description

We all make errors, and sometimes, those errors can make us look like idiots. Especially when that error gets published out in the world, even though it likely went through a host of gatekeepers to get there. And that's why we're here. To shame those gatekeepers with an internet scarlet S. I don't expect you to be perfect. It takes a village, and every village has an idiot. But for the sake of your company's reputation, hire a village that has at least one member THAT CAN SPELL.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

You say to-MAH-to...

This one's kinda silly. I mean, if you have clip art of the product you're selling RIGHT THERE, why not check the spelling against what the package says? But I can see how that would be a lot of trouble to go to. (I can't.) I understand how you might be in a rush to sell as much ice cream as possible. (I don't understand at all.)

@MykeCole, via @c_v_thomson
Let's just all admit right up front that the worst part of this sign is that this amazing ice cream sale happened back in early May, and we missed it.

Also, Ice Cram is totally the name of the latest hockey movie starring Russell Crowe and Tim Robbins, about a man (Robbins) who's been given months to live, and his best bud (Crowe), who just wants to help him cram in a few more games of hockey before he goes to that magical ice rink in the sky. Oh, and maybe win an Olympic gold medal along the way. Tagline? Duh. CRAM THIS!

(Please see this link for source of this photo. HT to loyal reader and internet buddy CP for flagging this sign for me!)

Respect my (lack of) authority!

Let's start the day with a confession. So, yeah. Sometimes, I can get a little snotty about my spelling-fu. I know. I KNOW. I get things right sometimes. But other times? I am so SO wrong. And I am woman enough to admit it.

A while back I snapped a pic of this TiVo listing because I was sure some part of it was wrong. Mr. Schaech doesn't spell his name like that, right? And is that supposed to be David Bowie? Off to IMDB to check!

Damn. I apparently missed "Sounds of NASCAR."
Guess what, y'all. EVERY DROP OF THIS IS SPELLED CORRECTLY. Who'd have thunk? Even protegee, since the protegee in question is a woman. (Also, you're a little sad you missed this movie, aren't you?)

This is proof that even those that pride themselves on their ability to know, um, stuff, still need to double check sometimes to be certain. I am confident this was why the internet was born, so we'd have quick access to necessary information like who starred in what movie. And to maybe help me find those shoes I love for 50% off.

That's just as important.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Extra-super plural, perhaps?

Signing up for a new account online somewhere can be really frustrating, right? Y'all know what I mean. You know EXACTLY what you want your online name to be, and then you learn it's already taken. UGH. So you have to come up with something else. Or, add an extra letter to what you've already got, which makes it look a little wonky, but solves the problem. I did that for my twitter account. Just added another S to the end, so it looks a little like it's hissing, but really, I was just trying to keep my favored username. I've never seen a company or organization of any kind do this, but I guess it's possible. I'd think it would be really annoying if you were a famous person, and you learned that someone had already squatted on your own name, so you have to take extreme measures somehow. Like, um, be really annoyed, and then think of something else. Or something.

Anyhoo, all that to say, I'm pretty sure that's NOT what happened here.

Mental note: never, EVER wear a clear poncho on TV.
And a close up, in case you can't quite see it:

So, uh, what's going on with the handcuffs? That's an interesting way to boost ratings.
I'd guess these were not typed on the fly. They were possibly ready even before the show started taping. So, there was probably some time to go back and reread them before they were broadcast. And clearly, no one did.

I'm, uh, available for work, guys. If you need the help. Totally unemployed, is what I'm saying. And very willing to reread my work!

(Thanks to loyal reader and valued sibling JG for sending me these pics. Y'all, I'm not kidding when I say I have EVERYONE searching for published errors.)

I am just an ordinary citizen...

Spotted this on the twitters late in the day on Tuesday. I have no interest in politicizing this blog. All of America should learn to spell properly. And as it turns out, that may be a good place to start. America.


Photo by Joseph Finn
That, my friends, is a screen grab from the latest app for the candidate whose name you can see there at the bottom. Presented with no further comment.

(Pointed towards this remarkable spelling fail by loyal reader and friend AW, and the original can be found on Joseph's instagram. Thanks, y'all!)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Thanks!

I received lots of great submissions over the weekend, so I wanted to say thanks to everyone that's sent stuff in so far. I really appreciate it!

If you see a published spelling error, please grab a pic and send it in! I'd love to check it out.

Thanks again!

DEEE-licious, y'all!

So, I grew up in Florida. It's not technically the South, which is good, in some ways. I am, however, familiar with the South's ways, so to speak. I know of their foods and traditions, and would be happy to explain to you the difference between a BBQ and a cookout. I also, as you may have noticed so far, can properly deploy a y'all into the conversation. Y'all may not be aware of this, but the South is very good at cold beverages. They have to be, since it's about a billion degrees down there, starting around mid-March. Cold beer, cold coke (whichever kind you want), cold tea. Cold SWEET tea, to be exact. Unfortunately, I've never been a fan. Tea has always tasted to me like someone took a branch off a tree and wrung it out into a glass. Yuck. But I can assure you that if I had to choose between sweet tea and the below-mentioned tea, I'd be Team Sweet Tea all the way.

photo by Eric Wagoner
When I first saw this photo, I was so happy because "Desserts" is spelled correctly! Yay! But then I looked up. And yes, I'm focusing on the tea, and ignoring the Lemon Aid, because maybe that's some sort of house specialty that they're spelling quirkily. I'm not sure. I would definitely choose the Lemon Aid over the Sweat Tea, as well, since lemons can often use help when becoming drinks. What if the aid is some sort of booze? That sounds fantastic! Anyhoo, I digress. Sweat Tea, y'all. It's a don't. A gross, sticky, unpleasant don't.

