August 24, 2006
peterme's pedant corner: coffee shop/coffeehouse
I'm a words guy. And as a words guy, I'm easily rattled by verbal misuse. I get that language evolves and all that, but I also respect the power of words to communicate concepts clearly.
Anyway, this morning the SF Chronicle featured the headline "Coffee shop's name has Standard & Poor's in a froth.". The place in question, Standard and Pours Coffee and Stocks, is not a coffee shop, but a coffeehouse.
As Merriam-Webster states, A "coffee shop" is a small restaurant. Typically, a diner-like restaurant, roadside eatery, basic American fare, as these examples attest.
My fight, however, is in vain, as a Google search for "coffee shop" demonstrates the language has shifted towards gourmet coffee, with links to Starbucks, starting your own espresso business, and the like.
August 20, 2006
IDEA Conference - Blog Post, Discount Reg ends soon!
Many moons ago, I marveled at the quality of the design of National Park Service materials. That wonderment lead, after a fashion, to inviting Betsy Ehrlich, a designer for NPS, to speak at the IDEA Conference. On the IDEA Conference blog, I write about meeting her last Friday. I went "behind the scenes" at the National Park Service!
It's worth noting that discount registration ends in a week. Sign up now!
