Language as Politics

“Corporate English obscures reality by excluding people.” While this article is marked as “commentary,” I find it ethically unsound for its author to suggest that magazine writers should intentionally insert biased language that promotes a pro-union / anti-business point of view, on the grounds that “corporate English commonly portrays economic processes as if they just…

Junk Mail Costs Lives

Novell releases a survey showing that British companies lose billions annually due to spam. Guess who sells a product that helps companies filter out spam? “Surveys are a time-honoured PR tactic for getting coverage in hard-to-reach publications.”  —Junk Mail Costs Lives (The Register) Similar:Lecturing is So Much Easier than Leading a DiscussionLecturing is So Much…

Language: The Ultimate User Interface

“[L]anguage is often under-estimated, under-valued, and under-funded. How many times have we seen companies import bland, cheap information instead of hiring talented, knowledgeable writers to write fresh, original, interesting content?” Julia Hayden —Language: The Ultimate User InterfaceA List Apart) Similar:I Regret to Inform You That My Wedding to Captain Von Trapp Has Been CanceledI must…

File Not Found!

Ever been frustrated by a “404: File Not Found” message?  Did you ever stop to wonder how the web server feels? —File Not Found! Similar:Emily Short's advice on writing great game protagonistsAt GDC 2015, noted interactive fiction g…CybercultureRascals (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 7) Transporter glitch tween-ifies Picar…Rewatching ST:TNG A glowing Space Thing…AmusingI was…

Wall Street Poet Takes Stock of Life

Eugene Schlanger is a corporate lawyer and a respected poet. “Poets today tend to write to audiences of other poets. It’s unfortunate. You have poets celebrating pure emotion, but it’s not grounded in anything.” —Wall Street Poet Takes Stock of LifeSunSpot.net) Similar:The Outsiders — four sold-out weekday matinees; four more performances this weekend So proud…

When Malfunction and Error Meet: a Compendium of Disasters

“[M]ost tragedies are caused not by hate-filled maniacs, but by small, unnoticed failures in complex systems. A badly trained worker makes a tragic error; an oversight by an engineer produces a fatally flawed component.” (Review of Inviting Disaster.) —When Malfunction and Error Meet: a Compendium of Disasters (Boston Globe) Similar:Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really…