Різдвяно-новорічна ялинка у Вінниці | Christmas / New Year tree in Vinnytsia (2017-2018)

Опис [uk]: головна міська новорічно-різдвяна ялинка; складена з багатьох зрубаних менших ялинок. Центральний міський парк (ім. Горького), м. Вінниця, Україна; грудень 2017 р.

Description [en]: the main New Year / Christmas tree of the city; assembled from numerous smaller cut down spruce trees. The central city park of Vinnytsia, Ukraine; December 2017.

Собаки в поэзии Есенина

1. С. Есенин, «Да! Теперь решено. Без возврата…» (1922):

   Старый пес мой давно издох.

2. «Собаке Качалова» (1925):

   Дай, Джим, на счастье лапу мне.

Родичі горіхові у Вінниці / The Walnut Family in Vinnytsia

Волоський горіх / Persian walnut / Juglans regia (nux)

Маньчжурський горіх у Вінниці / Manchurian Walnut in Vinnytsia

Чорний горіх у Вінниці / Black Walnut in Vinnytsia

Литературно-поэтические параллели: Хармс vs. Лермонтов

1. М. Лермонтов, «Бородино» (1837):
   1. оригинальная орѳографія:

      У нашихъ ушки на макушкѣ!
      <…>
      Драгуны съ конскими хвостами…

   2. новая орфография:

      У наших ушки на макушке!
      <…>
      Драгуны с конскими хвостами…

2. Д. Хармс, «Кораблик» (1940):

   У них ушки на макушке,
   У них длинные хвосты…

Amazon: some items restricted for Prime members only?

Amazon's decision to restrict sales of some items to Prime members only is very frustrating.
Why should one pay for a useless "premium subscription plan" (no, I don't need your "30-day free" trial offers!), when all than one needs is to buy some items occasionally, and there's no need to hurry with "free 2-day shipping"? And BTW, do they ever care of international buyers (IMHO, they constitute a significant base of Amazon's sales)?..
Well, OK, let there be some "premium discounts" for Prime users (e. g., 10 %), let that "exclusiveness" be for pre-ordered items and fresh releases (e. g., for 3 months after inital release), but "banning" ordinary users from using the Amazon stocks for some non-exclusive products (released few years ago!) is not only unwise, but also somewhat dangerous, IMHO.
Why would loyal buyers buy directly from Amazon? It's because they know the Amazon goods stocks are (by default) genuine and of good quality.
By imposing that controversial "Prime-exclusive" restriction, ordinary buyers are forced to buy the wanted items from the stocks of the 3rd-party sellers (usually listed at the same Amazon item's page). The item prices offered by those sellers are usually higher, and so is the shipping (when those 3rd-party sellers don't use Amazon fulfillment services), but that's not the main problem (sometimes the 3rd-party sellers can even offer better prices!); the main problem, IMHO, is the following: some sellers could possibly try to sell (intentionally or unintentionally) some wrong or counterfeit items on the same product page; anyway, newbie buyers could think that's Amazon selling bad products to them (we're still shopping from the official Amazon's site, right?), and that can worsen Amazon's business reputation even more... Why should one want to subscribe for a "premium Amazon plan", just only to buy an item which is readily available everywhere else?!

Note: that applies not only to the main US Amazon.com site, but also to UK's Amazon.co.uk, at least.

P.S. Fortunately, if you're not in a hurry, sometimes you just can wait for some time (e.g., 1 month), to see the wanted Amazon item released for sale to general non-Prime public ;-)

External links:

1. Amazon Has Begun Labeling Some Items Prime-Exclusive (Updated) - Gizmodo
2. Amazon refusing to sell certain video games, movies to non-Prime members - ExtremeTech
3. Did You Know That Some Amazon Items Are for Prime Members Only? - DealNews
4. Amazon won’t sell you some video games without a Prime membership - GeekWire
5. Amazon temporarily slaps “Prime-only” rule on GTA V, other major games [Updated] - Ars Technica
6. No Prime, no sale: Amazon under fire for refusing to sell to shoppers unless they shell out for £79-a-year service - The Sun

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Last updated: 2019-04-24

Funny English learning resources for post-Soviet people

As far as we know, in the Soviet Union, common popular English learning (studying) & teaching methodics were probably NOT meant to result in good English fluency ;-)

Here follows a quick list of sometimes useful, sometimes funny at least, English learning resources (mostly targeted at post-Soviet students with good Russian language and bad English knowledge, but sometimes would be interesting for other audiences too).

1. Анекдот [an anecdote in Russian; probably comes from the 1990s].
   

   Пособие по английскому языку для "новых русских".
   Неопределенный артикль "a (an)" переводится на русский как "типа",
   а определенный артикль "the" — как "конкретно".

