This is really easy to do, but I could not figure out how to edit the config. It took me days to find this link. Maybe this will save someone else the trouble.

http://www.facebook.com/notes.php#!/editnotes.php?import

For my blog it is http://andrewwills.net/feed

It will import your rss feed. Viola!

So my blog broke a long long time ago from being overwhelmed by comment spam; couldn’t get it to do anything. Well I finally got up the courage to get into the raw SQL and pull out the data so I could get it back up again. And now it mostly works. Found out that my last post was in May 2008. Clearly it takes me 2 years to get around to doing something…. Maybe I will go finish the “new” trim moulding in the kitchen that I started in August 2008.

I don’t consider myself a graphic designer. I think the creative gene runs in my family, and my sister has made that her profession. My mother also dabbles in about 12 different artistic expressions, from piano to scrap-booking to cross stitch, and knitting. I have chosen to express my creativity through the visual arts. My area of expertise is creating a fantastic user experience in both video production and theatrical presentations.

Lately I have found an increasing number of people looking to me to design print or web pieces, which I find rather odd. Over the years, I have needed to learn the tools of the graphics profession in order to mock up my ideas. I cannot draw what is in my head with a pencil, but I can get a pretty close sketch with the pen tool. I enjoy the creative outlet, and the principles of design are universal. I should be careful, if word gets out I will be doing more design than producing .

This is proving to be a very busy week, so I will make this word of the week a short one.

Proliferation: Rapid reproduction, multiplication or growth in numbers, an overabundance.

An example of usage: Andrew cannot comprehend the proliferation of things on his to-do list. Try this one on for size in your conversations today. It is not an obscure word, but very useful.

I read an article on CNNMoney this week about how saying or doing the wrong thing in a job interview or sales meeting can loose you the sale. That is very true. I have interviewed many people and vendors for various positions. I was so surprised by the proliferation of mistakes I have seen that I am compelled to write this. If have an interview scheduled with me, FANTASTIC job finding this. You will likely do well. Here is my advice presented in the form of late night comedy.

The top ten things to not do in a sales presentation or job interview: (more…)

It’s that time again. Reminds me of the cartoon, Animaniacs from the early 90′s where Yakko would say that about the wheel of morality.  Anyway today’s word is applicable to reminising.

Gerontologist: a person who studies old people.

I am sure any study of the elderly or senior is sure to involve a lot of stories fableized into lore. I saw this word used recently in context a month ago when reading NTM07-43 put out by the FINRA–the things you do when you work for a registered investment adviser.  This document described, among other things, someone who helps the elderly play for their financial future being called a “certified financial gerontologist”. WHAT? why? I don’t know who would want such a title. Apparently there is a big problem with people calling themselves specialists with big fancy titles, when they really have no justification for such a title. If it tells me one thing it is that you should look for the wall of diplomas when you visit an “expert”. Now you too can clearly extend your knowledge of English, and aged human, with this splendid word.

It’s time for the practical vocabulary lesson for the week. This week’s word is: (more…)

Ok, these words are drifting from the obscure to technical mumbo jumbo. Enough of the stuff you won’t ever say outside of a trivial pursuit party. This word of the day, you can use today.

remuneration – Being paid a wage

This is

a fancy lawyer word that literally means paid for doing something as in a wage. It is similar to compensation, but it specifically refers to monetary compensation. You often see this in places where it is inconvenient to say “we paid them money”. In a disclaimer for a testimonial you might read, “participates have been remunerated” instead of “we paid them money to say nice things”. You can see the appeal for such obscurity. But I said you can use this word in everyday life. Well, there are many ways, but I will give you one you can do today. If you have a job, you get paid for it, Right? (If you don’t, you need a new job) So, today being October 1, or payday, go ask your employer for your remuneration for a job well done. You will get what is coming to you.

Mohorovicic discontinuity – The rock between the earth’s crust and the mantle about 30 km below the surface.

Joshua Hall taught me this one, but he didn’t use it in the course of everyday conversation. (I am still waiting for a practical use.) I have no idea how you could use this term outside the realm of geology, but here is what this thing is: Mr. Mohorovicic discovered this area of the earth in early 1909, and it was promptly named after him. It is in the lithosphere of the earth, and serves as the boundary between the mesosphere and the asthenosphere under the ocean. Many Sci-Fi novels and TV shows reference this area, but I think only as an obscurity to give the author creditability in the scientific realm. You may see this written as Mohorovicic’s discontinuity, but I think that was a space somewhere in his head. Maybe between the practical and “I can use this at a party to impress people” nervous centers where obscure things are filtered and… Hey… I think that I have a discontinuity in that area too! Maybe Mr. Mohorovicic will be best known a hundred years later for the brain condition that he epitomized.

Not a single word this week.

Illocutionary force: the property of an utterance with the intention to cause a certain act.

Again a linguistic nerdy term, my wife is loving these posts. This is one of my favorites though. Here is an example: If I come to your house in the dead of winter and I say “Man, it sure is cold in here.” I could be making a simple statement of fact– “My body nervous sensory is detecting a displeasing lack of thermal energy.” If you would respond with a raised eyebrow, you are not catching the illocutionary force. What I likely mean is, “Turn up the heat, yo!” I intend you to perform an act, not to agree with me about the temperature. In many places it is considered more polite to make a statement of fact rather than a request for action when you are a guest. In this way you are not imposing upon your host, but you act as if it was their idea to turn up the heat.

My grandmother is a master of this concept. She might say, “Doesn’t it seem disorganized in here?” Does she really want an answer…. not likely. But this is not simply a rhetorical question. She expects me to clean something up or she wouldn’t have said anything. That implied action is the illocutionary force. Now that you know the great power of these words, may the force be with you.