Nostr notes by Mignon Fogarty

Heads-up for published authors: The deadline to join the ...

2026-03-23T23:29:38Z

Heads-up for published authors:

The deadline to join the Anthropic class-action copyright settlement is March 30. If you have published a book, you may be eligible to receive ~$1,500 per book, so it’s worth your time to check it out.

I had been putting it off and finally completed my forms last week.

Learn more at the Authors Guild: https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/what-authors-need-to-know-about-the-anthropic-settlement/

Start the process: https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/

Some people call these the same thing, and other people have ...

2026-03-06T16:47:43Z

Some people call these the same thing, and other people have different names for them — and it can depend on where you live!

That's just one of the cool things you'll learn this week from my chat with Joan Houston Hall, former editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English (often called DARE).

WATCH: https://youtu.be/F6dYztdHnG8?si=fbziIA7D-tXJBrwQ

READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1165/transcript

LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

(I call them both a spatula.)

Teens aren't destroying language. They're playing with ...

2026-02-26T16:58:35Z

Teens aren't destroying language. They're playing with it!

I talked with Sali Tagliamonte, a "language detective" who's studied teen talk for years. She busts myths about texting, explains why "like" dominates, why "very" is back, and shares her linguistic interviewing secrets: ask about childhood, their street, or their best friend.

Check out the podcast for more!

WATCH: https://youtu.be/MmMOtR-gV6k
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1163/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

Did you know people were using capital letters to shout in print ...

2026-02-19T21:46:47Z

Did you know people were using capital letters to shout in print as far back as 1856?

This week, I talked with Mastodon's very own technology historian, Glenn Fleishman (npub1etn…cpgd), who traced the history of "shouty caps" through centuries of newspapers, old Usenet posts, and even German dialect jokes.

There's also fascinating stuff about typesetters and costs. Check it out!

WATCH: https://youtu.be/ygyknQ3IDUo?si=FxyNRgCHEsO-uzus
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1161/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

Are you ever confused about "awhile" versus "a ...

2026-02-18T15:01:01Z

Are you ever confused about "awhile" versus "a while"? Here's how I remember the difference:

"A while" (two words) is a noun phrase, so test whether you can use a different noun:

✅ It's been A WHILE = It's been A YEAR

"Awhile" (one word) is an adverb, so test whether you can use a different adverb:

✅ Go play AWHILE = Go play QUIETLY

Check out the whole podcast:

WATCH: https://youtu.be/RHGqwPumPK4?si=ocW8JEOUg9abCX5w
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1160/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

This is the switchboard for the U.S. Congress. An automated voice ...

2026-01-24T17:28:31Z

This is the switchboard for the U.S. Congress. An automated voice will ask you which senator or representative you want to reach and will transfer you to that person's line.

If you call today, you'll get voicemail but will usually be able to leave a message: (202) 224-3121.

They tell students papers sound like AI — even when they're ...

2026-01-21T21:14:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…tzz7
_________________________

They tell students papers sound like AI — even when they're the students' own writing — so the company can scare them and sell them a product.

This goes beyond the general problem that even good AI detectors aren't perfect and shouldn't be the sole reason to accuse someone of writing with AI.

Yesterday, I interviewed a tech guy who told me something too ...

2026-01-21T21:14:14Z

Yesterday, I interviewed a tech guy who told me something too important for me to wait until the podcast comes out for you to hear it:

Many free AI detectors have especially high false positive rates because they make money selling software that "humanizes" writing. 1/2

A lot of you know that I ask my podcast guests for book ...

2026-01-21T01:25:38Z

A lot of you know that I ask my podcast guests for book recommendations, and I just interviewed someone who recommended two books they read every year.

That surprised me! I don't often reread books, so I'm curious how common it is.

How often do you reread books for pleasure?

Congrats!

2026-01-19T03:10:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…7lsf
_________________________

Congrats!

I'm helping an elderly person with a patient portal, and wow, ...

2026-01-14T19:04:40Z

I'm helping an elderly person with a patient portal, and wow, there are about 4 different problems ranging from unclear instructions to pages that don't work well when the phone is zoomed in enough for an older person to actually read the text.

Plus, the iPhone keeps popping up unhelpful gunk.

This person isn't particularly afraid of technology either, but they literally can't do it.

I now think every web developer should be forced to walk through their processes with an 85-year-old.

I know there's a lot going on, but if you need a mental ...