Just say no. 

(photo recommended to me by my friend AW, and can be found at this link, via Eric's instagram.)

Back to work blues

Hey Everyone! Welcome back from the holiday weekend. Let's get right down to business, shall we?

Today's first photo is one of those that inspired me to start this blog. It's a graphic advertising an upcoming show on HGTV. I rarely watch HGTV, as people with nice homes make me sad, since I live in a crappy apartment. However, I was watching this day, and this was my reward. You see, I work in television production, and I know some of the people that produce some of the shows on HGTV, and I know for CERTAIN they'd be enraged if this is how HGTV advertised their shows. Also, because of that work, I have a pretty good idea of how many eyes likely saw this graphic before it made it on the air. By my estimate, I'd guess at least 4 people likely approved this bad boy. This very, very bad boy.

It is SO not our fault. Please watch our show anyway. 
There. That's just ridiculous, isn't it? You go to all the trouble of locating interesting people to make a show about, shooting that show, putting the show together, and getting it on the air, and then people who want to watch it can't even put it on their TiVos because the advertising is SPELLED WRONG. I admit I couldn't believe this. I actually googled the show to make sure it wasn't some weird twist on the phrase. It's not. That's not the name of the show.

Hopefully the executive producer of the show raised a little hell and got this taken care of very quickly. Or better yet, now insists on seeing ALL related graphics before they go to air. Which is as it should be. This is just heartbreaking for the team who worked on the show. It's a little like the network is saying they couldn't care less about all the hard work put in. We're just going to throw some garbage up on the TV, and if people see it AND figure it out, great. If not? Whatever.

Yeah, perhaps that's a little dramatic, but you work 15 hour days for a few months, and then get this as your reward from your overlords. It's not cool, y'all.

(yes, I know the pic is blurry. I retook it several times at different distances, but it would just not clear up. Blame the iPhone.)

Friday, May 25, 2012

Pet Peeve, pt. 2

When you watch as much TV as I do, you can't help but be exposed to commercials. Yes, I have a TiVo. Technically speaking, I own 4 TiVos, but I'm only using 2 of them at present. However, sometimes, you just have to sit through a late-night rerun of Law & Order or four. Or CSI:NY. YOU JUST HAVE TO. Anyway, because of that, you get to see a number of high quality ads. And by high quality, I mean they were likely produced by some schmo on his computer, who underbid all the competition so completely that he has no idea he doesn't know anything about anything. He just knows that he has to identify all the people in the ad he's editing together, using the information provided to him. If he stopped to google how to do this correctly, it would take too much time, and he promised to be ON TIME and UNDER BUDGET. That's how he got this awesome gig, after all. And that's how he can bring this tiny gem to you.

I am deeply concerned. This is my deeply concerned face. 
You just know that Dr. Chu's mom is SUPER proud of her son. Two doctorates? He's like the King of Smart People. He's Captain Smarty McSmartypants. All other lesser smarties shall bow down before him. KNEEL BEFORE CHU. Ahem. But because he's so smart, I bet the good doctor knows that he doesn't get to have both his title and his academic abbreviations at the same time. One or the other, but not both. Also, when you're both an MD and a PhD, the MD is usually listed first, unless he earned his PhD first. It can get a little hairy.

So basically, Low Bidder got every drop of this wrong. That's kind of an accomplishment in itself, so well played, him. I guess. Congrats?

Pet Peeve

Yes, this is a grammar issue, and not a spelling issue. But, as I said yesterday, sometimes, stuff just BUGS and you have to purge it, or it'll back up in your system and make you shout profanity at strangers while driving, or watch an absurd amount of television, or something. Wait...

I'm not even interested in your stinky "new features" now, TiVo.
All together now. YOU DO NOT NEED AN APOSTROPHE WHEN YOU ARE MAKING SOMETHING PLURAL. JUST THE S WILL SUFFICE. The apostrophe makes it possessive. Unless that clever let owns something, it does not need an apostrophe. C'mon, y'all. We studied this in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Did y'all not come in that day? That YEAR? Oy.

Be better, TiVo. We are already giving you a pass with your wacky capitalization fetish, after all. People will start to believe you, and add an apostrophe to every end-of-word S. And that, my friends, would be a tragedy.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Keep 'em coming!

Thanks for all the submissions so far, y'all! It's very helpful. If you spot a spelling error, snap a pic or send me the link here. I'd love to see it! Together, we will shame the perpetrators and bring victory to our people. Our people being the United Nerds of America, of course.

