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  • Rather than

    What’s the grammar rule around “rather than”.  I think we’re always supposed to use “rather than”… but I’m not sure.  Is it ever appropriate to use, “rather then”?  I don’t think so, but what do I know.

    I googled for “rather than” and got 196,000,000 results.  “Rather then” only got 4,190,000.  So “rather than” is 47x more common (according to this weak and unreliable test, but hey it’s the best I have).  So maybe I should use “rather than” 100% of the time, since I’m comparing one thing to another?

    Please confirm or reject my hypothesis.

    Thanks,
    John

  • What is the one thing that you’ll never do in life? Why?

    I will never let my wife put makeup on me.  Unless she is dying and this is her deathbed request.  Then, maybe… but probably not.   

    I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

  • Spell Check

    On the subject of bad grammar/spelling… ever since I started using Firefox, I’ve been surprised at how many spelling mistakes I make on a regular basis.  It’s kind of depressing… I thought I was better than that.  Typos never surprise me, but there are some words I just have been misspelling for years.

    For those Firefox users out there – how is your spelling stacking up to the auto browser spell check?

  • Grammar Mastery

    The other day, Marc told me I consistently misused Than and Then.  I was really embarrassed.  I immediately tried to stop using the words completely… but unfortunately, they are a key part of the English language. 

    So I did some research, and here is what I’ve learned.  “Then” has a million usages.  Ok, four of them.  Still, that’s too many for me to figure out.  But then I realized… “than” is used only in comparisons: more than, less than, greater than, better than, taller than, etc. etc.

    So if it’s a comparison, I use than.  If it’s anything else, I use then.

    I guess I am sharing this because I see a lot of people using “then” and “than” wrong in their blogs.  I’m not saying I’m better than you, but you may want to read up on these words then make sure you’re using them right.  If you study hard, then maybe one day you can be a grammar mastah like me.  I’ll drop you a line then and we can use “then” and “than” in sentences all day long.

  • More on Jessica Simpson

    Some of you expressed confusion about my earlier post about Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo – who they were, what they had done, and why you should care. 

    This article from The Onion should clear things up – it’s all part of an elaborate conspiracy:

    Jessica Simpson Completes Elaborate Plan To Destroy Cowboys’ Season

    DALLAS—Speaking to reporters she had invited into her impenetrable
    subterranean Texas lair on Monday, Jessica Simpson gloated over the
    victory she recently achieved after nearly two years of using her
    personal charms, her unique brand of cunning, and every resource at her
    disposal to meticulously plot the downfall of the Cowboys’ 2007 season.

    “Ever since I was a little girl growing up in football-obsessed
    Texas, it’s been a dream of mine to completely bring the evil, arrogant
    Cowboys organization and its boorish and cocky fans to their knees. But
    the suave and sophisticated players on that team are
    nigh-unapproachable for a nice country girl like me,” Simpson declared
    from her Throne of Thorns, situated in the surveillance room of her
    headquarters. “And then I saw Tony. Instantly I knew that he was the
    weak link, the keystone, the only one for me to exploit.”

    I knew it!   Which brings us to our Question of the Day ™: are all women evil, scheming, and manipulative?  Or is it just Jessica Simpson ©?

  • Tomorrow

    If all goes well, I believe that we’ll be making the new Subs page live tomorrow!

    Any last thoughts before we pull the pin?

  • Xanga Office Hours

    Natalia and Eugy are holding Xanga Office Hours today again, from 2-4 EST!

  • Burning Jessica at the Stake

    Can someone explain to me why Jessica Simpson is getting so slammed over this Tony Romo thing?

    I’m not one to jump on the “it’s because she’s a woman” bandwagon, but it seems like she’s being treated unfairly:

    • Tony Romo made the decision to start dating Jessica.  If she went to his game and he had a bad game… that’s his fault, not hers.
    • If they went on a vacation together during his bye week… and then he loses – that’s his decision, not hers.

    I don’t get why people are burning her at the stake over this.  I’m not her biggest fan myself, but Tony Romo is his own man.  If he makes bad decisions, it’s his fault… not anyone else’s.

  • Xanga Office Hours

    Natalia is broadcasting during Xanga office hours til 4 pm EST today!  Check it out here:

  • Tweaks to Private Home

    We are making some tweaks to the beta private home, in response to the feedback we’ve gotten so far.  There are site navigation links back along the top, and the links to add blogs are back in the top middle

    Thoughts?