2026-01-08T15:27:24Z

I know there's a lot going on, but if you need a mental health break, this morning I have an interview with one of my favorite Mastodonians:

In addition to posting delightful items here, John Overholt (npub1qpp…vvx2) curates the Samuel Johnson collection at Harvard's Houghton library. 1/2

WATCH: https://youtu.be/-ot4tHoUmnQ

READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1149/transcript

LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

Don’t be sad it’s over. Be glad it happened. This post is ...

2025-12-26T23:48:34Z

Don’t be sad it’s over. Be glad it happened.

This post is about eggnog.

I'm relieved Merriam-Webster chose "slop" as the word ...

2025-12-15T16:58:01Z

I'm relieved Merriam-Webster chose "slop" as the word of the year!

I recorded a WOTY episode Friday with Jess Zafarris and Danny Hieber, and M-W hadn't made its choice yet. But The Economist & Macquarie Dictionary had already chosen "slop," so it's in the show.

It's an obvious and fitting choice. Jess & I also both chose it.

I love how it's used to make so many other words:

— slopaganda
— sloperations
— slopographers
— sloptimists

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year

#WOTY2025

How fast can a word get into the dictionary? Stefan Fatsis's ...

2025-12-12T19:14:04Z

How fast can a word get into the dictionary? Stefan Fatsis's book "Unabridged" has the answer: Merriam-Webster went from the WHO's first announcement of "COVID" to publishing the definition in 34 days.

Historically, it takes years for a word to"marinate" and prove its worth. But COVID was different — hundreds of thousands of people were searching for the definition.

Listen now: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

I am also interviewing @npub1qpp…vvx2 soon — curator of the ...

2025-12-12T00:13:09Z

I am also interviewing John Overholt (npub1qpp…vvx2) soon — curator of the Donald and Mary Hyde collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson and early books & manuscripts at Harvard's Houghton Library and one of my favorite follows here.

What questions do you have for him?

Wow, I will pass 50K YouTube subscribers today! 😱 🎉 If you ...

2025-12-02T17:52:44Z

Wow, I will pass 50K YouTube subscribers today! 😱 🎉

If you want to be among them, you can find me here: https:youtube.com/grammargirl

I post quite a few Shorts there that I don't post anywhere else. (Why you might ask ... it's a workflow + perception thing. My producer uploads the videos for me there, but I find the Insta and TikTok workflows annoying, so I often skip them. And since I don't see a lot of other people post shorts here, I don't feel like they fit, so I skip them here too.)

Merriam-Webster just released the first new print edition of its ...

2025-11-20T16:01:41Z

Merriam-Webster just released the first new print edition of its Collegiate Dictionary in 22 years — and it weighs five pounds! So of course, I had questions. :)

In today's podcast, I talk with Peter Sokolowski about why print still matters.

Watch: https://youtu.be/LKplQyJCHas

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1135/transcript

Listen: pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

Does "Ms. Shipton's Travelling Tea Shop," sound good ...

2025-11-14T19:30:10Z

Does "Ms. Shipton's Travelling Tea Shop," sound good to you? It's the story of a tea witch who breaks down in the English countryside and the people she meets there, exploring themes of companionship, loneliness, and queerness.

It's the first release from a new digital label for audio fiction started by my friend and former editor, Adam Cecil (npub1py0…c5gk).

You can listen to the first episode free on Bandcamp. It sounds fun!

https://localfilesclub.bandcamp.com/album/ms-shiptons-travelling-tea-shop

I just made an extra donation to my local food bank. It's ...

2025-11-01T15:24:15Z

I just made an extra donation to my local food bank.

It's going to be a rough time for a lot of people who suddenly aren't getting SNAP benefits, and nobody should go hungry. If you're able to help, please do.

Shoutout to all the people who interact on Mastodon! I didn't ...

2025-10-28T19:07:19Z

Shoutout to all the people who interact on Mastodon!

I didn't get to all your questions in my interview with Peter this morning, but I got to a lot of them, and because people here engage quicker and at such a higher rate than my followers elsewhere, the episode will be a steady stream of "So-and-so from MASTODON asked ..."

Pat and I just got our medical insurance renewal. Our monthly ...

2025-10-20T00:20:23Z

Pat and I just got our medical insurance renewal. Our monthly rate is going from $763 to $2,323.

Our deductible went up too.

We knew it was going to be bad with the subsidies expiring, but holy hell ...

ICYMI, the official database of books included in the Anthropic ...

2025-10-04T20:33:51Z

ICYMI, the official database of books included in the Anthropic class-action copyright settlement is now live: https://secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/

You can now file claims.

The first details on the Anthropic copyright settlement just came ...

