Why would they do that? Why?

Hyphen, hyphen, go away ... come again another day.

This e-mail is also an offender in the world of Arbitrary Capitalization. I'm unlikely to do it myself but am much less a stickler on the failure to use a comma following Hi, even though it's technically correct to use one. Because sometimes you just don't want a pause there.

But wait, there's more (from the same person):

Owwww, it hurts. It physically hurts.

When good specs go bad

Kids, this is what happens when waaaaay there's too much emphasis on filling out a headline for the sake of everything lining up just so:

Egads. Issue seen as key one? Blech! This smacks of "your story is too short, so I'm gonna need to put an extra dek on that hed" to me. I also don't like "seen as," because it begs the question "by whom?" and doesn't answer it.

Let's rewrite this. Ideas?

Soup du jour of the day

Things never to write:

completely destroyed
surrounded on all sides
young child
added bonus
all-time new record (this one makes sports editors twitch uncontrollably)
closed fist
exactly the same
join together
previous history
advance warning
unsolved mystery

Other stuff worth mocking:

It's raining outside. ... Because indoor rain is a you-know-what.
Tell me, in your own words. ... Unless you were planning to quote someone.
At this point in time. ... Time is all we have, bro. Even in space.
Make a Xerox copy. ... You copyright infringer, you!
Where's the ATM machine? ... Also see: He signed the NAFTA Trade Agreement.
And that's the honest truth. ... Because so many true things are lies.

Submit your own!

So I can show you the error of their ways

A tech question, for the benefit of YSV reader(s?):

Does anyone know how to get pictures off a camera phone (or cameraphone) when said phone did not come with any sort of device for to transfer images to iPhoto? This blog would be much cooler if it had photos (or photo's) of the English-language butchery I see daily — nay, hourly! — on New York City streets.

This is a wicked ruse to get me to shell out greenbacks for phone accessories, I'm sure. It's the 2007 equivalent of "batteries not included," no? Like I have any money. I work in editorial!