Female
Manchester, United Kingdom
Joined: Feb 6, 2019
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Smashbomb Reviewer
Earned at Feb 6, 2019, 8:55:48 PMActive
I preferred the old way
Duolingo's core system is still one of the best out there. It gets users conjugating and constructing sentences, often quite silly ones, to ensure they're truly understand how the language works rather than just parroting stock phrases. You won't escape your grammar lessons here. However last year they altered the progression from simple 'levels' to a kind of open-ended system of simply ranking up in the same skill over and over again. I had already completed the Spanish tree (and had honestly moved on from Duolingo, attending conversation classes and meetups), so perhaps I was just unable to readjust backwards to the new system. New users may enjoy it.
It is still by far the best, simplest and cheapest (ie: free) way to try a new language and start getting to grips with the basics.
It is still by far the best, simplest and cheapest (ie: free) way to try a new language and start getting to grips with the basics.
tanuki (2 KP) rated The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1) in Books
Feb 6, 2019
A fantasy novel that hits close to home
The beauty of this novel is in the way it tonally shifts from one arena to another, leaving you never quite sure where you are and certainly rendering the tale very unpredictable. If there are fantasy tropes here, it's no matter - you won't see them coming nor where they'll crop up.
The opening chapters seem inspired by wuxia novels and the tale of Yim Wing Chun - kung fu practitioners will note a number of references here to their origin tales, as well as some beautiful descriptions of the biomechanics of the art - mixed with Hogwarts. We have the neglected orphan who works hard to achieve her school place and study the fields of combat, lore, medicine and so on. There is an unusual teacher occupying the position of wise sage and there's the handsome rival. So far, so comforting. One can enjoy this fairly cosy ride.
But then there is a distinct undercurrent. It creeps up on you, darker and more earthy than the tone suggests. Just as the students spend their days training for a war that'll never come, we read this schoolyard tale as if the latter half of the book won't come.
It hits with a bombshell, and they just keep coming. Now fiction isn't fiction at all. History is woven through the narrative. We can see the major players and we know how it ends. And yet the deftly woven plot, excellent prose and gripping characters keep us on the edge of our seats.
A phenomenal debut and the start of a thrilling trilogy.
The opening chapters seem inspired by wuxia novels and the tale of Yim Wing Chun - kung fu practitioners will note a number of references here to their origin tales, as well as some beautiful descriptions of the biomechanics of the art - mixed with Hogwarts. We have the neglected orphan who works hard to achieve her school place and study the fields of combat, lore, medicine and so on. There is an unusual teacher occupying the position of wise sage and there's the handsome rival. So far, so comforting. One can enjoy this fairly cosy ride.
But then there is a distinct undercurrent. It creeps up on you, darker and more earthy than the tone suggests. Just as the students spend their days training for a war that'll never come, we read this schoolyard tale as if the latter half of the book won't come.
It hits with a bombshell, and they just keep coming. Now fiction isn't fiction at all. History is woven through the narrative. We can see the major players and we know how it ends. And yet the deftly woven plot, excellent prose and gripping characters keep us on the edge of our seats.
A phenomenal debut and the start of a thrilling trilogy.
tanuki (2 KP) rated Fitbit Alta HR Fitness Wristband in Tech
Feb 6, 2019
Stylish and full of features
The Alta manages to be both stylish, light and sleek as well as containing all the desired features of a fitness band and smartwatch in one go. This slimline band fits on the wrist and will track any heart-rate-raising activity - it excels at detection, being able to determine road cycling from mountain biking (but it cannot detect weight lifting, as the heart rate isn't consistently high enough. It will detect a cardio class like Body Pump though.) It will monitor sleep cycles, your active minutes and calories burned. You can set all manner of goals in the app - fitness, diet or sleep goals, for example - and data is displayed in easy-to-read formats. Honestly I wouldn't be without it: it makes controlling your fitness a breeze, which is vital when you have goals to hit and stats to crunch. It will also, as a bonus, hook up to your phone and display the first line of any text or whatsapp messages, and you can set a silent alarm too.
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Aimee Landy-Redding
(3 KP)
Horror Queen
I'm a mum of 3, 2 have ASD and I home school 1 of them, I love crime and law stories, documentaries,...
Last Active: Jan 27, 2019
Lisa Padley
(1090 KP)
Board game addict
I love reading and discovering new books and authors and also playing and discovering new board...
Last Active: Jan 10, 2021
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