Yearly Archives: 2006

Gay Talese’s long-awaited memoir, A Writer’s Life, comes out this week. A pioneer of the New Journalism, Talese has his roots “deep in the old-fashioned, no-nonsense ground of the newsroom, where he spent the early part of his career,” according to a NY Times preview. The author of The Kingdom and the Power and Honor […]

Lisa Belkin, in the NY Times, has more great new geek words — something we blogged about the other day. Belkin quotes Eve Fox, an electronic campaign guru in Washington, DC, who suggests a whole new language she calls ‘Blang,’ as in ‘Web language.’ “Blang is spoken by ‘Web wraiths’ — Tolkienesque creatures (i.e., most […]

Often I get emails from people asking for help with their Internet marketing. Or they’re starting a home based business and they want me to write and/or design their business card, brochure and Web site. But today I got an email from Jim, a West Point grad, former airborne infantryman, with a Bronze Star from […]

As if viewers didn’t resent commercials enough already… Phillips is working on a way to actually prevent you from changing the channel during commercial breaks, or fast-forwarding through them on programs you’ve recorded. In their patent application, the company admits that their gizmo may be “greatly resented by viewers.” Gee, you think so? If it’s […]

English is a living, breathing language, constantly adding new words to express new ideas. At least that’s what my high school Latin teacher told me. (Or was it Father Reid, my Greek teacher?) Here are some new words, coined for a Valleywag contest. I’m not sure how many you’ll be able to use in your […]

The Finnish town of Nokia, made famous by the cellphone company, is going mobile. All mobile, all the time. Sound like a giant marketing stunt? Nope. Actually, the cell phone maker moved out years ago and had no role in the town’s decision. It’s cheaper. Nokia’s municipal workers will get cellular handsets. The only landline […]

We saluted writer Anne Lamott on (OK, shortly after) her birthday recently. Today the author of Bird by Bird was a guest on Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me, the very funny NPR news quiz. Hear it here. Another tip of the writer’s hat to William Zinsser, author of the classic, On Writing Well. Next month […]