by Sue Horner | Apr 1, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Have you been swept up in the word craze that is Wordle? My hand is up. Yes, I start my online day with Wordle, followed by its Canadian cousin, Canuckle. Can you call yourself a word nerd if you don’t? Part of each game’s appeal is there’s just one five-letter word...
by Sue Horner | Mar 19, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The mysterious case of PXO began with a pile of traffic cones at two nearby parks. A few weeks later, signs arrived, announcing a “PXO Program.” It was a term I’d never heard, and the name of the contractor involved (Aqua Tech Solution Inc.) suggested water might be...
by Sue Horner | Mar 11, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If you spend any time on social media, you know that words disappear in as little as a few seconds. So when I find interesting, helpful or just plain funny posts, I like to share them. Here’s another collection of content you might appreciate and might have missed:...
by Sue Horner | Mar 3, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
During such a troubling time in the world, it may seem wrong to be talking about grammar. Yet the pandemic, the anti-vaccine protestors and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have clearly showed the importance of words and how they are presented. Also, maybe you...
by Sue Horner | Feb 28, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
“Corporate” writing doesn’t need to be so “corporate.” Employee communications consultant Steve Crescenzo thinks it gets that way when people write for the approver, not the reader. He advises taking the “corporate” out of corporate comms and replacing it with...
by Sue Horner | Feb 17, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The 2022 winter Olympics are in full swing, and so is the insider language. Normally I recommend using words people understand and explaining jargon, acronyms and unusual terms. Announcers during fast-paced Olympic sports don’t have time for that, or they assume...
by Sue Horner | Feb 4, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
As we all know, the lifespan of words posted on social media is pretty short – as little as a few seconds. So when I find interesting, helpful or just plain funny posts, I like to share them. Here’s another collection of content you might enjoy and might have missed:...
by Sue Horner | Jan 28, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Every year, people go to the internet to find out if blogging is finally dead. I celebrate my own blogging anniversary in January, which always prompts me to ask, too. I had lots of company this week; “Is blogging dead for 2022?” brought back about 197 million...
by Sue Horner | Jan 20, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
At 100+ decibels, the sound of a large jet nearing a runway’s end is as noisy as being in the front row of a rock concert. (Remember those?) While the pandemic slashed the number of planes landing at and taking off from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport,...
by Sue Horner | Jan 14, 2022 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
In January 1991, the Edmonton Oilers were on their way to the Stanley Cup. R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” was all over the radio (remember “radio”?). That year, Apple introduced the PowerBook, and Norton’s new AntiVirus launched. The average price of...
