Readability

FONT-HAPPY -- Computers provide hundreds of different fonts to choose from and many printers are able to cope with these fonts. But just because you can, does not necessarily mean that you should. Those of us who remember manual typewriters know that you had a choice of two fonts, pica or elite. You made the choice when you bought the machine, and that was it forever. Later, IBM came up with the Selectric, which had interchangeable ball-shaped elements, which provided a wider range of fonts, but still limited.
   Now, writers can select fonts that range from the merely odd and strange to the downright unreadable, even if the recipient's computer can reproduce the chosen font. We are able to spot a word that is misspelled because we are able to identify the individual letters in the word.  The combination of recognizable letters make up the words that we recognize. Thus, if we cannot recognize the letters, we cannot recognize the word, and we cannot read the message. Those who use these curious fonts need to ask themselves which is more important, the medium or the message.
   Typographical gimmickry goes only so far, and a little goes a long way.

GADGETS -- We encountered a driver recently who was so intent on following the directions given by his GPS system that he passed right by his destination, even though there was a prominent sign in front of the building. Not only that, but the GPS sent the driver on a three-mile roundabout route even though the destination was only half a mile from his starting point -- and on the same street. The episode reminded me of the compulsive use of spellcheck, which recognizes individual words, but not context. Technology provides many useful tools, but we need to remember that they remain just that -- tools, not substitutes.

MISLEADING PHRASE -- Advertising writers are fond of words and phrases that sound good, but are essentially meaningless. Example: The packaged food made from "farm-picked ingredients." All food ingredients come from farms, where they are picked. Unless, of course, the ingredients were concocted in a chemistry lab somewhere.

OPINING -- Someone once said that people are entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. But it's also true that opinions are often based on a selection of available facts. Propagandists, advertising writers and politicians often select those facts that buttress their previously conceived opinions, and ignore those facts that might erode their positions.