Bob Pritchett

Phil Gons put me on to 50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice, a delightfully-testy attack on Strunk & White's The Elements of Style.

So I won't be spending the month of April toasting 50 years of the overopinionated and underinformed little book... English syntax is a deep and interesting subject. It is much too important to be reduced to a bunch of trivial don't-do-this prescriptions by a pair of idiosyncratic bumblers who can't even tell when they've broken their own misbegotten rules.

Alas, The Elements march on unmolested. A testimony to the convenience of their form, the boldness of the assertions, and the continued strength of the brand.

In that spirit:

1. Throw away your Elements.
2. Purchase On Writing Well, by William Zinsser.

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

My grandfather worked for the Campbell Soup Company from 1946-1978. There were always lots of Campbell’s products around, and I drank a lot of V8.

Alas, I never got to try F-8, V-8’s fruity friend, and one of the projects my grandfather worked on. “This deliciously distinctive fruit drink is a blend of: water, sugar, naranjilla and cocona juices, concentrates of pineapple, apricot, apple, lemon and lime, banana puree, citric acid, guar gum and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).”

I don’t know if F-8 even made it to shelves, or how long it lived; I do know the concept lives on in V8 Splash and V8 V-Fusion.

An F-8 label was tacked to the boathouse ceiling at my grandparents’ summer home, and I always wanted one. My mother has the last one we could find, and I scanned it in so I could share it with other family members. And you.

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

“A form of literary amusement in which rhymes being given the participants, they fill up the verses. According to Ménage, the notion of this frivolity was derived from a saying of the French poet Dulot, whereby he accidentally let the cat out of the bag, or, to change the metaphor, let the public in behind the scenes. Complaining one day of the loss of three hundred sonnets, his hearers marvelled at his having about him so large a collection of literary wares, whereupon he explained that they were not completed sonnets, but the unarticulated skeletons, – in other words, their prearranged rhyming ends, drawn out in groups of fourteen. All Paris was in a roar next day over Dulot’s lost sonnets. Bouts-rimés became the fashion in all the salons…”

From William S. Walsh’s fascinating time killer, Handy Book of Literary Curiosities, 1906, kept dangerously in reach of my chair.

What can you do with pen, scuffle, men, ruffle?

“One would suppose a silly pen
A shabby weapon in a scuffle;
But yet the pen of critic men
A very hero’s soul would ruffle.”

“I grant that some by tongue or pen
Are daily, hourly, in a scuffle;
But then we philosophic men
Have placid tempers naught can ruffle.”

“Last night I left my desk and pen,
For in the street I heard a scuffle,
And there, torn off by drunken men,
I left my coat-tails and shirt-ruffle.”

But the best is a “rhyming end unto itself,” if you will:

“Boy,
Gun;
Joy,
Fun.

Gun
Bust,
Boy
Dust.”

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I recently moved into a house that was under construction for over a year. Visiting the site every day and watching it change from dirt to home gave me great respect for people who build (and fix!) things with their hands. Typing emails doesn’t seem like “real work.”

This fantastic article by Matthew B. Crawford makes the case eloquently:

“A gifted young person who chooses to become a mechanic rather than to accumulate academic credentials is viewed as eccentric, if not self-destructive. There is a pervasive anxiety among parents that there is only one track to success for their children. It runs through a series of gates controlled by prestigious institutions. Further, there is wide use of drugs to medicate boys, especially, against their natural tendency toward action, the better to ‘keep things on track.’”

At least when I wrote code I felt like I had done “real work” that day. Now that I spend my days thinking, talking, and processing email, I feel like something is missing. I think that’s why I’ve been doing so much cooking: we knowledge workers need to make something once in a while.

“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” – John William Gardner

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear Bob,

Movie Name was not available from your local shipping center. Fortunately, it was available from a shipping center in another part of the country. It's on its way and should arrive within 3 to 5 days.

You'll notice we also recently sent the next available DVD from your Queue to enjoy while Movie Name makes its way to you.

Your Queue now shows this extra DVD rental. Enjoy.

-The Netflix Team

Unnecessary, unexpected, and delightful. This is great customer service.

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

It has been years since I read McDonald's: Behind the Arches, but I still find myself reflecting on and sharing the lessons I learned from it. McDonald's is so familiar to all of us that it is tempting to think we understand it and its place in our culture.

But behind the arches there is more than palate-numbing homogeneity: McDonald's is a fascinating business, and one that is full of surprises. I was fascinated with the real estate component of the McDonald's business plan; I had not realized how difficult it was to fry a consistent fry (oil temperature is changing constantly); I didn't know that McDonald's (poster child for unhealthy eating) instigated significant improvements to our food chain, enforcing its own regulations on slaughterhouses and farmers alike.

