by Mark O'Brien | Apr 9, 2015
Is any tired rhetorical trope more trite and trivial than making a difference? “We’re making a difference.” “Let’s make a difference.” “One person can make a difference.” “Our company is making a difference.”...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 8, 2015
More than 13 years ago, I wrote this piece for Tech Decisions magazine (now Property Casualty 360). I found it while searching the Web for something else entirely, was surprised to find it still out there, to find it still relevant, and to find its relevance still...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 7, 2015
In the past, we’d have said the younger of my two younger brothers, Ben (to protect his privacy, this is not his real name), is mentally retarded. In these enlightened times, we’re more likely to say he’s intellectually disadvantaged, synaptically challenged, or...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 3, 2015
Since it was clear I was more surprised than Biff was, I spoke up first; although, it was more a reflexive exclamation than a considered inquiry: “Is something wrong …?” “No,” Biff replied calmly. “What makes you ask?”...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 2, 2015
Regular readers might remember the first case I reported in these pages. Hardcore masochists might even recall the second one. If not, don’t let it get to you. I beat the pavement as a private brand detective. The lion’s share of my cases have to do with...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 1, 2015
According to a study recently concluded by The Chautauqua Center for Forensic Linguistics, two sentences occur together more frequently than any others in business contexts. The first is a simple declaratory: We need a plan. The second is a perplexed...
