May 2007

Ryanair’s Web Usability Tax – Passengers Pay for Incompetent Web Design

May 30, 2007

This article, with a new addendum added June 26, 2007, has been moved to my new blog, Usability Bitch.

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FemCamp Bologna 2007: Sessions & Reflections

May 29, 2007

In the afternoon I attended some sessions, though I missed the most popular presentation of the day, Iocelopiulunghismo (“Mine’s-the-biggest-ism”), by Elena and Feba, a funny and ironic look at (male) bloggers’ obsession with their (blog) statistics. I poked my head into Andrea Beggi‘s unfortunately-titled presentation on “Blogging for Ladies,” but the room was so crowded [...]

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Internet Memes: Deirdre Needs…

May 28, 2007

Caught up with this meme via Sognatrice, and found it a bit of good silly fun. You can play, too! Put your name followed by “needs” into Google and copy the first ten results you get. Add your own comments as to the applicability of each. Deirdre needs a parent who will take responsibility and [...]

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FemCamp Bologna 2007

May 28, 2007

Saturday morning I got up bright and early – way too early, considering that I had barely slept Friday night (jet lag – I had just returned from Colorado Thursday). Succumbing to travel paranoia, I took a taxi down the hill rather than wait for the first bus at 7 am, and got to Lecco [...]

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Hot Chestnuts! Two Romans Explain How

May 17, 2007

When I visited Rome for barCamp in January, I stayed with family friends Serena and Sandro – true Romans both. We had grand plans to film Sandro explaining Roman swearwords (with gestures), as an addition to my Italian slang section, but then we drank a lot of wine and laughed and talked a lot, so [...]

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Airport Reports: Malpensa

May 17, 2007

Looks as if I’m a frequent traveller again this year, and I hope that will hold true for some time to come. I’ve been relatively quiet for the last six years – usually only one annual trip outside Europe – but it’s time to spread my wings again. Travel woman: that’s who I am and [...]

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Italian Garden 2007: May

May 15, 2007

yes, I know this isn’t a beetle, but at least he’s cute – even if he was probably eating my irises We had a lot of beetles this year, I’ve never seen the like in Italy! In May we had roses, oh how we had roses! I was so busy taking the close-up shots of [...]

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Pastiglie Leone

May 15, 2007

Leone brand candies have been around for a long time in Italy. I love the Art Deco and Art Nouveau package designs. The flavors are interesting, in concept, at least: coffee (I want a poster of this box!), Tuareg green tea, Polar strong, the Merchant of Venice (spices, I’m guessing), Lemon, Prince of Naples Orange [...]

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Italian SMS-Speak

May 11, 2007

“Texting” – sending text messages via cellphone – has been popular in Italy far longer than in the US, in part because it’s cheaper than calling. When I can’t reach someone by email, I use SMS for non-urgent communications – it’s less intrusive than a call, and I have a phobia of disturbing people. Italian [...]

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Italian Milk

May 9, 2007

It’s the Little Things That Surprise You When you move to a foreign country, you expect (if you are wise) that the food will be different from what you’re used to. For the adventurous this is a welcome change, a chance to explore new flavors and habits (though sometimes you also crave the taste of [...]

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Old-Fashioned Italian Baby Names

May 6, 2007

A monument to Varenna’s WWI dead. If your last name was Pensa (“think”), why would you name your child Innocente? Monuments like this also give clues to names which were once common but have now fallen out of popularity: Gaspare [GAHS-pah-ray], Eliseo [ell-lee-ZAY-oh], Oreste [oh-RES-tay], Sigismundo [sih-jiss-MOON-doh] and Corrado [cor-RAH-doh] are very rare today. War [...]

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Getting Ready for Woodstock School – Some Practicalities

May 4, 2007

So my daughter will be going to Woodstock School. Given my obvious enthusiasm for the place, you may assume that I’m ecstatically happy about this – and I am. But there is also plenty of room for doubts and worries and sorrow. What do I do with feelings like these? What I always do: write [...]

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Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines 8

May 3, 2007

upper left: The animator becomes a profession Luna Ross effect: boom in sign-ups for sailing school yellow sign: Text books: elementary, middle school, high school – for all the schools lower left: Free: Map of Engadina [a mountain] No. 1 Rivers of Cocaine from the Balkans Local health authority in alarm: tuberculosis returns lower center: [...]

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Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines 7

May 2, 2007

The Assessor [a position in municipal government]: “I’m gay and I don’t hide [myself]” “I’m selling a kidney to pay the loan sharks” Professor Valsecchi, pillar of Badoni [a school], dead The [Teachers'] Council of the [Liceo] Classico Votes No-Confidence in the Principal [Private] “high” parties become a problem (sballo refers to getting high, whether [...]

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