jstaf
Subscriber since: November 2007
Location:
Pittsburgh,
PA
About Me
Some of my earliest memories are the trips to the Homestead Branch of the Carnegie Library system, with my Mother and her large plaid Avon bag loaded with books.
We went almost every week and as a result there is no memory of learning to read, as long as I can remember I could read.
My work interests have always been in the area of digital technology, first job back in the early 1970's working on the Skylab project. Since then I've worked in the Newspaper, Advertising and owned a digital production company in the 1990's which then became an Internet development company that was bought.
I now write a weekly article for a Dubai based publication, Alrroya.com and do research and business plan development for start up companies in the areas of Machine Learning and Decision Making.
We went almost every week and as a result there is no memory of learning to read, as long as I can remember I could read.
My work interests have always been in the area of digital technology, first job back in the early 1970's working on the Skylab project. Since then I've worked in the Newspaper, Advertising and owned a digital production company in the 1990's which then became an Internet development company that was bought.
I now write a weekly article for a Dubai based publication, Alrroya.com and do research and business plan development for start up companies in the areas of Machine Learning and Decision Making.
I can also be found on:
My Word Lists
Recent Comments
My Favorites
Favorite Word:
knowledgeKnowledge is the raw material of innovation, and innovation is the basis for a better life for mankind, better social structures, better governments and better ways for us to spend our short time here.
Least Favorite Word:
bigotryAs long as we insist that we and people like us are "chosen" "gifted" or "special" in any way then a reason for treating people poorly will exist in some peoples minds.
Favorite Quote:
"The structure of our world has favored the evolution of societies based on peace, commerce, reciprocal altruism, and mutual benefit."
- Robert Wright
Favorite Topics:
Blogs:
Getting "Gatsby": The Language Behind the Novel
May 10, 2013
- 1 Comment
Obsolete Words Worth Reviving?
March 21, 2013
Creativity:
Calling All Writers: Introducing Figment
May 16, 2011
SciPlay, So Far
November 30, 2010
- 2 Comments
Fiction writing:
The Power of General Statements
January 23, 2012
- 15 Comments
The Writer-Reader-Character Bond
August 8, 2011
- 12 Comments
Fun:
The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: May Edition
May 24, 2013
May 24, 2013
How "Baloney" Got Phony
May 3, 2013
- 2 Comments
How to write:
Language arts:
A Wicked Worksheet of the Week
May 15, 2013
Lori Wilfong on the Do's and Don'ts of Vocabulary Instruction
March 7, 2013
- 1 Comment
Libraries:
Librarians Suggest Good Books for Kids of All Ages
January 15, 2013
Love Your Librarian
September 26, 2011
- 4 Comments
Linguists:
A Linguist Answers, "Why Do I Do What I Do?"
January 17, 2011
Telling the Life Stories of Words
December 7, 2010
Media:
Words from a "Surreal" Week in Boston
April 22, 2013
- 2 Comments
Roger Ebert's Lexicon: Fruit Carts, Idiot Plots, and Wunza Movies
April 5, 2013
- 7 Comments
Poetry:
The Return of the Grammar Haiku Contest
February 28, 2013
- 2 Comments
Celebrating Fibonacci Day
November 15, 2012
Puzzle:
The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: March Edition!
March 21, 2008
The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: February Edition!
February 13, 2008
Reading:
Staring, Glancing and Glaring Through Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight"
March 7, 2013
- 2 Comments
Writing Packed with Life
February 4, 2013
- 5 Comments
Storytelling:
Type Casting
January 24, 2012
- 2 Comments
Shakespeare and the Hurricane
October 12, 2011
- 5 Comments
Students:
You've Got Mail: The Art of the Thank You
December 4, 2012
- 5 Comments
The E-Reader Over Your Shoulder
November 12, 2012
- 2 Comments
Teaching:
A Question of Grammar
April 30, 2013
Always Never Something: Eliminating Five Overused Words
April 29, 2013
- 15 Comments
Usage:
Leaning Back to Look at "Lean In"
May 23, 2013
- 1 Comment
Visual Thesaurus:
Word Cloud: A Film Inspired by the Visual Thesaurus
August 24, 2012
- 5 Comments
Reconsidering the Thesaurus
April 2, 2012
Vocabulary:
Leaning Back to Look at "Lean In"
May 23, 2013
- 1 Comment
Unpalatable: A Plateful of Similar Words
May 16, 2013
- 7 Comments
Web tools:
Twitter Me This: New Technology in the Language Arts Classroom
November 15, 2011
- 3 Comments
Tracking Dialects on Twitter: What's Coo and What's Koo?
November 4, 2011
- 4 Comments
Word Origins:
Season Openers: Baseball Terms and Myths
April 23, 2013
March Madness: Are You Betting on "Chalk"?
March 22, 2013
WordMasters:
WordMasters: Grade 3 Blue Division Jan-Feb '11
January 31, 2011
WordMasters: Grade 3 Gold Division Jan-Feb '11
January 31, 2011
Writer's block:
Getting Unstuck
July 24, 2008
Why You Should Think of Yourself as an Orange
June 4, 2008
- 11 Comments
Writers:
Flash, Gleam, Glint, Sparkle: McPhee, Woolf, and Words
May 7, 2013
- 3 Comments
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