We're trying something new. If it works out, we will continue to post a new word on a daily basis. If you have a suggestion for a word, pm me and we'll add it to the list.


Defenestration
An act of throwing someone or something out of a window.

I have nothing against a wordt of the day and I applaud any means to get more news for the website but I personally would prefer 'genuine' news without 50% of the newsitems being a word of the day.

But it might be a good idea as an 'extra' placed on the side or top somewhere.

Either way, it is but an opinion. I enjoy MB and would continue to do so even with all the WOTD things.

* there are quite many word of the day places already too.

I think it's OK as a first-time only announcement. ;)

Nate, what would be the verb form of defenestration? To defenstrate someone?

Yes, actually. Here is an example:

If anyone makes a really bad pun, I will defenestrate him.

I like it :2thumbsup

Plenty of this already (http://www.google.com/search?q=word+of+the+day). Please don't. People who like daily fluff can subscribe to this elsewhere.

Word of the Day is :offtopic:

If anyone makes a really bad pun, I will defenestrate him.
Are you definite? :)

I hope this was bad enough...

Plenty of this already (http://www.google.com/search?q=word+of+the+day). Please don't. People who like daily fluff can subscribe to this elsewhere.

Word of the Day is :offtopic:

Okay, so I'll keep it off the front page. But it's not fluff.

Perhaps an explanation is in order.

A few weeks ago, someone said that this forum was becoming too heavily focused on DRM and piracy. This thread is one idea I had that moves us away from DRM to other interesting topics.

If you have an interesting topic to discuss, please feel free to start a thread.

Its not just DRM and piracy... its also new ubiquitous formats, old obfuscated or obscure formats, and how to convert between them :D

Oh yeah, and lots of "Look at my new toy" threads as well :p

Speaking of obscure and superfluous... anyone have an idea for a standard format for cookbooks?:smack: :smack:

but I agree that if word of the day is not off topic it is at least not "news", It belongs in a side column or somewhere else.

but I do love new words.

Yes, actually. Here is an example:

If anyone makes a really bad pun, I will defenestrate him.

So much for that window of opportunity. It's curtains for the punsters, eh? You'll just be sitting on the window silliness waiting for a chance to be a pane?

So much for that window of opportunity. It's curtains for the punsters, eh? You'll just be sitting on the window silliness waiting for a chance to be a pane?

Oh, that was really paneful, Jason. You're so bad!:)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Defenestration-prague-1618.jpg

For folks what're interested, one of the more common (and hilarious) academic uses of defenestrate and its forms is The Defenestration of Prague, which can be learnt about here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestration_of_Prague). The second example is the famous one, and involves doot.

- Danny

Some of the "avoid the fluff" reminds me of a library, where the librarian shusses everyone. Then again book readers are good at separating fluff from real meaty topics, its just that the topic was highlighted at 1src and I came to see the word of the day. I suppose if there were a lot of dial up internet folks then topics like this might be a waste of time....

Anyway if you have the broadbandwith, I say fill it up, hopefully the moderators spend time separating the spam out of it...

Don't defenstrate the baby out with the bathwater....

I find that visualizing a word's meaning often helps me to remember it. So here is one (http://www.metaphorm.org/pages/portfolio/defenestration/defen.html) and here's another (http://www.defenestration.com/images/clairvy.jpg) for you.

Speaking of obscure and superfluous... anyone have an idea for a standard format for cookbooks?:smack: :smack:

I like Living Cookbook software. I can make my own cookbooks and export them in a variety of formats. My New Year's project is to compile a cookbook of my favorite recipes and put it on the Kindle and/or the Iliad.

To stay on topic, word of the day is fine and I'll defenestrate anyone who disagrees. :D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Defenestration-prague-1618.jpg

For folks what're interested, one of the more common (and hilarious) academic uses of defenestrate and its forms is The Defenestration of Prague, which can be learnt about here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestration_of_Prague). The second example is the famous one, and involves doot.

- Danny

Excellent Danny! I also find visual clues helpful to memorize a word. :2thumbsup

Okay, so I'll keep it off the front page. But it's not fluff.

Well it is certainly off-topic for the site in general. I for one don't mind lower volume because there is less e-reader news, since that just means there's less news in a given week. I'm sure in many parts of the world, this week is not a big week for press releases in general.

Now, book reviews (in ebook format, of course) would be grrreat! :D

I LOVE Word of the Day features. Anything that causes me to pause and appreciate a word is COOL. But you need to kick it up a notch, so that it is not just a one line definition. Danny Fekete has provided a great example of how to make the WotD more interesting.

Other ways to make simple words more interesting --

* Ask the readers who used a word first. Example -- Who first refered to the telephone in literature? The airplane?

* Quote famous uses of the word in books. See if readers know who the quote is from.

* Put a word out there and see if readers associate it with an author. Example, I can not see the word "sir" and not think of Boswell/Johnson. There are lots of words like that.

* Etc. I applaud the WotD feature, but you need to do it in a fun, engaging way.

Ideas:

Alright, so if "Word of the Day" isn't popular as an independent post, why not tack on a word of the week to the Week in Review posts?

~ or ~

I can understand folks objecting to the idea because a number of subscription services exist already to serve this purpose. To make it community-relevant, then, why not have a member submission system and requirements? Readers could post yummy words they come across while using their devices and include information like:
- Source/context
- Location and events in the outside world when they hit the yummy word.
- Device used for reading (so we can finally correlate user intelligence with product choice :D, etc.)

What hey?

... Oh, and definitions. They could include those too.