People often ask how I became an editor. It started the summer after I graduated high school. Amazon.com had just started, and from them I ordered a book titled “Car Secrets Revealed” (by Corey Rudl). The book, while somewhat interesting, was nearly impossible to read because of numerous spelling errors, run on sentences, and other grammatical mistakes. The book had some good info in it so I didn’t want to return it; instead, I researched the author, got his e-mail, and pestered him to let me edit the second edition of his book. The rest is history. While Mr. Rudl went on to become an infamous “e-mail marketer,” I went to college, dropped out after a year-and-a-half, and found myself in a succession of various jobs that were information management-related: database programming; converting Boeing tech manuals to PDFs; and proofreading for a major commercial printer. Each setting was completely unlike the other but two things remained with me always: a good dictionary and a style guide (usually The Chicago Manual of Style).
MINI Kerfuffle
The Mini began life in a fit of pique. Saying that, describing Leonard Lord’s creative spark with a French expression may be too ironic even for the British (who’ve been defending their island nation with arched eyebrows for centuries). Less obliquely, the head of the British Motor Corporation allegedly launched the automotive project with the words “God damn these bloody awful [German] Bubble Cars. We must drive them off the road by designing a proper miniature car.” In 1959, while the UK was still suffering from a gigantic post-WWII, post-Empire hangover, the ill-fated BMC launched the Mini. Long story short, Mini RIP 1970. Until the Germans (of all people) decided to resurrect the brand. BMW beget MINI.
No Comment
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rytc
Chili?! CHILI?!
It’s a news item posted on RawStory about Chile, so not only is it wrong on that count, but if they were trying do a play on words with regard to Antarctica, that’s wrong, too.
Hyphens and Dashes, Oh My!
Ah, well, I’ve downloaded the app. Need to keep my mind sharp, you know. Tip: In WordPress, type three hyphens and the software will automagically convert it to an en em dash—used for setting off thoughts.
No Flock for Me
I was interested in finding out more about—and possibly downloading—Flock, a social-interaction-optimized web browser. However, on the site’s tour, the use of your instead of the correct you’re tells me that they’re not ready for prime time.