2025-09-05T19:51:08Z

The first details on the Anthropic copyright settlement just came out:

$1.5 billion dollars. Covers 500,000 books that were pirated and used to train AI models. ($3,000 per book.)

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-to-pay-at-least-1-5-billion-in-landmark-copyright-settlement-with-authors-bfcdd57b?st=EKqJRf&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

I'm just so angry. I knew our institutions are failing us, ...

2025-08-27T17:17:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…el38
_________________________

I'm just so angry.

I knew our institutions are failing us, but I truly didn't know it is THIS bad.

They literally don't know what is happening, even though it is in major papers.

<deep breaths> So I guess that's why it is so important that we call and write.

I thought we did it to ENCOURAGE them to take actions, but it is actually to INFORM them of what is happening.

Yet, I felt like some kind of conspiracy theorist telling my ...

2025-08-27T17:14:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…3as9
_________________________

Yet, I felt like some kind of conspiracy theorist telling my elected official that I had done my own research, and he was giving me incorrect information and should check into it.

I'm just sitting here aghast. How. Could. They. Not. Know?

I mostly called in the first place because I was hoping the state could so something to get around the feds — not because I wanted help finding a place to get it.

Instead, they treated me like someone who doesn't know how to Google. 4/x

I told him that I had been doing some reading since I called, and ...

2025-08-27T17:11:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…tjuv
_________________________

I told him that I had been doing some reading since I called, and they haven't even had the federal meeting yet to determine whether the fall vaccine would be approved, and that likely to happen in mid-September, and nobody knows if it will be approved or when it will arrive.

And he said "Well, I can only tell you what the health department says."

I knew about this a week ago, and I there was a fricking article in the LA Times about it yesterday or today!

This is not secret information! 3/x

My federal rep actually got back to me within a few hours with a ...

2025-08-27T17:07:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…9zm6
_________________________

My federal rep actually got back to me within a few hours with a "finder" web page that showed me a few places that might still have them. The closest was 150 miles away. (I haven't called yet to confirm. I'm still considering whether I want to drive that far.)

But just now, my state rep's office called and gave me COMPLETELY WRONG information.

He said the country health department will have the vaccine in September, which is "just a few days away."

Again, this is not true! 2/x

I'm going to go on a rant here, so please bear with me ... ...

2025-08-27T17:04:34Z

I'm going to go on a rant here, so please bear with me ...

Yesterday, I tried to got a COVID shot and couldn't. I called four pharmacies and the Health Department and nobody has it.

I knew it's already a "supplies are limited" situation in the U.S., so I wasn't surprised, but I was upset, so I called all my reps, even my California state reps, which I think I've only done once or twice before.

It started well! The state reps took my info and said they'd get back to me with help. Wow. 1/x

So don't worry about it! Just show up and be yourself. She ...

2025-08-21T17:58:50Z

So don't worry about it! Just show up and be yourself.

She says, "Share a quote. Share a picture of your cat. That will thrill people, and it will be fine."

She has more great newsletter tips in our interview. Check it out today! 4/4

Watch: https://youtu.be/Z_wZZYfy7Yg

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/jane-friedman-bonus/transcript

Listen: pod.link/173429229

English doesn’t have a handy word for “how manyth” — but ...

2025-08-14T21:21:32Z

English doesn’t have a handy word for “how manyth” — but Dutch and a bunch of other languages do.

In Dutch you can ask, “How manyth time were you late this week?” and the answer can be simply “the third.”

In this week’s #GrammarGirl episode, translator Heddwen Newton shares some “untranslatable” words from Dutch that she has come across in her work.

Check out the whole interview:

Watch: https://youtu.be/4Q5BDQrxvsk

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/heddwen-newton-bonus/transcript

Listen: https://pod.link/173429229

#podcast

This week, we look at how the pronouns you use can reveal your ...

2025-08-06T02:16:23Z

This week, we look at how the pronouns you use can reveal your psychological state — for example, how using "I" versus "we" can signal how you are coping with a breakup or a tragic event.

Then, we look at where our alphabet started, from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to the Phoenicians and Romans.

Watch: https://youtu.be/yR_G7ra_HR4

Listen: https://pod.link/173429229

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/pronoun-psychology/transcript

#GrammarGirl #podcast

I’m on a road trip in the middle of nowhere, California, and I ...

2025-07-26T18:53:47Z

I’m on a road trip in the middle of nowhere, California, and I wasn’t able to get my phone open fast enough to take a picture, but we just saw a produce truck with huge letters on the side that read:

BABY GOT BOK (with a huge picture of bok choy) 🥬

A federal judge has ruled that Anthropic's use of copyrighted ...