Today we bemoan the fact that you can travel 10,000 miles (or to the next freeway exit) and find the hamburger exactly like the one at home, served in an identical setting. What a curse, in a world where we might otherwise eat local, organic beef and vegetables served with a unique local touch . But what a blessing and innovation it was in a world where ground beef meant whatever was on the floor, where local vegetables might make you sick, and where sanitation wasn't on the task list.

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Now that you know how to not get hired, let’s move on to getting the job.

1. Want the job.

Employers want to be loved, too. Tell me why you want this job. If you don’t really want it (like the applicant who recently answered “honestly, there’s not a lot out there”) then don’t apply. It’ll save us both time.

I’ve heard people complain that they sent out 500 resumes and got nothing. I’m not surprised. Try sending out five, for jobs you’d like to have.

2. Show interest.

Okay, so maybe you don’t want this job, or any job. Maybe plucking chickens at my nugget factory isn’t exciting, but you really need a paycheck and there aren’t any better options. Find something positive – and specific – to say. Show that you are mature, responsible, and willing to play this important role in the quick-frozen-poultry-finger-food-industry, which does so much to serve the busy moms of America.

3. Be polite.

Be on time for the interview. Bring a copy of your resume. Bring a few questions about the company and the job. Don’t ask me for detailed driving directions to the interview. (Get them online, or call back and ask the receptionist. It’s not that I mind telling you, but when you handle the trivia yourself you show both respect for my time and that you are sensible and competent to handle details on your own.)

4. Dress up.

Does what you’re wearing matter? No. What matters is that you show you cared enough to make an effort. Dress at least one level above the norm for the workplace you’re applying at. You may know that everybody wears jeans and t-shirts at this office, and you can, too. Starting on your second day at work. Dress up for the interview (and the first day on the job).

5. Research.

I wish I could make this a minimum requirement, but only 1 in 50 applicants does it.

Research the company, the job, and even the person you are interviewing with. This should be part of picking the five jobs you are applying for; at the very least it should be part of your interview preparation.

The wealth of data on the Internet makes this insanely easy. I am amazed at the number of people who come in for an interview and haven’t even read the About Us page on our web site. (Be assured, if I’ve called you in for an interview, you’ve been Googled.)

Beyond showing good sense, this shows interest in the job and respect for the interviewer. It keeps you from asking me a question clearly answered on the front page of our web site.

For positions like marketing, where research skills are a key job competency, I often start the interview by asking the applicant to tell me what our company does. If they pass that test, I ask “Who am I?”

Because if they haven’t read the very-easy-to-find bio of the person whose signature they want to see on a paycheck every two weeks, how can I expect them to find journalists, bloggers, competitors, customers and partners?

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. "I'm looking for indoor work." I believe you are telling the truth. I do not believe this is the best answer to "Why are you interested in this job?"

2. "I have extinctive computer skills." This poor applicant provided much-needed comic relief during a tedious process; this applicant was not interviewed. Do I expect that every document you create will be error-free? No. Do I expect that your resume and cover letter -- the documents you rely on to find the job that will secure your livelihood -- will be? Yes.

3. "Are you still excepting applications?" Yes, except yours. Even correctly written, this question just creates more work for the hiring manager. "Can I ask you a question?" "You just did."

4. "So, what does the company do?" You found a job listing online. You sent us an email at jobs@logos.com. You were interviewed by phone, invited to a follow-up onsite, and you didn't take two minutes to look at our web site before showing up?

5. "You may be 'the boss' [air quotes with his fingers], but..." I don't remember what he said after the air quotes. He wanted a management position, but couldn't believe I (then much younger) was really the boss. I spared him from having to deal with the fact on a daily basis.

6. "I may not be the most ideal candidate..." If that's your opening line, how likely am I to disagree?

Posted by Bob Pritchett at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)

Everybody is building a platform these days. Software isn’t delivered on top of an operating system anymore, it’s delivered on top of a platform that does what the OS used to (and, to be fair, usually a lot more).

So instead of a Windows or Mac app, there are now Ajax, XUL, WinForms, WPF, Java, Adobe Air, Flash, and Silverlight apps. I won’t even get into the mobile OS’s.

This is all fine-and-dandy, and results in some cool innovation. But they are missing the basics: the smooth user interface polish that came from years of tweaks and fine adjustments.

I’m still annoyed that streaming video doesn’t have a fast playback mode, and today I’m frustrated by the lack of basic keyboard shortcuts. What happened to the Home key moving to the top, or Ctrl+Left moving back one word? Ctrl+A doesn’t select everything in many edit boxes. Double-click doesn’t always select the word.

Worse, you never know what’s going to work where. It’s hit and miss.

Apple, Microsoft and IBM have all built detailed user interface guidelines, and the standard shortcuts and UI conventions are well documented. These should be required reading for everyone implementing yet another edit control or drop-down list.

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Truth is a quarry never cornered, but one that rewards its hunters.

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