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Kinetic typography

2009-03-04T11:39:00.002+01:00

There's a different way of watching your favourite films: no images, just animated words. Practise your listening skills with this scene from the film 300.

Sing along!

2009-02-21T16:48:00.002+01:00

A good way to practice your English is singing with videokes, that is, a karaoke video where they play the music and you put the voice. Here you have an example, Imagine by John Lennon, but you can find many other songs of all sorts of music in www.youtube.com

Happy birthday!

2009-02-12T12:40:00.007+01:00

Today the world celebrates the 200th aniversary of one of the parents of modern biology: Charles Darwin. You can celebrate it too by finding out more about him and his works, just check out the following links.

The Origin of Species (full online free version)

Darwin day celebration site

BBC Darwin bicentenary special
The history of evolutionary thought

Get the glass!

2009-01-28T11:26:00.002+01:00

Get the Glass is a 3D board game produced as a part of a new Got Milk advertising campaign (an American iniciative to promote milk drinking). This is a Flash mini-game where you can help a family escape from the cops. You can practise your English on the way and enjoy its amazing graphics. Have fun!

Get the glass

What would you do if you could have a flying car?

2009-01-14T09:54:00.002+01:00

This video is a short film by Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks, Mallrats or Dogma. It is a dialogue between Dante y Randall, two of the main characters in Clerks and Clerks 2, who discuss about the possibility of having a flying car. The speak very quicky, but the subtitles will definitely help you. Have a good laugh!

If you want to find out more about real flying cars, check the following links:

How a real flying car works video

A flying car on the road (it can be yours for just a few pounds!)

Study abroad (Eurocursos 2009)

2008-12-17T09:32:00.002+01:00

If you want to go to the UK or Ireland to study English in the summer, this is your chance. The IVAJ is offering several grants for people currently studying first or second of Bachillerato. If you are interested, hurry up, since you only can apply until the 15th of January. Check up the following link to see all the details and the requiremets you need to be able to participate. Eurocursos IVAJ

Funniest telemarketer call ever

2008-12-11T20:41:00.002+01:00

How many times have you recieved an annoying phone call from a telemarketer? Here you can listen to a man with a real strategy to turn this typical situation upside down. You can read the conversation as you listen, so it's easier to understand. Have a good laugh!

When I grow up...

2008-11-25T13:14:00.002+01:00

If you are on your way to finish High School, you may have quite a few doubts about what to study in the future. If this is your case, don't make an unplanned decision and look for the further studies that suit you best. There is a lot of information on the net just a click away. Here you have the sites where you can see the different degrees offered by the Valencian universities, along with all the subjects and details of each course.

Universidad de Valencia
Universidad Politécnica
Ciclos formativos

Is the monster of Lake Ness a lie?

2008-11-21T16:32:00.004+01:00

It is the only question that everybody has. Is the monster a lie? Is it a legend or it's true that a monster lives in Scotland? Nobody knows it. The monster of Lake Ness is an attraction for a lot of tourists, but the monster hasn't been seen by anybody. We have not enough information about it.

The photos about it aren't many, but the stories of the Scottish people are numerous. Paul Johnson, an American scientific says: If this animal lives today, he is now more than four centuries old!

Some people believe that the monster is a dinosaur, but does a dinosaur live four hundred years? I don't know. When I was a kid, I believed that the monster really existed, but now I am not sure. It's probably a mythological animal, as the Minotaur, Hydra or Dragons.

Courtesy of Jordi (4th of ESO)

If you want to know more about Nessy, check out these sites:

Official Loch Ness monster site
Loch Ness in Wikipedia
Loch Ness live web cam

A Valencian discotheque gives plastic surgery as a prize

2008-11-19T09:13:00.004+01:00

A discotheque in the Valencian Community, Pacha, has announced a party where there will be a prize draw for a plastic surgery operation. All boys and girls will be able to participate at a cost of 20€ per entrance. This way of attracting new customers is not new: in Argentina there have been similar iniciatives in the past. Although a great controversy has been raised, the owner of the disco said that there is nothing unethical in this campaign, that it's just a new form of marketing that proves that not everything has already been done.

What do you think about it?. Say your word by voting this month's survey.

Motivational video

2008-11-05T19:56:00.002+01:00

If you think your English is bad, have a look at this video and get ready to change your mind... So next time you are afraid to talk in a foreign language, remember that this artist even had the courage to record this song!

Halloween online hangman

2008-10-28T16:37:00.003+01:00

Try this interactive game where you can hang a very chatty skeleton! All the words are related to Halloween and creepy stuff. You can keep playing and accumulate points if you keep guessing words. Have fun!

Halloween hangman

Halloween warming up

2008-10-27T21:23:00.004+01:00

Here you have a link where you can read the original version of 'The Raven', a poem by Edgar Alan Poe. You may find it difficult, but there's a little help with the vocabulary. Anyway, forget about the unknown words and try to read it poetically and enjoy how the words flow like music...

The Raven

Time to cook!

2008-10-22T10:38:00.005+01:00

Zucchini cream

You need:

1 zucchini per person
2 portions of 'Caserio' cheese
salt

Peel the zucchinis. Then cut them in thin pieces. Boil the pieces until they are soft. Add the salt. Finally, put them in the blender until it becomes a cream. Add two pieces of cheese per person and press them to make a mixture. TIP!: If you feel a strong taste, you can add cream (milk) into the zucchini cream.

Courtesy of Gaby (4th of ESO)

Just carrots?

2008-10-20T15:52:00.002+01:00

Internet is a great way to visit museums around the world. Here you have a site where you can find all sorts of things about carrots, including recipes, pictures, lots of information and virtual museums tours. You will never see a carrot with the same eyes...

www.carrotmuseum.co.uk

The Earth has a message for you...