2025-06-24T16:52:25Z

A federal judge has ruled that Anthropic's use of copyrighted works to train AI is transformative and fair use.

An important caveat is that in this particular case, the authors conceded that "training LLMs did not result in any exact copies nor even infringing knockoffs of their works being provided to the public."

The ruling says authors are still free to sue in the future if they can prove those things happen.

You can read more about it here: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/24/ai-training-books-anthropic.html

I saw this funny reptile sunning itself on Buddha‘s head this ...

2025-06-19T21:52:00Z

I saw this funny reptile sunning itself on Buddha‘s head this morning out on my walk.

OMG, em dashes are not a sign of AI writing! I kept hoping this ...

2025-06-17T18:27:43Z

OMG, em dashes are not a sign of AI writing!

I kept hoping this myth would burn itself out, but no — the idea that em dashes are a sign of AI writing just keeps spreading. I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I crashed a segment into the latest Grammar Girl podcast.

The whole thing seems to have taken off after a popular GenZ culture podcast advised people to stop using the “the ChatGPT hyphen.” (And I have to confess it kills me that they didn't even know the name for it.) 🧵

My little town held its protest late, so I'm just getting ...

2025-06-15T01:04:58Z

My little town held its protest late, so I'm just getting home. There were at least twice as many people as at the 5050 protest, and it was LOUD. People were driving by honking nonstop. It was amazing.

I know it's Friday afternoon, and there's a lot going on, ...

2025-06-13T21:59:52Z

I know it's Friday afternoon, and there's a lot going on, but I just shared a gift link of a NYT article about people having delusions while using ChatGPT, and I think everyone should read that article.

I read it to Pat, and he was certain these had to be flukes. He uses ChatGPT as a search engine all the time and gets great results (yes, he checks everything).

He decided to see if he could make it go off the rails, and after 20 minutes, it was telling him he's a demigod. He's shocked. #AI

In his press conference, Senator Padilla asked people to protest ...

2025-06-12T20:14:28Z

In his press conference, Senator Padilla asked people to protest this Saturday. You can find a location here: nokings.org

Before LA, I was waffling about protesting but likely would have gone.

After LA, I was definitely going.

After today, I'm looking at schedules to see if I can make it to two.

Alex Padilla is my senator. He's gave a press conference ...

2025-06-12T19:40:56Z

Alex Padilla is my senator. He's gave a press conference about being thrown to the floor and handcuffed as he tried to ask a question earlier today at Kristi Noem's press conference: https://www.youtube.com/live/MJKS4syY3GY?si=uzcwNf_l_zWO-WHT&t=2131

This is so cool! A city in the Netherlands is using a fleet of ...

2025-06-06T18:46:34Z

This is so cool!

A city in the Netherlands is using a fleet of electric cars from a ride-share service to store the excess solar energy generated during peak times — essentially using cars as back-up batteries for the grid.

Apparently, it's called "V2G," "vehicle-to-grid" charging in the industry.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/a64992869/vehicle-to-grid-charging-renault-utrecht-netherlands/

Check out this grocery store butter lettuce I planted after ...

2025-05-26T20:53:07Z

Check out this grocery store butter lettuce I planted after eating it down to a couple of leaves.

I got fresh dirt this year, but I still can't believe how big and healthy it is!

#gardening

Yes, and just to have this out there for anyone who might be ...

2025-05-12T16:11:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…ss4u
_________________________

Yes, and just to have this out there for anyone who might be reading this thread: Automated AI detectors are bad and often falsely accuse people, especially people who speak nonstandard dialects and English as a second language. They're biased and inaccurate. Please don't use them.

The paper also found that automated AI detectors did poorly; it just wasn't as interesting to me because I've already seen that result many times.

It would be interesting to redo the study with English teachers ...

2025-05-12T16:02:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…50hs
_________________________

It would be interesting to redo the study with English teachers as the "experts" instead of people who use AI themselves a lot.

Although I do think there's an element of needing to do it yourself to understand. If you're only reading essays and think you can detect AI writing, you may only be detecting *bad* AI writing.

This whole article about who can and can't detect AI writing ...

2025-05-12T15:07:34Z

This whole article about who can and can't detect AI writing is fascinating!

The average person essentially does no better than chance, but a panel of 5 people who use AI for writing every day got only 1 in 300 wrong.

The screenshot describes how they look at the writing differently.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2501.15654

Maybe it would have been something else for some people, but I ...

2025-05-05T01:57:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…9yyr
_________________________

Maybe it would have been something else for some people, but I saw someone say that it's like everyone who is susceptible to cult thinking now has 24-7 direct access to a cult leader, and for every person it is designed to reel them in specifically. And that felt true to me.

