My Friend Jason. from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Oxford Word of the Year 2009: Unfriend
Birds are singing, the sun is shining and I am joyful first thing in the morning without caffeine. Why you ask? Because it is Word of the Year time (or WOTY as we refer to it around the office). Every year the New Oxford American Dictionary prepares for the holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. This announcement is usually applauded by some and derided by others and the ongoing conversation it sparks is always a lot of fun, so I encourage you to let us know what you think in the comments.
Without further ado, the 2009 Word of the Year is: unfriend.
unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.
As in, “I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.”
“It has both currency and potential longevity,” notes Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program. “In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most “un-” prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar “un-” verbs (uncap, unpack), but “unfriend” is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of “friend” that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal.”
Wondering what other new words were considered for the New Oxford American Dictionary 2009 Word of the Year? Check out the list below.
Technology
hashtag – a # [hash] sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets (postings on the Twitter site) that contain similarly tagged items and view thematic sets
intexticated – distracted because texting on a cellphone while driving a vehicle
netbook – a small, very portable laptop computer with limited memory
paywall – a way of blocking access to a part of a website which is only available to paying subscribers
sexting – the sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by cellphone
Economy
freemium – a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, with the aim of enticing users to pay for additional, premium features or content
funemployed – taking advantage of one’s newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
zombie bank – a financial institution whose liabilities are greater than its assets, but which continues to operate because of government support
Politics and Current Affairs
Ardi – (Ardipithecus ramidus) oldest known hominid, discovered in Ethiopia during the 1990s and announced to the public in 2009
birther – a conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama’s birth certificate
choice mom – a person who chooses to be a single mother
death panel – a theoretical body that determines which patients deserve to live, when care is rationed
teabagger -a person, who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as “Tea Party” protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773)
Environment
brown state – a US state that does not have strict environmental regulations
green state – a US state that has strict environmental regulations
ecotown - a town built and run on eco-friendly principles
Novelty Words
deleb – a dead celebrity
tramp stamp – a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman
Without further ado, the 2009 Word of the Year is: unfriend.
unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.
As in, “I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.”
“It has both currency and potential longevity,” notes Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program. “In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most “un-” prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar “un-” verbs (uncap, unpack), but “unfriend” is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of “friend” that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal.”
Wondering what other new words were considered for the New Oxford American Dictionary 2009 Word of the Year? Check out the list below.
Technology
hashtag – a # [hash] sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets (postings on the Twitter site) that contain similarly tagged items and view thematic sets
intexticated – distracted because texting on a cellphone while driving a vehicle
netbook – a small, very portable laptop computer with limited memory
paywall – a way of blocking access to a part of a website which is only available to paying subscribers
sexting – the sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by cellphone
Economy
freemium – a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, with the aim of enticing users to pay for additional, premium features or content
funemployed – taking advantage of one’s newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
zombie bank – a financial institution whose liabilities are greater than its assets, but which continues to operate because of government support
Politics and Current Affairs
Ardi – (Ardipithecus ramidus) oldest known hominid, discovered in Ethiopia during the 1990s and announced to the public in 2009
birther – a conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama’s birth certificate
choice mom – a person who chooses to be a single mother
death panel – a theoretical body that determines which patients deserve to live, when care is rationed
teabagger -a person, who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as “Tea Party” protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773)
Environment
brown state – a US state that does not have strict environmental regulations
green state – a US state that has strict environmental regulations
ecotown - a town built and run on eco-friendly principles
Novelty Words
deleb – a dead celebrity
tramp stamp – a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Gramesis
Gramesis
1. In the beginning my English teacher created nouns and verbs.
2. And the verbs were without form and voice; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep--my teacher.
3. And she said, "Let there be grammar;" and there was grammar.
4. And Teacher saw the verbs and laughed and said that it was good;
and she divided the bright students from those who remained in darkness.
5. And Teacher gave the bright students A's and kept the others after
school. And the homework and the bell were the first day.
6. And Teacher said, "Let there be a sentence in the midst of the
words, and let it divide the nouns from the verbs.
7. And Teacher made the sentence, and diagrammed it on the board; I
looked and saw that it was so.
8. And the Teacher called the sentence declarative. And the capital
and the period were the second day.
9. And Teacher said, "Let the noun words in the sentence be gathered
together unto one place, and let the verb words appear; and it was so.
10. And Teacher called the verb words predicate; and the gathering
together of noun words called she the subject; and Teacher saw that it
was good.
11. And Teacher said, "Let the predicate bring forth modifiers, the
transitive verbs yielding objects, and the intransitive verbs yielding
complements after their own kind, whose place is in itself, within the
predicate;" and it was so.
12. And the predicate brought forth modifiers, and transitive verbs
yielding objects after their own kind, and intransitive verbs yielding
a complement whose place was in itself, after their own kind: The
Teacher saw that it was good and confusing.
13. And the active and the passive were the third day.
14. And Teacher said, "Let there be modifiers in the firmament of the
subject to further confuse and divide the students in the classroom;
and let them be for proper nouns, concrete nouns, mass nouns,
collective nouns, pronouns, and abstract nouns."
15. "And let them be for to give meaning in the subject and to
enhance the predicate;" and it was so---confusing.
16. And Teacher made two great words: the greater word -adjective- to
rule the noun, and the lesser word -adverb- to rule the verb; she made
the conjunction also.
