Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Good News Br. Proofread Pīnyīn Plus Material Up to the End of Lesson 3 Added

Good News brochure proofread Pīnyīn Plus material up to the end of Lesson 3 has been added to:

  • Good News Br.
    (Pīnyīn Plus, Scriptures, EPUB)

    (2016-03 Printing, proofread, mobile-friendly,
    flashcards integrated with the text,
    context-appropriate English translations
    with literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a lesson, paragraph, etc.,
    links for getting around,
    picture links, audio links, video link,
    supports offline use & annotation)
  • Good News Br.
    (Pīnyīn Plus, Scriptures, Web)

    (2016-03 Printing, proofread, mobile-friendly,
    flashcards integrated with the text,
    context-appropriate English translations
    with literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a lesson, paragraph, etc.,
    links for getting around,
    picture links, audio links, video link,
    Night Theme that can be turned on or off
    using the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right,
    adjustable text size)
    (Info re offline viewing and printing)
  • Short Links:
    LinksPublicationsBrochures
    Good News Brochure Links (tiandi.info/fg)

Partially proofread Pīnyīn and Pīnyīn Plus material:

  • Lesson 4 to the end
  • Material with a grey background has been partially proofread. Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.

Pīnyīn Plus “flashcards” added for the more advanced expressions:

  • Up to the end of Lesson 7

Pīnyīn Plus “flashcards” added for all expressions:

  • Up to the end of Lesson 4, Question 2

More “flashcard” material will be added and proofread as time allows. I plan to focus on the more difficult expressions first, and then to work my way through the rest of the expressions.


Pīnyīn Plus material pages now default to the 📄 Reveal Advanced mode, which reveals the “flashcards” of some of the more advanced expressions. This makes it easier for new users to get a taste of the available information. If they wish, they can then select the 📘 Reveal None mode, which displays only Pīnyīn that’s been optimized for readability, so that it’s easy to use to follow along when the text is read aloud or discussed in Mandarin.


Here is a link to some information about the thinking behind the design of Pīnyīn Plus material:

To expand on the points listed re the above resources, note that:

  • The material in the above resources has been carefully translated, rendered, and proofread. Material with a grey background has been partially proofread. Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.
  • The material in the above resources is based on the latest 2016-03 printing of the Good News brochure. If you notice that some changes need to be made to the material in the above resources to bring it in line with revisions to the Good News brochure, please email me to let me know.
  • The linked full text of all the cited scriptures is included in the above resources.
  • The above resources are mobile-friendly—they are quite legible and usable on everything from desktop/laptop PCs and Macs to iPads and other tablets to iPhones and other smartphones.
  • In the above resources, links are used extensively to make it quick and easy to get around in the material, drastically reducing the amount of manual scrolling needed.
  • The above resources contain picture links which point to the official pictures on jw.org or the WOL.
  • The above resources contain links to the official Mandarin MP3 audio files on jw.org.
  • On the web pages, there is a drop-down list at the top left for setting the desired text size.
  • On the web pages, the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right can be used to turn Night Theme on or off.
  • Like PDF files, EPUB files can be downloaded for offline viewing.
  • In common EPUB-reading apps like iBooks, EPUB files can be annotated, meaning that notes, highlighting, etc. can be added.
  • In common EPUB-reading apps like iBooks, the text size of the EPUB material can be adjusted to be quite large.
  • iBooks has an optional Night Theme.
  • For your convenience, a short link (Good News Brochure Links (tiandi.info/fg)) is available for the above resources.

Also, the introductions explain why it’s good to use Pīnyīn as a writing system on its own.


Pīnyīn Plus Expressions Web Page Updated

The Pīnyīn Plus Expressions web page has been updated with new expressions and various other revisions resulting from recent Pīnyīn Plus material production:

  • Pīnyīn Plus Expressions (Web)
    proofread, mobile-friendly,
    flashcards integrated with the text,
    English translations with
    literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a paragraph, etc.,
    sorted mainly by Pīnyīn,
    links for index headings,
    (Your browser’s Find feature
    can also be used to search by Pīnyīn.
    To search by English or characters,
    first select 📖 Reveal All from the
    drop-down list at the top of the page.)
    Night Theme that can be turned on or off
    using the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right,
    adjustable text size
  • Short Links:
    LinksVocabulary Lists
    Pīnyīn Plus Expressions Link (tiandi.info/pyp)

Pīnyīn Plus material pages now default to the 📄 Reveal Advanced mode, which reveals the “flashcards” of some of the more advanced expressions. This makes it easier for new users to get a taste of the available information. If they wish, they can then select the 📘 Reveal None mode, which displays only Pīnyīn that’s been optimized for readability, so that it’s easy to use to follow along when the text is read aloud or discussed in Mandarin.


