New Resource: Jehovah’s Will Brochure (Sidney Lau-English, Scriptures EPUB) Page

The content available so far on the Jehovah’s Will brochure Sidney Lau-English web pages is now available in EPUB format at this download page:

• Jehovah’s Will Brochure
   (Sidney Lau-English, Scriptures EPUB)
• (Short link: tiandi.info/jl)

Here is an excerpt from the download page:

Introduction

The material in the EPUB file linked to below contains text from the Chinese Jehovah’s Will brochure, written in Sidney Lau romanization. It also includes English ruby text that has been bundled with the Sidney Lau romanization text that it shows the meaning of. Thus, this material provides us Cantonese-learners with assistance in the two language aspects we require in order to be able to discuss or study the Jehovah’s Will brochure with someone in Cantonese:

1. The pronunciations of the Cantonese words used
   • These show us how to communicate the brochure’s message in Cantonese.
2. The meanings of the Cantonese words used
   • These show us what is being communicated in Cantonese.

Advantages of the EPUB Format

Being in EPUB format allows this material to benefit from the advantages of this format, including:

• Broad hardware and software support
• Easy enlarging and automatic reflowing of the text to accommodate displays of various shapes and sizes, including those of many mobile devices
• Offline use
  • Since EPUB files have been available from jw.org for a long time, many people in the Chinese field are now familiar with how to download EPUB files and use them offline.
• Annotation (notes, highlighting, etc.) support
  • EPUB files can be easily annotated by users in apps such as iBooks, which runs on the iPad, the iPhone, the iPod touch, and now the Mac as well. There are also apps that annotate EPUB files on Windows, Android, etc.
• Hyperlinking that is familiar and expected, and that thus will get used and benefitted from
  • Taking advantage of this, scripture references in the main text are links to the full text of the cited scriptures. There, links are provided for returning to the referring citations in the main text.
  • Links are also provided for “teleporting” from the table of contents to the chapter headings and back.
  • As well, links are provided as necessary for going to any footnotes, etc., and for returning from them to the main text.
• Producibility with simpler, more accessible, more mobile tools
  • Whereas at this time Microsoft Word running on a desktop or laptop PC is needed to produce satisfactory 3-line material, this plain text-based Sidney Lau-English material can be satisfactorily partly produced with even an app running on a mobile device like an iPad.

New Resource: Jehovah’s Will Brochure (Pīnyīn-English, Scriptures EPUB) Page

The content available so far on the Jehovah’s Will brochure Pīnyīn-English web pages is now available in EPUB format at this download page:

• Jehovah’s Will Brochure
   (Pīnyīn-English, Scriptures EPUB)
• (Short link: tiandi.info/jl)

Here is an excerpt from the download page:

Introduction

The material in the EPUB file linked to below contains text from the Chinese Jehovah’s Will brochure, written in Pīnyīn. It also includes English ruby text that has been bundled with the Pīnyīn text that it shows the meaning of. Thus, while making better use of limited display real estate on mobile devices and requiring less paper to print out compared to corresponding 3-line material, this material provides us Mandarin-learners with assistance in the two language aspects we require in order to be able to discuss or study the Jehovah’s Will brochure with someone in Mandarin:

1. The pronunciations of the Mandarin words used
   • These show us how to communicate the brochure’s message in Mandarin.
2. The meanings of the Mandarin words used
   • These show us what is being communicated in Mandarin.

Advantages of the EPUB Format

Being in EPUB format allows this material to benefit from the advantages of this format, including:

• Broad hardware and software support
• Easy enlarging and automatic reflowing of the text to accommodate displays of various shapes and sizes, including those of many mobile devices
• Offline use
  • Since EPUB files have been available from jw.org for a long time, many people in the Chinese field are now familiar with how to download EPUB files and use them offline.
• Annotation (notes, highlighting, etc.) support
  • EPUB files can be easily annotated by users in apps such as iBooks, which runs on the iPad, the iPhone, the iPod touch, and now the Mac as well. There are also apps that annotate EPUB files on Windows, Android, etc.
• Hyperlinking that is familiar and expected, and that thus will get used and benefitted from
  • Taking advantage of this, scripture references in the main text are links to the full text of the cited scriptures. There, links are provided for returning to the referring citations in the main text.
  • Links are also provided for “teleporting” from the table of contents to the chapter headings and back.
  • As well, links are provided as necessary for going to any footnotes, etc., and for returning from them to the main text.
• Producibility with simpler, more accessible, more mobile tools
  • Whereas at this time Microsoft Word running on a desktop or laptop PC is needed to produce satisfactory 3-line material, this plain text-based Pīnyīn-English material can be satisfactorily partly produced with even an app running on a mobile device like an iPad.

