by Dwayne Phillips Take caution with negative statements as they often contradict themselves. “There is no crying in baseball,” is a famous line from the movie A League of Their Own. (My wife says that is a movie about sisters. I say it is a movie about baseball.) That is a self-contradictory statement. One person […]
There Is No Crying in Baseball and Other Self-Contradictions
April 22nd, 2024 · No Comments
Tags: Analysis · Appearances · Clarity · Communication · Integrity · Learning · Meaning · Writing
Typing and Interruptions
April 11th, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Reducing the time spent typing on the keyboards reduces the number of interruptions. There are new tools that reduce both. I can type fairly fast. At least I give myself credit for that. Like everyone else, I am interrupted while typing. I could estimate number of interruptions per hour or some rate […]
Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Improvement · Mistakes · Technology · Time · Tools · Writing
More Words, More Errors
March 21st, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips It is simple math: the more words presented the more errors present. Rats. There is a big benefit to brevity: fewer errors. One way to consider errors is to look at the number of errors per the number of words. Something like five errors per one-hundred words. That is 95% correct and […]
Tags: Brevity · Communication · Competence · Error · Expertise · Improvement · Writing
The AI Pencil
February 12th, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips I share an idea for a manual writing instrument that I had several decades ago. Today’s technology might be ready for it. Several decades ago, I had this idea for a pencil, pen, or white board marker. I shared the idea with a few smart folks. Nothing became of it as the […]
Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Ideas · Meetings · Technology · Writing
Just a Little Bit More (Being Too Helpful)
February 5th, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Loving and caring people want to help others. So we put one more thought into the writing and one more statement into the speaking. Delete those. Here are tips on editing writing that don’t need much thought, but hold true about 98.6% of the time: Get the idea? Loving and caring people […]
Tags: Brevity · Clarity · Communication · Writing
Nap More, Talk Less
January 18th, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Along with the sage advice, “listen more, talk less,” I add, “nap more, talk less.” “People who nap in the day are lazy.” My mother told me that countless times. Sometimes I disagree with things my mother told me. Now to the title of the post: before opening mouth, rest. Fatigue always […]
Tags: Communication · Fatigue · Learning · Listening · Rest · Writing
It’s Easier Than Ever to Know a Little
December 18th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips There is so much information available to us, what do we do? Wait, there are also so many great summaries of information available to us. It is easier than ever to know a little. Is that a good thing? It is easier than ever to know a little: It is still just […]
Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Expertise · Knowledge · Learning · Research · Wikipedia · Writing
Jargon
December 14th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips We continue to use too much jargon. Are we illiterate or just too lazy to type words? I am reviewing materials for a certification. Gosh, I am too old for this, but whatever. I won’t mention the name of the certification. I you continue reading this post, you can probably guess which […]
Tags: Brevity · Clarity · Communication · Conversation · Word · Writing
Did Anyone Read This?
November 13th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips A partial list of boo boos I have seen in published documents over the years. If anyone had read these things, surely they would have found these things. Right? I guess an editor or someone like that should have read this, but it appears that no one did. Here is a partial […]
Tags: Accountability · Appearances · Honesty · Reading · Reality · Writing
Liars (Mean and Otherwise)
November 9th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Once again, the world swings into yet another crisis. Many persons with good intentions intend to reduce the crisis by limiting what other persons can say and write about it. Nothing new here. We used to have silly liars. The National Enquirer is one great example. Hillary Clinton had an alien baby […]