Of the 1000s of titles I've copy edited, this one comes the closest to setting up a joke.

"How to Change a Light Bulb on a Harley-Davidson Ceiling Fan" -- A whole lot of rigmarole led up to a big finish: "Unscrew the existing light bulb by rotating it in a counterclockwise motion. Insert the new light bulb by rotating it in a clockwise motion."

Somewhere out there is some poor soul, sitting in the dark, perhaps with his family, whose life will be immeasurably improved by something I'm proud to have worked on.

Category fail or not? You decide.

"What are Ways to Get a Boyfriend" is listed as a Criminal Law article.

Tool Time

"Replace it by unscrewing it frmo it's harness using a screwdriver if it is broken."

This writer is broken, and I'd like to use a screwdriver to . . .

Confound modifiers

I don't know what their problem is, but almost to the idiot, the Demand Media TitleBots fail to hyphenate compound modifiers.

I've got a blood-pressure spike at the moment.

Vague to the extreme

Arguably the weakest link in the Demand Media article-generation chain are the title writers, proofers, and those who do QC of titles. Here's a perfect example:

"How to Become an Instructor." Everyone who eyed that title before its release should receive a good thrashing. And I mean that in the harshest of terms. Seriously. No hyperbole.

FT job vs. freelancing

No contest. Here are my top 10 pros and a couple of cons:
Weight down
Blood pressure down
Sugar level down
Cholesterol down
Stress down
Sleep and work when I want to
No commute
No dry cleaning bill
Work with people I like (me)
Staff meetings I actually enjoy (self-reflection)
Two major drawbacks: Medicare health coverage sucks; can't get a handle on the income tax area

The joy of freelancing

Stayed up until 2 this morning to watch "The Social Network" (highly recommended). Woke up a bit too early, doing some work for a while, then back to bed to catch up on sleep. And so it goes at the office today.

Oh the humanity

If corporations can be persons, many writers apparently believe that people can be things.

Most of the how-to articles that I edit have a section that lists things you'll need to complete a particular project.

And I'm getting sick and tired of seeing people listed under "Things You'll Need.

Swimming pools

Over the past weeks, I've copy edited scores of instructional articles about pools. And what I've learned, more than anything else, is that there are countless pool owners out there who are more than a few gallons short of a full pool.

They don't know how to fill or empty a pool, or how to cover and uncover one. And don't even get me started on filters, pumps, skimmers, and chlorine, etc. I pray these people know how to keep their kids safe.

Simply. Can't. Deal. With. This. Now.

‎From an article on swimming pool maintenance: "Resolve even the smallest leak in your pool filter before it turns into a bigger leak. Leaks can indicate damaged parts; over time, and possibly very quickly, the damage becomes larger and, in turn, the leak becomes larger."

Maybe later when I might have the stomach for it.