I'm all for folks letting me know if I've posted something (like a story on one of my websites) that contains typos and grammatical errors and such. I am totally open for that and welcome it. I know I miss things. And I know there are people out there that have the editorial desire that bursts to come out in them. I get that too. My wife can't read our local newspaper without catching all the grammer errors that seem to creep in.
What I don't like, though, if folks who do this kind of editting on library books.
As I've mentioned, I've been reading the Robert B. Parker books pretty regularly this year and all of them have been from the library (why buy the cow when the milk is there for free?). In the past six months I've probably read more library books then I had read in the past 12 years combined. But what annoys me - and this has happened now on at least four of the 26 or so books I've checked out - is that I'll be reading along and there are striked out words, with corrections above it or in the margins or whatever.
First off, I'm not talking spelling errors. These appear to be grammer corrections. But what's worse is that they are often in character dialogue. Hello! The author decided that the character speaking may not speak correct English and therefore this improper use of grammer is a reflection on the character. It is how the character talks. Who are you to make a correction of that? Are you the author? No, I don't think so! So what gives you the right to distract the reader with your pencil or pen marks with correction? The answer is no one did.
Second, this is a library book so I expect people who check them out can read. What is taped into the front cover of every book in the library (it has been in every book I've checked out so far)? Just this:
NOTICE: According to the North Carolina General Statutes, any person who writes upon materials belonging to a public library can be found guilty of either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the value of the material (GS 14-398). PLEASE do not deface our books by writing in them!
See? The NC State is so concerned about this that they take the time to have these noticed taped into the front cover of every library book. Maybe I live in a state of rampant write-in-book criminals. Don't know. But I've hit four books that have had writing in them, and it clearly isn't the same hand (one could assume it might be - someone reading the same author as I am doing).
Argh!
Thanks for letting me get that one off my chest.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Friday, November 16, 2007
Rant: Censoring Santa
I read a story yesterday out of Syndney, Australia, that said Santas in the big city down under were being strongly urged not to use the traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it could be considered offensive. Yeah, you read that right. Santa Clause is being censored.
Give me a break! The line for political correctness has gone way too far when something like this happens. Santa Clause is a cherished icon of the Christmas holidays and is known the world-over as a bringer of joy and good cheer to the young and the young at heart. To imply that his most recognized greeting has any kind of slanderous implications towards women is ridiculous!
What's next? Will the Hostess company need to rename their chocolate treats? Will garden supply stores need to advertise certain tools under a less offensive name? Will rural western communities need to come up with another name for certain gatherings with music and dance? If we're going to censor Santa Clause, how can any of these other things be allowed to exist as is? (yes, I'm being sarcastic)
This is stupid. Enough is enough. People do not need to be protected from the different uses of similar sounding syllables. They need to get a better education. Put words and sounds into the context of their usage, and you'll see that none of this should be offensive in the slightest to anyone.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Rant: Would It Kill Them To Flush?
Okay, time for me to vent again. I'm so happy I now have a blog with which I can do so.
Sometimes, when you're out and about (at work, at the grocery store, at a restaurant, at the mall), nature calls unexpectedly and you need to use a public restroom. There is nothing worse than stepping into a vacant stall and finding out the person who last used it prior to you hasn't flushed. Notice, I left gas stations off the list because it is a rare thing that one will ever find a gas station restroom that they'll willingly use unless it is a dire emergency; hoping to find a clean stall in one of those is just asking way too much.
Now, I get that a lot of places have gone to those auto-sensor flushing toilets. You know the kind: those direct out of the Jetsons things with the little red sensors that if you move the wrong way can act like a bidet. They're really cool and great for the user to avoid having to touch one more place for germs. I like them (as long as they work and you don't have to push that little manual button when the sensor doesn't trigger - I seem to have an innate talent of finding the ones where the sensors aren't the most reliable).
But, a lot of places don't have these newer toilets. Believe me, I understand the older toilets. My grandfather was a plumber and ran his own plumbing company. The store and the warehouse had a lot of toilets - and this was back in the 70's when they were built to last. Because most places still have older toilets this is why I'm complaining.
Joe Slob needs to pay attention to his surroundings, take a look when he stands up (if he didn't look before he sat down) and realize he needs to push the button/handle/whatever and make his waste do a disappearing act. Don't leave it there for the masses to admire, moron. You aren't five years old any longer; nobody is gonna reward you for making a poopy. Flush the dang toilet!
