Tagged: communication

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Zoom Fatigue and the Uncanny Valley

Video chat has been a concept for years. I grew up watching the Jetsons and Star Trek. I remember reading about video phones in 1990s magazines, and my phone has had the capability for...

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The Oddities of Area Codes

Area codes in the US seem pretty random. ZIP codes are organized somewhat by region, but area codes just seem to be made up of three arbitrary numbers. This is true nowadays, but there...

512 Austin Area Code 2

My Austin Area Code

People sometimes get confused when I give them my phone number. You see, I have an Austin area code, but I’ve never lived in Austin. This blows some people’s minds, even though it’s not...

Dvorak Keyboard 4

The Dvorak Keyboard

Have you ever wondered why the keys on your keyboard are arranged the way they are? Why do they start out with QWERTY instead of ABCDEF? Why aren’t the vowels grouped together? Believe it...

8-Bit Jack-in-the-Box 1

Jack of All Trades

“Jack” is the best word in the English language. It is the most versatile word we have, even more than the f-word, which is limited to R-rated conversations. The word “jack”, on the other...

Esperanto Dharma Logo 10

Fun with Esperanto

Back in my high school days, I spent a lot of time in the public library. One day I discovered an old red book that was an introduction to Esperanto. For those of you...

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Lilliput, Excel and Arabic Numerals

Our numbers are backwards. I’m talking about the Arabic Numerals we use everyday. I realized it one day while using Microsoft Excel. Type any letter into a blank spreadsheet, and it will align to...

OJ Simpson Ford Bronco Ad 4

Advertising Cliches

Sometimes advertisements have a language of their own. Some gimmicks are obvious: phrases like “sale”, “call now” and “free”. Others are more subtle. Here are some of the marketing and advertising cliches that annoy...

Dallas Skyline in Michigan Outline 7

Michigan Accent in Dallas

I’ve lived all over, but somehow I picked up a Michigan accent and never let it go. I never realized how strongly Midwestern I sounded till I moved down to Texas. The funny part...