Remember when type mattered?

If you know the difference between serif and sans-serif typefaces, you'll probably get a kick out of watching this Font Conference.

Simple English is anything but

You can't rely on spell checkers to catch every misstake--I mean, mistake. How many times have you written "to" for too (or two). It can be hard to remember all those spelling rules and lists you learned in school...so every now and then I'll peak (I mean "peek") at sites like these:

• The 100 Most Misspelled Words in English
• Common Errors in English

And, just for fun:

• The 100 Most Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English
• BuzzWhack, to de-mystify buzzwords
• Cliché Site, for explanations of clichés, euphemisms, and figures of speech
• Word Navigator, for help with word puzzles and crosswords
  

Bad news writ worse

I don’t know which is worse: the current state of the economy, or the dire news stories that keep everyone on the brink of nausea.

Can you even remember a time when reporters didn’t spout words like toxic assets, credit crunch, retail shakeout, housing bust, holiday slump, investment scandal, recession, depression. It’s like an obsession, which makes it harder for everyone to sort through the drama to determine the facts.

There’s more than enough bad news to go around these days, but it seems today’s journalistic smash-up—mixing straight news with emotionally charged language—only contributes to the nation’s unease. And it creates the potential to become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

It’s enough to make me wonder how much of our downward spiral can be attributed to doom-and-gloom reporting. What we need instead is perspective.

Consider this: A BusinessWeek story, “Retail Reckoning,” warns about a big shakeout for retailers because there “are just too many stores.” “Rampant discounting may yet save this year’s Christmas shopping season from utter disaster, but retailers are still expecting the slowest holiday sales since the 1990-91 recession…and what comes after Christmas is likely to be even more frightening.”

This story ran in the magazine’s December 10 issue—in 2001.

So…déjà vu all over again. And that’s reason enough to remain hopeful, despite the hysteria. Everything goes in cycles, which means there are ups and downs. Right now, we may be in a deep trough, but things will come around again. They always do. It’s just a matter of time.

Animal passion

It takes a strong stomach to read or watch the news these days. My brother says the value of his 401(k) has fallen so much, it’s now a 201(k). As depressing as the economy has been, there’s one easy way to fight the blues. Think “pet.” Researchers have found that pet ownership has positive physical and mental health benefits—to which I say, “Duh.”

If you don’t have a pet of your own, or even if you do, these sites will put a smile on your face:

• The Mean Kitty Channel on YouTube...starting with The Mean Kitty Song.
• Stuff on My Cat...scroll down for cute pics and then follow the links.
• Snowball the cockatoo dances up a storm on YouTube.
• Penguin Swing isn't really pet related, but it is about animals and it does make me laugh. This game is one of the best time-wasters ever.

So take a break from all the gloom and doom and have yourself some fun. It doesn't cost a cent...and the stress-relief is priceless.