Author Topic: Quotes from work (Read 180626 times)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1600 on:** August 01, 2016, 03:05:35 PM »

A job applicant took our editing test and made some questionable changes. She circled "cutting" and "rocketing" in the phrase "cutting up ski slopes and rocketing through bobsled runs", the word "doggedly", and the phrase "lion's share", and then she made the following comment that applied to all of them: "do not use words that most people do not know the meaning of; keep it simple".

Um, sorry, but if you don't know the meaning of those words and phrases and can't even figure them out from context, then I think the problem is you.

rivka · « **Reply #1601 on:** August 01, 2016, 06:42:01 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on August 01, 2016, 03:05:35 PM

Um, sorry, but if you don't know the meaning of those words and phrases and can't even figure them out from context, then I think the problem is you.

Yes.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1602 on:** August 05, 2016, 09:31:15 AM »

In a stats course that one of my people is editing, there's an equation that looks like (a)×(b)/(c). The editor asked whether there should be spaces around the multiplication sign, and I said yes, but I pointed out that there should probably be parentheses around either (a)×(b) or (b)/(c) depending on what's intended. Technically, you should be able to just go left to right and get the right answer if ((a)×(b))/(c) is what's intended, but it's a good idea to make that clear.

The editor went to talk to the instructional designer, and the designer said that we don't need parentheses—you should be able to do the equation forwards or backwards and still get the same answer.

rivka · « **Reply #1603 on:** August 05, 2016, 09:59:53 AM »

Right, because division is commutative.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1604 on:** August 12, 2016, 12:48:02 PM »

"I've looked for an answer for this for years, but never hard enough to find it."

rivka · « **Reply #1605 on:** August 12, 2016, 01:34:56 PM »

:facepalm:

rivka · « **Reply #1606 on:** August 17, 2016, 06:05:40 PM »

Background: The 2017-18 FAFSA will become available as of October 2016, rather than the following January (as was the case in previous years).

Quote

. . . will now have to switch from January to October for the start of the FAFSA and perhaps also for Financial Aid Awareness Month.

So, instead of competing with National Soup Month, National Mentoring Month, National Stalking Awareness Month, Birth Defects Prevention Month, Glaucoma Awareness Month, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Data Privacy Month, Oats Month and National Book Month, we'll now have to compete with National Dyslexia Awareness Month, Crime Prevention Month, Vaccine Injury Awareness Month, Child Abuse Awareness Month, Cyber Security Awareness Month, Jazz Awareness Month, Vegetarian Awareness Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, Polish American Heritage Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1607 on:** August 18, 2016, 09:49:19 AM »

I was unaware that there was so much awareness. If only there were an Awareness Awareness Month to enlighten me.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1608 on:** August 18, 2016, 09:59:58 AM »

rivka · « **Reply #1609 on:** August 18, 2016, 10:33:39 AM »

Quote from: Tante Shvester on August 18, 2016, 09:49:19 AM

I was unaware that there was so much awareness. If only there were an Awareness Awareness Month to enlighten me.

Funny you should say that . . .

http://time.com/3449708/breast-cancer-awareness-month-domestic-violence-awareness/

Jonathon · « **Reply #1610 on:** August 18, 2016, 10:55:06 AM »

That's great.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1611 on:** August 18, 2016, 09:47:40 PM »

My son has a policy of contributing only to causes that address a remedy and to give nothing towards raising awareness.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1612 on:** September 06, 2016, 03:10:13 PM »

From a biology course:

Quote

What a privilege and blessing to study the works of God, rather than the works of man, as in some other disciplines!

Don't hold back—tell us how you really feel about the humanities.

rivka · « **Reply #1613 on:** September 06, 2016, 05:25:34 PM »

I understand and agree with seeing studying science as studying God's handiwork.

But still to that sentence I say EWWWWWW.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1614 on:** October 25, 2016, 01:47:27 PM »

I think I've mentioned before that someone at work sends out a weekly email of supposedly inspirational quotes. (And like so many inspirational quotes, many of them are attributed to Anonymous.) This was one from this week's email:

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"There are few of life's problems which cannot be solved with the proper application of a high explosive projectile." - - US Army

So I should solve all of my work problems by launching a few artillery rounds at our building? Got it.

Brinestone · « **Reply #1615 on:** October 25, 2016, 08:01:53 PM »

Hey, it's not the worst idea I've heard yet.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1616 on:** February 08, 2017, 09:40:31 AM »

Quote

Becoming visually sensitive to these elements of design marks the threshold over which we must pass to the inside track of understanding what makes paintings great. Ideally, the “inside track” to deciphering the visual language of painting comes from the actual process of painting.

I kind of get what they're saying—you have to know about elements of design in order to understand what makes paintings great. But wow, what a mess. Becoming visually sensitive marks the threshold rather than describing the process of crossing the threshold? We pass a threshold to the inside track? And the inside track helps us understand paintings better, I guess, but how does an inside track come from the actual process of painting? Shouldn't painting put on the inside track?

Jonathon · « **Reply #1617 on:** June 26, 2017, 10:56:10 AM »

Quote

“Learning the Healer’s art in Taiwan was easy,” says [Name], “because the people practiced what they believed and exemplified this love through everything they did.”

This is for a piece on nursing students. On the first edit, I lowercased "Healer's" in the quote, but the client stetted me with this comment:

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The Healer of the Healer's art is the Savior so we capitalize it.

Buh . . . wha . . .

rivka · « **Reply #1618 on:** June 26, 2017, 04:39:28 PM »

rivka · « **Reply #1619 on:** June 29, 2017, 07:09:06 PM »

Quote from: Registrars' listserv

. . . the email has to really clearly demonstrate what they're "signing" for -- meaning we wouldn't take an email that just says "I approve" but would take an email that says "Harry Potter has my approval to register for MAGC 252 in Fall 2017."

I want to take that class!

Quote from: reply from another Registrar

I would never accept an email for Harry Potter to register for anything - Owl Post would be the only acceptable means of delivery.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1620 on:** June 30, 2017, 02:57:24 AM »

Jonathon · « **Reply #1621 on:** June 30, 2017, 08:12:35 AM »

I'm not even into Harry Potter, and I still lolled.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1622 on:** July 14, 2017, 09:13:39 AM »

"With the Brigham Young University name and reputation attached to it, a degree from BYU-Idaho is now one of the best values in higher education."

I love how they basically just straight-up admit that they're riding on BYU's coattails.

rivka · « **Reply #1623 on:** July 14, 2017, 06:11:38 PM »

Weeeeellll, I suspect they might also claim they have an education and environment that are better than their local competition.

But sure, that's the whole POINT of spinoff colleges. I work at one.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1624 on:** August 28, 2017, 04:13:51 PM »

"In both assemblies, the students sat silently while Living Legends performed its cultural dances. As the show ended, the once-silent audience erupted into enthusiastic applause."

Okay, but isn't this how most performances go? I mean, maybe not every audience is enthusiastic, but listening silently and then applauding at the end is pretty much how it works.