F2F Class Notes 1st September (Celeste) [3]
Homework for next class:
- At home, review this article, find any new vocabulary you don’t understand or know. Prepare to talk about these in your next class.
- Prepare to tell a summary about this article in the next class.
Ever wonder what Kindle, the name of the Amazon “e-book,” means and where it come from? Well, even if you didn’t, I’m going to tell you. The name was conceived by San Francisco designer Michael Cronan and according to his wife and partner Karen Hibma, this is how it was coined:
About three years ago, Cronan was asked by Lab126, an Amazon.com company, to name a consumer product line, which turned out to be the Kindle. Hibma says, “Michael came up with the name through our usual practice of exploring the depths of what the potential for the new product and product line could be and how the company wanted to present it. Jeff [Bezos, the CEO] wanted to talk about the future of reading, but in a small, not braggadocio way. We didn’t want it to be ‘techie’ or trite, and we wanted it to be memorable, and meaningful in many ways of expression, from ‘I love curling up with my Kindle to read a new book’ to ‘When I’m stuck in the airport or on line, I can Kindle my newspaper, favorite blogs or half a dozen books I’m reading.’”
Kindle means to set alight or start to burn, to arouse or be aroused, to make or become bright. The word’s roots are from the Old Norse word kyndill, meaning Candle. “I verified that it had deep roots in literature,” adds Hibma. “From Voltaire: ‘The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others and it becomes the property of all.’” No other name could hold a candle to Kindle.
Cronan also named TIVO (and designed the logo) and currently has an exhibition of his paintings, “Sibyls and Prophets from the Sistine Chapel,” at Vintage Berkeley, 2113 Vine St., Berkeley, California, until January 17.
build up – the excitement leading up to sth like an event or holiday, anticipation
Original Summary
Couples want to put a little extra in their relationships but they always disappoint. So, the divorces always peak in March and August. In March, there is Christmas and NY and Valentine’s Day and in August there’s summer holiday. Researchers think the holiday causes financial problems. They analyzed the data of divorces filed between 2001 and 2015 in Washington. Then they had a conclusion that couples might take the holidays as an anticipation and opportunity for a new start or something different. But they don’t remember how disappointed they might have had in the past. They always will spend more time in closer proximity but the proximity will cause more tensions rather than rekindle romance.
Edited Summary
Couples want to put a little extra effort in their relationships but they are always disappointed. So, the divorce rate/the number of divorces always peak in March and August. Before March, there are Christmas and NY and Valentine’s Day holidays and before August it is summer vacation. Researchers think the holidays cause financial problems. They analyzed the data of divorces filed between 2001 and 2015 in Washington. Then they made a conclusion that couples might take the holidays as an anticipation and opportunity for a new start or something different. But they don’t remember how disappointed they were in the past. They always spend more time in closer proximity but the proximity will cause more tension rather than rekindle the/their romance.
( . ) period
I have a concern. – I have a problem / question.
I am concerned. – I am worried. / I doubt.
Something is concerning me. – Sth is making me worried. / Sth is making me question this.
worrying / worried
boring / bored
annoying / annoyed
concerning / concerned
disappointing / disappointed
Article for next class: http://breakingnewsenglish.com/1608/160813-online-gaming.html
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