Tomorrow, we'll pause from the spelling drama, and explore a couple grammar issues. Yes, this is primarily a spelling blog, but it's my blog, and well, bad grammar bugs me, too. That isn't really all that surprising, is it?

I prefer the traditional spelling...

This one's for the readers who know me. You know how you sometimes have to give your name at restaurants so they can call you for your food when it's ready? I get a LOT of variations on my name, which makes me wonder if I am unable to speak properly. This is not technically a misspelling, since I'm sure this is what the order-taker thought he heard, but man, is it WRONG.


For the record, my name does have one letter A in it. But that's as close as this version gets. This is still better than the "vaca" I once got. Fortunately, the food was delicious.

It's like Aussie rules football, but different...

Another submission, this time from loyal reader and friend MF. Have you guys seen the trailer for the new Great Gatsby movie? In case you haven't, here it is:


Looks lush, right? Pretty much exactly how you'd imagine Luhrmann + Gatsby might come together. I'm not sure the 3D is necessary. I do love his attention to detail, though. The costumes are gorgeous. Check out those amazing shots of Times Square, with the signs and the awesome cars and such. However, I'm sure poor Mr. Zeigfeld is rolling over in his grave. Or, rather, I should say, ZIEgfeld. Since that's how he prefers to spell it. That's an easy fix, and I'm sure it'll get corrected by the time the movie hits theaters. But keep an eye out for it!

There's a framegrab in the article here, as well as attribution as to who first spotted this error. Well done! I totally missed it. Mr. Ziegfeld is especially grateful.

History nerd: It's interesting to note that Gatsby takes place during Prohibition, so I was checking those signs for alcohol ads. I suspected Sonora, but it turns out it's a brand of phonograph in both Australia and the US, though apparently on a downswing by 1922. And that Venida sign? It's a brand of bobby pin.

Also, also: now I'm not sure. Is that Times Square? it looks a little bit like they surrounded the Flatiron Building with signs.

Keep sending in those submissions! Thanks for the help!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

When spellcheck can't save you, pt. 2

Y'all, just click on this link for another painful reminder to not put all your faith in spellcheck. Although, I have to say, if that was my commencement program, I would have been DELIGHTED. Talk about a souvenir!

I think the best part is the follow-up tweet. Just spectacular.

When spellcheck can't save you...

I can't even imagine how difficult being in a band must be. I mean, crafting music, rehearsing, booking gigs, trying to gain some attention, gaining a little attention, fending off groupies, all of it. It must be exhausting. But sometimes, you do it. You get your name out there. You get people to recognize the work you're putting into your job. The local paper runs a story on your bandmate! That's fantastic! And they mention your name! And wait. You're what?!

This will be replacing the current dictionary definition of  "awkward."
You see? You can't just place all your trust in spellcheck. It doesn't always want you to succeed. Sometimes, it wants you to look really, really doofy in front of as many people as possible. Spellcheck is the mean girl of your computer. You can't trust it, no matter how cute it says you look in that skirt. 

*according to this website, this correction ran in the Mount Vernon edition of the Centralia Morning Sentinel in July 2011. If this is not correct, I'm happy to attribute correctly. Please let me know. 

Monday, May 21, 2012

Housekeeping

We all know it's just a matter of time before I spell something incorrectly, right? We won't hold it against me. I DON'T HAVE A VILLAGE, PEOPLE. Or Village People. I'm pretty sure any of those guys would be fantastic help with this blog. I mean, c'mon. YMCA, Y'ALL. They can spell that ALL NIGHT.

ANYHOO, if you see a spelling error out in the wild, send it in! I'd love to check it out.

Thanks!

Right on Target

Target's a big store, with LOTS of signs. I especially like the ones that say "X amount off!" Or, "You can have all these shoes for free, because we love you!" Ok, I've never seen that one. YET. I was saddened, however, when I saw this sign, highlighting the fit of one of their styles of jeans:

Hi! Don't blame me. I had nothing to do with it. Don't I look cute in these jeans?
Just one letter off, and yet it makes all the difference. This is one instance where spellcheck would have saved y'all.

Be better, Target!

You get what you pay for...

Sent in by loyal reader and friend JS comes this notification of settlement in a very important lawsuit. Did your ass not turn out the way you'd hoped just by walking in weirdly-shaped shoes? These people would like to help you. And since it's free, no dictionary was involved.

Phone number removed to protect the innocent
It'll sneak up on you. Oh, yes I DID. 

Thanks, JS! Keep 'em coming!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Where is it, exactly?

Saw this one on my walk today. To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, "I don't think that's spelled the way you think it's spelled."

I am also curious about their definition of "nice view," but that's not really what we're here for.

Release the WHAT?

In my inaugural post, I'll explain the title. I saw this promo on PBS the other day, while watching one of their awesome genealogy shows with Dr. Gates. I love that guy. Anyway, here's the promo:


I don't know about you, but I expect a little more from PBS. I'm sure they're all overworked and underpaid like the rest of us, but have a little pride, y'all. Sherlock, however, is not surprised at all. He expects this level of incompetence. Don't let Sherlock win! Don't fail up!

Get it together, PBS.