Sometimes I accidentally check my spam box, or I look there for a client’s email that seems to have gotten lost. Here’s one message I get again and again. Continue reading “A note to all domain squatters”
Category: editorial
bookmark_borderOpen by setting the scene
A lot of writing advice will pretend to teach you how to grab an audience’s attention. Well, there’s more to writing than getting attention. There’s the reader to consider.
This is an editorial essay, so we start with an introduction. In the first paragraph, I let you know the purpose, to determine whether or not this is something that interests you and is useful to you. Good writing respects the reader, it doesn’t try to waste the reader’s time with sensationalism.
Not all writing is an essay, however. In fiction, and in especially in journalism and in most other storytelling genres, writing usually starts with setting the scene. If you were to write for the Ptara blog or an article for our journal, we’d normally expect the writing to start in the appropriate way, depending upon the genre. Continue reading “Open by setting the scene”
bookmark_borderBen Franklin’s financial advice
Since the following quote is so long, I won’t put it in quote format.
TO MY FRIEND A.B.,
As you have desired it of me, I write the following hints, which have been of service to me and may if observed be so to you.
REMEMBER that time is money. He that can earn ten shillings a day by his labor and goes abroad or sits idle one half of that day though he spends but sixpence during his diversion or idleness ought not to reckon that the only expense, he has really spent or rather thrown away five shillings besides.
Remember that credit is money. If a man lets his money lie in my hands after it is due, he gives me the interest or so much as I can make of it during that time. This amounts to a considerable sum where a man has good and large credit and makes good use of it. Continue reading “Ben Franklin’s financial advice”
bookmark_borderIt takes more than 100 days
2 years ago, I witnessed the re-enactment of the battle of Waterloo. Thousands of talented volunteers from around the world walked through the footsteps of Napoleon, Wellington, Blücher, and their allies and armies.
Although we didn’t have the best seats on the field, it was wonderful that so many dedicated re-enactors, or living historians, brought history to life for us. If you missed it, you should have been there. Continue reading “It takes more than 100 days”
bookmark_borderFilmmaker admits awards are political
When The Hollywood Reporter asked producer Janine Jackowski if she was disappointed that Toni Erdmann didn’t win the foreign language Oscar, she said no. She expected it, when she heard the news of “Trump’s travel ban.”
“Two hours later I talked to Maren and we both said, ‘It’s gone.’ We knew the Academy would want to send a signal with the Iranian film. Up to that point, Toni Erdmann was one of the favorites.”
bookmark_borderEaster Eggs.
For most, Easter is a wonderful time of year. Schools (and even many employers) are closed, so families of all religions can celebrate together. Some paint boiled-eggs, then hide them for children to find. Others use chocolates (or even toys) in place of boiled eggs. In any case, they are hidden in places that aren’t obvious, but for obvious reasons aren’t too hard to find.
Children then seek out these treats, which they enjoy and share. This is called the Easter Egg hunt.
When children look for the eggs, they come equipped with baskets. Though some make it competitive, organizers usually ensure that there are enough eggs for everyone. Sometimes we even limit what each child can gather.
The spirit of Easter is about giving and even sharing, not competition. (Although there are sports competitions that sometimes accompany the hunt.) Continue reading “Easter Eggs.”
bookmark_borderList of movies
Love them or hate them, here’s a list of movies. It’s not a good list, or a bad list, just a list.
Some have won awards and become classics. Others have been largely forgotten.
Some we watched on the recommendation of friends. Others we had to see for class. Still others just happened to be playing at a one-screen cinema.
Some we like and can recommend. Others we find boring and annoying.
However, our taste might not be the same as yours.
(Some related films and listed as a group. Consider seeing these as double or triple features, or with a festival pass.) Continue reading “List of movies”
bookmark_borderCreative integrity and intellectual property policy
Ptara Ltd has a strict policy of respect for creative integrity and intellectual property. By using our services, content, and/or any of our websites, you agree to abide by this policy. Continue reading “Creative integrity and intellectual property policy”
bookmark_borderThe Ptara Christmas message
Every year, around the world, heads of state give Christmas messages. The first time a British Monarch gave such a speech was in 1932, when George V said the following. (If you are patriotic, British, and love history, then this might bring tears to your eyes. Otherwise, it might help you sleep.)
So, what do we at Ptara have to say this Christmas?
Well, viewing the media of the past year, both left- and right-wing, both highbrow and tabloid, has taught me one thing. There’s more historical proof for the existence of Santa Claus than there is for most of the “events” that have moved history, and that includes the lies and rumors of our time. Continue reading “The Ptara Christmas message”
bookmark_borderConsensus or Group Think?
Usually, when people talk about “group think” they are condemning bad decisions. Yet when they talk about “consensus” they are implying that the group or crowd must be right.
When good leaders make bad decisions because advisers not only fail to speak up, but fail to even consider that better options may be available, that’s Group Think. When two people share the same view, and everyone else is afraid to speak, that’s Group Think. Group Think is when people not only fail to challenge the consensus, but fail to consider that the consensus may be wrong.
Look at almost any war, and you’ll find that the consensus behind at least one side’s leadership was wrong, and went largely unchallenged. However, war is politics by other means, and I do not wish to discuss politics.
Before getting into heated political mud fights I may wish to forget, I’ll talk about a “non-political” area, one where I’ve wasted time in debates that have turned ugly: film theory. Continue reading “Consensus or Group Think?”