The Penman

Image source:  acavent.com Are you going to proofread an ebook? Are you a beginner? If the answers are yes, then know these 7 things before you start proofreading your book. 1. Both are correct Using either double quotation marks (" ") or single quotation (' ') marks, both are correct. The double one is more common while the single one is cleaner. 2. Uncle Ben or Ben uncle Native English speakers address their relatives like 'Uncle Ben' while south Asian people address them like 'Ben uncle.' So, consider the audience. 3. Using comma for short forms Use comma (,) before and after short forms (for example, i.e.,e.g.,etc.). 4. Quoting the same person Use these format while quoting the same person's speech: A. "Don't worry," Alex said. "I won't forget it." Notice the comma after 'worry' and the period after 'said.' B. "My dear Holmes," said I, "this is too much." Notice the comma after I. ...

  Image source: huffingtonpost.com.au During our lifetime, some unwanted events occur that make us blame ourselves. But these events leave some important lessons for us. The incident The event occurred during the pandemic COVID-19. Our final exam was almost over. But few exams were not finished yet and the result was hanging because of those unfinished exams.  After about 9 months under the pandemic, the students of our department agreed to come to Dhaka to finish those exams. I didn't oppose the decision at first too much.  Then one day I talked with my aunty from Belgium and my opposition started to strengthen. I had almost forgotten the pandemic. But eventually, I started googling about the pandemic and found some horrible news: 1.The situation in Europe is still not good . 2. Scientists are suspecting another wave of that pandemic which has been named as 'the winter wave.' The wave has already started to hit. 3. The situation in India , our neighboring country, is...

My first business project was very simple: I bought a pile of A4 pages, then sold at 10 pages/5 BDT rate. Although it was a very small business that lasted for a very small amount of time (roughly 1 month maybe), I learned a lot from that. I am making a list of which I've learned from the business. 1. Observe your surroundings: A great business opportunity might be just near you, but you are not aware of it. 2. Keep the product source stable , or you will lose the business. So, make sure the supply is continuous, not interrupted 3. Market and promote your product/service. Use nice banners, posters, and brochures. Attach the posters in the right places, and supply the brochures to the right people. 4. Don't reveal your special product's source to anybody else , or your monopolistic business will be hampered. 5. If the source is cut off or lost, remove your posters and banners. Because you will achieve a bad impression if you cannot supply your products to your customers w...

Image source: pbs.twimg.com Many people dream to have their own websites/blogs and earn through it. If you are one of them, you are in the right place. Now I am going to discuss a number of ways to earn money through a website or blog. Affiliate marketing Affiliate marketing is a popular way to make money online. The process is: you promote other people's products and earn a part of the profit per each sale inspired by your website/blog. The blog may offer discounts to promote both the blog and the product.  An example can be an easy way to understand the process. Check out this website: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/ Notice the topmost sentence. They sell and promote their affiliate products with discounts in the deals page: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/deals/ Sell ad space You may sell ad space on your website. This is an easy way to earn money if you have a lot of visitors and you can persuade companies to buy the space. This way of earning is more stable and les...

Transcribing works are boring and monotonous. It feels even more boring if you are typing in a non-Latin complex language (Bangla, Hindi, etc.) because typing in those languages is really tough.  In this post, I am gonna talk about 4 different ways to transcribe an audio. The choice is yours: you may like to use the single most convenient technique for you, or you may use different techniques depending on different situations, or you can use different techniques on different times just to relieve annoyance. The techniques: Upload and transcribe manually: There are some transcribing websites which will let you transcribe easily and conveniently. For example, in oTranscribe or GoTranscriber , you have to first upload the audio or video file, then you can start typing on the web writer. The website will let you use different shortcuts to slow and fasten the playback speed, pause, insert timestamp, etc. Thus, you don't have to move your hand from your keyboard. A nice way to transcrib...

Image source: tasty-indian-recipes.com Bachelor-life and mess-life are two common words in Bangladesh. Today's article is all about solving a mess-life problem. Suppose you are a bachelor or a student living in a mess. The cook is not present today. Restaurants are costly or far enough. You don't know how to cook. So, what are you gonna do?  We Bangalees can't pass our day without rice. So, we must go through traditional cooking. Cooking rice is easy: just boil in water and keep checking until it gets done. But obviously you can't eat just rice.  So, an egg can be the best solution here. How about an egg-omelet!!?? Follow these 11 quick steps to fry an egg: Buy an egg. Break the egg into a bowl. Cut an onion. It will make your omelet tastier and bigger. Mix the onion with egg-liquid in the bowl. Mix a little salt. Take a frying pan and wash it. Light up the stove and put the pan onto it. Pour a little soybean or other cooking oil into the pan and let the oil heat up for...

