Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE APOSTROPHE.

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Philip

THE APOSTROPHE. Henry Hitchings recent article on the apostrophe on the Huffington Post (November 1) asked whether the apostrophe has a future. He points out that there is an Apostrophe Protection Society (wikipedia article here) which is concerned about that … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

THE DASH.

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Philip

THE DASH. Annalisa annotated my copy of Henry Hitchings article. She noted that the most interesting part of the article for her was Hitchings argument that punctuation is being increasingly used for rhetorical—rather than grammatical—reasons. Hitchings main example is the … Continue reading →

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DOUBLE SPACING AT THE END OF A SENTENCE.

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Philip

DOUBLE SPACING AT THE END OF A SENTENCE. I have always used only one space after the end of a sentence, but many people do not. This article in Slate by Farhad Manjoo argues strongly that using a double space … Continue reading →

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GETTING RID OF THE CAPS LOCK.

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Philip

GETTING RID OF THE CAPS LOCK. This Slate article by Christopher Beam from 2010 about how Google is eliminating the caps lock feature of the keyboard. The article thinks this is long overdue: “What’s most shocking about Google’s announcement isn’t … Continue reading →

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STEALING A BRIDGE; STEALING A FERRIS WHEEL.

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Philip

STEALING A BRIDGE; STEALING A FERRIS WHEEL. I posted here about the thefts of a building and of a gold bathtub. Nick, who discussed the gold bathtub in one of his standup routines, called my attention to this article about … Continue reading →

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THE HIGH QUALITY OF AP COURSES.

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Philip

THE HIGH QUALITY OF AP COURSES. The key to allowing any student to take a crack at a college level course in high school is the rigorous standard set by the AP tests, which will keep the material from being … Continue reading →

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OPENING ADVANCED CLASSES TO EVERYBODY.

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Philip

OPENING ADVANCED CLASSES TO EVERYBODY. Sam Dillon writes in particular about a school in Worcester, Massachusetts, which also opens up the opportunity to take AP courses to all comers. I have also favored this and never thought it would happen. … Continue reading →

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CASH INCENTIVES FOR GRADES.

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Philip

CASH INCENTIVES FOR GRADES. Sam Dillon had an article in the New York Times (October 2) about the success of a national program which pays students and teachers for success on AP exams ($100 to a student with a passing … Continue reading →

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DAVID HOCKNEY: “THERE’S A LOT MORE TO BE SEEN.”

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Philip

DAVID HOCKNEY: “THERE’S A LOT MORE TO BE SEEN.” I want to draw attention to the beginning of Martin Gayford’s article about David Hockney: “One of your basic contentions, I say to the British artist David Hockney, is that there … Continue reading →

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FLATNESS AND THE SINGLE-LENS VIEW.

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Philip

FLATNESS AND THE SINGLE-LENS VIEW. I posted here on the theory of Margaret Livingstone, a Harvard professor of neurobiology, that it is an advantage for an artist to have poor depth perception. (Professor Livingstone uses the example of Rembrandt.) Hockney’s … Continue reading →

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