You work at a company that needs some copy written. The writer sends a draft. You need a change. What do you do? —- Example A. You send the following email: Let’s change, “Mary and David go around the mulberry bush” to “Mary and David skip around the mulberry bush together”. Example B. You send […]
The Next Generation
When I was a kid, the powers that be were always drilling us with anti-smoking and anti-pollution. The idea being that our parents were lost, but the next generation could be trained to be better, healthier citizens. [The commercial with the Crying Indian (or, crying Italian-American guy pretending to be Indian) apparently came out somewhere […]
Is it ok not to read?
I’m reading a book and two magazines at the moment, and left them both at home. So I sat on the train, staring around like the rest of the ruminants. It occurred to me that I can take it. I can stand not having something to read for a while. It’s ok. I can daydream. […]
Ted Turner is Getting Old
I recently listened to a Podcast interview of Ted Turner. Or, to be more precise, I listened to part of it. Here are the reasons I didn’t want to listen any more: 1. Ted is hard of hearing. He said so at the beginning of the interview. Still, throughout the podcast, he had to keep […]
On Not Finishing
I used to read books all the way through, regardless of how much I was enjoying it. It was a point of honor, I guess, or a belief that character was being built (or proven). Screw that. If you haven’t hooked me by the time I’ve finished, let’s say, a third of the thing, then […]
Hospital Outage
Well, it’s caught up to me. My wifey has been laid out lately losing limberness in her leg. I’ve been running round, really, racing to read to my daughter, rushing to cook dinner, and realizing that alliteration is a stupid gimmick not worth rorrying about. So no real, true, legit post for over a week. […]
Writing Style
I’m reading Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon.” It’s famous, of course, but was never intended to be anything more than a fast-paced, crappy, detective novel. That’s my take, anyway. But I can’t help laughing when I see some of the writing. Chapter 9 ends with the following short sentence: “His eyes burned yellowly.” I really liked […]
They Take the Vex out of Vexillology
The Internet’s largest site devoted to the study of flags. It may sound like trainspotting, but I’ve been sucked in a bit by the precision of the facts. For example, the US flag isn’t just Red, White, and Blue. It’s: Cable No. 70180 Old Glory Red Cable No. 70001 White Cable No. 70075 Old Glory […]
Circumcision and Bad Logic
A recent Johns Hopkins study showed that Ugandan men who are circumcised are significantly less likely to contract herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) (which can cause warts in men and cancer in women). Circumcision also lowers the risk of getting HIV. So the scientists who did the study are recommending that doctors everywhere inform mothers-to-be […]
A Happy Couple
weeklyrob: Could I have a couple of those widgets, please? Undefined Other: Sure! How many do you want? weeklyrob (internally): A COUPLE. weeklyrob: Two, please.