Here is a link to some information about the thinking behind the design of Pīnyīn Plus material:

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Pīnyīn Plus Expressions Web Page Updated

The Pīnyīn Plus Expressions web page has been updated with new expressions and various other revisions resulting from recent Pīnyīn Plus material production:

  • Pīnyīn Plus Expressions (Web)
    proofread, mobile-friendly,
    flashcards integrated with the text,
    English translations with
    literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a paragraph, etc.,
    sorted mainly by Pīnyīn,
    links for index headings,
    (Your browser’s Find feature
    can also be used to search by Pīnyīn.
    To search by English or characters,
    first select 📖 Reveal All from the
    drop-down list at the top of the page.)
    Night Theme that can be turned on or off
    using the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right,
    adjustable text size
  • Short Links:
    LinksVocabulary Lists
    Pīnyīn Plus Expressions Link (tiandi.info/pyp)

Pīnyīn Plus material pages now default to the 📄 Reveal Advanced mode, which reveals the “flashcards” of some of the more advanced expressions. This makes it easier for new users to get a taste of the available information. If they wish, they can then select the 📘 Reveal None mode, which displays only Pīnyīn that’s been optimized for readability, so that it’s easy to use to follow along when the text is read aloud or discussed in Mandarin.


Here is a link to some information about the thinking behind the design of Pīnyīn Plus material:

Good News Br. Proofread Pīnyīn Plus Material Up to Lesson 3, Question 3 Added

Good News brochure proofread Pīnyīn Plus material up to Lesson 3, Question 3 has been added to:

  • Good News Br.
    (Pīnyīn Plus, Scriptures, EPUB)

    (2016-03 Printing, proofread, mobile-friendly,
    flashcards integrated with the text,
    context-appropriate English translations
    with literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a lesson, paragraph, etc.,
    links for getting around,
    picture links, audio links, video link,
    supports offline use & annotation)
  • Good News Br.
    (Pīnyīn Plus, Scriptures, Web)

    (2016-03 Printing, proofread, mobile-friendly,
    flashcards integrated with the text,
    context-appropriate English translations
    with literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a lesson, paragraph, etc.,
    links for getting around,
    picture links, audio links, video link,
    Night Theme that can be turned on or off
    using the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right,
    adjustable text size)
    (Info re offline viewing and printing)
  • Short Links:
    LinksPublicationsBrochures
    Good News Brochure Links (tiandi.info/fg)

Partially proofread Pīnyīn and Pīnyīn Plus material:

  • Lesson 3, Question 4 to the End
  • Material with a grey background has been partially proofread. Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.

Pīnyīn Plus “flashcards” added for the more advanced expressions:

  • Up to the end of Lesson 6

Pīnyīn Plus “flashcards” added for all expressions:

  • Up to the end of Lesson 4, Question 1

More “flashcard” material will be added and proofread as time allows. I plan to focus on the more difficult expressions first, and then to work my way through the rest of the expressions.


Pīnyīn Plus material pages now default to the 📄 Reveal Advanced mode, which reveals the “flashcards” of some of the more advanced expressions. This makes it easier for new users to get a taste of the available information. If they wish, they can then select the 📘 Reveal None mode, which displays only Pīnyīn that’s been optimized for readability, so that it’s easy to use to follow along when the text is read aloud or discussed in Mandarin.


Here is a link to some information about the thinking behind the design of Pīnyīn Plus material:

To expand on the points listed re the above resources, note that:

  • The material in the above resources has been carefully translated, rendered, and proofread. Material with a grey background has been partially proofread. Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.
  • The material in the above resources is based on the latest 2016-03 printing of the Good News brochure. If you notice that some changes need to be made to the material in the above resources to bring it in line with revisions to the Good News brochure, please email me to let me know.
  • The linked full text of all the cited scriptures is included in the above resources.
  • The above resources are mobile-friendly—they are quite legible and usable on everything from desktop/laptop PCs and Macs to iPads and other tablets to iPhones and other smartphones.
  • In the above resources, links are used extensively to make it quick and easy to get around in the material, drastically reducing the amount of manual scrolling needed.
  • The above resources contain picture links which point to the official pictures on jw.org or the WOL.
  • The above resources contain links to the official Mandarin MP3 audio files on jw.org.
  • On the web pages, there is a drop-down list at the top left for setting the desired text size.
  • On the web pages, the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right can be used to turn Night Theme on or off.
  • Like PDF files, EPUB files can be downloaded for offline viewing.
  • In common EPUB-reading apps like iBooks, EPUB files can be annotated, meaning that notes, highlighting, etc. can be added.
  • In common EPUB-reading apps like iBooks, the text size of the EPUB material can be adjusted to be quite large.
  • iBooks has an optional Night Theme.
  • For your convenience, a short link (Good News Brochure Links (tiandi.info/fg)) is available for the above resources.

Also, the introductions explain why it’s good to use Pīnyīn as a writing system on its own.


Wednesday, March 01, 2017

It’s Now Easier to Get Login Info for tiandi.info

After some thought, I now believe it’s not as important as it used to be to restrict access to the blog posts on tiandi.info. Also, considering all the thought and research that went into them, I think it would be good for it to be easier for anyone in one of the Chinese fields who’s interested to be able to read them. (I used to feel I had time to personally send the login info to anyone in one of the Chinese fields who asked me for it, but I have felt too busy to even check my email address for that for a while now!) So, this new information has been added to the tiandi.info Login page:

Note: The original login info still works, but now you can also log in using the login info that is used on 3lines.org, except with tiandi in front of the first item.

For the foreseeable future, it doesn’t look like I will have time to produce full tiandi.info blog posts, but I will continue to post on the Twitter account for the Links News and tiandi.info blogs (@TiandiLinksNews).