"If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn."Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Robert Southey: be brief
"If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn."
The benefit of business buzzwords
From Mark Jaffe at BNET:
"Business has to keep moving if it wants to look sharp, and often that’s accompanied by a fresh outbreak of buzzwords.
"Principle-centered leaders will go the extra mile, drilling down to the potential synergies between customer needs and brand touch points. While this strategy empowers a nimble few to ramp up, stay ahead of the curve and validate best practices within their networks, it also wrongsizes scalable mindshare due to the sheer volume of mission-critical heavy lifting. Not to mention the blocking and tackling. Correct me if I’m wrong — but at the end of the day, it’s like herding cats!
"Did you have difficulty following that? Good. Now let’s get back inside the box for a moment.
"Success in business is defined by growth and change. It’s not that complicated, really, yet the contribution of each era quickly defaults to the jargon it creates, the verbal illusion that we’re the ones who will finally cut the crap and revolutionize the economy. The old lexicon would serve admirably if, once in a while, someone had a new idea or two. If not, maybe bandaging old ideas with new words will suffice.
"Imagine you just wrapped up that expensive Harvard MBA and wangled an interview with the marketing department at General Mills. You tell them…what, exactly? That if they hire you, Cheerios will continue to be a top consumer brand? No, that won’t do it. You’re going to need Advanced Terminology.
" Try this: 'As we initiate pushback on the paradigm shift and gain traction – you know, actionable leverage — by examining gap analysis data on the more seamless core competencies at our centers of excellence, it’s possible to take this to the next level of penetration without having to circle back on predictable low-hanging fruit. In other words, we can bring value-add to the table and capture a win-win solution so long as we stay on the same page and keep everyone in the loop regarding margin factor learnings for deliverables. That’s our takeaway, net-net.'"
"Business has to keep moving if it wants to look sharp, and often that’s accompanied by a fresh outbreak of buzzwords.
"Principle-centered leaders will go the extra mile, drilling down to the potential synergies between customer needs and brand touch points. While this strategy empowers a nimble few to ramp up, stay ahead of the curve and validate best practices within their networks, it also wrongsizes scalable mindshare due to the sheer volume of mission-critical heavy lifting. Not to mention the blocking and tackling. Correct me if I’m wrong — but at the end of the day, it’s like herding cats!
"Did you have difficulty following that? Good. Now let’s get back inside the box for a moment.
"Success in business is defined by growth and change. It’s not that complicated, really, yet the contribution of each era quickly defaults to the jargon it creates, the verbal illusion that we’re the ones who will finally cut the crap and revolutionize the economy. The old lexicon would serve admirably if, once in a while, someone had a new idea or two. If not, maybe bandaging old ideas with new words will suffice.
"Imagine you just wrapped up that expensive Harvard MBA and wangled an interview with the marketing department at General Mills. You tell them…what, exactly? That if they hire you, Cheerios will continue to be a top consumer brand? No, that won’t do it. You’re going to need Advanced Terminology.
" Try this: 'As we initiate pushback on the paradigm shift and gain traction – you know, actionable leverage — by examining gap analysis data on the more seamless core competencies at our centers of excellence, it’s possible to take this to the next level of penetration without having to circle back on predictable low-hanging fruit. In other words, we can bring value-add to the table and capture a win-win solution so long as we stay on the same page and keep everyone in the loop regarding margin factor learnings for deliverables. That’s our takeaway, net-net.'"
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Maybe you should use the "sh"
shibboleth / SHIB-uh-luth / noun
For example: “Taxpayers beware: Don't buy into the shibboleth that more money automatically translates into better schools.” (Press Journal [Vero Beach, FL], July 27, 2003)1 : catchword, slogan2 : a widely held belief or truism3 : a custom or usage regarded as distinctive of a particular group
The Bible's Book of Judges (12:4-6) tells the story of the Ephraimites, who, after they were routed by the Gileadite army, tried to retreat by sneaking across a ford of the Jordan River that was held by their enemy. The Gileadites, wary of the ploy, asked every soldier who tried to cross if he was an Ephraimite. When the soldier said "no," he was asked to say "shibboleth"(which means "stream" in Hebrew). Gileadites pronounced the word "shibboleth," but Ephramites said "sibboleth." Anyone who left out the initial "sh" was killed on the spot. When English speakers first borrowed "shibboleth," they used it to mean "test phrase," but it has acquired additional meanings since that time.
