Thursday, June 5, 2008

They've been at it since the Middle Ages.


Since days of old when knights were bold and all that tommyrot, scientists, alchemists and other charlatans have mused about creating a perpetual motion machine. Often it seems to me that our industry has developed and perfected a perpetual dumbness machine.

Listen, really listen to what goes on in your agency, and you'll see and hear what I mean.

I just got off the phone with a brilliant editor and friend, and he said something to me about his skill set. Skill set? My kids might play on a swing set. My wife might have a twin-set. My stomach might be up-set, but what is a skill set?

Instead of saying, "so you can see my skill set," couldn't he have said, "so you can see my skills."

I'm not sure he has the proper skill set v. I'm not sure he has the proper skills. Does adding an "et" to the word skills make you sound smarter? Does it help us communicate with extra-terrestrials?

That's all for now. Time to put my skill sets to better use.

1 comment:

  1. athletes and plumbers and fiddlers have skills.
    People who work in office environments have skill sets.
    Tennis players have sets.

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