Writing, marketing and technology
I was eating a bowl of ‘luxury’ muesli this morning contemplating the irony of calling muesli luxurious, considering it’s purpose and function. It’s another example of inflationary language. Now Wired reports the ultimate in misplaced grandiloquence: the Kohler Numi toilet. According to the manufacturer’s website, this $6,390 convenience “combines unmatched design, technology and engineering to [...]
{ 5 comments }
Ik dacht dat dit foto heel grappig was. Ik lachte.
{ 1 comment }
Something went wrong in jet crash, expert says Police begin a campaign to run down jaywalkers Panda mating fails; veterinarian takes over Miners refuse to work after death Juvenile court to try shooting defendant War dims hope for peace If strike isn’t settled quickly, it may last a while Cold wave linked to temperatures Enfield [...]
{ 3 comments }
I liked this a lot: A brief, incomplete and mostly wrong history of programming languages. It’s the modern version of Real programmers don’t use Pascal. Here’s a quote that tickled me: 1980 – Alan Kay creates Smalltalk and invents the term "object oriented." When asked what that means he replies, "Smalltalk programs are just objects." [...]
{ 3 comments }
Thank you Christian Science Monitor and a friendly reader for making my day with these wonderful protest signs. I can really understand why Sarah Palin appeals to these people so much (and vice versa). Here are a few choice examples:
{ 4 comments }
This made me giggle. Hat tip Bruce Schneier. From a writing perspective, satire can be a great way of making you see the structures that sit below writing conventions. In this case, the authors send up most reporting on terrorism: Abuse of technical-sounding catchphrases: “weapons of mass dilution.” Selective quotation from experts: in this case Hans [...]
{ 0 comments }
Why is it that when I am busy, I am also more productive? I mean that I get more done in an hour when I am busy than I do otherwise. How come you get more efficient at doing something the more you do it? Even creative tasks? Why does work always take longer than [...]
{ 4 comments }
I just discovered this blog (“A happy traipse through England’s most excellent cemeteries with a lumpy Kodak.”). I love the grim humour and wordplay. I tried to pick a few examples to illustrate it but, really, the best thing is to just visit the site and check it out.
{ 2 comments }
Matthew Stibbe is CEO of Articulate Marketing and Turbine, the easy, online way to deal with office paperwork. He edits Golf Hotel Whiskey and writes the Forbes Aviator column.
Check out my new, free eBook, 30 Days to Better Business Writing, 71 pages of expert tips and advice to make you a better writer. Available on Kindle, paper and free online.