Henry Ward Beecher: reaching someone
Thursday, April 22, 2010
No heterography here
Here, from Dr. Goodword, is a word about words.
heterography / he-têr-ah-grê-fi / noun
The spelling system of a language is its orthography, Greek for "correct or true writing". The trueness of writing systems varies greatly and English orthography is dismally heterograpic, to use the adjective for heterography. Be sure to reassure your children, as they learn how to spell English words, that their difficulty is not their fault.
Heterographically speaking, in other words, English is a world leader. Many nations periodically introduce spelling reforms that update the spelling systems of their languages: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Portugal, and Brazil have been adjusting the spelling in their languages at the turn of the 21st century. English, however, is spoken by large populations in several different countries (Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, the US, and South Africa), so agreement on any change is highly unlikely.
History: Heterography is a fairly recent combining of heteros "different, the other of two" + graph- "write" + ia, a noun suffix. The root graph- has a fascinating family history. The patriarch of this family is PIE *gerbh- "to scratch". In the Germanic languages it underwent metathesis, switching the position of the [e] and the [r], leading to English crab, a beast that can deliver an excellent scratch. As the rules of scratching were honed into languages, the same stem produced the stem of grammar.
heterography / he-têr-ah-grê-fi / noun
1. A nonphonetic or inconsistent spelling system: the use of the same letter to convey different sounds (as the C in city and candy) or different letters to express the same sound, as spelling the sound [s] C in city and S in sea.Look out, here comes another big word. The good doctor:
2. An aberrant or unusual spelling, as m-i-l-c-h for milk or l-y-t-h-e for lithe.
The spelling system of a language is its orthography, Greek for "correct or true writing". The trueness of writing systems varies greatly and English orthography is dismally heterograpic, to use the adjective for heterography. Be sure to reassure your children, as they learn how to spell English words, that their difficulty is not their fault.
Heterographically speaking, in other words, English is a world leader. Many nations periodically introduce spelling reforms that update the spelling systems of their languages: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Portugal, and Brazil have been adjusting the spelling in their languages at the turn of the 21st century. English, however, is spoken by large populations in several different countries (Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, the US, and South Africa), so agreement on any change is highly unlikely.
History: Heterography is a fairly recent combining of heteros "different, the other of two" + graph- "write" + ia, a noun suffix. The root graph- has a fascinating family history. The patriarch of this family is PIE *gerbh- "to scratch". In the Germanic languages it underwent metathesis, switching the position of the [e] and the [r], leading to English crab, a beast that can deliver an excellent scratch. As the rules of scratching were honed into languages, the same stem produced the stem of grammar.
Communicating with your idiot boss
Scott Herrick at Cube Rules, a job-advice blog, points out three mistakes we all make when reporting in to that lump in the corner office.
Explaining your entire thought process without a decision request
Remember the writing rule that says the first sentence of your paragraph should explain what is coming in the rest of the paragraph? Same situation here. Managers are used to making decisions, so tell your manager up front what you are requesting. Once you say what you are expecting, you can then go through the reasons why and your supervisor will know where you are headed. The longer it takes for you to put out your request, the more your supervisor will try and figure out what you want instead of listening to what you are saying.
Failing to prototype your work
Ever had your supervisor give you a small project with a due date out a couple of weeks? How many times have you taken that project, thought you understood the deliverable, then presented your work on the due date and were told it was all wrong?It happens all the time. The higher up you go in the organization, the more likely it is to happen — because no one wants to bother the mucky-muck, but to deliver.
When you get a project, take one point and follow it through to the end. Then, after completing this in a couple of days — about 5-10% of the total project, show your work to your manager. Now you will discover all the hidden requirements your manager assumed you knew when you said yes to the project. Now you will find the right level of detail. Now you will find if you are writing for the right audience. Now you will find if you are using the right delivery tool for the work.
Providing activities in status reports instead of accomplishments
In bigger corporations, status reports are common. Most managers don’t tell you what they want in them or, if they do, they focus on activities, not accomplishments. Don’t fall for this trap.Your accomplishments are your results that can get included in your performance review. Or your resume. Your accomplishments become the stories you tell your hiring manager for your next gig. Even if your manager wants to know that you attended twenty meetings last week, put in the twenty meetings but also include what you accomplished as a result of the meetings.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
How long should your resume be?
About as long as a rope. That's an old joke, but I'm an old guy.
Jeff Hunter at glassdoor.com, a job site, offers this advice after surveying recruiters and HR types: "There is no single correct answer. But remember that the longer you go, the greater the chance of boring the reader."
And he offers these tips on getting it right:
Jeff Hunter at glassdoor.com, a job site, offers this advice after surveying recruiters and HR types: "There is no single correct answer. But remember that the longer you go, the greater the chance of boring the reader."