Image source: comparitech.com What is cloud storage? Cloud storage is an online service that allows you to store your data (documents, pictures, music, etc.) in an ex-situ online server. The cloud service provider has the full responsibility to keep your data safe.  Some cloud storage services: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. Storage is an important hardware for our digital devices: pc, laptop, smartphone, etc. Every one of these devices has a built-in storage. Now the question is: despite having a nice, working, built-in offline storage in your device, why do you need to use another online storage? Here are 3 reasons why everyone should have a cloud storage account You don't know when an accident may happen. Suppose you are sitting beside a window in a public bus. You are talking with your best friend over a call. Suddenly, .................  your phone slipped off your fist. You started shouting to stop the bus. You got off the bus, then found your loving smartpho...

Image source:  planet-science.com At least one of these methods should work for you. Method 1:  Hold your breath for a short period. Method 2: Gargle with water. Method 3: Pull-on your tongue. Method 4: Breathe into a paper bag. Method 5: Pull your knees up to your chest and lean forward. Method 6: Swallow some granulated sugar. Method 7: Drink from a glass of water while leaning downward. Method 8: Bite on a lemon or taste vinegar. Contact your doctor if it lasts for more than 2 days. The most common triggers for short-term hiccups include: Drinking carbonated beverages Drinking alcohol Eating too much Excitement or emotional stress Sudden temperature changes Swallowing air with chewing gum or candy Hiccups Prevention: Eat more slowly. Eat with smaller bites. Avoid alcohol. Drink less carbonated drinks. Eat less spicy foods. Eat less fatty foods.

Image source: pngegg.com Transcript of a youtube video: You know the sensation:  maybe you fell asleep on your arm or you crossed your legs for too long, maybe you smacked your elbow in the funny bone: when you free your arm or uncross your legs and an uncomfortable feeling creeps upon you: a strange tingling sensation that is often described as pins and needles.  Now, it's real scientific name is paresthesia, but why does it happen?  Since some of the things that cause pins and needles, like crossing your legs, can also restrict blood flow; it's easy to assume that that's what's causing the feeling and it is sort of but not directly. Instead of paresthesia happens when you interfere with sensory nerves, which send information to the brain and spinal cord about things like how fluffy your dog is, or how much pressure you're putting on something, or whether your drink is still cold.  When your limbs find themselves in ...

Image source: DoSomething.org 'সুনামি' একটি জাপানি শব্দ যার অর্থ হচ্ছে 'বন্দরের ঢেউ'। পৃথিবীপৃষ্ঠের নড়াচড়ার ফলে সৃষ্ট বিশাল ঢেউকে সুনামি বলে। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, সমুদ্রে ভূমিকম্প বা অগ্নুৎপাতের ফলে সুনামি ঘটতে পারে।  ভূপৃষ্ঠ 'টেকটনিক প্লেট' নামক খন্ডসমষ্টি দ্বারা গঠিত। যখন প্লেটগুলো একটি অপরটিকে এমনভাবে ধাক্কা দেয় যে, কোনো একটি প্লেট পিছলে যায় বা ভেঙ্গে যায়, তখনই ভূমিকম্প ঘটে। পরস্পর এই ধাক্কাধাক্কির সময় প্লেটগুলো অনেক বেশি নড়াচড়া করতে সক্ষম।  ভূমিকম্প ঘটার ফলে একটি বিশাল প্লেট উপরদিকে ধাক্কা দেয় অথবা পাশাপাশি পিছলে যায়। বিশাল প্লেটের এই ধাক্কার ফলে তা উপরের পানিকে সরিয়ে দেয় এবং এই পানি বিশাল ঢেউ হিসেবে আত্মপ্রকাশ করে। যখন সমুদ্রে অগ্নুৎপাত হয় তখনও একই ঘটনা ঘটে। উদগত লাভা পানিকে সরিয়ে দেয় এবং এই পানি বিশাল ঢেউয়ে পরিণত হয়। যখন ভূমিকম্প বা অগ্নুৎপাত বিশাল হয়, তখন এর ফলে সৃষ্ট ঢেউও বিশাল হয়। বড় বড় সুনামিগুলোর সূচনা হয় গভীর সমুদ্রে, যেখানে অনেক পানি অপসারিত হয়। সেই ঢেউ সমুদ্রতটের কাছাকাছি আসতে থাকে, ফলে পানির গভীরতা কমতে থাকে এবং ঢেউও বড় হতে থাকে। একটি ভূমিকম্পের পর যদি প...

