Restroom or bathroom (2) Mar 11, 2008
I've been noticing lately that more people use the term "restroom" than "bathroom".  I'm a bathroom person.  I go to the bathroom, not the restroom.  Why would I go to the restroom?  To rest?  That doesn't even make sense.  At least "bath" has some relation to what actually goes on in there.  Realistically, it should be called any of several names that are exact descriptors of the goings-on therein, such as [trying to keep it clean] pottyhouse, toiletshack, or sinkroom. #language
Dumb quotes Mar 6, 2008
John Gruber finds it odd that there are people who prefer dumb quotes to smart quotes, i.e. "these" instead of “these”.  Well, Mr. Daring Fireball, I'm one of them.  I hate smart quotes.  Not only are they often displayed incorrectly on the internet, they make copying and pasting a nightmare.  I don't care if smart quotes look nice.  They're a pain in the butt. #language
Hyphenated last names (11) Feb 6, 2008
Parents who give their kids hyphenated last names might as well just admit they're a couple of jerks.  What better way to screw up your child's life than by giving them a hyphenated and complicated last name that will cause them problems and give them grief for the rest of their life.  That poor child will develop carpel tunnel syndrome from signing their excessively long name.  Their computer login name will be completely screwed up.  Their passport will likely have significant problems being processed.  College applications, loans, job applications, and anything that requires a child to identify their parents will inevitably lead to phone calls asking, "So Bob Smith, are you the father of John Smith-Jones?"  It'd be nice if we lived a world where computer systems weren't set up with logic like this:  
if (child_lastname != parent_lastname) {
   epic_fail();
}
But alas, it is what it is.  It's interesting that parents who "hyphenize" their children happen to have long and complicated last names to begin with.  You don't hear about a Smith-Jones.  I've heard of a Jones-Drew, but he's a professional football player, so it doesn't count (plus he chose to hyphenate his name in honor of his father).  The three hyphenated names I can think of who I've either known personally or am separated by no more than two degrees of Kevin Bacon are:  Lichtenberg-Scanlan, Dewey-Mattia, and Ersner-Hershfield.  What a bunch of selfish, jerky parents. 

To be fair, I realize it's a serious sacrifice for a woman to give up her last name when she gets married.  I personally wouldn't want to do it, even though a name change wouldn't be entirely bad.  I periodically thank Wendy for kindly taking my last name.  It's almost like losing your identity.  If parents don't have any male children, their last name will pretty much end.  That's sad. 

But I think there are better ways of keeping a maiden name in the mix than by hyphenating a child's last name.  You could go for the middle name.  You could come up with some other idea because that's the only one I can think of.  But whatever it is, don't punish children by giving them a hyphenated last name.  What a travesty. #language
Bad names for girls (1) Jan 8, 2008
Attention people of the world:  Please allow the following girl names to [somewhat] gracefully retire from common usage: 
  1. Fran
  2. Gertrude
  3. Phyllis
  4. Lois
  5. Eleanor
  6. Jean
  7. Beatrice
Sorry to anyone I like who currently has one of these names.  If I don't like you, I'm not sorry. #language
Almost f-words (6) Nov 29, 2007
I usually laugh in my head when I say or hear these words, especially if they're punctuated with an exclamation point: 
  1. Fark! (weird news website)
  2. Farco! (last name of a guy from college)
  3. Funk! (preeminent style of music; last name of a girl from church)
  4. Fudge! (a la Christmas Story)
#language
Quality of internet writing Nov 28, 2007
One thing that's been true about the internet since its inception is that its quality of writing is pretty poor.  I'm not talking about the content or the way it's written, but about the spelling and grammar.  And this website is no exception.  I've stated before that I sort of employ my own interpretation of accepted grammar rules.  This is another way of saying "I don't use proper grammar when I write."  Spelling, on the other hand, is usually an automatic thing:  There are plugins and web browsers that automatically point out mistakes, so it'd be stupid to not use them. 

The errors I see most often are twofold:  (1) Confusion with there/their/they're and other similar words, and (2) sentences that don't make sense because they're missing words or don't have a matching subject and verb.  Concerning this site, I make no claims as to the perfection of spelling, grammar, or anything else, mainly because I'm one person.  I do this in my free time.  I don't have an editor.  I proofread things before I publish them, but my eyes don't always catch everything.  But with bigger sites, this really shouldn't be a problem.  If you have an editor and there are still spelling and grammar mistakes, fire your editor.  Mid-sized sites (with editors) like TechCrunch shouldn't be publishing sentences like this: 
Keyhole provided Google Earth, a downloadable program that gave a then unprecedented view of the earth through the use of satellite imagery, but Google isn't a software company, Picasa and a few small efforts aside.
Bigger sites like Yahoo and CNN are usually pretty good about either having several people proofread or just having very careful and smart people in the first place.  But I still occasionally notice little spelling and grammar mistakes, and it annoys me.  Proofread before you publish! 

[Note:  This post probably has spelling and grammar mistakes.] #language
Pound Nov 26, 2007
The abbreviation "lb" for the unit of mass/weight pound comes from the Latin phrase libra pondo, which means "a unit of measurement by weight."  I can't believe I've gotten this far in life without knowing that.  (via Neatorama) #language
Accent awareness (7) Nov 7, 2007
Do people with foreign accents know they have accents? 

Can people from non-English-speaking countries tell the difference between different types of foreign accents, i.e. can a German-American tell the difference between a British accent and a southern accent? 

I will not rest until I can answer these questions. #language
Sic Nov 6, 2007
"Sic" seems to be a way to subtly yet professionally point out a person's spelling mistakes, as in "I hope that its (sic) not to (sic) late for your forgiveness..."  Me likes, mainly because I like pointing out people's mistakes. #language
Wing it Oct 25, 2007
Co-worker 1:  We'll get some wings at the hotel's happy hour. 
Co-worker 2:  Then we can go to Buffalo Wild Wings for some more wings. 
Co-worker 1:  It's a wing-wing situation. #language