2. Учебник английского языка | Журнал Esquire.ru (a funny article about incorrect Russian-English phrases, with illustrations).
3. A Russian Course by Lipson & Molinski (an old American textbook for American students learning Russian language, known for its surrealistic, absurdist, grotesque, humorous or satyrical portrayal of the Soviet Russia reality).
4. Essential English for Foreign Students by Eckersley (an old, but funny British English textbook).
5. English Grammar in Use by Murphy (a British English grammar textbook, not really funny actually).
6. Dictionaries.
   1. Wiktionary (a freely editable [or vandalizable?] dictionary; a sister project to Wikipedia etc.)
   2. Urban Dictionary (an online English slang dictionary; sometimes hardcore & NSFW, sorry).
   3. Merriam-Webster (American English; see Wikipedia).
   4. Cambridge Dictionary (certainly a British one).
7. English corpora.
   1. British National Corpus (BNC).
   2. Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA).
8. Stack Exchange (daughter projects).
   
   1. English Language Learners.
   2. English Language & Usage.
9. To be continued…

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Last updated: 2019-09-27

Insect photos: some beetle (2016) / Фото комах: якийсь жук (2016)

• In English. Some beetle, presumably a common carpet beetle (Anthrenus scrophulariae). Vinnytsia, Ukraine, December 2016.
  
  • P. S. "Часові" is a plural form of a Ukrainian adjective "часовий" (meaning "temporal", i. e. related to time); possibly printed in "Times New Roman" (14 pt).
• Українською. Якийсь жук, дуже схожий на жука-шкіроїда ранникового (Anthrenus scrophulariae). Вінниця, Україна, грудень 2016 р.

References / Посилання:

1. Anthrenus scrophulariae - Wikipedia
2. Anthrenus scrophulariae - Ukrainian Biodiversity Information Network / Національна мережа інформації з біорізноманіття

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Last updated: 2019-09-27

Цікаві зразки спаму (українською)

Спам в електронній пошті — це буденне явище.
Але на щастя, спам українською мовою зустрічається відносно рідко (і часто-густо — це автоматичний переклад з іншої мови); іноді трапляються досить цікаві зразки.

Нижче — цитати за лютий 2017 р.

• Прохання Знайти Додається
  --
  З повагою,
  ТОВ "Шпон Шепетівка"

• Если ви побачим цею лист в Вашому спам це через погань мережі тут

• Далі буде...

Sites. Amazon: useful direct links

That's a list of direct links to quickly access some useful features at Amazon.com.

• Shopping Cart:
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/cart/view.html
https://www.amazon.com/cart
• Short links to a specific item:
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ID
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ID
• Buying Choices (offer listing; lists price offers from all the sellers of a specific product):
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ID
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ID/?aod=1
• Customer Questions & Answers (about a specific item):
  https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/asin/ID
• Customer Reviews (of a specific item):
  https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/ID
• Amazon Smile (charity/donation project, free for customers; discontinued since 2023):
  https://smile.amazon.com/
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/cart/view.html
[etc.]

Note. By ID, I mean ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number), a 10-character alphanumeric Amazon product identifier (for books, it usually matches ISBN-10), e. g.:

• "B07978J597" is a Kindle E-reader (2019),
• and "0345803485" is for the Fifty Shades of Grey (paperback book, 2012), sorry for NSFW ;-)

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Last updated: 2026-03-03

HOWTO: quickly check current bids & offers on eBay

You can quickly check the list of current bids & offers for a specific item on eBay.

• eBay USA:
  http://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/ID
  http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=ID
  http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&Item=ID
  http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ManageBestOffers&itemid=ID
• eBay United Kingdom:
  http://www.ebay.co.uk/bfl/viewbids/ID
  http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=ID
  http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&Item=ID
  http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ManageBestOffers&itemid=ID
• eBay Germany:
  http://www.ebay.de/bfl/viewbids/ID
  http://offer.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=ID
  http://offer.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&Item=ID
  http://offer.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ManageBestOffers&itemid=ID
• etc.

Notes:

1. Obviously, ID is the eBay item number (usually, it consists of 12 digits, e. g., "123456789012").
2. Apparent meaning:
   
   1. "ViewBids" is for auction bids;
   2. "ViewBidsLogin" is for "Buy It Now" (including "Make Offer") sales;
   3. "ManageBestOffers" is to check your & seller's offers & counter-offers for "Make Offer" items.
3. Usually, you can check your item on any regional eBay site, not just the one it has been listed on.
4. Surprisingly, sometimes eBay UK lists more information (e. g., sometimes, when items end, it shows actually offered amounts for "Best Offer" items).
5. Sometimes some links work only for auctions or "fixed price" ("Buy It Now", but also "Make Offer") items.
6. Obviously, you need to be logged into eBay to view some info provided at some of those URLs.
7. Disclaimer: please, careful educational use only, no warranty and don't abuse eBay! ;-)

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Last updated: 2017-04-04

НБУ: незвичайні скорочення і терміни

Деякі скорочення (абревіатури) та терміни, що вживаються НБУ, можуть здатися дивними стороннім особам... Спробуємо розшифрувати деякі такі "жаргонізми".

Tips: how to find out the name of a deleted YouTube video

Sometimes, when a video on YouTube gets deleted, you may have only the address saved, but not the title.
For example, you may want to remember what was that deleted video in your "Liked videos" on YouTube about.

