March 20, 2008

  • What was your first job?

    I was a newspaper boy for the Washington Post growing up. I'd read the front page of the paper every day. Then after I finished my route, I'd go home and read the rest of the paper. I developed a love of the news, and a desire to work in media. That newspaper route paid for my pocket money and my first car...

    I also competed in piano competitions on weekends. If you divide my earnings by the hours I spent practicing, then maybe I made minimum wage (probably not).   

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

March 18, 2008

March 17, 2008

March 14, 2008

March 10, 2008

  • Online Status

    Some of you are commenting on my site and asking about Online Status.  There's not much I can say about it that hasn't been mentioned here last week:

    But to summarize:

    • It's totally optional
    • The optout went live last week and is located here
    • The online status only shows if you've clicked on a Xanga page while signed in in the last five minutes (not if you're signed in but not clicking around)
    • It was really easy for us to do, which is why we did it.

    By the way, anecdotal evidence suggests that leaving your online status on increases traffic to your site.  I was skeptical about this one, but now I notice my eye gravitating to people who have their online status on.  Interesting...

    Anyway just thought I'd post a link to the official post about it...  check it out if you have any questions.

March 9, 2008

  • The Wire finale... is starting!

    I can't turn my back on my heritage... I am half White after all:

    Stuff White People Like: The Wire

    Though white people have a natural aversion to television,
    there are some exceptions. For white people to like a TV show it helps
    if it is: critically acclaimed, low-rated, shown on premium cable, and available as a DVD box set.

    The latter is important so that white people can order it from
    Netflix and tell their friends “they are really into <insert
    series> and I watched ten episodes in a row in the weekend. I’m
    almost caught up.”

    If you attempt to talk about an episode they have not seen yet, they
    will scream and cover their ears. In white culture, giving away
    information about a film or TV series is considered as rude as spitting
    on your mothers grave. It is an unforgivable offense.

    Recent series that have fallen into this category include The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and most recently The Wire.

    For the past three years, whenever you say “The Wire” white people are
    required to respond by saying “it’s the best show on television.” Try
    it the next time you see a white person! Though now they might say “it
    WAS the best show on television.”

    more here:

    http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/85-the-wire/

    I've been watching this season and it's pretty great.  It may be the best show on television.  I feel so predictable...

March 5, 2008

  • Ensure

    A lot of people are telling me how I should always use ensure, and how they always use it correctly themselves.  To which I have to say... I am very skeptical!  I have seen "insure" used incorrectly dozens of times on Xanga.  I have never seen anyone use ensure correctly on Xanga, ever.  And this is someone who is obsessed with the word ensure.  So I am skeptical that all of you are as gramatically correct as you claim.  I sub to many of you, and have seen far too many they're/their/there mixups to buy everyone's infallibility!

    However, I will give you a chance to prove me wrong.  Use the word ensure correctly in comments or blog posts over the next day, and I may begin to believe.  Together, we can take back the word "insure" from the gramatically challenged and ensure that the next generation of youth know that proper grammar is always a priority!

    Thank you,
    John

March 4, 2008

  • Grammar Gone Wild

    A lot of people on my last post said that you should NEVER compromise when it comes to grammar.  Sorry guys, sometimes I waver.  Here are two examples where I don't always follow the rulebook:

    • Whom versus Who - I know I should use this more often... but I definitely mix and match my whom usage to the crowd that I'm with.  If it's an upper class crowd, I'll throw in a casual whom as appropriate.  If it's not, I'll abandon whom faster than you can say, "For whom the bell tolls."
    • Nauseated versus Nauseous - Here's the official word: "Many people say, when sick to their stomachs, that they feel “nauseous” but traditionalists insist that this word should be used to describe something that makes you want to throw up: something nauseating. They hear you as saying that you make people want to vomit, and it tempers their sympathy for your plight. Better to say you are “nauseated,” or simply that you feel like throwing up."

    I pretty much refuse to say, "I feel nauseated." I will just avoid the word and say something eloquent like, "I think I'm gonna puke."

    Do you ever find yourself knowingly using the wrong grammar... or just avoiding a word alltogether?

  • Insure versus Ensure

    I found this explanation online:

    Insuring is the business of an insurance company, i.e.,
    setting aside resources in case of a loss. Ensure means
    make sure, as in "Ensure that this is done by
    Monday."

    The problem is, nobody uses ensure in this way.  Everyone just uses "insure" for both cases.  And now  "Ensure" is a brand for adult diapers... so there's even less incentive to use ensure. (Update: it's actually not a brand of adult diapers... it's a line of nutritional shakes).

    Should I just give up, and use insure even when I know ensure is the right word to use?  Or should I stand tall and fight back for the forces of good grammar, and use ensure whenever the occasion calls for it?

  • American Alien

    Hey please go say hello to Fred Durst... it's been a while, but he's blogging again on Xanga: