Sign of the Times

You know I like a good typo. But when it appears in a national publication that should know better, I get a little testy.
Recently, New York Times Magazine had a doozy. Every time an article referred to a D-list actor named James Deen, it changed his name to James Dean (see article on the right). Oddly, it only happened when the writer used Deen's full name. This despite the fact that a second reference, which was "Deen," followed (very closely). Now you know the writer didn't do this - it must have happened during fact-checking and proofreading.
So this tells us, boys and girls, that either someone was asleep at the wheel, or that New York Times Magazine was using the all-powerful spell check instead of a human proofreader.
Maybe the powers-that-be don't care that they look like idiots. But I remember a day when the New York Times was held up as the pinnacle of journalism, a true goal to aspire to as a writer and editor.
I have a lot of friends who work at that newspaper, and they are absolutely fabulous at their jobs. But they are also stretched to the max in the pursuit of the tightest margin, rather than the tightest article.
While I love the Wild Wild West that has become Internet "journalism" because it's given us a lot of fun and funky writing, I don't think that means we should ignore the basic rules that set the foundation for writers. And that goes double for print publications.
James Dean the icon should not be mistaken for James Deen the "porn star." I guess we should just be thankful it didn't turn into Paula Deen. She would not be amused, ya'll.

Spell Check, Anyone?

You know I can't resist bad spelling. Today, typos actually made headlines when Mitt Romney's campaign app played fast-and-loose with the country's name (see below). You'd think his team could afford a good proofreader. And the timing is ironic given that the national spelling bee is taking place this week.

Bonus round:
Thanks to my friend Shannon who sent in her own on-the-street example.

Seen any good typos lately? Send them my way!

A Horse of a Different Color

Time for more typo goodness. We had to take a photo of this menu, from a restaurant where we ate yesterday right outside the Pantheon in Rome. Can you find the typo that made us laugh the hardest? The thing about it is that they actually spelled the hardest part correctly. Ironically, this is how I pronounce the term so I can spell it.

Can you find the typo? Let me rephrase that...can you find the one that made me laugh?

Let's Go Over That Again

Okay, by now you know I'm a stickler for typos. No, I'm not talking about using dessert for desert when you're quickly sending me an email (although I will secretly giggle). I'm talking about typos on signs, in magazines and books, and misspellings in advertisements, all created by companies that should have the people and products in place to avoid the problem.

At the very least, someone could have used spellcheck to catch the typo in the ad I've included here. "Fintess" is not a word, as everyone at American Express and its agency should have known. Yes, that is an ad for an Amex program. Sigh.
Maybe they're fostering a little too much "workplace productivity" with fewer people doing more work. Who knows? I do know there is no excuse for that misspelling. Seriously, people...there are only eight words on that ad.
How many times have you been engrossed in a book, only to be stopped in your tracks by a typo? It happens more and more now, particularly in ebooks. I recently picked up a book in the library and found little cut-out post-its all through the pages, correcting the (many) mistakes. It made me laugh out loud to imagine someone infuriated enough to take the time to do that. I've also seen corrections written right into library books.
I'm not quite that bad. I'm not going to be a school marm, tapping on your computer screen with a ruler (unless you're into that).
But for the love of all that's wholly holey holy, please at least use spellcheck. For my sanity, if for no other reason.
And feel free to send me post-its every time you find a typo on this blog. I will treasure them.