First of all, you need to find out the ID of that video;
it's quite easy to retrieve it from the URL of that video.

E. g., here is a sample short link:
https://youtu.be/RemV1deo_ID
And a "canonical" long one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RemV1deo_ID
And "RemV1deo_ID" is the target 11-character video ID.

Unfortunately, the search itself is not so simple...
Sometimes, the deleted video page still preserves the video title.
Otherwise, try searching the ID in YouTube, and then in plain Google (and any other search engines you like): often, some sites embed, link or otherwise mention YouTube videos (searching full links is not much better, but you can also give it a try).

If the video has been recently deleted, you can try some "special" Google search syntax, e. g.:
cache:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RemV1deo_ID (Google cache)
and
info:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RemV1deo_ID (Google page info).

Have a good luck & enjoy!

Дивні фрукти в Україні: ююба / Strange fruits in Ukraine: jujube

[Українською.] Ююба (Зизифус звичайний, Ziziphus jujuba). Походить з Азії.
Продавалось місцевими в Херсонській області України на початку жовтня 2016 р. Перепрошую, плоди трохи прив'яли ;-)
Свіжа м'якоть біла. Смак дещо нагадує яблучний. Велика кісточка.
Для масштабу: сторона клітинки — 5 мм.

[In English.] Jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujuba). Originally comes from Asia.
Found being sold by locals in Kherson Oblast (Ukraine) in the beginning of October 2016. A little bit wilted ones, sorry ;-)
The fresh pulp is white. Tastes somewhat like apples. A big pit inside.
For the scale: the grid step is 5 mm.

Arthropod photos: another small velvet mite (2015)

Some nice small velvety reddish-brown mite (hopefully, a herbivorous one).
Those green twigs are leaves of common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare).
Photos taken in somewhat wet conditions with help of an amateur digital camera and an old small 10x loupe.

Date	2015-08-02
Plant substrate species	Foeniculum vulgare
Specimen place of capture	garden
Location	Vinnytsia, Ukraine

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Last updated: 2017-05-16

Online shopping: US eBay (ebay.com) gift cards don't work for other countries!

Initial conditions:

• testing user:
  • a registered ebay.com & paypal.com user,
  • eBay & PayPal registration address country: Ukraine,
  • eBay shipping address country: USA (via some parcel forwarding service);
• testing item:
  • some cheap "Buy It Now" item on ebay.com,
  • shipped from USA,
  • and shipped to USA;
• testing gift card:
  • a US eBay electronic gift card code,
  • consisting of 13 digits (e. g.: 1234567890123),
  • value: $5 (USD 5).

The testing process. At the eBay checkout stage, the redemption code was succesfully applied, so the total amount for payment decreased by the specifed value; when the time came for PayPal, the following error message popped up unexpectedly:

X-0963: We're sorry. Your PayPal account is registered in a country that isn't eligible for this discount.

And the original full amount was presented for payment.

Conclusion: perhaps, ordinary US eBay gift cards are only redeemable at ebay.com, and only by US PayPal users. Obviously, before using any promo codes, it's good to check the dull "terms and conditions", and usually they don't lie there ;)

External links:

• Check eBay Gift Card Balance, eBay Digital Gift Card | eBay
• Gift Cards: Terms and Conditions | eBay

Сайти: офіційні запити, звернення, петиції до органів влади України

• Сайти для подачі та підпису офіційних петицій до органів влади України.
  • Центральні органи державної влади:
    • Верховна Рада України:
      • Електронні петиції
    • Кабінет Міністрів України:
      • Електронні петиції
    • Президент України:
      • Електронні петиції
  • Місцеве самоврядування:
    • Єдина система місцевих петицій
• Електронні звернення громадян.
  • Верховна Рада України:
    • Роз'яснення — Електронні звернення — Відділ з питань звернень громадян Апарату Верховної Ради України
• Запити про доступ до публічної інформації:
  • Доступ до правди (проект на Українській правді)

Примітки.

1. На деяких сайтах вам, скоріш за все, надішлють відповідь, навіть якщо ваша петиція не набрала значної кількості голосів. Наприклад, від Верховної Ради відповідь надсилають "Укрпоштою" (урядовим листом), зрідка дублюють на електронну пошту, а через деякий час публікують і на сайті (з видаленням деяких ваших персональних даних). Не забувайте вказувати при реєстрації дійсну поштову адресу.
2. На деяких сайтах (наприклад, Верховної Ради) публікація ваших петицій ще не означає, що ви їх вже підписали. Будьте уважні і не забувайте їх підписувати.

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Оновлено: 2016-11-29

Arthropod photos: a red mite (2015)

Some weird red mite (perhaps a herbivorous one).
Somewhat low quality amateur photos taken in wet conditions: a plastic bucket with water (1, 2) and a plastic cup (3--10).

Date	2015-08-14
Specimen place of capture	garden
Location	Vinnytsia, Ukraine

Online shopping: rebate (cashback) sites

My referral links for some online shopping cashback / rebate sites (if you're interested):

• Ebates
• Mr. Rebates