Traveling to Asia and working out of our offices — Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, back to Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo — never gets old. Even after 50+ trips to the region, I still come across life-is-better-than-fiction moments in regard to language. Here are the top three from my latest trip. Marketing is Alive and …more
You would think every company would prefer to communicate in a way that connects with the audience. Yet, business writing often comes off as mechanical or at best perfunctory. The crazy part is that it doesn’t take true expertise to write with a touch of warmth. It’s more of an attitude. Do you want …more
The more I’ve read about the Pope Francis, the more it sounds like he’s taking on the business world’s equivalent of a turnaround. Consider the following words and snippets mined from Businessweek – Much of what he found he didn’t like. “I listened and tried hard not to draw conclusions.” Bureaucracy To get to the …more
There’s a certain “cycle of life” in business. Companies are born, struggle, grow … and grow some more. Then the decline sets in, which typically culminates with the company dying, merging or being acquired. This keeps the investment bankers busy, befitting the thousands of transactions that take place each year. This also means thousands of …more
When my family lived in the UK, one of my fondest memories came from watching Liverpool take on West Ham at Anfield. I’ll never walk alone (as the song goes). LeBron followed in my footsteps some 10 years. By the time we moved back to Silicon Valley, I was quasi hooked on futbol. I checked …more
I’ve enjoyed the back and forth with Jonathon in bringing his perspective on “chasing down words” and storytelling to this neighborhood. Before jumping to the final question, a few thoughts – I spend $3.50 on a large Red Sea (coffee) at Philz a couple times a week. The Dictionary of Slang retails for $450, though Amazon has shaved …more
Today brings the second part of the series with lexicographer Jonathon Green. Yesterday, Jonathon discussed the chase behind slang which he noted “far outweighs the kill.” While one doesn’t typically associate entertainment with dictionaries, I was struck by the storytelling in his writing. I asked Jonathon about this. Q: I can see through various articles that your writing brings …more
I rarely read TIME magazine. Fortunately, I made an exception last month. The TIME story about Jonathon Green’s Dictionary of Slang demanded attention: “It provides a surreal, anachronistic delight one might have gotten from hearing Freud lecture on Charlie Sheen’s recent verbal diarrhea.” How often do you hear a dictionary described as a “delight?” To borrow from Gossip Girl, …more
I know namedropping isn’t proper etiquette. But I can’t help myself. Alexander McCall Smith – yes THE Alexander McCall Smith who created Mma Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series – was kind enough to send the following e-mail my way: If you missed the Word Craft post last week, a little bit of background – …more
