Grammar Gripe

I don't want to sound like my third grade teacher, but many people who should know better continually make the same grammatical error and it makes me crazy. Do you remember the "subject and verb agreement" rules? A singular subject demands a singular verb, while a plural subject demands a plural verb. Yet, here is an example of what I hear or read every day. "There's twenty-six letters in the English alphabet." No, no, no! "There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet." I frequently hear this error made on radio and television news programs. I read this in the newspaper, in magazines, in instruction manuals and, of course, in web sites. This particular error is so common that I'm afraid it will soon become the accepted form in speech and in written documents. Daniel Schorr of National Public Radio commented recently that the one thing we are losing with the advent of "citizen journalism," is editing. He is so right.

Coffee Maker Farewell

Bow your heads and whisper farewell to my favorite coffee maker, a classic Chemex® 6-cup model with wooden collar that I bought 37 years ago. Today I was about to clean it when I discovered a horrendous crack near the bottom that I could swear began to spread as I held it. I've bought and used many different coffee makers over the years, but I always went back to the Chemex® when I wanted a cup of rich but clean-tasting brew. I admit it was the beautiful design that first attracted me to the pot and the 6-cup seemed to me to have the perfect proportions. It soon became more than just another unique, cool-looking kitchen tool. I came to appreciate the simple pour-over coffee-making technique, which at that time included folding the filters yourself. The Chemex® looked more like a lab beaker that a kitchen utensil, so the coffee-making process became more of a scientific experiment than a morning chore. I will probably just buy another 6-cup beauty to replace my old carafe, but it just won't be the same.

Well, I Got to Twenty-One

I didn't know about these podcast search tools, so I was glad to see that they exist and make it so easy to find some programs I always seem to miss. Using podcastalley, I found the Democracy Now! podcast, which I always forget to tune in when it's live. And, I love Garrison Keillor's, The Writer's Almanac, which I often send to my friends on their birthdays. I added both of them to bloglines, so now I can listen to them on my schedule.

Video from the Past

On YouTube, my old bands still live! I miss the Phish guys. I went to five of their concerts, which were long, loud and really satisfying. It's still a wonder how quickly YouTube and other video sites have gained almost mainstream prominence. I need to do some research and find out if YouTube hits increased dramatically during the TV writers' strike. I know my usage skyrocketed. It seems that most "watercooler" discussions used to revolve around episodic TV and sports, but now you also have to keep up with the latest Internet video to join in the conversation. The live videos of Phish aren't too good, but here's one from an old Letterman show that sounds ok.

Yelp Me!

I came across Yelp a while ago when I was going on a trip and wanted a list of places to eat. Since then it's become my favorite site for travel research. Just for fun, I tested it today by accessing the Yelp Portland, Oregon pages, since I know the city pretty well. All of my favorite places showed up and I found that I agreed with most of the reviews. It works best for popular destinations, of course, because the usefulness is dependent on how many people contribute reviews and how recently reviews have been submitted. So, on that basis, I guess Lincoln is not a hot travel spot, as many of the entries had only one review. Anyway, I agree with the Web 2.0 award for this little gem.

Writing Tools: Zoho Writer

Did I just get transported back to Word 2003? Is this how MS really meant to upgrade Word? I wish. Honestly, how many users really like the Ribbon in Word 2007? Sure, part of the dissatisfaction is the change itself. When you get so accustomed to having tools you use everyday in a familiar place, it's disconcerting to "reach" for them and not find them. It's like my Dad and the tools on the pegboard above his workbench. If I used a tool and didn't put it back in the right place, he knew right away and became most upset. Another part of the problem, for me at least, is that I don't always understand the reasoning they used when assigning features to a particular group. I suppose their focus group liked it this way. I want a word processor (and spreadsheet and presentation program) that is totally customizable. Zoho Writer gives you the ability to show or hide groups of command icons and MS Word 2007 lets you customize the Quick Access Toolbar, but I want more control over my menu bars. Instead of a populated menu bar, I want a blank template and a group of command icons that I can drag and drop wherever they work best for me. Yes, sort of like the customizable command bar on a browser only with more tools and more flexibility. You should be able to not only locate the icons where you want them, but also change the size of ones you use most frequently - like the Shift and Enter keys on a keyboard.

Alright, enough ranting. Now I suppose someone will comment and tell me all of this is already available. But that's ok! At least my tirade will have lead to someone positive. Oh, and yes, I like Zoho Writer. I found it really easy to use and like how they made collaboration and sharing so simple. Also, I have never seen page margins expressed as percentages before, but I like the idea.

I wrote the above post using Zoho Writer and easily published it to my blog. I like that, too.

Web 2.0 Tools for All

I came upon the following post from David Pogue's blog that NLC Learning 2.0 participants might find interesting: Pogue's Posts March 27, 2008. Pogue is a technology columnist at the New York Times, and writes one of my favorite blogs (see sidebar). He explains in this post why learning about how to use Web 2.0 tools, as we are, would also be an important activity for many companies trying to connect with their customers.