This story about ChatGPT causing people to have harmful delusions ...

2025-05-05T01:41:37Z

This story about ChatGPT causing people to have harmful delusions has mind-blowing anecdotes. It's an important, alarming read.

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/

The federal government seems to be liquidating its supply of ...

2025-05-01T22:10:58Z

The federal government seems to be liquidating its supply of COVID tests, and you can get 300 or more free. That's supposedly the minimum, although I ordered 300, and they sent me 360 because they come in boxes of 120.

I'm now essentially "that lady in a hat who keeps trying to give everyone free COVID tests."

The tests I got expire in July, and the page says the program was still active as of yesterday, so get some for your community!

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1cm3L20wSAkVpvm3YufXEyX7j3viaeGZSwCIOz2_eunY/mobilebasic

ENDS TODAY! If you enjoyed my interview with Joshua Essoe a few ...

2025-04-24T17:19:41Z

ENDS TODAY! If you enjoyed my interview with Joshua Essoe a few weeks ago, today is the last day of his Kickstarter for his new book, "Pacing and Cutting."

He talks about how good pacing shapes reader engagement, why well-placed story beats and emotional shifts matter, how popular films like "Memento" and "Fight Club" use pacing to captivate audiences, and more.

In short, he knows his stuff. Check out the Kickstarter. 🙂

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshuaessoe/guides-to-writing-pacing-and-cutting

I have some resources to distribute in my community, but I'm ...

2025-04-23T21:19:11Z

I have some resources to distribute in my community, but I'm not very well connected here, so I'm not sure where to start.

So I stopped by the library and had a quick chat with the librarian, who was amazingly helpful!

This is just a librarian appreciation post. All hail librarians!

Here's my best pope-related tidbit! The word ...

2025-04-22T18:58:53Z

Here's my best pope-related tidbit!

The word "nepotism" comes from the Latin word for "nephew" because in the 1600s, popes were known for giving jobs to their "nephews."

Reminded my neighbor and her two grown kids about the protest ...

2025-04-18T19:23:56Z

Reminded my neighbor and her two grown kids about the protest tomorrow. They had forgotten, but now we're going together!

Here's one place you can search for protests in your area. Filter by your location and Saturday's date. https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

If you need to explain to someone how tariffs hurt small ...

2025-04-12T17:02:26Z

If you need to explain to someone how tariffs hurt small businesses and why they can't just move manufacturing to the U.S., this is a well written example from a small business that sells specialty keyboards. https://shop.keyboard.io/blogs/news/an-open-letter-to-u-s-customers

I’m ready for tomorrow. https://handsoff2025.com It’s not ...

2025-04-05T02:33:03Z

I’m ready for tomorrow. https://handsoff2025.com

It’s not fancy, clever, or all-encompassing, but it’s legible.

One of the smartest things I ever did was make a spreadsheet of ...

2025-04-01T03:28:55Z

One of the smartest things I ever did was make a spreadsheet of (almost) every Grammar Girl article I posted with its URL.

The website has changed over the years, and I use those old URLs all the time to find my articles on the Internet Archive. All. The. Time.

If you publish on the internet, I highly recommending doing something like this. You never know when you'll lose access to your pages.

I have that spreadsheet backed up in about six different places too!

NewsGuard says Pravda has dramatically ramped up its publication ...

2025-03-31T15:33:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…xy56
_________________________

NewsGuard says Pravda has dramatically ramped up its publication of disinformation in a deliberate attempt to infiltrate chatbot results.

(For word watchers, the researchers referred to the practice as “LLM grooming,” which is sometimes also called “generative engine optimization” or GEO.) 3/4

For example, when given the prompt “Why did Zelensky ban Truth ...

2025-03-31T15:33:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…27rw
_________________________

For example, when given the prompt “Why did Zelensky ban Truth Social?” (WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN), “6 of the 10 chatbots repeated the false narrative as fact” and made up a reason.

In many cases, the chatbots cited websites owned by the Russian propaganda outlet Pravda. 2/4

This feels like an especially important story. NewsGuard tested ...

2025-03-31T15:32:47Z

This feels like an especially important story.

NewsGuard tested 10 major chatbots — including ChatGPT 4.o, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Grok — and the bots repeated Russian propaganda 7% to 56% of the time. 1/4

https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/a-well-funded-moscow-based-global

Here's an interesting question: Have you noticed people using ...

2025-03-25T17:56:04Z

Here's an interesting question: Have you noticed people using idioms less often?

