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Posts tagged: college humor

Tuesday Grammar Nerd Humor: Brave New Punctuation For The Digital World

April 6, 2010, by TC 5 comments

While the internet has radically altered the face of marketing, us poor writers remain stuck with the same old-fashioned letters, overbearing grammar rules and boring punctuation that have always held us back.

Isn’t it time we threw off the yoke of our linguistic oppressors? Isn’t it time we evolved the language to fit our new digital, lifestreaming reality?

I agree.

Which is why CollegeHumor.com’s publication of new punctuation designed expressly for the digital age caught my eye – especially the lovely, revelatory Demicolon:

The Demicolon

Clearly, the expert linguists at CollegeHumor.com are bold thinkers: they also suggest digital-age punctuation marks like The Double-Reverse Sarcastimark, the quotificent Isolation Marks (which isolate your perfect text from the error-riddled crap you’re quoting), and the Victory-Carries-The-Wind symbol, which allows you win any online argument – no matter how tenuous your position.

Frankly, the writing world has waited a long time for this kind of forward-thinking punctuary revolution.

No longer will our tiny little hobbit writer’s hands be tied by outdated punctuation – marks that barely got the job done when words were still printed on paper.

See you on the bleeding edge of our New Digital Frontier,
Tom Chandler.

Friday Font Geek Must-See TV: College Humor's Font Fight Video

May 8, 2009, by TC 5 comments

It’s gotten so I don’t even try to disguise my love of all things typographic. And yes, coming out of the font closet means I’m free of the secret shame I’d experience lusting over a particularly telling use of Futura, or a nifty graphic treatment of Garamond Condensed.

Now, College Humor has produced Font Fight – the hilarious, perfect-for Friday video that every font geek (and yes, I mean you ) will want to play over and over.

Click the image, watch the video, shoot Comic Sans out your nose...

Click the image, watch the video, shoot Comic Sans out your nose...

After all, what fontophile would willingly miss the long-awaited meeting of Helvetica and Arial – the latter of which stole the former’s identity so many years ago? (The hairs on my neck are standing up.)

I can’t embed it, but it’s worth the short trip to the College Humor site, where you can embrace your inner font geek.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

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For 25 years I wrote copy. I'd tell you I've become a consultant, but I do that and still write more than ever.

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