And he offers these tips on getting it right:
1. Make sure your resume clearly and succinctly communicates your achievements. Avoid resume "filler"--vague language that doesn't precisely explain a skill or an accomplishment. According to Rusty Rueff, Glassdoor career and workplace expert, you should try to tie each thing in your work history to a measurable result you achieved.
2. Evaluate whether an achievement is best highlighted in your resume, in an interview, or perhaps in your cover letter. Rueff says, "The resume is an outline, or a storyboard of you. It tells a story of continued achievement and growth. Storyboards hit the high points; the interview is when you can introduce dialogue, drama, the overcoming of barriers, and so on."
3. Consider whether a long-ago job best supports your qualification for a job you're after today. For example, a valuable experience waiting tables at one of the busiest restaurants in your town may have taught you how to multitask, but does that job readily speak to why you would make a great software engineer at Oracle?
4. Look at the format of your resume with fresh eyes and consider whether a brief paragraph or five to seven bullets would more easily express what you managed to do in your last few jobs. Rueff explains, "Consider your audience. For example, if you're applying for a job that will require a lot of writing, consider developing a two- or three-sentence paragraph for each job that gives a hint of your writing skills. However, if you're in a technical field, brief bullets may best showcase your experience. The bottom line is that whether you bullet-point your achievements or offer more color in a paragraph format, everything should be tied to a result and tell a mini-story within the bigger career story of you."
5. Avoid cliffhangers or one-liners that extend your resume to a second or third page. Often that last hanger line will either be ignored or simply have the potential employer asking, "Why didn't they clean that up?!'
6. And last but not least, if you're concerned about resume length even after running through each of these considerations, do notshrink the font size to something barely readable. Recruiters, hiring managers, and others who can help get you a job want to actually read your resume, so don't make doing so difficult. While there is no rule of thumb when it comes to the overall length, one to two pages is still the average.
Is this blog the archetype of blogs?
Your call.
archetype / AHR-kih-type / noun
the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : prototype; also : a perfect example
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"A redeveloped Tonsley Park will be an archetype of the new economy … an economy that is knowledge-based, environmentally sustainable and responsive to climate change." (Brian Cunningham, The [Australia] Advertiser, February 9, 2010)
History: Archetype derives via Latin from the Greek adjective "archetypos" ("archetypal"), formed from the verb "archein" ("to begin" or "to rule") and the noun "typos" ("type"). ("Archein" also gave us the prefix "arch-," meaning "principal" or "extreme" and used to form such words as "archenemy," "archduke," and "archconservative.")
Archetype has specific uses in the fields of philosophy and psychology. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, for example, believed that all things have ideal forms (aka archetypes) of which real things are merely shadows or copies. And in the psychology of C. G. Jung, "archetype" refers to an inherited idea or mode of thought that is present in the unconscious of the individual. In everyday prose, however, "archetype" is most commonly used to mean "a perfect example of something."
-- Merriam-Webster
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Get your dharma here
dharma / dah(r)-mê / noun
How to talk zen:
Dr. Goodword writes that dharma is related to another word you are probably familiar with: karma "fate". According to the teachings of Hinduism, if you carry out your dharmic duties, you will receive good karma, perhaps even reach nirvana, the ultimate state of peace and wisdom.
You may remember Jack Kerouac's second novel, The Dharma Bums, about a young man, probably Kerouac himself, seeking dharma, as in his first novel, on the road. When you have a day that you feel good about, you are probably aligned with dharma. Then, of course, there was the US television series, Dharma and Greg, about the daughter of hippies who, no doubt, read Kerouac. But I am sure we have all had days like this: "Everything has gone wrong today; I seem out of key with dharma."
History: Dharma is Sanskrit dharmah "law, way", an Eastern Indo-European descendant of ancient *dher- "to hold firmly, support". This word is akin to dharna, a Hindu form of fasting on the doorstep of someone who owes you money in order to pressure them to pay up. The same root came to Latin in the form of both firmus "firm, strong" and fortis "strong", roots that appear in our words firm, firmament, affirm, fort, among others. In Russian it emerged as derzhat' "to hold" and in Greek it became thronos "seat, throne" from which we borrowed (Surprise!) throne.
1. [Hinduism & Buddhism] The divine principles of the universe.Dr. Goodword: Dharma was lifted whole from Sanskrit and incorporated into English where it begat one derivative: an adjective dharmic.
2. [Hinduism] Consciousness of being a part of the universe and the fulfillment of the moral and social duties of your station in life.
