Thursday 22 July 2010

Crossword Puzzles

I included a crossword puzzle gadget in my post on 26 May. These are a good way of learning German vocabulary and a fun way to play with words. Some puzzle types are particularly amusing - lustige Silbenrätsel. Here are some examples of clues and their answers:

alpine EtageGebirgsstock
diebische Eisenbahn Raubzug
Hauptkirchen-NähmaschinenmarkeDompfaff
Plantage bei einer Festung im wilden WestenFortpflanzung
Schreibstube für unterwegsResiebüro
verrückter unbestimmter Artikelirresein

For a range of puzzle books take a look at http://www.raetsel.de/

Tuesday 20 July 2010

E-Books v print

It's nearly a month since I last posted anything and nearly a week since we moved into our new home. Now that I have a decent broadband connection I hope to do more. The chaos here is beginning to recede. We now have hot water and the washing machine is working again - but not the television. Why does everything go wrong at once?

I have managed to get most of my German books onto the shelfs but we have dozens of boxes with other books, ornaments and I don't know what else. Books and internet are what matter to me. I find I can only read a few pages on the computer screen before my eyes start watering and there is something enjoyable about just holding a book. I have wondered about E-Books and using some sort of reader. That could be good for PDF files provided I don't want colour. E-Books are beginning to sell better than hardcover books.

Amazon: E-Books verkaufen sich besser als Hardcover-Ausgaben

Amazon verzeichnet steigende Verkäufe seines E-Book-Readers Kindle. Mittlerweile setze das Unternehmen mehr E-Books als Hardcover-Bücher ab, heißt es in einer Mitteilung.
 ZDNet.de