Various and Sundry Writing

The Judicious Use of the Word that Rhymes with ‘Duck’

Many a creative doesn’t want to wear the business hat. I know, that’s me too a lot of days. But it helps to be confident in wearing the hat when it’s needed and when to bring in the hired gun (e.g., a lawyer) for the right situations. A legal eagle I use, Seth Polansky, posted this in a thread related to a particularly ridiculous film festival. I’ve seen it before, but in a sense, this about-40-minute…

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Various and Sundry Writing

But People Don’t Still Ban Books, Do They?

Continuing Banned Book Week, Ron Charles and his editor conspired to give Ron’s essay the incendiary title “Do we really still need Banned Books Week?” In fact, he even starts giving you umbrage fuel in the first paragraph, but then he talks to the people who and whaddya know? Yup. People will be people and some people will always think that your dainty mind needs protection (see also, Monday’s post).  

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Various and Sundry Writing

So Many Banned Books, So Little Time…

As friends know on social media, I’m a big fan of Banned Book Week that occurs every Fall. Given that people continue to challenge books and, really, are only looking out for you, whomever you might be, I find it a good tradition to continue. Several members of my family are or were librarians — and I well remember challenges to books growing up from parents who were worried our dainty minds would be perverted…

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Various and Sundry

Pushing Your Buttons… or Just Taking Them Away

Okay, so I implied on Wednesday that I try and help people work smarter, not harder… because working on projects that go nowhere doesn’t help anyone. So imagine my umbrage when I read an article by Jacopo Prisco about all the “placebo buttons” that are out there designed to give people the illusion of control. Do you people not know conspiracy theorists will run with this?!? Of course, I have to wonder which is worse: being…

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Producing Various and Sundry

You Can’t Do it All – Enterprise Edition

We haven’t had a wonky Wednesday in a while, have we? All right, so let’s tackle something that affects businesses big and small. In fact, it affects families, too. How many times have there been “too many things” to do or deal with in a week? As it happens, I deal with project selection at work — and it makes me long for the family-based stuff. Why? The number of players involved in “what to…

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