New Resource: Jehovah’s Will Brochure (Pīnyīn, Scriptures EPUB) Page

The content of the Jehovah’s Will brochure Pīnyīn web pages is now available in EPUB format at this download page:

• Jehovah’s Will Brochure
   (Pīnyīn, Scriptures EPUB)
• (Short link: tiandi.info/jl)

Here is an excerpt from the download page re the advantages of the EPUB format:

Advantages of the EPUB Format

Being in EPUB format allows this material to benefit from the advantages of this format, including:

• Broad hardware and software support
• Easy enlarging and automatic reflowing of the text to accommodate displays of various shapes and sizes, including those of many mobile devices
• Offline use
  • Since EPUB files have been available from jw.org for a long time, many people in the Chinese field are now familiar with how to download EPUB files and use them offline.
• Annotation (notes, highlighting, etc.) support
  • EPUB files can be easily annotated by users in apps such as iBooks, which runs on the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPod touch, and which is also due to become available for the Mac soon. There are also apps that annotate EPUB files on Windows, Android, etc.
• Hyperlinking that is familiar and expected, and that thus will get used and benefitted from
  • Taking advantage of this, scripture references in the main text are links to the full text of the cited scriptures. There, links are provided for returning to the referring citations in the main text.
  • Hyperlinks are also provided for “teleporting” from the table of contents to the chapter headings and back.
  • As well, hyperlinks are provided for going to footnotes and for returning from them to the main text.
• Producibility with simpler, more accessible, more mobile tools
  • This Pīnyīn-only EPUB material, being less complex than 2-line and 3-line material, can be prepared more quickly and easily, with simpler, more accessible tools, even partly with an app running on a mobile device like an iPad, while still providing in a high-quality way the most important raison d’être (reason for being) of the 2-line and 3-line material.

EPUB annotation in iBooks

Standard Mandarin 2 Released

Standard Mandarin is a computer program created by Br. Joel Hansen that helps people to learn Mandarin pronunciation. The Links file has included a link for Standard Mandarin for a long time, and now a new version, version 2, is available. So, this updated description for Standard Mandarin will appear in the next update to the Links file:

http://www.standardmandarin.dk/

The official home of Standard Mandarin, a Windows / Mac OS X program with audio, visual, and text aids to help with pronunciation. Be sure to fill out the form on the website for requesting a download link, and mention that you learned about the site from this Links file so that you will be emailed a link for a free download.

Note that Standard Mandarin is now at version 2.x.

More information on Standard Mandarin can be found at http://www.standardmandarin.com/. However, make sure you go to http://www.standardmandarin.dk/ to fill out a form to request a link for a free download, mentioning that you learned about the site from the Links file, as mentioned above.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

...is the title of a new post at tiandi.info. Here’s the text from the news feed:

He helped us in the Chinese field too, in many insanely great ways.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

3lines.org Links Page Updated

The links page at 3lines.org has been updated.

Updated link:

• The Tools: PinYin Publ.—The URL (Internet address) for this link has been updated. A while ago the brother who operated the old page sent me the files that used to be posted there, and I set up the Publications (Mandarin) page for those files, as well as other ones.

Newly added links:

• Tools: Chinese Links File—This is the download page for the Theo. Chinese Links file that I produce. Yes, the version available for download there is quite old now—I am working on an update, which should soon be ready as a beta or prototype (mostly working, but unfinished) version that I can share with any who want to try it out. Email me if you wish to receive this next beta version and help test it when it’s ready.


• Tools: Tiandi Info—This Links News blog (news feed) that you are now reading is for news regarding things listed in the Links file. You may also find it interesting to check out the tiandi.info blog (news feed), which is about other things related to the Chinese field. (Email me if you need login information, and include information on who referred you and/or what group/cong. you are in.)


• Tools: China Scribe - (Prev. CWPS)—ChinaScribe is a Chinese dictionary program for Windows that can be used to create professional-looking Chinese documents using Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org. The creator of this program is the brother who created CWPS. I believe most of the 3-line material now being produced is being produced with the help of either CWPS or ChinaScribe.


• Tools:PinYin Typist—On an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, Pinyin Typist is the quickest and easiest way to write down how Mandarin expressions should be pronounced, using real pinyin text with tone marks. It turns typing pinyin from a pain into a pleasure. And since your iOS mobile device is probably usually with you or close by, with Pinyin Typist installed on it you’ll be able to quickly and easily type pinyin just about anytime the need arises or inspiration strikes. [Full disclosure: I am the creator of this app.]

Pinyin Tones Tool for Windows

A brother recently contacted me regarding a little program he wrote for typing pinyin (along with those pesky vowels with the funny tone symbols) on Windows computers. It is free for personal (non-commercial) use, like that of ours in the Chinese field.

Here is his web page for this program:

Pinyin Tones Tool

I plan to include the above link in the next update of the Theo. Chinese Links file.