August 12, 2010

Interview with June Casagrande, author of the book It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences

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Mike Carruthers:
If you’d like to be a more effective writer here’s some great advice from someone who edits other writers writing.

June Casagrande:
One of the things that I’m constantly chopping out of novice writers articles (and by novice I mean professionals just not very seasoned professionals) is the word currently, the word formerly, little additions like; in addition to and consequently.
 

August 10, 2010

Interview with Pamela Meyer, author of the book Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception

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Mike Carruthers:
One subject just about everyone is interested in is lying. Because we’ve either all done it or had it done to us.

Pamela Meyer:
We know from research, for example, that extroverts lie more than introverts. We know that men tell more self-oriented lies; they tend to build them selves up. Whereas women will tell what are known as other oriented lies, whether to protect someone’s feelings.
 

August 6, 2010

Interview with Jim Travers Associate Editor of Consumer Reports

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Mike Carruthers:
Cars and trucks that last over 200,000 miles - not long ago it was unheard of, today it's quite common.

Jim Travers:
There have been advancements in everything from engine technology to rust-proofing to even the quality of motor oils that all contribute to make cars last longer than they used to.

Jim Travers, Associate Editor of Autos for Consumer Reports Magazine, says people who have cars for over 200,000 miles work at it.

They take care of the car according to the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual - it's pretty simple if you just follow that. Another key thing to do is to take care of little problems as they come up before they become big ones. A small leak can turn into a big leak; can turn into a blown engine.

Keeping your car clean is also important.

Because a little scratch can lead to a little bit of rust, which can then lead to a rust hole. Sand in the carpets, that kind of thing can lead to wear and rips on the inside as well.

In the Consumer Reports survey, the cars that racked up the most miles (some over 400, 000) drove mostly highway miles rather than stop-and-go.

There's nothing that's going to put more wear on an engine than a lot of short trips - and that's something anybody can do even if you're not driving on the highway all of the time. If you just combine several short errands into one trip, that'll be much better for the overall wear of the engine.
 

August 4, 2010

Interview with Ken Hair VP Engineering for Water Pik

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Mike Carruthers:
Conserving water is important not because there’s less of it than there used to be; in fact the water supply remains constant.

Ken Hair:
The problem with water (and this is a human geography problem) is the growing population.