For those of us unhealthily obsessed with the English language, the rules of grammar are not to be taken lightly.

For we humble word nerds, proper syntax and careful execution are of the utmost importance. There IS a right way to do things (though sometimes there’s debate over what exactly that is), and grammarians of all disciplines will agree.

Certain rules, though, fall under heavier scrutiny than others, as the awesome blog post below displays, and writers and editors are all but forced to choose a position. I know where I stand on most of them. Do you?

As the resident content conjurer here at LongerDays.com, I have to be actively concerned with colloquial language, maintaining the right voice, and ensuring that each sentence is pristine and polished. Also, I’m a proponent of the Oxford comma!

All of this grammar business can be pretty slippery, and it takes a good deal of studying (and a fair amount of “feel”) to get the words to work the way you want them to. If it’s a struggle, why not hire a virtual assistant to polish your words for you?

Take a scroll through this list, and see if any of these register as pet peeves. If so, you just might be a word nerd like me! Remember that writing is a creative process, though, and at the end of the day, conveying your meaning is what’s most important. With that, I leave you with this nugget of wordsmith wisdom:

Language is meant to be manipulated. As with music, painting, or any other art form, you have to know the rules before you break them, and when you decide to color outside the lines, you should know exactly why you’re doing it.

– Article below originally posted here –

The 20 Most Controversial Rules in the Grammar World

It’s a feeling experienced in every job, from the ship yard to the stock market

I call it “The Breaking Point.” It’s when you’ve reached the point of stress or exhaustion that prevents you from effectively performing the task at hand, but you keep trying anyway. Unfortunately, even if we can convince ourselves to push on for another hour or two, the end results are usually disappointing.

The reposted article below really puts this into perspective. How productive can you really be without recharging from time to time? It makes those little chats by the water cooler seem more important, the mandatory 12 hour factory shifts seem more absurd. You simply have to know when to give yourself a break, mental or physical. Read More

As you build your presence on the Internet, creating social network profiles, signing up for various memberships sites, and maintaining at least one email account, trying to manage a host of passwords and usernames can become a little maddening.

Fortunately, there is a wide range of password management solutions, available both as software and web-based services, for relatively low cost. Some of the web-based password management solutions are available free of charge.

In fact, most web browsers have a “remember password” feature, and for some, this might be all the help they need. For others though, with passwords and usernames piling up around them, a more robust service may be in order.

Obviously security is the top priority when selecting a password manager. Most programs of this type protect your collection of passwords by way of a single, very secure master password. The quality of this master password is of the utmost importance, regardless of the service you are using. The master password protects a vault of your information, and should incorporate all of the standard password best practices.

The most popular password managers like LastPass, PassPack, and a mass of other services offer web-based password storage, allowing users to access their accounts from any device in any location. Other software-based password managers boast the ability to run from a flash drive for “plug and play” style portability.

Selecting a password manager that fits your individual needs (and budget) is essentially a personal choice, though web-based LastPass has consistently stellar reviews and a reputation for ease of use. It also offers free service, with upgrade options that compete with services offered by many of its competitors. LastPass, however, has had some security issues in the past year.

RoboForm is a particularly popular Windows-based option, just as 1Password is for Mac OS users. These software-based managers, however, generally carry a price tag of $29.95 and up.

With any password management system, users of course run security risks. By using a singular password to protect all of the others, the eggs are all in one basket, so to speak. Keep this in mind when choosing what’s right for you, and put great care into the security of your master password. With a little care, you can have a secure, streamlined solution to a mountain of login information, and take steps toward a generally more satisfying user experience.

The iPhone 4S’s Siri is supposed to act as virtual assistant, utilizing voice commands, your iPhone’s contacts and media, and of course, the internet.

It’s a powerful piece of software, but how does it stack up against a living, breathing, human virtual assistant? Does Siri mark the beginning of the end of a human based industry? Years from now will we reminisce how thousands of people were employed before advancing technology again made their positions obsolete?

Siri functions on basic Q&A methodology. You ask a question or make a request, and Siri does its best to provide the information you’re after. This can be used for travel directions, trivia questions, sending messages or setting reminders. Essentially, Siri’s integration with iOS makes the application work like a universal voice commander for your iPhone.

While this is all well and good, describing it as such really illustrates the application’s shortcomings.

When compared to an actual assistant, Siri shows its true colors as a quantitative entity, incapable of intuitive thought. Ask Siri where to go for lunch, and it will give you the highest ranked restaurants in the area. It will not, however, tell you that it fills to capacity every day – and that you need a reservation. It definitely won’t be able to recommend a dish that doesn’t have an online review.

It’s a matter of convenience, really. Siri is great for some quick information when you’re on the move and can’t stop to type into the Google search bar, or when you need some hands-free control of your iPhone. To call it a “virtual assistant” is a bit of a misnomer, though. Siri will not create content. Siri will not help you sort out a particularly difficult customer service issue.

Is Siri cool? Definitely. The voice recognition is quite good, and won’t give you too much “I didn’t catch that, please repeat the question” like a lot of other voice command programs. When it’s all said and done though, Siri won’t give you a lick of information you couldn’t easily find yourself, if only you had the moment of free time, or the free hands, to look it up.

For virtual assistance, however, Marvin Gaye put it best: “Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.” … at least for now.