17. And Teacher set them in the sentence in order to make it
difficult to diagram.
18. And to make it easier for her to divide the bright students from
those who remained in darkness; and Teacher saw that her system was
good.
19. And the phrase and the clause were the fourth day.
20. And Teacher said, "Let the verbs bring forth abundantly the many
verb forms, the gerunds, infinitives, and participles; the
subjunctives; the auxiliary verbs, the linking verbs; and the phrasal
verbs."
21. And Teacher created mood for every living creature that moveth,
and tense for all time, and voice after their kind: and Teacher saw
that it was indeed good.
22. And Teacher blessed them saying, "Be fruitful and multiply in
complexity, and fill young minds with bewilderment, and let the
bewilderment multiply into chaos in their minds."
23. And the lecture and the English test were the fifth day.
24. And Teacher said, "Let the nouns and verbs bring forth living
sentences after their own kind, book reports, essay questions, and
English themes for the students to write;" and it was very so.
25. And Teacher made all these things for the freshman English
student to do, and everything that creepeth into her mind she gave to
them to do; and Teacher saw to it that it was good.
26. And Teacher said, "Let us make one project in our image, after
our likeness; and let the product have dominion over the other
projects, and over every subject of the college student."
27. So Teacher created the research paper in her own image, in the
image of Teacher created she it; boring and difficult created she it.
28. And Teacher blessed it, and Teacher said unto the research paper,
"Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the supply of dropouts, and
subdue the remainder of the college students; and have dominion over
the other projects, and over the other subjects, and over every single
grade that the students receive."
29. "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air,
and to every thing that creepeth into the classroom, wherein there is
life, I have given every rule and principle for good English;" and it
was so.
30. And Teacher saw everything that she had made, and behold it was
very good. (Author Unknown)
1. In the beginning my English teacher created nouns and verbs.
2. And the verbs were without form and voice; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep--my teacher.
3. And she said, "Let there be grammar;" and there was grammar.
4. And Teacher saw the verbs and laughed and said that it was good;
and she divided the bright students from those who remained in darkness.
5. And Teacher gave the bright students A's and kept the others after
school. And the homework and the bell were the first day.
6. And Teacher said, "Let there be a sentence in the midst of the
words, and let it divide the nouns from the verbs.
7. And Teacher made the sentence, and diagrammed it on the board; I
looked and saw that it was so.
8. And the Teacher called the sentence declarative. And the capital
and the period were the second day.
9. And Teacher said, "Let the noun words in the sentence be gathered
together unto one place, and let the verb words appear; and it was so.
10. And Teacher called the verb words predicate; and the gathering
together of noun words called she the subject; and Teacher saw that it
was good.
11. And Teacher said, "Let the predicate bring forth modifiers, the
transitive verbs yielding objects, and the intransitive verbs yielding
complements after their own kind, whose place is in itself, within the
predicate;" and it was so.
12. And the predicate brought forth modifiers, and transitive verbs
yielding objects after their own kind, and intransitive verbs yielding
a complement whose place was in itself, after their own kind: The
Teacher saw that it was good and confusing.
13. And the active and the passive were the third day.
14. And Teacher said, "Let there be modifiers in the firmament of the
subject to further confuse and divide the students in the classroom;
and let them be for proper nouns, concrete nouns, mass nouns,
collective nouns, pronouns, and abstract nouns."
15. "And let them be for to give meaning in the subject and to
enhance the predicate;" and it was so---confusing.
16. And Teacher made two great words: the greater word -adjective- to
rule the noun, and the lesser word -adverb- to rule the verb; she made
the conjunction also.
17. And Teacher set them in the sentence in order to make it
difficult to diagram.
18. And to make it easier for her to divide the bright students from
those who remained in darkness; and Teacher saw that her system was
good.
19. And the phrase and the clause were the fourth day.
20. And Teacher said, "Let the verbs bring forth abundantly the many
verb forms, the gerunds, infinitives, and participles; the
subjunctives; the auxiliary verbs, the linking verbs; and the phrasal
verbs."
21. And Teacher created mood for every living creature that moveth,
and tense for all time, and voice after their kind: and Teacher saw
that it was indeed good.
22. And Teacher blessed them saying, "Be fruitful and multiply in
complexity, and fill young minds with bewilderment, and let the
bewilderment multiply into chaos in their minds."
23. And the lecture and the English test were the fifth day.
24. And Teacher said, "Let the nouns and verbs bring forth living
sentences after their own kind, book reports, essay questions, and
English themes for the students to write;" and it was very so.
25. And Teacher made all these things for the freshman English
student to do, and everything that creepeth into her mind she gave to
them to do; and Teacher saw to it that it was good.
26. And Teacher said, "Let us make one project in our image, after
our likeness; and let the product have dominion over the other
projects, and over every subject of the college student."
27. So Teacher created the research paper in her own image, in the
image of Teacher created she it; boring and difficult created she it.
28. And Teacher blessed it, and Teacher said unto the research paper,
"Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the supply of dropouts, and
subdue the remainder of the college students; and have dominion over
the other projects, and over the other subjects, and over every single
grade that the students receive."
29. "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air,
and to every thing that creepeth into the classroom, wherein there is
life, I have given every rule and principle for good English;" and it
was so.
30. And Teacher saw everything that she had made, and behold it was
very good. (Author Unknown)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
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