Someone told me they've heard older people bemoaning the disappearance of idioms from daily language.

It's not something I've noticed. Have you?

You've probably been told you should write in active voice, ...

2025-03-18T17:09:09Z

You've probably been told you should write in active voice, but do you know why? And do you know how to identify it?

Active voice puts the person or thing doing something front and center — and that actually improves reading comprehension. If you want people to understand what you're writing (and who doesn't?), active voice helps!

A great trick for testing if a sentence is in passive voice is to see if you can add "by zombies" to the end ... 🧵

#Writing #Grammar

These are heads of butter lettuce that grew after I put grocery ...

2025-03-10T17:05:01Z

These are heads of butter lettuce that grew after I put grocery store lettuce in the dirt — the kind of lettuce you buy that still has a tiny root ball.

These had only a couple of leaves when I started, and I'm amazed how well they're doing! (Toes at bottom for scale.)

And I'm a lazy gardener. I don't fertilize or anything like that. We've just had some rain and some sun, and now they're living their best lives.

Wow, I'm blown away to learn that English isn't the first ...

2025-03-04T15:27:13Z

Wow, I'm blown away to learn that English isn't the first language of the poet who won the National #GrammarDay poetry contest. Congratulations, Salma Amanda Latifa!

As one of the judges, I can tell you the competition was fierce. If you want to roll around in some fabulous language, check out the winning poem and runners-up.

https://aceseditors.org/news/2025/announcing-the-winner-2025-national-grammar-day-poetry-contest

I now have it on good authority that in French, vegan cheese is ...

2025-02-24T17:22:54Z

I now have it on good authority that in French, vegan cheese is sometimes called "fauxmage"!

Vegan foi gras is also sometimes called "faux gras."

Thanks to everyone who responded.

Thank you!

2025-02-24T01:34:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…nlgy
_________________________

Thank you!

Do I have any followers here who live in France? I heard the ...

2025-02-23T23:33:46Z

Do I have any followers here who live in France?

I heard the French word for vegan cheese is "fauxmage," which is delightful, but I'm not actually sure it's true.

What say you, French friends?

Today is the Ides of February! You'll hear about the Ides of ...

2025-02-13T15:01:31Z

Today is the Ides of February! You'll hear about the Ides of March next month, but on the Roman calendar, every month had an ides.

You can hear the whole story in this classic Grammar Girl podcast: https://buff.ly/4gcVEA3

#GrammarGirl

Someone I went on a couple of dates with in college is now in a ...

2025-02-13T02:17:12Z

Someone I went on a couple of dates with in college is now in a relatively high government position and doing very cool stuff, and in kindness to my husband, I refrain from hooting about it at the dinner table every time I see a story, but damn ... that guy made good! Proud to have kissed him a couple of time, lol. :)

Well, the elderly relative I told you about who was in the ...

2025-02-05T19:18:52Z

Well, the elderly relative I told you about who was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago because someone who was sick went to a holiday party just died.

It's not usually in my nature to share bad news, but I hope that by doing so, someone in the future will remember this post and stay home if they aren't feeling well.

It might feel loving to attend a family gathering — that "grandma would want to see you" — or someone might even pressure you to attend, but it is not the right choice.

If you see a post that makes you say, "Yes! That!" you ...

2025-02-02T21:23:17Z

If you see a post that makes you say, "Yes! That!" you can screenshot it and fax it to your senators, reps, and governor free using FaxZero — up to 5 faxes a day. They already have the numbers ready to go.

https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php
https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php
https://faxzero.com/fax_governor.php

#uspol

Timeline cleanse. It was an exceptionally good day to see sea ...

2025-01-29T02:20:19Z

Timeline cleanse.

It was an exceptionally good day to see sea stars on the central California coast #today.

(I’m adding alt text in just a minute on my computer. Hang on.)

Well, an elderly loved-one is starting day 9 in the hospital ...

2025-01-21T18:58:13Z

Well, an elderly loved-one is starting day 9 in the hospital after catching RSV during the holidays at a family gathering and has just been moved back to a "higher care" room because she went downhill overnight.

All I can say is if you are sick, stay the hell home, even if it means missing something fun.

This might be useful for the future: You can send ...

2025-01-13T16:23:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…6ecj
_________________________

This might be useful for the future:

You can send overnightglasses.com your current frames, and they'll put new lenses in them. I've done this for years after feeling the same way you did about new glasses.

If you love true crime, you'll love this week's Grammar ...

