Creating a No-kill Nation

How can we create a no-kill nation? How can we change the mindsets of so many city- and county-run animal shelter officials who kill staggering number of unwanted animals week after week after week? One answer might be here:

No Kill Solutions

Animal Rescue in New Orleans Still Continues

Sunday, November 06, 2005
Animal Rescue in New Orleans - An Update

Animal Theory

Feral Cats in the News ~ the Feral Cat Blog! :: Cat Issues - News - Info - Resources: Katrina Pets Reunions

Feral Cats in the News ~ the Feral Cat Blog! :: Cat Issues - News - Info - Resources: Katrina Pets Reunions

Plea for professionalism

To whoever translated what I'm supposed to edit:Please don't translate what you can't express appropriately and effectively in the target language for the intended purpose of the document. More specifically, please don't accept the job in the first place if you don't know how to effectively translate sales brochures!

//Start of rant//
Sorry for the rant. I was supposed to be simply reformatting Japanese InDesign files of a company's sales brochures, but the translation is utterly inferior and 目も当てられない, I convinced the agency to let me edit the files. Well, editing doesn't do any trick. They need complete retranslation! I am getting more and more furious. How can a professional translator turn in this kind of less than acceptable translation and claim s/he is a プロ?
//End of rant//

Getting back to retranslating... Still a long way to go...

Knobs and levers

Some phrases useful(?) to note:

Knobs and levers:
"It's easy to get confused by all the knobs and levers that add up to Java and even more confusing when Sun announces that it's open sourcing something that's Java-related."
<http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=1563>

"We now have all the knobs and levers," he said. "We have one channel organization. This is one on-ramp for solution providers to all HP products and services."
<http://www.crn.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18841098&flatPage=true>

Compare it with "bells and whistles":
"It's not quite right to say that CodeWarrior is loaded with lots of bells and whistles, but it does have more than enough knobs and levers."
<http://www.ftponline.com/wireless/rgrehan/default_pf.asp>

There's another phrase "on-ramp" for you in the second example. An on-ramp to the information highway, which is the Internet!

Microsoft Glossaries for translation

If you are involved in translating documents related to Microsoft products, Microsoft glossaries are a must. Some people said it is no longer available on their FTP site, but it is available. If anyone is having a problem accessing the site using FTP application, try clicking the link below in the Web browser. It works.
<ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/msdn/newup/Glossary/>

Also, although not the same as the .cvs files of the glossaries available at the above FTP site, Microsoft has the following Web-based glossaries:

Microsoft Glossary Information Center
<http://www.microsoft.com/resources/glossary/default.mspx>
(This is a page with a list of English monolingual glossaries.)

マイクロソフト単語帳
<http://www.microsoft.com/Japan/Terminology/query.asp?ui=L>
(Japanese glossaries. Haven't used it yet, so don't know how useful it is.)

You can also try MSDN Library online in English and Japanese. Some topics have glossaries. If you are trying to compare English and Japanese versions of a certain document, note that Microsoft hasn't translated many of them into Japanese.

English
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp>

Japanese
<http://www.microsoft.com/japan/msdn/library/default.asp>

"Integrating technology in the classroom" and technical communicators

Another interesting implication for technical communicators (I think). I am listening to an audiocast of ZDNet, titled "Integrating technology in the classroom." In it, Cornelia Brunner, associate director of the Center for Children and Technology at the non-profit Education Development Center, says how today's teachers are not really prepared to teach kids all the potential skills (especially thinking skill and media literacy) the use of computers can offer because they themselves have not been trained in those skills. It seems there is an opportunity for technical communicators to contribute in this area.

You have to be a registered member to listen to the audiocast. If you are interested, the URL is <http://itpapers.zdnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=139351&promo=200010>

The topics covered:
* How technology is being used in classrooms
* How to use computers in more meaningful ways
* Using technology to teach collaboration
* What types of technology to buy

Content management and technical communicators

ZDNet has a video interview of Martin Brauns, CEO of Interwoven. It is more on the technological side of enterprise content management, but it is still relevant to technical communicators.

"Keeping tabs from A to Z
Interwoven makes enterprise content management software. In an interview with ZDNet Editor in Chief Dan Farber, CEO Martin Brauns explains how corporate compliance is driving companies to spend money on tracking content--and how those tools are giving them the competitive edge."
<http://zdnet.com.com/2036-2_2.html>

Another article related to Interwoven.
"Microsoft teams up on content management Microsoft and software partner Interwoven have agreed to join forces on product integration, research and development, and sales and marketing."
<http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-5704908.html>

ZDNet's content management-related articles (includes old ones).
<http://news.zdnet.com/2038-3513_22-0-topic.html?id=6266&name=Content+management>

Introducing Nicholas Nikki

Nicholas is a domestic short-hair, orange striped tabby cat. He lives in Southern California with his five other housemates. He is almost 6 years old, and the ruler of the house. We call him Nicholas, Nick (with "!"), or Nikki (with "!!!"), depending on the situation. The title of this blog, Nikki, is a Japanese word for "diary." Do you see the connection?

Don't worry. This is not another blog on cats. Nick's mom (me) is planning to use this space to share with others some day-to-day thoughts on various things. Since she uses English and Japanese in her professional life, this blog will be written in English and Japanese.

Let's test it.

突然ですが、フォントを日本語に変えます。このブログは、英語と日本語の両方で書くことにしました。どうなるかお楽しみに。