Libb

I really like the Assimil method of learning. I find it is more organic than Duolingo or flashcards. It makes you more proficient in conversation early than learning a whole lot of vocabulary.

Indeed. It gives stronger fundamentals. I much prefer it to Duolingo myself which I find a bit too focused on the gamification of the learning through their system of badges, rewards and leagues. Whereas Assimil has none of that (at least last time I checked). It's also much, much older than Duolingo something I'm afraid many of our younger people may feel awkward to be seen using the same method their (great-)great-grand-parents could have used.

That said, no matter how excellent the method, the best way to learn is still to immerse yourself in the language and live it.

Not really the same type of app as Duolingo, but here In France we have the Assimil Method (En). It has existed since 1929, using books, 33t longplays, then tapes, CDs, USB key, MP3s and online access.

BTW, if you own a free library card, at least if you're living in Paris no idea about other cities, you have access to a few online methods for free through your Public Library portal (link in French). Also, next to these full online methods (no need to go to the library borrow anything) there are also many traditional books/physical methods one can borrow for free from the libraries.

Those online lessons are a neat feature many Parisians don't even know it's included with their free library card.

As a matter of fact, the city of Paris offers quite a few various online formations entirely free, in many domains ranging from cooking to writing novels, painting, playing the music, sketching, and so on. Alas, like most things public it's kind of a mess, and one will need to do some hunting.

Like promised here is a fw more infos on my fascinating daily live and journal ;)

I did not walk on the Moon, I never sailed the 7 seas hunting for hidden treasures, did not invent a cure against cancer or to cure the world pandemic of absolute dumbfuckery that's raging. I also did not redo the 1812 Bérézina campaign either—don’t look too far, I just read Sylvain Tesson’s Bérézina in which he retells how with a few friends, during a winter, on their motorcycles they kind of reenacted the terrible 1812 Napoleonic army retreat from Moscou to Paris, fleeing, even more so than the Russian army, the atrocious Russian winter.

My daily live is made of little routines, meeting not that many people. But I still keep a journal and have been doing so, with some pauses, for the last 40 to 45 years.

Like I said in the introductory post, what matters is what’s going in my head not the size or the bright colors of whatever I write about. I will write about Trump acting like a dick with Zelensky (where I see that coming from and what I see coming out of it), as I will write about the weather or about that odd looking brick sticking out of the wall of some house on one random street I passed through that same day. Anything. Here is a sketch I made of birds footprints in freshly poured concrete, with people passing by, last June:

And that amazing sketch, in which there is not even a hint of playful colors, with another sentence mentioning we were expecting to receive our new bed-frame, is the sole entry for that day. I don’t mind my journal being uninteresting to anyone but me. Why should I? It’s my journal.

Would it be more exciting to sketch, say, my moon boot leaving the first ever footprint left by mankind on the surface of the Moon or, I don't know, explain in a few paragraphs how I resolved Ukraine's war by forcing all the involved leaders to fight themselves, not by using interposed armies, fully naked save for a few feathers stuck in their ass and the diving fins they would be required to wear? Maybe ;)

You may have a point here. I used to compare them to oysters until I realized I was being unfair to them, the oysters I mean. What could I use if bricks are also unfair choice? ;)

I got a security alert when clicking the link, I did not push further sorry ;)

They are quite nice indeed—not Tomoe River Paper nice but is there anything that is?—but still great. Paper is smooth and will hold fine with most fountain pen save the wettest Medium or broader.

They are not super popular in Aus (where I am from) and I have never seen them here in Japan

You may want to check if you can find the Rhodia brand instead (somehow, they're the same-ish company). They're often available in office supply stores.

Yes, I can imagine that. Thx (too ;))

Oh, it makes sense. Thx a lot for the clarification.

Can't be worse than me thinking we were talking about Fritz :p

So is Startpage, if I recall correctly.

Not sure you have considered those, but you might want to consider adding Qwant to your search engine alternatives (it's French). and the E.foundation (https://e.foundation/e-os/) for buying de-googled smartphones (it's French, too). They offer a few selected models ready to buy as well as the option to install their system on your own model (if it's compatible).

Also, even though it's Chromium-based (teh source is still free) Vivaldi browser is from Norway and if I recall correctly the company is owned by their employees.

And let's not forget Lemmy, as the alternative to Reddit ;)

For FF and Chromium to, their source is open so if there ever was a need to make it fully European, it would be doable. Or did I miss something? (novice question, here)