Etc

Matthew Carter doesn’t want you to notice the words you’re reading. That is, you shouldn’t be aware of the way the small, horizontal line at the top of the h hovers over the T at the beginning of this sentence. Nor should your eye catch on the heavy down strokes of a W that give the letter its classic look. “If the reader is conscious of the type, it’s almost always a problem,” Carter says. Letters on a page should “provide a seamless passage of the author’s thoughts into the reader’s minds with as much sympathy, style, and congeniality as … Read More

My editor swaggers into my office like a gunslinger heading into Dodge City. “I got a job for you, Boser,” she says. “Yeah,” I say. “And I got 104 keys on my keyboard–including one that says `escape.’ ” “Clam it,” she snaps. “I want you to check out one of those online classes. I hear they’re making trouble, big time. I need answers, and I need them now.” “All right, boss,” I say to her back as she walks out the door. My computer winks at me like a small-time hood in a police lineup. Does it know something I … Read More