Mo
Subscriber since: Thu Jan 08 18:05:42 EST 2009
Location: Wanganui, New Zealand
About Me
i am a teacher/artist. my day job is teaching painting, design, photography and printmaking to students 16-18 years at a private school. i prepare them for university and encourage them to be like 'weeds and grow anywhere'; to ask difficult questions of those that think they are their betters and dont stop till you get the answers you need. i then add, but give them the answers they want but find your own voice - they mark your work remember that.
as an artist - i paint, use video (mainly mpegs because of their grunge quality) and i use word/text layered into visual text. i actually love to find a word and then abuse/deconstruct its sound, its meaning and manipulate it any which way in an effort to find the joy of its sound. however, i often times use language in a loosely poetic fashion out loud more in the style of scat singing.
My Word Lists
My Favorites

Favorite Word:

semiotics

Least Favorite Word:

why

Favorite Quote:

"'language is a virus from outer space'. i perceive myself as the centre of the universe, as such all communications are a virus. they invade, it attaches itself to the core and multiplies, mutates and changes the original organism. i view it as darwin theory in day to day practice."
- william burroughs

Favorite Topics:

Advertising:

Brand Names of the Year for 2020
Wed Dec 16 09:00:00 EST 2020
Dubiously Distinguished
Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2020

Blogs:

Ben Zimmer on How Technology is Shaping Language
Tue Oct 08 00:00:00 EDT 2013
On Slate, Lexicon Valley Launches a New Language Blog
Tue Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 2013

Books:

"Nine Nasty Words": How and Why We Curse
Fri Aug 13 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Highly Entertaining and Informative
Tue Aug 03 08:00:00 EDT 2021

Branding:

The Rare, Overstuffed "Turduckenym"
Thu Sep 16 00:00:00 EDT 2021
Electrifying!
Thu Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2021

Creativity:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
Of Time, Happiness, Creativity and Writing Accomplishments....
Thu Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2021

Dictionaries:

The Post-Dictionary World?
Thu Jun 03 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Finding (or Inventing) Euphemisms in the Latest OED Update
Wed Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2019

Fiction writing:

Of Time, Happiness, Creativity and Writing Accomplishments....
Thu Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2021
Why You Should Blog BEFORE Writing Your Book
Thu Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2021

How to write:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Survive Until You're Famous or Successful
Thu Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Language:

Metaphors We Live By (Updated)
Thu Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2022
Brand Names of the Year for 2021
Thu Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2021

Language arts:

The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015
The Art of Subterfuge: Using Pop Culture to Create Interest in the Classics
Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 EST 2014

Linguistics:

Scale Your Onboarding
Thu Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Tricky, Special, Fruitful, Space-Flavored Fiddle-Faddle
Thu Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Media:

Understanding "Maven"
Thu May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Predictive Human Balderdash and Other Managed Malarkey
Thu May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Naming:

Shoot! How Gun Idioms Color Our Speech
Thu Jul 21 12:00:00 EDT 2022
Understanding "Maven"
Thu May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Poetry:

And Forget the He and She
Mon Dec 02 00:00:00 EST 2019
In Praise of Ambiguity
Wed Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Politics:

Suffrage and Language
Mon Feb 17 00:00:00 EST 2020
Unidentified Aerial Horse Apples
Wed Oct 09 00:00:00 EDT 2019

Self-publishing:

How to Survive Until You're Famous or Successful
Thu Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Protect the Important From the Urgent
Thu Mar 25 09:00:00 EDT 2021

Storytelling:

Should You Self-Publish?
Mon Oct 26 09:00:00 EDT 2020
Why You Should Consider Back-And-Forth Writing
Thu Sep 24 09:00:00 EDT 2020

Students:

2015 Spelling Bee: Co-Champions Triumph Again, as Vanya and Gokul Prove Unbeatable
Fri May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2015
"Sinister Buttocks" and the Dangers of Thesaurus Flipping
Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Teachers:

The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015
How Can English Teachers Nurture Young Writers?
Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 EST 2015

Teaching:

Teach Your Children Well
Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2019
The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Visual Thesaurus:

The Post-Dictionary World?
Thu Jun 03 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Poll Stars
Mon Oct 19 09:00:00 EDT 2020

Word Origins:

Shoot! How Gun Idioms Color Our Speech
Thu Jul 21 12:00:00 EDT 2022
Scale Your Onboarding
Thu Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Words:

Shoot! How Gun Idioms Color Our Speech
Thu Jul 21 12:00:00 EDT 2022
"Nine Nasty Words": How and Why We Curse
Fri Aug 13 09:00:00 EDT 2021

Writers:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Survive the Feast or Famine of Freelance Writing
Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Writing:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Survive the Feast or Famine of Freelance Writing
Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2022