Thursday, January 18, 2007

Why one needs punctuation...

This photo doesn't need a caption, does it?

This photo was taken near work this morning. I think there's a need for punctuation. Even a little bit. (Click photo to enlarge it)

  • Are these guys "danger men" - and if so, what does this mean?

  • Is it a warning that men are working in the building?

  • Is there some other interpretation?


    We need clarification!





Today's Quote
I got a business card, 'cause I want to win some lunches. That's what my business card says: Mitch Hedberg, potential lunch winner.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Moot moot moot moot moot [and repeat]

I can't find the moot button.

Welcome to 2007 - a year of error-free grammar.

Sitting in a meeting, yawning, and then discussion went onto a topic that eventually turned out to be futile, unnecessary, otiose, avoidable... you get the drift. I understood that further discussion was a waste of time, but when told that it was a "mute point" I kinda had to hide my wry grin (or was it a rye grin?).

I guess a "mute point" has some nexus to a "moot point" - and not that it just has a similar sound. However, just like the mute button on a tv remote control, I believe a mute point is one that is silent, rather than unnecessary.

At law school the notion of a moot was similar to that 7½ floor where John Malkovich spoke, "Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich..." To win a moot, one would merely need to stand up before your counterpart and the judge (be it one at a bench or otherwise) and repeat the word "moot" until you either won or lost. It was hardly a contest of intellect.

This mute/moot error has a more profound issue: people think they know things when actually they don't (not that it surprises me - see my overheard posting for more info). If I had a €1 for every time I've heard highfalutin lexicon incorrectly used - depending on the currency conversion - I'd have more than £400, from 2006 alone.

Why do people aspire to sound different?
Whom is asking that? and other such phrases are simply wrong and make you sound stoopid.

Demetri Martin says:
I went into a clothes store and a lady came up to me and said "if you need anything, I'm Jill". I've never met anyone with a conditional identity before.

The scary thing is that happens to me, but when you try to ask what they mean, they have no clue. I'm not even going to venture down the myself route in the posting, or the fact that I have overheard an interesting fact that margarine increases your cholesteroil.

I hope you have an enjoyable 2007 and may it be peppered with a paucity of errors - the like of which could make it to this blog.


Bonne année

Here's a bit of a game to start the year, it's called YAPSI.


Le quote
Italy invented fascism. Mussolini in 1922 said "Right, we're all fascists", but most Italian people are always on scooters, going, "Ciao!" - Eddie Izzard


Sunset over Manly - Boxing Day 2006