Since Universalis contains text in two languages (plus Greek), it seems worth setting out our house style in detail.
-ise and -ize
Posted by universalis on 8 August 2011
Posted in The Universalis site, Translating | 3 Comments »
The Annunciation in 2012
Posted by universalis on 15 April 2011
25 March 2012 falls on a Sunday. The Solemnity of the Annunciation is consequently celebrated on the following day, 26 March, just as it was in 2007. This is in accordance with the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, §5:
Because of its special importance, the Sunday celebration gives way only to solemnities or feasts of the Lord. The Sundays of the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, however, take precedence over all solemnities and feasts of the Lord. Solemnities occurring on these Sundays are transferred to the following Monday except in the case of their occurrence on Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) or on Easter Sunday.
You will find a number of web sites that move the Annunciation to 24 March instead. This is because the Norms were revised relatively recently, and the earlier version of the Norms moved the Annunciation to the previous Saturday instead of the following Monday. Many liturgical books date from before then, and many web sites, including some diocesan ones, reproduce the text of the Norms in their earlier version.
For those who want the Latin text (as included in the Third Edition edition of the Roman Missal, published in 2002), here it is:
Propter suum peculiare momentum, dominica suam cedit celebrationem solummodo sollemnitatibus necnon festis Domini; dominicae vero Adventus, Quadragesimae et Paschae super omnia festa Domini et super omnes sollemnitates praecedentiam habent. Sollemnitates autem in his dominicis occurrentes ad feriam secundam sequentem transferuntur, nisi agatur de occurrentia in Dominica in Palmis aut in Dominica Resurrectionis Domini.
The only exception to these rules is in the case of the Solemnity of St Joseph. The first edition of the Norms moves it to the day before; the second edition moves it to the day after except that if it is not a holy day of obligation, the bishops may move it anywhere outside Lent; the third edition moves it to the day after unless it falls on Palm Sunday itself, in which case it is moved to the day before, but if it is not a holy day of obligation, the bishops may move it anywhere outside Lent.
Posted in Calendars, Liturgy | 7 Comments »
Universalis on the Amazon Kindle
Posted by universalis on 22 January 2011
We’ve recently updated both Universalis for Windows and Universalis for the Mac to make it easier to create e-books for the Amazon Kindle. (The updates are free and you can download them by clicking on the links). I thought this might be a good opportunity to explain how we’re dealing with the Amazon Kindle (and other e-book readers), and why.
Posted in Downloadable Universalis, e-books | 4 Comments »
HTC HD2 and Windows Mobile
Posted by universalis on 25 November 2010
Some users of the HTC HD2 phone have reported that they cannot select which saint to celebrate on a particular day because the drop-down list at the top of the page isn’t visible.
This is a bug that has been incorporated into the HD2 by HTC themselves. A normal Windows Mobile 6.5 device does not show this problem.
The following information from a Universalis user may be helpful:
I have been doing some more experimenting. I have flashed new ROM’s to my devices from xda.
The problem is not with WM6.5 – there are certain versions of 6.5 which have no trouble showing the dropdowns, others will not allow you to scroll through the various options for the day. So I have now have the Energy ROM loaded on my HD2, which now allows you to select which day you wish to celebrate; with the old stock ROM, it couldn’t handle the dropdowns.
Posted in Downloadable Universalis | 1 Comment »
Windows Phone 7
Posted by universalis on 24 November 2010
The Windows Mobile version of the Universalis download will not work on Windows Phone 7. This is the result of a deliberate policy decision by Microsoft and there is nothing that we are able to do about it. Unless and until Microsoft change their mind, the only options for Universalis users (apart from the web site) are e-books or the automated email service.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Downloadable Universalis, Technical | 1 Comment »
Universalis on the iPad
Posted by universalis on 5 April 2010
We have now completed an iPad version of Universalis and submitted it to Apple for approval. Approval normally takes a week or so, but it may take longer in this case if Apple are being flooded with new applications for the iPad.
Universalis for the iPhone/iPod Touch and Universalis for the iPad are one single purchase from the App Store – what Apple call a “Universal application”. This means that if you have an iPhone and an iPad, you only need to buy Universalis once: it’ll work as an iPhone app on the iPhone and as an iPad app on the iPad.
If you already have the iPhone application, you don’t need to do anything except wait: as soon as Apple have approved our update, it’ll automatically be offered to you through the App Store.
Posted in Downloadable Universalis | 15 Comments »
Snow Cow reviews
Posted by universalis on 3 February 2010
Some people have worried about Universalis Publishing Limited publishing something as worldly-sounding as ghost stories. It may be reassuring for them to know the Universalis users who have actually bought and read the book have liked it and been moved by it. The book’s reviews page has some of the reviews that have appeared, and here is a sample of one of them:
“These stories raise deeper philosophical, epistemological, and in many cases, theological questions. So there are mysteries within mysteries here, and I am thus still thinking about many of these stories (just because they are great stories) and still reflecting on the deeper mysteries they raise (because they are such haunting questions in humanity’s bigger search for answers). Highly recommended!
Posted in The Snow Cow | Comments Off on Snow Cow reviews
The daily email service
Posted by universalis on 28 January 2010
After a successful experimental period, the Universalis daily email service is now officially operational. It will send you the Universalis pages of your choice daily until you tell it to stop.
You can read all about it on this page. Here is a summary:
- If you have Universalis on the iPhone, you can set up the service directly from the Universalis application.
- If you have bought a Universalis registration code, you can set up the service by filling in a form on our web site.
- To stop receiving the daily emails, simply reply to one of them. It doesn’t matter what you say: even an “out of office” autoreply will be enough to stop the service until you decide to start it again.
Posted in Downloadable Universalis | 4 Comments »
The Mac version can now create e-books
Posted by universalis on 25 January 2010
For some months now, it has been possible to use the Windows version of Universalis to create e-books that can be read on the Sony Reader, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Amazon Kindle, and other devices. The Mac version can now do the same thing.
This web page will tell you all about Universalis e-books and how to create them.
Remember that if you have a mobile device such as Android, Blackberry, or Symbian, which can’t run any of the Universalis downloads, you may find that it is able to read Universalis e-books instead.
Posted in Downloadable Universalis, e-books | Tagged: amazon kindle, ebooks, Nook, sony reader | 10 Comments »
Some press coverage
Posted by universalis on 3 November 2009
Matt Hawkins at the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper discovered Universalis recently and has written a column about it.
Posted in Press and media | Comments Off on Some press coverage
Electric Prayer 