Oh, and while I'm on this subject (like you don't want me returning to it again in the future), maybe some of these guys are listening too much to the females in their lives about putting the seat down. If you're using the stall and standing to take a leak either a) lift the seat first, b) put some concentrated effort into aiming (you've got a whole big bowl to hit there, cowboy - unlike basketball, rim shots don't count!) or c) wipe the seat when you're done.
Remember the golden rule: do unto others as you'd wish they do unto you. That and what your kindergarten teacher probably tried to school you on too: leave things in the same condition, or better, than when you found them. This simple act can go a long way, my friend, to the betterment of mankind.
I know I'd be much happier if I didn't have to run across this situation at least once a week.
Sometimes, when you're out and about (at work, at the grocery store, at a restaurant, at the mall), nature calls unexpectedly and you need to use a public restroom. There is nothing worse than stepping into a vacant stall and finding out the person who last used it prior to you hasn't flushed. Notice, I left gas stations off the list because it is a rare thing that one will ever find a gas station restroom that they'll willingly use unless it is a dire emergency; hoping to find a clean stall in one of those is just asking way too much.
Now, I get that a lot of places have gone to those auto-sensor flushing toilets. You know the kind: those direct out of the Jetsons things with the little red sensors that if you move the wrong way can act like a bidet. They're really cool and great for the user to avoid having to touch one more place for germs. I like them (as long as they work and you don't have to push that little manual button when the sensor doesn't trigger - I seem to have an innate talent of finding the ones where the sensors aren't the most reliable).
But, a lot of places don't have these newer toilets. Believe me, I understand the older toilets. My grandfather was a plumber and ran his own plumbing company. The store and the warehouse had a lot of toilets - and this was back in the 70's when they were built to last. Because most places still have older toilets this is why I'm complaining.
Joe Slob needs to pay attention to his surroundings, take a look when he stands up (if he didn't look before he sat down) and realize he needs to push the button/handle/whatever and make his waste do a disappearing act. Don't leave it there for the masses to admire, moron. You aren't five years old any longer; nobody is gonna reward you for making a poopy. Flush the dang toilet!
Oh, and while I'm on this subject (like you don't want me returning to it again in the future), maybe some of these guys are listening too much to the females in their lives about putting the seat down. If you're using the stall and standing to take a leak either a) lift the seat first, b) put some concentrated effort into aiming (you've got a whole big bowl to hit there, cowboy - unlike basketball, rim shots don't count!) or c) wipe the seat when you're done.
Remember the golden rule: do unto others as you'd wish they do unto you. That and what your kindergarten teacher probably tried to school you on too: leave things in the same condition, or better, than when you found them. This simple act can go a long way, my friend, to the betterment of mankind.
I know I'd be much happier if I didn't have to run across this situation at least once a week.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Rant: Spoilers and the Spoilees
Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to have a really long fuse regarding most things. But every now and again, something will set me off. So, when I talk about those kinds of things here in the blog, I'll be sure to note it in the title with the helpful indicator of "Rant:". When you see this, just know that I might be blowing off a little steam. Okay? Cool.
Today, I want to address the topics of Spoilers and those who like to ruin things for everyone by revealing them (said Spoilees). Spoilers are basically a revelation of key plot details in a film, book, television show, whatever that are discussed prior to the general availability of said film, book, whatever, to the majority of the public. Let me give you a couple examples.
Everyone in the world knows the final Harry Potter book is coming out at midnight on June 21st. The security around the release of the book is tighter than Fort Knox. No one is to sell the book until that time. The author is remaining tight lipped. The publisher has asked all media to not spoil the book's key plot points until readers have had an opportunity to get the book. So what happened today: two days prior to the book's official release? Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times published a review of the book and gave away critical plot details. Anyone who runs across the review, and many will since it is the New York Times, could have their reading experience marred by knowing how things end. And this reviewer isn't the only one. Dozens of Internet sites popped up early in the week, some showing full digital pictures of every "supposed" page of the book. Again, the only reasoning behind these acts is to spoil the finale for millions of readers.
