*watches as brain leaks out*

[athersgeo]

I've been doing more OU work today. This time round, reading about changes in science and attitudes towards science in the 1960s. On the face of it, it's an interesting topic. Unfortunately, the author of the section managed to render it dry and dull...barring the odd and rather amusing grammatical errors. To be fair, the author's a trained scientist (which actually probably explains a great deal), but still, you'd think he'd have a proof reader to protect him from such gems as: "...as support for the friendly government in South Vietnam, which was under attack from a gurrilla insurgency from the north of the country (called the Viet Cong)." Uh, no. The north of the country was, astoundingly enough, called North Vietnam. The Viet Cong were the gurrillas and, technically, they were South Vietnamese who had been trained by the North.

*sigh*

I really do hope this module picks up...

Comments

Hey!

[tptigger.livejournal.com]

To be fair, the author's a trained scientist (which actually probably explains a great deal)
I'm a trained scientist. :P

Re: Hey!

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

*looks sheepish* Sorry - I'm going by the general standard of written hand outs I got from my science teachers at school, college and then the uni lecturers in the department of accoustics. English was NOT their strong point. (If you come to that, I'm a half trained scientist m'self - had I passed my first attempt at higher education I'd have a BSc to my name!)

Re: Hey!

[tptigger.livejournal.com]

My boss has homonym issues. :)

[germankitty]

What kind of animal, pray tell, is a "gurrilla"? *grins*

I know GORILLAS (= very big hairy apes) and "guerrillas" (= members of an irregular fighting force, from French/Spanish "guerre").

Sorry, couldn't resist ... and yeah, I too have often wondered why being trained in science seems to dry up coherency and language abilities in some people ...

[witchy-rachel.livejournal.com]

Aren't you lucky to HAVE a brain to leak! One day, when I am a big girl, I plan on having a little brain all of my own. Until then, I am making do with five day old porridge.

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

There's a lot to be said for five day old porridge rather than a brain, particularly when it comes to this particular OU textbook... Besides. I'm not sure how much of a brain I have left. I think it's broken me.