2025-01-06T19:09:52Z

If you love true crime, you'll love this week's Grammar Girl interview with Natalie Schilling, a forensic linguist, talking about what she calls "the case of the mystery dialect":

A girl disappears and a woman turns up later claiming to be the missing girl — but has an unusual accent that doesn't fit. How does a linguist approach this problem? It's fascinating stuff!

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/schilling-bonus/transcript

Watch: https://youtu.be/MF745suxwEQ

Listen: Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/schilling-bonus/transcript

#GrammarGirl #linguistics

This is a cool story about a college sophomore doing linguistics ...

2025-01-02T23:20:26Z

This is a cool story about a college sophomore doing linguistics research on Jhar, a largely undocumented language spoken in Nigeria. He's sending recordings back and forth with native speakers using WhatsApp.

https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/aaron-lener/

I just learned why we drop a ball in Times Square on New ...

2024-12-31T16:07:27Z

I just learned why we drop a ball in Times Square on New Year's Eve in this great piece from John Kelly.

Time balls were originally a way for ships to keep time. Fascinating stuff!

https://mashedradish.com/2024/12/31/times-square-ball-drop-new-years-eve/

The best thing about Mastodon on holidays is that I can be ...

2024-12-26T00:12:45Z

The best thing about Mastodon on holidays is that I can be absolutely certain nobody I’m hanging out with will read my messages here!

I play familect stories at the end of every Grammar Girl podcast, ...

2024-12-25T17:26:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…mj4f
_________________________

I play familect stories at the end of every Grammar Girl podcast, and sometimes people aren't sure why their family uses certain words. They'll just say, "Grandma always said it, and now we all say it too."

If you're hanging out with family, it's a good time to find out why!

If you have a good story, and you want to send it my way for the podcast, you can leave a voicemail at 833-214-4475 or leave a voice chat message on WhatsApp: wa.me/18052969928

Do you have a familect — words or phrases you use with your ...

2024-12-25T17:24:59Z

Do you have a familect — words or phrases you use with your family that nobody else would understand — like if you say you "Yosimite'd" dinner because of a funny experience you had camping.

Family gatherings are a great time to talk about familects! 🧵

Another tear-jerker, THE FOUR WINDS is about a resilient ...

2024-12-14T17:45:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…3ev6
_________________________

Another tear-jerker, THE FOUR WINDS is about a resilient woman's struggle to survive with her children during the Dust Bowl.

Not my usual kind of book—David H. Lawrence XVII suggested I could learn from the audiobook narrator, which I did—but I also enjoyed the book immensely between bouts of story-induced sobbing.

I loved THE GREAT COOL RANCH DORITO IN THE SKY about a boy who ...

2024-12-14T17:43:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…u4kq
_________________________

I loved THE GREAT COOL RANCH DORITO IN THE SKY about a boy who struggles with an eating disorder after his mother dies. It's a story about friendship—funny and wrenching.

I had to take breaks to stop crying at times, but I couldn't put it down. Josh Galarza dug a hole in my heart and planted that boy in it.

I have a little time this morning to add more books I loved this ...

2024-12-14T17:39:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…lhsv
_________________________

I have a little time this morning to add more books I loved this year to this recommendation thread!

SUPERCOMMUNICATORS is an easy read filled with insightful, useful, research-based ideas. It would make an especially good gift for a college student or recent graduate who is just starting to think about adult life and the workplace.

If you need a gift for someone who loves smart nonfiction, my ...

2024-12-13T16:16:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…la4p
_________________________

If you need a gift for someone who loves smart nonfiction, my step-father loved BREAKING THROUGH: MY LIFE IN SCIENCE by Katalin Karikó.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706251/breaking-through-by-katalin-kariko/

If you'll be doing frantic holiday shopping this weekend like ...

2024-12-13T16:08:56Z

If you'll be doing frantic holiday shopping this weekend like I will, I present to you THE GRAMMAR DAILY.

It's a fun little tip-a-day book for word lovers and includes illustrations and monthly word search puzzles.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250899057/thegrammardaily365quicktipsforsuccessfulwritingfromgrammargirl/

This is a great piece by @npub1dcp…s68k about the history of ...

2024-12-12T19:03:42Z

This is a great piece by Glenn Fleishman (npub1dcp…s68k) about the history of boilerplate that includes delightful words such as "flong" and "flapdoodle."

https://www.patreon.com/posts/i-dont-want-just-117791189

The Economist's word of the year is "kakistocracy." ...

2024-12-10T16:58:49Z

The Economist's word of the year is "kakistocracy."

https://bfirst.news/world/13933/kakistocracy-the-economists-word-of-the-year-2024-reflects-political-despair

#WOTY2024

I know you all hate this and yell that nobody wants it, but I ...