3. [Buddhism] The body of teachings expounded by Buddha.
How to talk zen:
Dr. Goodword writes that dharma is related to another word you are probably familiar with: karma "fate". According to the teachings of Hinduism, if you carry out your dharmic duties, you will receive good karma, perhaps even reach nirvana, the ultimate state of peace and wisdom.
You may remember Jack Kerouac's second novel, The Dharma Bums, about a young man, probably Kerouac himself, seeking dharma, as in his first novel, on the road. When you have a day that you feel good about, you are probably aligned with dharma. Then, of course, there was the US television series, Dharma and Greg, about the daughter of hippies who, no doubt, read Kerouac. But I am sure we have all had days like this: "Everything has gone wrong today; I seem out of key with dharma."
History: Dharma is Sanskrit dharmah "law, way", an Eastern Indo-European descendant of ancient *dher- "to hold firmly, support". This word is akin to dharna, a Hindu form of fasting on the doorstep of someone who owes you money in order to pressure them to pay up. The same root came to Latin in the form of both firmus "firm, strong" and fortis "strong", roots that appear in our words firm, firmament, affirm, fort, among others. In Russian it emerged as derzhat' "to hold" and in Greek it became thronos "seat, throne" from which we borrowed (Surprise!) throne.
A love of quotations
"I love spending time going through my various “Quotations” books. I have Bartlett’s, of course, and many others, some from the popular culture, some from politics, some from business and so forth. I have always wished to be better-educated than I am, and I find the “quote” books to be an expeditious way of familiarizing myself with the thoughts of writers, philosophers, thinkers; often reading a provocative quote from a writer will be the springboard for a brief obsession – a flirtatious and giddy mental love affair that sends me skipping down a new neighborhood, on my way to Worship, which is “home”.
"I recall finding this from Voltaire: “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong,” and thinking, “ah…a kindred spirit!” only to find myself at odds with him about a great many things, and yet I did love romping through his fields and playing in the shady arbor of his prolific writings."
"I recall finding this from Voltaire: “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong,” and thinking, “ah…a kindred spirit!” only to find myself at odds with him about a great many things, and yet I did love romping through his fields and playing in the shady arbor of his prolific writings."
Friday, April 16, 2010
This blog is a phantasmagoria
phantasmagoria / fan-taz-muh-GOR-ee-uh / noun
-- Edmund Wilson, The Dead Sea Scrolls: 1947-1969
David Nixon created this version of the fairy tale -- a phantasmagoria of grim goblins, dancing cushions, flying fish and magical mirrors -- for his former company, BalletMet Columbus, in 1997.
-- Stephanie Ferguson, "Beauty and the Beast", The Guardian, January 6, 2003
History: Phantasmagoria is from French phantasmagorie, from phantasme, "phantasm" (from Greek, from phantazein, "to make visible," from phantos, "visible," from phainein, "to show") + -agorie, perhaps from Greek agora, "assembly."
1. A shifting series or succession of things seen or imagined, as in a dream.The new writings more and more take the form of apocalypses -- that is, of supernatural visions which reveal past, present and future under the guise of a phantasmagoria of symbolic persons and animals, divine and diabolical beings, celestial and infernal phenomena.
2. Any constantly changing scene.
-- Edmund Wilson, The Dead Sea Scrolls: 1947-1969
David Nixon created this version of the fairy tale -- a phantasmagoria of grim goblins, dancing cushions, flying fish and magical mirrors -- for his former company, BalletMet Columbus, in 1997.
-- Stephanie Ferguson, "Beauty and the Beast", The Guardian, January 6, 2003
History: Phantasmagoria is from French phantasmagorie, from phantasme, "phantasm" (from Greek, from phantazein, "to make visible," from phantos, "visible," from phainein, "to show") + -agorie, perhaps from Greek agora, "assembly."
-- Dictionary.com
With apologies, pun intended
Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking...
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before....
Practice safe eating - always use condiments....
Shotgun wedding - A case of wife or death....
A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy....
A hangover is the wrath of grapes....
Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play....
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?...
Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion....
Reading while sunbathing makes you well red....
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I....
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired....
What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead give away.)...
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana....
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes...
She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off....
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion....
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed...
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress....
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered...
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it....
Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under....
Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under....
Every calendar's days are numbered....
A lot of money is tainted - It taint yours and it taint mine....
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat...
He had a photographic memory that was never developed....
A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large....
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall....
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.....
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses....
Acupuncture is a jab well done.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.
(Thanks, Lainey, I think)
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