Beyond the Rhetoric

“The assumption is that if choice is good, more choice is better. That’s not necessarily true.” As a consumer, I value my ability to choose. If I don’t like product A, but I need something with similar functionality, I can consider buying product B instead. If I do not agree with one politician, I can [...]

I was watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night and his guest that evening was author David Sedaris. He was there to promote his new book, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary. It’s a strange little collection of short stories where animals are placed in very human situations. For instance, the squirrel-chipmunk pair [...]

When words sound quite similar, it is very easy to get them confused. I see it all the time with word pairs like “compliment” and “complement.” A single letter can drastically change the meaning. The same thing happens with “solicit” and “elicit” (and to a lesser extent, “illicit”). A great number of people, including professional [...]

Most months, I try my best to dedicate at least one post a month to the top thinkers on this site. These are the wonderful people who come by to share their comments, adding to the discussion and providing their insight. For that, I am very thankful. For the month of October 2010, I see [...]

Last month, I wrote about the 7 freelance clients you want to avoid. Thankfully, there are plenty of clients out there that are much more appealing, whether you’re involved in freelance writing, freelance web design, or any number of other disciplines. Part of the key, however, is getting past some of the initial impressions you [...]