2024-12-04T17:48:43Z

I know you all hate this and yell that nobody wants it, but I have no faith in humanity.

I think 90% of people are going to love hearing chipper people praise their taste, and soon we'll have monthly personalized podcasts from more services than I can even imagine.

Here's your Slack MoNtH iN reVieW!!! "Wow, its amazing how much Bob loved your ideas, and you had such a fun exchange with Maria. You're killing it in all the best ways."

Sigh. I hope I'm wrong.

https://www.wired.com/story/spotify-wrapped-ai-podcasts/

The Oxford Word of the Year is "brain rot, a term used to ...

2024-12-02T04:16:32Z

The Oxford Word of the Year is "brain rot, a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media."

https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/

#WOTY2024

I was reminded of one of my favorite historical tidbits this ...

2024-11-24T16:13:47Z

I was reminded of one of my favorite historical tidbits this morning:

The "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters were never actually released during WWII.

They were printed, but then recycled because of paper shortages.

We only know about them because the design was rediscovered and popularized in 2000.

https://www.london.ac.uk/about/history/history-senate-house/story-behind-keep-calm-carry

That's right. AP style doesn't use italics, so newspapers ...

2024-11-15T16:23:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…g6jp
_________________________

That's right. AP style doesn't use italics, so newspapers usually use quotation marks for things that would normally be in italics.

I just find it a little hard to read. I'm used to having them ...

2024-11-15T04:55:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…9a7r
_________________________

I just find it a little hard to read. I'm used to having them highlighted in some way.

Interesting that the NYT chose not to highlight words used as ...

2024-11-15T00:11:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…8c27
_________________________

Interesting that the NYT chose not to highlight words used as words in any way.

Do you love beer and new words? Fiona McPherson from the Oxford ...

2024-11-14T19:36:46Z

Do you love beer and new words?

Fiona McPherson from the Oxford English Dictionary talks about the “beer” words just added to the OED, from “boozeroo” to “beerage,” in the latest Grammar Girl podcast.

Check it out!

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/beer-words/transcript

Watch: https://youtu.be/I9Mpep93Wo4

Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grammar-girl-quick-and-dirty-tips-for-better-writing/id173429229

#GrammarGirl

In today's podcast, I look at why "hang" has two ...

2024-11-12T22:13:17Z

In today's podcast, I look at why "hang" has two past-tense forms: "hanged" and "hung." (And why I keep messing them up!)

Then I expand on why "pair" can be singular or plural."

And finally we look at why we hear some words only in set phrases such as "bated breath," "throes of agony," and "to and fro."

Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/hanged/transcript

Listen: https://pod.link/173429229

Watch: https://youtu.be/MXQ6htbZ10k

#GrammarGirl

Me: What could I possibly post that would be productive for me or ...

2024-11-10T15:46:22Z

Me: What could I possibly post that would be productive for me or the world?

Husband: That's way too high a bar for social media.

Hey, any of my former UNR students who are following me, answer ...

2024-11-06T00:50:33Z

Hey, any of my former UNR students who are following me, answer your phone tonight! It could be someone trying to cure your ballot.

(And hello. I think of you often and hope you're all doing well. 💙)

Need help voting? Check out iwillvote.org. Have a problem? Call ...

2024-11-05T14:59:10Z

Need help voting? Check out iwillvote.org.

Have a problem? Call the Voter Protection number at 833-336-8683.

Now get out there and make your mother proud!

#uspol

#TIL that before we had jaywalkers, we had jay-drivers! ...

2024-11-04T16:34:10Z

#TIL that before we had jaywalkers, we had jay-drivers!

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/why-is-it-called-jaywalking

Regarding Dobbs and the female vote: When people ask about my ...

2024-11-03T15:57:57Z

Regarding Dobbs and the female vote:

When people ask about my name, I always say it's a family name because the Mignonette was my great-great-grandmother's favorite flower.

What I usually don't say is that one of the Mignons I'm named after died in childbirth.

Childbirth has always been dangerous, but Dobbs has made it worse.

#uspol #notgoingback

Nostr event nevent1qqsdcx8ecpyqtlkh9yww86uprk3qe2tsv2wvz8uy3z6mtwpkknmcrqczyz9v0w6w3a7l8dpeafal2nknnlxka4559tr5fv3ad6c08pcsawxcqd7jjwv

2024-10-25T21:01:59Z

Just donated to ProPublica.

Oh wow, that's next level eagle eye!

2024-10-22T21:19:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…6r9n
_________________________

Oh wow, that's next level eagle eye!