AMY INK
Sharing noteworthy and sometimes amazing ideas, people, and sites
-
Writing (still) matters
I’m not one of those writers who go looking for typos. I don’t point and giggle when I find them. But find them I do, everywhere I go.
You would think that computers wouldn’t allow typos, or misuse of grammar, or bad punctuation. Would Siri? I don’t know; I don’t have an iPhone, much less an iPhone 4S, but she seems like a benevolent computer interface who might let things slide.
Others—real people who live and breathe—aren’t always so forgiving. Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media sites have several “Poorly Proofed” accounts. It seems there’s no shortage of signs, posters, brochures, menus, and other printed material that need a sharp red pencil taken to them. Or the spotlight of public ridicule.
My own recent run-in came after visiting a new bakery in the area. Thank goodness I wasn’t greeted by the aroma being touted. "Step through our doors and be/ greeted by the aromas of our chefs/ custom cakes..." Without an apostrophe, this could easily be just a bunch of smelly cooks.
And, while we're at it, I’d like a single word or a hyphen for “mouth watering desserts” and to move the comma to the other side of “using.”
So, what did I say to the owner after skimming her brochure?
I’ll have a cruller, please.
It was delicious. -
Shiny side up, pointy end forward
I’m aware of the irony in going to the Philadelphia Auto Show. We get in our own perfectly wonderful car. We navigate city traffic, where it’s stop-and-go because of all the cars. We jockey for parking, surrounded by a garage facility packed with cars. Then we pay an admission price so we can see more cars.
Ah, but these are shiny, new cars. And my husband is an autoholic. Here, we can touch all the buttons, sit in the seats, and breathe in that heady new-car smell. The Auto Show is even advertised as "a giant metal petting zoo."
My 2011 GTI is now last year’s model. It’s old news, even though there’s only 5,000 miles on it. Already my husband is on to the next new thing, and I think those Mini Coopers are awfully cute. But if past performance is any indicator of future buying patterns, I’m sticking with the GTI for the long haul. I held onto my last car, my beloved BMW 3 Series, for 13 years (and only 80,000 miles).
Considering that my husband just got his dream car last month – a sports car he’s been drooling over since he was a teenager – we’ve got our wheels for the foreseeable driving future. We just have to keep them on the road and safe from wacky, distracted drivers who have cell phones in one hand and hot coffee in the other.
As my husband promises every time he climbs into his 2005 Porche, he’s keeping the shiny side up, pointy end forward. -
Thanks? You're quite welcome
Friends are often surprised to learn I write speeches for corporate executives. “They don’t write their remarks themselves?,” they ask. My mother has a different question: “Did they thank you for the speech?”
She used to ask that of any project I wrote: annual reports, websites, newsletters, articles.
I’d tell her my thanks came in the form of a check: a fair exchange of work for monetary reward. I expect nothing more.
That’s why I was so surprised to be invited to a client’s celebration of its brand launch and website redesign. Sure, I worked on the project. I put in many hours. And I was paid for my efforts. My only hope after cashing the check was to be considered for future work.
When I got the email invite, I thought it must have been a mistake. My name was on a project list, so I was probably included by oversight. They wouldn’t possibly invite a vendor to a company celebration, would they?
I emailed another vendor who had worked on the project. “Did you get this email from the client? Are you going to the launch party?” He wrote back: “Yup. And you should, too.”
So I sent back my RSVP, cleared my calendar, and went to the party.
I had been writing about the company’s culture of caring and compassion for months. Now I was seeing it in action.
How unusual, in today’s environment of budget-cutting and downsizing, to extend such generosity and welcome to a vendor. It says more than I ever could convey in words about the company and its core values.
Not only was it unexpected to be included in the client’s corporate family, it also turned out to be a lot of fun.
Thanks to me? You’re quite welcome BAYADA Home Health Care. -
Laugh out loud bad
Bad movies have never been badder. And riffing on them has never been funnier than when the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000, or MST3K, is on the job.
It seems like only yesterday that I was laughing out loud in front of my TV as the cast of MST3K turned B-movie drek into some of the funniest, memorable scenes ever. But the show is long gone from the airwaves, running from 1988 to 1999.
But it was just yesterday -- well, last week -- that I was once again doing spit-takes and laughing till my jaw hurt courtesy of the MST3K crew. This time, the fun was live and onstage at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
The creator and original cast have resurrected "the tradition of riffing on the unfathomable, the horribly great, and the just plain 'cheesy' movies of the past."
Titled Cinematic Titanic, the show we saw was a double-header of incredibly bad science fiction flicks:- "The Astral Factor," featuring a convicted strangler who can make himself invisible, as do Stephanie Powers' pants throughout the movie.
- "Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks," with a mad scientist, Neaderthals Ook and Goliath, a hunchback cook, a revenge-obsessed dwarf, and two "dead-sexy biology students."
I thought I'd miss seeing the 'bots -- Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot -- but hearing those same engaging voices and sharp wit was enough to recreate the magic.
Good to see the old irreverent gang again: Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu (Crow, Dr. Forrester), J. Elvis Weinstein (Tom Servo, Dr. Erhardt), Frank Conniff (TV's Frank), and Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester).
"We've got movie sign!" -
Religion comes into play
I usually resist talking about politics or religion, even though both are front and center these days. With the 2012 elections underway since, well, 2008, I've learned to keep my finger on the mute button of the remote.
