About

I'm Mike Pope. I live in the Seattle area. I've been a technical writer and editor for over 35 years. I'm interested in software, language, music, movies, books, motorcycles, travel, and ... well, lots of stuff.

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Officially Correct English, like the Tooth Fairy and Civic Virtue, is a product of grade school mythology and rarely leads to satisfying answers or useful decisions. The truth about language is always far more interesting—and far more complex—than what Miss Fidditch told you.

John Lawler



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Blog Statistics

Dates
First entry - 6/27/2003
Most recent entry - 4/17/2025

Totals
Posts - 2657
Comments - 2678
Hits - 2,737,732

Averages
Entries/day - 0.33
Comments/entry - 1.01
Hits/day - 344

Updated every 30 minutes. Last: 4:17 PM Pacific


  04:19 PM

This isn't really dubious guidance, strictly speaking. More like dubious marketing, or maybe more succinctly, WTF marketing. Check it out:

As in:
  • Wouldn't one expect a product to, like, work?
  • Is there a general expectation that (e.g.) knife sharpeners don't work?
  • When I am shopping for a knife sharpener, is the deciding factor that the manufacturer claims that their version actually is functional?
  • You can get a service mark (sm) on the phrase "This really works!" Really?
But, of course, you'll note that this is a package that belongs to me. So perhaps I should be asking myself these questions, eh?

More dubious guidance: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

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