Amen

Sometimes I wish I could write better. But when someone else says it better, why waste the energy.

Some Perspective on Privacy, by David Pogue.

And Again

I just attempted reading an article that had so many errors in it that I couldn't finish. I think it is the same company I mentioned earlier. I have never been impressed with the content when they do get it correct, but the typos are just plain annoying. I guess I won't be reading their articles anymore : (

Photo Friday - Masterpiece

Every Friday I anticipate the email from Photo Friday announcing the challenge for the week. I have never submitted a photo before, but I enjoy browsing the photos of others.

After discovering the challenge each week, I like to anticipate the kind of photos that others will submit. Sometimes I can guess pretty well what to expect. Sometimes I cannot. Almost always there are many who submit photos of flowers. Somehow flowers always relate to the challenge. This Friday was different.

The challenge for today is 'Masterpiece.' I immediately expected to see the traditional classic works of art, the Mona Lisa, David, etc. As I browsed the photos, there were many of those 'masterpieces.' There were also many buildings. One by one I began to notice that most of the submissions were photos of man-made items. I shouldn't have been surprised. I actually expected it. However, I realized the greatest 'masterpiece' of them all was missing, God's greatest creation.

So today, I make my first submission to Photo Friday. Enjoy.

Keep It Simple

I know there are many techno gagdet geeks out there that love a complicated piece of machinery that will do a million and one things. Heck, I'm one of them. I want that new DVD recorder that reads and writes every format known to man. But, have you ever noticed that the simple things in life usually bring the greatest reward?

I was reading a blog post (Presentation Remotes, by Eric A. Meyer) this morning about a remote control for PowerPoint presentations. The speaker had gotten himself a fancy programable remote for his upcoming presentation. He found that it worked miserably (and sometimes not at all) and ended up not using it. At another presentation he borrowed someone else's remote. It was very simple, just a couple of buttons and a laser pointer. And that is what made it so great.

Have you ever been around a toddler at Christmas time or a birthday party? They will get the coolest toys on the market at the time, but what is it they end up playing with the most? Yep, that's right, the box it came in.

And it doesn't only work for machines. It works with people too. Has your day ever been brightened by someone's smile? How do you feel when you hear a heart felt 'thank you' from someone? Think about someone you admire and know personally. What is it about them that draws you to them? I would venture to guess it is the little things, a smile on their face, common courtesy, genuine concern for your well being, etc.

So, make a commitment today to brighten someone's day. Call an old friend just to say 'hi.' Write a love note to your spouse. Tell your kids about how great they are. Bake cookies for your neighbor. But, please don't waste too much time: Bubble Wrap

I Wept

Hi Mom, by L. Jeffrey Zeldman

This article just popped up in my news reader.

My mother has Alzheimer's.

The Written Word

I just finished reading a "blog post" on a corporate website. Actually, I didn't finish reading it. There were so many typos, grammatical errors, missing words, etc. that I never made it to the end. I couldn't believe all the mistakes. The author was trying to share some of his knowledge about a subject that I was interested in. But because of all of the mistakes I began to question his credibility. And then I thought of his customers. What would they think if they were to read the article. Was his work just as sloppy as the post?

I tried very delicately to bring up the subject in an email to the author. I didn't want to sound so negative about it but I thought he should know. If I had done the same thing on my business website I would want someone to point it out. Whether we like it or not we are judged by the things we write. Business websites are particulary sensitive. Our customers will be judging us by what they see. There is no place for such blatant mistakes on a business website.

Some of you might argue that "blog posts" have different rules. And I would agree, if it wasn't a business website. This is an author that is trying to build his company by sharing his knowledge. He is attempting to show everyone that he knows his material. Unfortunately, the mistakes get in the way.

Misplaced Headings

I saw this ad on www.msn.com this morning. Is it me, or does Jodie Foster look like she has a five o'clock shadow?

I know you movie fans out there are saying, "no she doesn't." But I am talking about the names above the pictures. The first picture has Denzel Washington above it. Yep, got it right. The next picture (Jodie) has Clive Owen above it. Nope! And the last picture (Clive) has Jodie Foster above it. Again, it's wrong.

I see this sort of thing all the time in newspapers. Publishers are trying hard to use every inch of the page possible and a picture from one story ends up next to a headline of another. It makes for some funny headlines.

Are You Stupid?

I'm not sure this proves anything.