Everyone loves arguing about which type of computer is better, Mac or PC, but now that Bill Gates has patents on a weather modification system (Hurricane-calming technology? Bill Gates has a plan), which computer giant would produce the best weather modification system?
I took a look at the very topic on cloudyandcool.com, with a post called Mac Versus PC–Weather Domination Category.
–Paul
Anytime I hear Quicksilver President and CEO Bob McNight say “A tsunami in surfing is a thrilling prospect, but the tsunami in business is terrifying” in an advertisement, I am shocked that something so stupid and insensitive is used as a commercial.
One of the best ways to be dismissed is to communicate in such an outrageous manner.
The 2004 tsunami killed nearly 300,000 people and displaced (meaning destroyed their homes) well over 1,000,000 others, and the president and CEO of a major company apparently thinks a day like that would be a thrilling day for surfing. What would be an exciting day to ski–the day that the entire mountain of snow falls in a huge avalanche that destroys the town? What would be a wonderful day for golf–the day that a tornado with 200-plus mph wind destroys the course?
Either Mr. McKnight knows little about the world around him (or knows nothing of recent historic events), or he is so in love with a clever line that his crack marketing staff came up with that he doesn’t care that the statement makes no sense and makes him and his company look insensitive and clueless.
–Paul
I doubt that many people who started on the career path of marketing ever dreamed of the day when they would need to promote a laxative, and it’s not exactly the type of product that’s easy to market. We know what it’s for. We know what it does. We don’t need (or like) to talk about it.
Having said that, I think that Dulcolax could have done a better job of separating their fine product from the competition other than saying that the pill is comfort coated.
I have nothing else to say on the topic–other than to say that I’m surprised that you can buy laxatives from Amazon.com.
–Paul
The rarely ever grammar goof is really just a hybrid of rarely and hardly ever, which both mean the same thing; thus, together, they create a type of redundancy.
Use either rarely OR hardly ever, not rarely ever.
I rarely ever go to the movies. (wrong)
I rarely go to the movies. (correct)
I hardly ever go to the movies. (correct)
Sherry
I always like to say that everyone has at least one pet peeve, and based on the number of comments that we’ve received on the Your Pet Peeves page, I’m obviously right!
We’ve decided to occasionally highlight some of your pet peeves, so here are about 20. Since the first 10 are from the same person, I guess it’s safe to say that many of us have more than just one pet peeve!
Language and meteorology are intertwined, of course, since communicating the forecast accurately is just about as important as getting the forecast accurate in the first place, and cliches in meteorology are as ineffective (and annoying) as they are in any other field.
For weather cliches related to the Fourth of July, read my Hot as a Firecracker for the Fourth of July post on cloudyand cool.com.
–Paul
A reader wrote to us to say that she’s heard, on several occasions, people in the media use the word unorganized when they should have used disorganized.
If something (or someONE) is a mess, thus creating a difficult situation, then it (or HE) is disorganized.
Papers that need to be filed at the county court in 10 minutes shouldn’t be flung up in the air so that they settle back down in a variety of piles on the floor and are picked up in a random fashion; that would make them disorganized (and probably get you a lot of sighing and eye-rolling from the people behind the counter at the courthouse).
If your desk has piles of old papers on top of dry pens and broken staplers, which are next to files that have some of their papers falling out of them, and you can hear your phone but you can’t actually see it, what with the computer cords and last night’s pizza box on top of them, that’s disorganized (not to mention a possible health violation).
If you can never find anything in your purse and always end up getting drenched while you’re looking for your keys on your rainy doorstep, then your purse is disorganized (and you’re giving women a bad name).
Unorganized denotes more of a neutrality, that is, things just aren’t in a particular kind of order. Disorganized denotes an utter, annoying, time-consuming, embarrassing mess.
Sherry
I recently wrote a post about the expanding usage of google it (Googled It on Youtube), but now Yellowbook is actively trying to turn the name of its company into a verb by suggesting that people should yellowbook it when online.
I understand why the Yellowbook marketing team suggested this promotion. Yellowbook is often thought of as just a phone book, and they want to develop a stronger online presence. What better way to do that than to draw a parallel to Google–good call.
What I find ironic is that Google doesn’t–the last time I did research, at least–want to have their name turned into a verb since common words can’t be copyrighted. They, not surprisingly, want to hold on to their copyright. Meanwhile, Yellowbook is actively pursuing a transition into verb-ville.
–Paul
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. I actually heard someone say “I googled it on Youtube.”
Google, of course, is a search engine, not a verb. If it were a verb, it would most likely mean to search for something on the Google search engine. It would not logically mean to search for something on the Internet since myriad search engines exist, all of which are as deserving as Google to be turned into verbs.
I know. I know. Plenty of people who use yahoo google it rather than yahoo it, which doesn’t make any sense, but at least it’s the same concept–an Internet search.
If you’re someone who thinks that usage equals acceptance in language (and therefore believes that any noun that’s used as a verb instantly becomes a verb), then why would you google it on youtube instead of just youtubing it?
This is a good example of why some people prefer that traditional rules be followed. It’s actually simpler than sorting through arbitrary standards. Or, should I say It’s actually simpler than arbitrarying it?
–Paul
While you’ll most likely hear both the number of tornadoes and the number of reports of tornadoes in the media this weekend, these terms are not synonymous. Rather than go into that explanation here, I’ll refer you to the literally, the best weather blog ever (ha!)–mine.
The specific post on cloudyandcool.com is called Tornadoes and Reports of Tornadoes.
–Paul
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