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 Welcome!  
Like so many other web pages, this one has more than one purpose.

First, it is a place for my students to find resources and information about English. Next, it is a blatant attempt to 'sell' myself to prospective employers and finally, it is a personal page where I will post things that interest me or that I want to share on the Internet.

There are links to explore, photos to look at and, of course, my online 'CV' is here too. None of these things will tell the whole story, but they should give you some idea about who I am, what interests me and what I have to offer you as a teacher or as an employee.

So, surf around, explore what is on offer here and if you are so motivated, drop me a line to let me know you were here and what you thought.

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A new joke for you...
 

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go on a camping trip.  After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep.

Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

“I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes” replies Watson.

“And what do you deduce from that?”

Watson ponders for a minute.  “Well, 

  • Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. 

  • Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. 

  • Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. 

  • Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. 

  • Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. 

But what does it tell you, Holmes?”

Holmes is silent for a moment.  

“Watson, you idiot!” he says.  “Someone has stolen our tent!”

OK, back to the regular content...

If you can read this, thank a teacher.

/Anonymous Teacher

 

 

There's a difference between subtlety and just being obscure, but it's quite a subtle difference that can easily be obscured./Anonymous

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Anything that happens, happens. Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen. Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again. It doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order, though.

/Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

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I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:


1. Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.

2. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.

3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.

/Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

 

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 What's New...
2006-12-19
You can now find a link to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy under the Fascinating but hard to define heading.

2006-09-14
New link to The International Herald Tribune newspaper in the News section of the Links page.

2006-09-09
A new link on the Links page under the Fascinating but hard to define heading --The Viking Answer Lady. An amazing collection of information about the Viking era.

2006-09-06
Check out the Avalon Project. Use the new link on the Links page under the Read heading. You will find hundreds of the most important documents in world history free for the taking. If you are interested in history, you will love this site.

2006-08-29
Where do the weeks go? It has been more than a month since I added anything to the Links page. So, for those of you who like words and like to know where they came from, I have added a link to the Online Etymology Dictionary in the Dictionaries section of the Links Page.

2006-07-26
After a long summer break, a new link! If you need free photos, or just like looking at photos online, try Yotophoto in the Images Online section of the Links page. Just remember that your hard drive is not unlimited!

2006-06-07
A new link in the Dictionaries section of the links page - A
Swedish/English Medical Dictionary from Karolinska Institutet. An excellent resource for patients, parents or practitioners.

2006-05-15
Two new pictures from China on the Photos page.

2006-05-04
Two new links on the Links page - The Guardian Unlimited newspaper and their in-house style guide. Excellent free resources from one of the best English language newspapers on the Internet.

2006-05-02
A new link on the Links page - NationMaster. If you need to find out about a country - this is the website for you! Have a look under the Fascinating but hard to define heading.

2006-04-25
A new link added on the Links page in the Just Plain Fun section (though I am not sure this is entirely appropriate)  Casebook: Jack the Ripper is a wonderful site dedicated to one of the most famous unsolved crimes of Victorian London. Read original news stories, examine maps and photographs and solve the crime!

2006-04-16
A new link in the Read section of the Links page - Majority English. It's an e-newsletter about English that is fun, informative, easy to read and made in Sweden. Very highly recommended!

2006-04-12
Want to practice your grammar? There is a new grammar section on the links page.

2006-03-31
A whole new page -  Tongue Twisters!
Have fun.

2006-03-30
An amazing new resource under the
The Sound of English heading on the links page. Listen to native and non-native speakers of English, download the recordings, read their biographies... a great site.

2006-02-24
A whole new heading on the links page - Computer Resources.

2006-02-24
After a long break, a new link! A page offering hundreds of glossaries. If you need to find a word - this is a great place to start! It's in the Dictionary section.

2005-12-10
A new link in the Images section of the Links page - an online archive of old family photographs. Quite a fascinating site.

2005-11-12
I have posted a link to Reuters news service under the News on the Net heading on the Links page

2005-11-11
New listing in the Games Section of the Links page - Word games from East of the Web

New Listing in the Just Plain Fun section of the links page - the [Online] Museum of Hoaxes. Fascinating, strange and fun stuff here. Enjoy!

2005-11-10
A new music link! Check out SHOUTcast on the Links page - Music to surf by section

2005-11-09
Great new link in the Read section of the Links page - free short stories for everyone from East of the Web..

2005-10-02
Bad Puns now available on the links page under the Just Plain Fun heading.

2005-09-10
A new games link under games on the links page... If you read this note five times, quickly, you will feel a bit dizzy...

2005-09-05
A fun new link in the Fascinating but hard to define section of the links page - The Dialectizer - Instantly translate your favourite webpage or text into Swedish Chef, Red Neck, Elmer Fudd, etc.

2005-08-16
There is a new email address for the site! Please use: ronpykesite@gmail.com

2005-05-20
It has been a busy spring, but I have finally been able to update my Photos page... Some new images for you.

2005-04-27
A link to The World's Worst Website on the Links page under the Too Strange For Words heading.

2005-04-20
Link to a website that has listed all the known living languages on earth. In the Other Languages section.

2005-04-09
I have been slow to update lately, so I thought we should celebrate by posting some game links. These really work and there are NO ads!

2005-03-24
A new link in the Music to surf by section and one in the Fascinating but hard to define section.

2005-03-20
A new section in the Student Links section of the Links page - Practice speaking English online.

2005-03-19
New text at the bottom of this page.
A link to some online Science Fiction under the Read heading on the Links Page.

2005-03-15
Great new links in the Fascinating But Hard to Define and The Sound of English sections of the links page.

2005-03-14
Two new links in the Search section of the links page.

2005-03-11
I have done a minor re-design of the links page that I hope will make it a little easier to use. Let me know what you think!

2005-03-10
New links added under the Sounds of English, Writing and Style Guides, General English and the Just Plain Fun headings on the links page.

2005-03-08
Music to surf by... two new musical links.

2005-03-04
Some general interest Sweden links added.

2005-03-01
New links added on the links page - Fascinating but hard to define & a Sounds of English section that will build over the next few weeks.

2005-02-28
New links added on the Links page - Where to buy books.

2005-02-14
The whole website!


 


© Ron Pyke, 2005