It was a dark and stormy night …
Ten years ago, I started Barataria with that perfectly awful line. It was indeed a cold, dark evening in April filled with a sense of anxiety. Where has all this gone in ten years? You be the judge.
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The musings of someone who picked it up on the streets.
Ex Machina
It’s been a long day. As the 10th anniversary of Barataria approaches, it’s time to refresh and renew. This piece from nearly ten years ago is possibly even more relevant today.
When people talk to each other, there is a social code of acceptable behavior. When they interact with machines, there is no such code. If there is a machine between two people, the rules seem to not apply as easily, and people often act as if they are dealing with a machine – because that is what they have in front of them.
Final Thoughts
What more is there to say before we get this dreadful election over with?
No matter what, the sun will come up on Wednesday, November 9th. We will all go about our daily business even if some parts of the results aren’t finalized yet. America will survive and everything will be largely OK.
But one thing will be different. We won’t look at each other quite the same way again.
Formal E-Mail – Tips & Concepts
Long ago in a High School far away, we were all taught how to write a formal business letter. It included the date, return address, and all the pertinent information needed to either file it away or write a reply. It also had a standard format, not terribly different from the standard five paragraph theme.
Today, everything is done in email. Everything. The sorting and replying are automatic, the formality is limited, and the attention span of the reader is probably short. What is the right format for a formal email to a client or prospective employer?
There is no right answer. I have been asked this by many clients over the years, and I have my own format that seems to work. If you have your own, please share with us and let’s see what we all come up with.
Happy as a Pig in Something
Cliches
Good ways
To say what you mean
Mean what you say
– Jimmy Buffett
In the heat of summer, it’s time for a re-run. This is from 2008.
Anyone who’s written a book has heard it from someone: “You need to get rid of a few clichés”. What? I can’t have any of those, I avoid them like a very contagious disease!
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 