Image source: collegeessay.org Back story I watched a public debate on Youtube yesterday. The debate was between Muhammad Hijab and Jay Smith. What I understood from the debate was that victory of a debater does not depend on his strong knowledge and powerful side only. There are some tricks, by following those, a weaker debater can defeat a stronger opponent. I will explain those cunning tricks in the context of the debate by Hijab and Jay, and some other religious debates I watched. The tricks 1. You decide the topic: Just like Jay did, you must throw a topic or a question to your opponent that you can attack most. You may plan the topic before the debate. In the debate between Muhammad Hijab and Jay Smith, Jay threw the topic: the emergence of Islam. 2. Keep attacking vigorously with little or no defense: You know you are on the weak side, but you keep avoiding your weakness and continue attacking the opponent's side/argument. 3. Finish last: The last speaker gets the chance to ...

  Image source: Youtube Back story A lot of new apps are developed every day by a lot of developers around the world. Whenever I need an app to get a specific work done, I search it and find it in almost no time. I use youtube mostly to listen to islamic lectures and sometimes nasheed. So, I usually need the youtube audio only, not video. But there is no way to turn video off and keep the audio only in the official youtube app. A lot of internet data, battery charge is consumed that way. You cannot play video in the background on your smartphone; if you shut the screen off, the video will be off. These problems were annoying and at last I found an app. The name of the android app is YMUSIC , made by XDA developers. Why is it special to me? As I was deprived of the features while using the official app, I was very happy upon finding the app. It includes all the features I dreamed of before using it. The features are: Only audio is loaded, no video. But you can turn on the video if y...

Image source: questions-1001.blogspot.com The question: Why is the sky blue? Why does it turn red at sunset? Curious mind wants to know. The answer: If you have very little knowledge of science, you have to understand some easy facts first. The facts: 1. Sunlight is a composite ray. This is why we see a rainbow. The white ray of the sun is composed of 7 visible colors (violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red) along with other rays (x-ray, infrared ray, etc.). You can test it yourself with a prism. Image source: youtube.com Image source: rookieparenting.com 2. Light spreads like a wave. So, sunlight is a wave that is composed of different waves or rays. Different waves are of different wavelengths. The shorter the wavelength of a wave is, the more it is scattered by particles (gas, dust, etc.). And the longer the wavelength of a wave is, the less it is scattered by particles. Thus, a wave with a shorter wavelength can pass a longer distance. 3. Blue light wave...

Image sourece: newindianexpress.com 1st method:   Draftbook method Preparation part: Read the full chapter yourself. Note down the concept topics in your notebook & decide what you should teach and what not. In front of your student part: Teach him according to the points in your notebook. Just teach the parts you decided before. Give him math homework. Tell him to mark the questions he is unable to solve. Tell him to send the question numbers in a message on messenger or Whatsapp. Homework checking part on the next day: Check the homework. Explain the questions he was unable to solve. Teach him new topics. Experimented subject: Chemistry 2nd part Quantitative Chemistry The preparation part is shown below. This is how you can should list your the points. Watch the full video to get an understanding. https://youtu.be/OYltB9ZlOGQ 2nd method:   Joykoli guide method There are different types for each chapter in the Joykoli book. Approach type by type. Explain one type (ex...

  Image source: developers.google.com For beginners: Open the document or article you want to translate, put the screen in front, keep a pen and a draft book with you. Start reading the article line by line. Read a whole paragraph and translate line by line in your mother tongue. Then translate it to the second language and write it in your draft book. You may translate long, hard sentences into smaller parts to keep it understandable and easy. Keep enough spacing while writing; this will let you correct your writing. Keep going until you finish the whole article. Read your draft translation and correct your mistakes. Read out loud the translated text into your transcriber app or google voice typing. Correct the mistakes in the transcribed text. Publish. Shortcut for practicers: 3. Translate it to the second language in your mind and read out loud the translation into your transcriber app or google voice typing. 4. Correct the mistakes in the transcribed text. 5. Publish.