I wish I could do the same with religion, which I view as a personal matter not well suited for public displays. But public displays and declarations abound.- Controversy continues over the "Keep Christ in Christmas" sign in Pitman, N.J. I guess the locals forget that those who don't celebrate Christmas might not want to live under the banner of someone else's religion.
- This season of Survivor: South Pacific was the most prayerful ever -- as if who would win immunity was a matter of divine intervention.
- Then there's the Denver Bronco's Tim Tebow, whose kneeling in prayer on the playing field has become a phenomenon. The best response to "tebowing" is this skit from Saturday Night Live (after brief ad).
So when it comes to politics or religion, I really don't have to say anything at all. There are enough voices in the mix as it is. -
Hello Dear...Upgrade Needed
I've become quite cynical about emails from strangers, deleting them upon receipt. I've adopted a "Just Say No" mantra. But this one almost got me.
Subject: Adobe Acrobat: Upgrade Needed
I thought it odd for Adobe to email me, much less attach a zip file, so my suspicions were raised. But I probably did need an upgrade, so I continued reading.
The details seemed legit:
Adobe is pleased to announce new version upgrades for Adobe Acrobat Reader. Advanced features include:
- Collaborate across borders
- Create rich, polished PDF files from any application that prints
- Ensure visual fidelity
- Encrypt and share PDF files more securely
- Use the standard for document archival and exchange
To upgrade and enhance your work productivity today please open attached file.
Copyright 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
TrackNum: RBN098-2772687
Adobe Systems Incorporated,
Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:56:18 +0200
Then I re-read the greeting: "Hello Dear." And hit delete.
"Hello Kitty" would have been more believable.
Score one more for the suspicious consumer, another zero for spammers. -
Don’t be a tool
Who hasn’t heard someone say:
“I’m a Mac person.”
“I’m a PC person.”
“I’m a Facebook person.”
“I’m a Twitter person.”
“I’m a (insert digital tool name here) person.”
Wasn’t technology supposed to bring us together? Instead it has us splitting into factions.
"I’m an iPad person.”
"I’m a Kindle person.”
Can’t we all just get along? Why this need to choose? It makes much better sense to pick the best tool for the job at hand.
And speaking of tools, there’s a saying that if all you have is a hammer, then every problem is a nail. So what happens when you have a screw loose?
I don’t want to be defined by the device I use. I don’t want to be a tool. I’m a person, plain and simple. One who likes to use neat, new technology, knowing that devices will evolve to neater, newer technology in short order.
My smartphone has been a great help in my one-woman business. I can’t imagine ever giving it up. But I’m not pledging allegiance to BlackBerry or iPhone or Android. They’re only a tool...and I am not. -
It's all about ME
Imagine a camera designed to put you at the center of every picture, every time. That may not have been the original idea behind the Throwable Ball Camera, but that's what it does. Along with capturing an amazing panorama overhead.
The ball also has captured the attention of sports fans, who see its potential for revolutionizing sports coverage. (See ThePostGame.)
Who wouldn’t want this camera/toy/device/equipment? It takes the current ME culture one step further to put ME at the center of my universe in a concrete and visual way.
Every single picture I take would feature ME with my arms outstretched, ready to embrace the world. Or rule it. -
Marathon cycle of life
Marathons used to be for elite runners only. No one else would even think of entering.
Today, marathons are packed with entrants of all abilities, as competitive runners lead the ever-growing pack of serious runners, casual runners, joggers, and walkers.
Even pregnant women are completing marathons, just hours before giving birth. Such was the case at the Chicago Marathon, on October 9. Amber Miller had many previous marathons under her belt; for this one, she had a ready-to-pop baby girl under her belt.
No footage of Amber’s finish exists, so Conan O’Brien called upon his Peanut Players to re-enact the marathon baby drama.
Yes, marathoners can be a little nutty.
But the unusual experiences of any number of marathoners don’t detract from the serious endeavor of running 26.2 miles. It can be a fatal experience, and many runners have died during races. In fact, two have died during the Chicago Marathon: one this year, and one in 2007.
Some people make “running a marathon” a line item on their bucket list. But no one wants it to be the last thing they do on this Earth.
For me, running a marathon is the last thing in the world I would ever choose to do. Except for running a marathon...and then giving birth. -
ROTFL in a fuzzy way
I heard it well before I saw it. Something, somewhere was laughing out of control. In a mechanical, but infectious kind of way.
Then I saw it. A gaggle (flock? rookery? herd? colony?) of stuffed animals rolling on the floor laughing (literally ROTFL).I first thought: Another cute but cheesy marketing idea. But something about the laughter drew me in. As well it should. Apparently laughter is good for you, whether it's real and spontaneous or faked and forced:- Potential health benefits of simulated laughter "Scientific research has shown that laughter may have both preventive and therapeutic values...While the human mind can make a distinction between simulated and spontaneous laughter, the human body cannot."
- Laughter Really is the Best Medicine (Even If You Have To Fake It) "...The researchers found that laughing increased blood flow as much as a 15- to 30-minute workout."
- Laughter is the Best Medicine This presentation is billed as "a state-of-the-art analysis on laughter and stress reduction." Pretty serious stuff that makes sense, but won't leave you ROTFL.
