We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language. Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost Much is said about the difference between the British and US language, often concentrating on differences of spelling or pronunciation. However, what about all those words which we have different terms for?
Category archives: Life
Who’d want to be a Noogler?
Did you know that new Google employees are ‘Nooglers’, that staff over 40 are ‘Greyglers’, staff that leave are ‘Xooglers’ and those that bring their dogs to work are ‘Dooglers’? Cute names or something more worrisome? Well, Automattic has names for its employees too, all based on variation of the company name.
Health matters
One of the things I’ve not really written about is my physical health. Mental health, yes. Now, I’m generally in good health (despite my size – but I’ll get onto that) but have a couple of niggling issues, one of which seems to have stumped health professionals. And my DNA. So, I thought it time […]
Talking support: should I switch it off and back on again?
And, today, we’ll talk about the age-old IT trope… fix everything by switching it off and back on again. The thing is, it works. So why should we be avoiding this?
Applying for a job? Here’s what people often get wrong
It’s 2 years since I got my job at Automattic and now I’m part of Automattic’s VIP hiring team. And performing this hiring role has been genuinely interesting and, yes, eye-opening. In this post, I want to give you an idea of what I look for in an application and some of the less obvious […]
The Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Creating my popular video
With over 137,000 views, my video of the music from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become, for me, a soaraway success (well, compared to my other videos which normally consist of people on trampolines or moving Lego contraptions). So, I thought I’d talk about how I create the video and what the future holds for […]
WordCamp talks: How to use slides
And, today, I want to talk about the use of slides.
Talking Support: The inclusive language that we often forget
Today, I want to talk about our use of inclusive language.
A short cold snap
Whilst nothing like the weather currently in the North of the US and Canada, it’s quite cold in the UK at the moment with snow in many areas. For me, it was freezing fog yesterdayfollowed by a light dusting of snow. During my morning walk I took some photos of the rather wonderful scene that […]
Talking Support: Let us get on with fixing it, dangit
So, let’s talk about how you can ensure that issues are resolved as swiftly as possible, without unnecessary interruption.