Pausing to praise more than the simple period

After spending 40 years working in local media, most of them in newsrooms, you'd think I would either know all there is to know about punctuation or would be too tired at this point to care. 

However, because I remain a stickler for the proper use of commas, parentheses, semicolons — and don't forget long dashes — I enjoy reading fellow writers who take deep dives on the subject. 

Case in point is Louis Menard's terrific New Yorker article "The Last Word" (retitled with an SEO-smart headline — "The Curious Power of Punctuation" — online. 

Menard eloquently digs into examples of confusing punctuational in classic literacture; its ongoing change amid A1, smartphones and emojis; the merits of adverbs, or lack thereof; and whether there's hope for a future that preserves and respects punctuation. 

"The polite way to be rude now is to use correct punctuation," Florence Hazrat says in bemoaning the severe lack of punctuation in text messages. 

I agree, and I'm someone who understands communication forms change over time, often for the better (don't ask me about the arguments my Mom and I used to have over whether cursive writing should remained a relevant skill in the 21st century). 

Menard takes it all in stride, injecting great humor into the many debates that inflame a tiny minority of the population. 

Horrific album covers — I mean, criminally awful designs

The Faith TonesI stumbled across this hilarious article while doing research for my book. 

It's titled "Bad Album Covers Exposed," and it's a frightful display of how musicians can kill any momentum by delegating the cover design to their cousins. 

This Faith Tones cover is among many cringy designs. You'll want to read the article to discover the even scarier back story of The Faith Tones, as well as the jaw-dropping Millie Jackson cover. I can't even ...

RIP Racer magazine (1992-2026)

I'm saddened to learn of this week's apparently passing of RACER magazine, an often wonderful American motorsports magazine that for far too often punched above its weight over 341 issues. 

The premier issue, from 1992

I was an original subscriber and still have the premiere RACER issue somewhere. I vividly recall holding the first issue and marveling at the quality of its paper stock and reproduction. That emphasis on quality journalism and design remained up to the final issue, which I just received in the mail earlier this month. 

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