The Random Nouns: SXSW Bands
This post originally appeared at Catch This. The fabulous South by Southwest festival is currently rocking Austin with truckloads of entertainment. Over the years it has expanded to include film …
Care For Some Puffed Mice?: #AwfulCereal Meme on Twitter
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Yesterday on Twitter someone started a meme called #AwfulCereal. The point was not, as many people mistakenly thought, to post the name of …
Have Cowl, Will Travel Around the World: Batman Incorporated (Part 2)
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. In my last blog, I looked at how Batman is known globally in comics. With plans in the current DC storyline to have …
Dagnabbit is not an adjective: Progressive fails on language use
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Today’s lesson is about language use, and more specifically, how to use a swear word correctly. I am usually a fan of Progressive’s …
Have Cowl, Will Travel Around the World: Batman Incorporated (Part 1)
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. Yes, I read comics. (I just wanted to get that out of the way before the eye-rolling and snorting starts.) For those of …
Ometers and Scopes: Serious Lab Device Names in Psychic Research
This post originally appeared at Catch This. I’ve been reading Mary Roach’s Spook – great book, highly recommend, would do business again A++! – and I just came across this …
Linguistics in the Working World: Interview with Laurel Sutton
This post originally appeared at Catch This. The fine folks that are the Masters in Language and Communication (MLC) Program at Georgetown University interviewed me for their blog. Mostly we …
Brand Vigilante: Someone Stole My Name on Twitter
This post originally appeared at Fast Company. Do you have a Google alert set on your name? If you’re reading this—that is, if you’re a clued-in business type who understands …
I Cannot Lie: Levi’s and Old Navy Got Back
This post originally appeared at Fast Company. Let me start this blog with a gratuitously sexy play on words: In apparel marketing, asses are hot right now. Lacking any actual …
Damp Squids or Swell Foops?: Top 10 Misquoted Phrases in Britain
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Until I saw this episode of the IT Crowd, I don’t think I’d ever heard the expression damp squid: As the judge helpfully …