Microsoft Word requires at least 30% more keystrokes and 100% more mouse moves to accomplish certain editing tasks than would an optimal word processor. Forbes —Bad Design Can Be Costly Similar:Journalism, Fake News, and "Clickbait Defamation"Sometimes when my social media contacts …CulturePage Layout 101: Proximity creates context. Don't let this happen to you.DesignWhy the Internet…
“We are the Gist Generation. We have acquired a taste for hit-and-run, cut-and-paste knowledge. We expect a home page or e-mail correspondence to give us the gist and only the gist—time is money and you’re a click away from an iconographic trash can, so get to the point.” Jeff Barbian Similar:It's not just you –…
This computer game tries something new. “If a character tells you he’ll call you tomorrow, he’s not kidding. You’ll have to wait a day to get his information. Faxes may arrive without warning, and instant messages may pop up onscreen when you least expect them — maybe even while you’re at work.” Wired.com —“Majestic” Invades…
“Organized religion was a primary target of every one of the twentieth century’s regimes of terror. But as is evident in Nazi and Communist terrors alike, organized irreligion (to put it in Royal’s sharp formulation) has proved far more dangerous than organized religion ever was.” Alicia Mosier Similar:U.S.S. Requin — Extended Tour of the Cold…
You might assume there could not be a worse time for a field calling itself “Internet studies.” You would be wrong. The Chronicle of Higher Education Similar:On the Virtues of a Dadsplained Literary ChildhoodThe last book I read to her was Wutherin…BooksPaper Titles: Inform by Stating your Topic and Position; Grab the Reader’s Interest If…
“Lambert received the e-mail in December, a piece of scrap in the vast electronic junkyard that is the World Wide Web. Regrettably, she says now, she removed the letter’s forwarding markers and unintentionally put her name at the bottom, making it appear that she was the author.” Washington Post —Don’t forward that e-mail just yet!…
“[W]hat could be more scholarly than a nice, authoritative statistic, quoted from a professional journal in the student’s field?” The Chronicle of Higher Education —Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics Similar:The Masterpiece Society (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 13) Space Thing Threate…Rewatching ST:TNG When a Space Th…CultureEthics (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5,…
The longer the company’s annual report, the less successful the company. This isn’t really a technical writing issue — usually companies with bad news to report need a lot of words to explaining themselves. But if this is what it takes to get some pinhead CEOs to appreciate brevity, so be it. Wired Similar:Commonly Misused…
Danielle Preston —You Know You’re a Technical Writer When… Similar:The Future of Academic Style: Why Citations Still Matter in the Age of GoogleLooking forward to getting my copy of th…AcademiaTrees (an "Interpretive Travesty")A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed Ag…AestheticsWonderful Retro Control Panel in Seton Hill University Dining RoomI gather the purpose of these consoles…
A student of mine makes comments on interactive fiction, garish colors, and dancing text. Jan Carroll —Just For the Record Similar:Faculty Senate meet & greet. With food. In the parlors till 6. AcademiaOn UVa rape story: Rolling Stone editors "regret the decision to not contact the alleged a…Rolling Stone, how about you apologize b…AcademiaPioneering Harvard…
learns something from my freshman comp students. On March 13, 2000, I e-mailed web guru Jakob Nielsen to tell him that six of my freshmen spent 8-30 minutes on his site without finding a plain-text “search” link on the home page. A week or so later, I noticed that Nielsen changed his page, making the…
“[W]hen it comes to writing, whether you’re a seventh grader, a college student, a professor, a beginning copywriter, or an accomplished novelist, a B isn’t good enough.” Kathy Henning —For Writers, Writing Is Never a Waste of Time: Part 2 Similar:Microsoft Research Launches Code Hunt Game to Teach ProgrammingAnother item for the “when I’m finished…
“[A] society without literature, or a society in which literature has been relegated–like some hidden vice–to the margins of social and personal life, and transformed into something like a sectarian cult, is a society condemned to become spiritually barbaric, and even to jeopardize its freedom.” Mario Vargas Llosa Similar:Playwright #AugustWilson Takes Center Stage on U.S.…
The creator of Cliffs Notes has died. Here’s his obituary — although I know you probably won’t bother to read the whole thing. Similar:PR Pop Quiz: Intro to Crisis ManagementPop quiz for public relations 101. Sc…BusinessCharlie and the Chocolate Factory / Willy Wonka Lesson Plans Through our local theater school, ou…CultureThe Piano Lesson ( #AugustWilson #CenturyCycle,…
On the tasteless side, but still very funny: “Some Features You May Need on Your Computer“ Similar:A pie slice from the ring surrounding the ballroom, from the #steampunk bedtime stories I …AestheticsGoogle Pledges $300 Million to Clean Up False NewsThis is a welcome step, but we cannot tr…CultureHow Artists on Twitter Tricked Spammy T-Shirt Stores…
“It is our duty, as responsible citizens, to stop the rot. Next time someone touches base with you or moves your goal posts, punch them in the face.” Clint Witchalls —Business and the English Language Similar:Sweet Lenten RegretsThis Lenten evening / Your orphaned feas…AestheticsSherlock Holmes and The Woman (daughter and I rehearsing for a live…
“Europe once sought to bring enlightenment—literacy, civil society, modern technology—to benighted parts of the world. It did so in the name of progress and civilization. The ethic of Third Worldism dictates that yesterday’s enlightenment be rebaptized as today’s imperialistic oppression.” Roger Kimball Similar:Actors Fail to Distract Audience from Prop Newspaper HeadlinesMy daughter and I were…
Imagine yourself creating a game with a world for other people to inhabit on your own computer. It is a world without sounds or visuals. Now, put yourself into the textual world and imagine yourself in that world and living through the game. Laura L. Hogue —Text-based computer game lets players interact with story. Similar:To…
The point is not that we should add stories to our sites to ensnare narrative-starved readers. The point is that the reader’s journey through our site is a narrative experience. Our job is to make the narrative satisfying. Mark Bernstein —The Narrative Web Similar:'We're back': Bushy Run's 2023 battle reenactment will be heldI’m glad to…
“Roget’s Thesaurus… should be roundly condemned as a crucial part of the engine work that has transported us to our current state of linguistic and intellectual mediocrity. Simon Winchester What’s another word for “thesaurus”? Similar:Henry V Fans: Today is St Crispin's DayKing Henry rallies his troops just befor…CultureShakespeare Popularized Falconry TermsEnglish is full of figures…