take into account that SharedTalk, currently, is a beta release and probably new features will be added or improved.

On the whole I honestly suggest this website and the benefits like the registration which is free of charge, because in the future to join SharedTalk could become charged or conditioned by purchase of a RosettaStone product (This is my prevision I can't ensure you about that!)

Join Rosetta Stone Shared talk
http://www.sharedtalk.com/

I thank Zsófia for her corretions

A few minutes a day with English

by Puntino

I think that it's very important to train our English every day even if for only
a few minutes, now I don't want to deepen this concept but simply I'll suggest
you an easy and fun way to refresh our vocabulary and increase it with new words and "slangs".

There are two Italian radios which broadcast programs for English training:
Radio Monte Carlo RMC
Radio 24

RMC with its program "Speak Easy by Clive" help us to build up our English by listening to
famous songs and explaining to you the meaning of the words.
Generally, Clive focus your attention on the same word but show its different meanings and uses with songs.
Speak Easy is on air every day at 13:30, 16:30 and 20: 30.

Radio24 with its "English24 by Marta Cagnola and Giulia Crivelli" differently than RMC
not use only the songs to improve and keep your English alive but also short pieces
of interviews or advertisements.
Marta Cagnola and Giulia Crivelli show you, by example, words and expressions that are currently used.
English 24 is on air every Saturday at 19:15

Both English 24 and Speak Easy take few minutes so they are very useful for everyone needs
to practice English but don't have time to accomplish it.

Always use protection.

Surfing around the web...or with your boy\girl frined (you know what I ment :P ),
it's important to use the a right protection.
this wallpaper for Spreadfirefox advertaising campain it's so funny...so

if you like it you can download it from this link
http://www.spreadfirefox.com/node/13965

I have a dream

By Puntino


These famous words were preached by one of the most important and greatest men of the man's story. I think, every man, like M.L. King, has his own dream, of course not all of ours are as much worth as King's one.
Some dreams don't involve the hope for a better society or peace in the world, some of them are very minor and symbolize what we would like to do or be in our life.
Since I have been interested in Italian politic, my dream is to see my country rise. In Italy, exists an old (very old!) economic depression mainly in the South.
We have a politician Class involved in dirty businesses and some of them have been sentenced despite of this they keep on taking over and wasting public money. Sometimes I asked to visitor or people living in other countries: What do you know about Italy ? and after they take a little time for thinking, they answer "Pizza, sea, and...mafia".
Let me not discuss the mafia (our plague), but why don't we better our country?
To be known as unreliable people is a beautiful label for us? I don't think so and like me a lot of Italian citizens and people all over love Italy.
Then what can we do? we could come down into square and ask our government to fix this situation for ever; but our voices wouldn't be heard by anyone who is currently in power.
In these recent days, a man well known as Beppe Grillo (comic) is forcing the Italian souls to make a change for the better, hopefully that something will change.
He put forward interesting stuff, but what will really happen ?
I don't know.
It doesn't matter if it is Beppe Grillo or someone else, I hope that my country will get better... this is my dream.

I thank Holly for her corrections

Flight Simulation

Who knows me, knows why my nick name is TopGun.
it's not hard to understand to be honest :p

So...My passion is aviation.
I'm not as experct and geeky as some people are, but I like it very much.
Around the web there are many web sites treating of Virtual Flight Simulation.
one of this is FS TOP GUN.

Wanna be a Virtual Aviator? it's so simple!
You need a Software like microsoft Flight Simulator , a fast speed internet connection, a lot of free time, and passion for flying!
that's all.

thanks to Site like Fs TopGun you can really do all the routine operations and procedures that a Real Pilot do in a normal flight.
Who love this kind of thing know what means to have the chance to fly with a real Boing 747 (Jumbo Jet), or a Boeing 737 (Ryanair air line use it).

in Italy there is a great site about flight sim, it's NapuleVola and i discovered it by chance (it's the serendipity).

so...if you wanna feel the emotions real Pilots feels, now you know how to realize your dream.
It's simple and has a really low cost.
flight sim cost about 50$, a cloche cost 20$ and mainly you can do it at your desk on your own pc.

Isn't this great??? 8)

A TomCat F-14 taking off form the air craft carrier Roosvelt:


Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet:

Free Burma!

When I run down...

By Puntino

Every one has its own "weak" moments, we can run down for many reasons:
by attending an intensive course, by working and studying in the same time,
by going out every night of week and so on..
When I fell so weak and mainly while my mind is turning off there is one
thing I love to do is listening to music and in particular there is one song
which make me feel better, it is an old song but ever green, its name is
Ain't no mountain high enough sung by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-UvQYAmbg

What do you like to do when you run down?
Do you like listening one song ? which one?