  Image source: britannica.com কুয়ালালামপুরে শত শত অবৈধ বাংলাদেশী অভিবাসী আটক মালয়েশিয়া কর্তৃপক্ষ একজন বাংলাদেশীকে আটক করেছে, যিনি টেলিভিশনে বর্তমান করোনা পরিস্থিতিতে অবৈধ অভিবাসীদের প্রতি সরকারের আচরণের নিন্দা জ্ঞাপন করেন। আল-জাজিরার একটি ডকুমেন্টারিতে রায়হান কবির বলেন যে, সরকার গ্রেফতার ও আটকের মাধ্যমে অবৈধ বাংলাদেশী শ্রমিকদের উপর অবিচার করেছে। ২৫ বছর বয়সী এই যুবককে এখন ফেরত পাঠানো হবে। বিশ্লেষকরা শত শত অভিবাসীদের এই আটককে অমানবিক বলে অভিহিত করেন। সরকারি কর্মকর্তারা এই পদক্ষেপকে করোনা প্রতিরোধের জন্য জরুরী ছিল বলে জানান।  মানবাধিকার কর্মীদের রিপোর্ট অনুযায়ী আটক ব্যক্তিদের মধ্যে শিশু ও রোহিঙ্গা শরণার্থীরাও রয়েছেন। করোনাকালীন এই লকডাউনের ভেতরেই তাদের আটক করা হয়। 'Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown' নামক সেই ডকুমেন্টারিটির কাতারি প্রতিবেদকের তথ্যমতে, পুলিশ সেই ডকুমেন্টারি সম্পর্কে তদন্ত শুরু করেছে। কর্মকর্তা এবং স্থানীয় মিডিয়ার অভিযোগ হলো ডকুমেন্টারিটি ভুল এবং বিভ্রান্তিকর। এরই পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে তদন্ত শুরু হয়।  কবিরের বিরুদ্ধে গ্রেপ্তারি পরোয়ানা জারি হয়। তার ওয...

Image source: colornote.com Back story I usually forget things quickly and this is why I have to note things down. Sometimes I can’t concentrate on my work because of a lot of thoughts in my brain; I usually think, “I’m gonna forget these important tasks I have to do”; this kind of thinking interferes with my work. This is why I always keep a notepad or use a notepad app on my phone. This helps me stay free of stress and tension. Why is colornote special? I used a lot of other apps on my smartphone to keep notes, but there were problems I couldn’t tolerate. I am listing some apps with their pros and cons. Evernote: A nice app with sync, but heavy (takes much space and ram). The loading time is boring. Contains too many features that I don’t need. Google keep: Almost similar to evernote, but it's also a heavy app. Some other lightweight, small notepad apps: Fast and small, but lack sync feature. Sync feature is essential for me. If I need to restore my phone or change my smartpho...

Image source: Youtube Back story "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it."-Bill Gates I heard this quote from my brother. I can't explain how much I love it. What is laziness? According to psychmechanics.com, "Laziness is an unwillingness to spend energy. It is an unwillingness to do a task we perceive to be difficult or uncomfortable." When is a person being lazy? / Who is a lazy person? According to psychologytoday.com, "A person is being lazy if he is able to carry out some activity that he ought to carry out, but is disinclined to do so because of the effort involved. Instead, he carries out the activity perfunctorily; or engages in some other, less strenuous or less boring activity; or remains idle." Laziness is usually bad A lazy person does his work lazily and he is often found late in submitting work, hustling in the deadline, etc. This may lead to dissatisfaction with other people around hi...

Image source: economictimes.indiatimes.com/ Back story: My mother tongue is Bangla (Sylheti form). My dream is to become a great writer in English. But I was struggling to find a way to write well in English. I used to think to myself, "I am trying so hard, but it's not going well enough." Then finally, I found a way. Alhamdulillah!  Step by step walkthrough: Step 1 : Think in your mother tongue what you want to write,  Step 2 : Create an outline in your language and note them point by point in your mother tongue, Step 3 : Start your writing in the writing language. Think of the sentence in your mother tongue and then just translate it to the other language. You may need to use a dictionary and google translate for the translation because you will produce some perfect and deep words in your mother tongue which may need to be translated into a perfect word of the other language. Step 4 : After finishing your writing, use a grammar and spell checker service. Step 5 : Proofr...

Image source: Woman's Day.com The Back story My mother often feels sorry for the fact that feeding the children of our region is very hard. They like junk food very much, but if you try to feed them healthy foods, they will just turn their face back and say "Noooo!!"  On the contrary, the children born to nonnative parents like to eat those very much. I noticed the problem and thought: something must be wrong.  When I discuss that with my mother, she usually explains to me a theory which I call 'The nationalism theory.' It states that all Noakhali (nonnative) children are like that. Our children are 'adilka'. I don't agree with her at all. There must be some mistakes in the child-raising technique of our local parents. The probable causes behind the 'Noooo!' problem: 1. Our local parents are extra caring to their children. When feeding times come, they force their children to eat. But nonnatives don't. So, forcing the children might be the ...