On a much smaller scale, on the DC Comics Messages boards a poster by the name of 'mazingman' was posting with regularity spoiler filled reviews of key comics for the week. This poster would outline every detail of the issues, breaking it down by pages and panels. The kicker: the poster did this every Monday night/Tuesday morning but most comic sellers did not get the issues for sale until Wednesday each week. This poster easily had the inside track (either a DC employee himself, a retailer who had preview copies of the upcoming titles, or someone who knew someone with the inside track). Basically, thanks to this person, folks would be able to follow the plot lines of various titles without ever paying the money for the books. Clearly, this poster knew they were spoilers though and would mark his thread titles as such. Still, others would read those spoilers early and discuss them outside of the same thread - thus increasing the chances of unsuspecting readers of encountering the details early. Thankfully, DC Comics cracked down on this practice and initiated a new policy on their board: any spoilers prior to a book's release would be deleted and the poster would be banned from the board. Good for them!
This kind of stuff just annoys me to no end. Why do some people get-off on ruining things for others? Do they have some kind of medical disorder that prevents them from keeping a secret? I mean, okay, congrats to you for getting a hold of an early copy. Can't you wait a damn day or two to let the rest of the world get their copies too before you discuss it? Do you have no patience? Sheesh.
Now, I get that we live in an age of information - where anything that happens in one corner of the world is instantly talked about everywhere, thanks to the growth of media and the Internet. And the rationale is that there is an audience out there that wants to know stuff as it becomes available. But what happened to the element of surprise? It's one thing to reveal the details of something that is out before the general public already (like the meaning of Rosebud, or the identity of Luke's father, or the secret of The Crying Game). It's another thing to shout it from the rooftops about something that 99% of the population hasn't even had a chance to view yet.
I think the old axiom applies here: do unto others as you would wish they'd do unto you. Oh, and if you are a person who likes spoilers and can't stand surprise, do the rest of us a favor who do and shut the heck up!
Today, I want to address the topics of Spoilers and those who like to ruin things for everyone by revealing them (said Spoilees). Spoilers are basically a revelation of key plot details in a film, book, television show, whatever that are discussed prior to the general availability of said film, book, whatever, to the majority of the public. Let me give you a couple examples.
Everyone in the world knows the final Harry Potter book is coming out at midnight on June 21st. The security around the release of the book is tighter than Fort Knox. No one is to sell the book until that time. The author is remaining tight lipped. The publisher has asked all media to not spoil the book's key plot points until readers have had an opportunity to get the book. So what happened today: two days prior to the book's official release? Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times published a review of the book and gave away critical plot details. Anyone who runs across the review, and many will since it is the New York Times, could have their reading experience marred by knowing how things end. And this reviewer isn't the only one. Dozens of Internet sites popped up early in the week, some showing full digital pictures of every "supposed" page of the book. Again, the only reasoning behind these acts is to spoil the finale for millions of readers.
On a much smaller scale, on the DC Comics Messages boards a poster by the name of 'mazingman' was posting with regularity spoiler filled reviews of key comics for the week. This poster would outline every detail of the issues, breaking it down by pages and panels. The kicker: the poster did this every Monday night/Tuesday morning but most comic sellers did not get the issues for sale until Wednesday each week. This poster easily had the inside track (either a DC employee himself, a retailer who had preview copies of the upcoming titles, or someone who knew someone with the inside track). Basically, thanks to this person, folks would be able to follow the plot lines of various titles without ever paying the money for the books. Clearly, this poster knew they were spoilers though and would mark his thread titles as such. Still, others would read those spoilers early and discuss them outside of the same thread - thus increasing the chances of unsuspecting readers of encountering the details early. Thankfully, DC Comics cracked down on this practice and initiated a new policy on their board: any spoilers prior to a book's release would be deleted and the poster would be banned from the board. Good for them!
This kind of stuff just annoys me to no end. Why do some people get-off on ruining things for others? Do they have some kind of medical disorder that prevents them from keeping a secret? I mean, okay, congrats to you for getting a hold of an early copy. Can't you wait a damn day or two to let the rest of the world get their copies too before you discuss it? Do you have no patience? Sheesh.
Now, I get that we live in an age of information - where anything that happens in one corner of the world is instantly talked about everywhere, thanks to the growth of media and the Internet. And the rationale is that there is an audience out there that wants to know stuff as it becomes available. But what happened to the element of surprise? It's one thing to reveal the details of something that is out before the general public already (like the meaning of Rosebud, or the identity of Luke's father, or the secret of The Crying Game). It's another thing to shout it from the rooftops about something that 99% of the population hasn't even had a chance to view yet.
I think the old axiom applies here: do unto others as you would wish they'd do unto you. Oh, and if you are a person who likes spoilers and can't stand surprise, do the rest of us a favor who do and shut the heck up!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)