Where Have All the Editors Gone?

August 31st, 2008

It’s not uncommon these days to see typos and grammatical errors on major news sites. Given the time-sensitive nature of the business, it’s understandable that a misspell or typo might make it through occasionally, but more and more I’m seeing the possessive confused with the plural. Surely even the most junior editor at a major online news site should know the difference?

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Twitter Updates for 2008-08-30

August 30th, 2008

  • @ffacker Thanks! Good to know someone thinks I have good taste. lol #
  • @Whitneyboi I can’t believe you’re going down there. Our LA relatives are planning on coming to Houston on Sunday. #
  • @Whitneyboi Oh, by the way, turns out my mom is on marriage number six. I stand corrected. #
  • @iahmike I don’t know, but I’d get busy. #

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Twitter Updates for 2008-08-29

August 29th, 2008

  • Just found out that the first batch of Louisiana relatives will evacuate here tomorrow night. Going shopping. #
  • @Whitneyboi Did you decide to go to Austin? We’re thinking about Austin or Galveston tomorrow. #

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Automate Your Hurricane Plan with OneStorm

August 29th, 2008

Just in time for soon-to-be Hurricane Gustave roaring into the Gulf, I’ve discovered OneStorm, a free site that aims to “educate and prepare families for severe weather.” This well-organized will get your disaster planning started with downloadable forms such as shopping and contact lists, as well as a very comprehensive article library with topics that range from planning and preparation to behavioral issues, but the real draw here is the automated hurricane plan wizard.

After registering you’ll be offered the chance to start building your hurricane plan. The site suggests that building your plan will take about 20 minutes, but you should allow longer if your important documents are not already organized in a central location. Alternatively, you can opt to add additional information at a later time. The screens are ordered logically, and while comprehensive, the process goes very quickly since most input is done with check boxes as opposed to actually typing.
Having the following information handy will make the process go even faster: emergency contact numbers of friends and family, family neighborhood meeting place and out-of-town meeting place, pet immunization records, prescription information, and healthcare provider information.

The final section of the wizard lets you print out lists of supplies that are still needed, supplies on hand, human and pet health information, and contact information. You are also invited to share your contact, pet and health status with local emergency officials. I opted to just share my contact information.

This is a great site and I’d love to have been able to write a more comprehensive review, but my printouts indicate that I need to stock up, so I’m off to Sam’s Club. Stay safe, all.

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