2008-10-16T09:08:00.003+01:00

This site powered by Google maps allows you to create messages with satellite images from all around the world. You can send them to your friends and see where each letter comes from. Enjoy!

www.geogreeting.com

I'm back!

2008-10-16T09:03:00.002+01:00

Long time, no see! It's been a long time since I don't update this blog. I'm sorry... I won't do it again...

Beware of wallets!

2008-02-20T16:50:00.003+01:00

The controversial Michael Moore strikes again with the critical irony that made him famous.

What would you do if people froze around you?

2008-02-06T19:58:00.000+01:00

Here you can watch a video where over 200 hundred people freeze at the same time and in the same place: the Grand Central Station in New York city.

How many countries can you name in five minutes?

2008-01-23T22:08:00.000+01:00

Currently there are 270 countries in the World. Try the following link to check how many countries you can name (in English!). You just have to type the name of the country and if it is correct, it will be added automatically to your list. When the five minutes are over, you can check your score and the countries you forgot. Have fun and challenge your friends to see who is the master of geography.
How many countries can you name?

Do you want to learn English abroad?

2008-01-17T14:37:00.000+01:00

The IVAJ (Instituto Valenciano de la Juventud) is now offering its yearly grants to go abroad to study a foreign language during the summer. Applications can be sent until the 24th of January. Here you have the link where you can find all the information about the EUROCURSOS 2008. Good luck!
EUROCURSOS 2008

Limbo skating

2008-01-08T08:46:00.000+01:00

Have you ever danced the Limbo? That is, you lean backwards and dance facing the sky while you try to go under a horizontal stick without touching it. Now imagine doing this with your skates on. If this isn't difficult enough, watch this little Indian boy trying to break a Guinness world record. He really makes you think anything is possible, but do not try this at home...

Find out more about Limbo dance

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2007-12-29T19:12:00.000+01:00

Sailing with a kite!

2007-12-19T09:50:00.000+01:00

The power of wind has been the most used energy source throughout the history of sailing. Currently, the use of wind power is limited to small boats with recreational purposes and commercial shipping depends exclusively on fossile fuels. What if we could avoid the carbon emissions generated by the thousands of cargo vessels that sail through the world every day? A german company has recently developed a wind propulsion system for cargo ships based on large towing kites. The SkySails system consists of an automated towing kite and a system that optimises the route according to the wind. When the wind conditions are suitable, this system can be used additionally to the propulsion of the ship’s engine. By using the SkySails-System, a ship‘s fuel costs can be reduced by 10- 35% on annual average, depending on wind conditions.

The first cargo ship with SkySails-Sytem, the Beluga Skysails was christened at Hamburg on December 15th, 2007. The future will tell if this environmentally friendly technology meets the requirements of commercial shipping. Maybe we will be the witnesses of a the start of a revolution in sea transportation.

If you want to find out more, have a look at the company's official website:

Skysails

A guitar that tunes itself

2007-12-13T10:02:00.000+01:00

If you play the guitar, you must be used to spending a few minutes tuning your guitar. These days are over...

After many years of research Gibson has released the Robot Guitar, a guitar that is able to tune itself in less than a second. The instrument includes robotics technology that allows the processor to recognize the guitar pitch and send a signal to direct the six motor pegs to tighten or loose the strings accordingly. And that's not all, there are six nonstandard preset tunings that you can use to play different styles.

By now, this technology is only available for those who can spend around 2000 € on a guitar, but... who knows? Maybe in the future, there will be a robot in every band to make musicians' lives easier.
If you want to see a live performance of the Robot Guitar, check out the following video:

Robot guitar official site

Will is going to will

2007-12-04T17:15:00.000+01:00

Many students have difficulties with the use of future verbal tenses. Here you have a link where the BBC provides us with very useful materials to work on the different future tenses. You can listen to clear grammar explanations that you can download and you can also practice online. What else could you ask for?

BBC Grammar Challenge

A different way of learning English (just hilarious)

2007-11-29T10:24:00.000+01:00

That's one small click for a man, one giant leap for...

2007-11-27T15:20:00.000+01:00

The Smithsonian Institute is the world's largest museum complex and research organization formed by 19 museums and 9 research centers. The Smithsonian is located in Washington (US), but you can visit it online. Their web site offers a lot of interesting information and great interactive materials dealing with history, science, nature, art...

Today, I suggest visiting the online interactive exhibitions at the National Air and Space Museum, where you can track the path of humanity through the skies.

Smithsonian Institute
National Air and Space Museum

The Spanish Amsterdam

2007-11-19T16:48:00.000+01:00

Valencia is a great city for cycling. An increasing number of people use the bike to circulate aroud the city. The advantages of the bicycle are obvious: you can avoid traffic jams, you dont't have to spend half an hour trying to find a parking place and last, but not least, it is harmless for the environment and for your health. Due to the growing number of cyclists and tourists, several cycle events are regularly organised, such as the monthly demonstration organised by Valencia en Bici. There are also companies that organise cycling tours around the city, including night tours and guided tours in English. For more information about cycling in Valencia, have a look at the following links:
www.valenciaenbici.com (useful information for cyclers in Valencia; a downloadable map of the cycle lanes is available) www.valenciaguias.com (guided tours) www.doyoubike.com (guided tours and rental service)

Do you speak English?

2007-11-18T20:37:00.001+01:00

Blackle: The energy saving web browser

2007-11-18T18:58:00.001+01:00

Blackle is a new version of Google, the most popular internet search engine. Instead of the Google's white background, Blackle's screen is predominantly black, making your computer save energy.Try setting Blackle as your home page. This way every time you load your Internet browser you will save a little bit of energy. Blackel is available in both English and Spanish.

www.blackle.com
www.es.blackle.com