Search Results for: Shorthand

Medical Transcription: Using Shorthand While Transcribing

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This blog is part of a series on transcription. If you haven’t read the other blogs in this series, make sure to check out the summary page for a listing of all transcription blogs. Shorthand is a good compromise between AutoCorrect and Instant Text, if you are wanting something powerful, but not overly confusing. At $99.95, it is cheaper than Instant Text, although obviously not as cheap as AutoCorrect. 😉 If you want to try it out and see if it is right for you, you can try it free for 30 days and decide at the end of the … Continue reading →

Company that Made Thalidomide Apologizes

A German company called Gruenenthal created a drug called thalidomide. The drug was sold in the 1950’s and 1960’s as a cure for morning sickness. The drug caused severe birth defects in thousands of children. Gruenenthal has now issued an apology. Thalidomide, a drug created by a German company named Gruenenthal, was intended to be used by women who were pregnant as a cure for morning sickness. It was sold in the 1950’s and 1960’s in 46 countries, including the UK, Australia, and what was, at the time, West Germany. In 1961, thalidomide was taken off the market after it … Continue reading →

Fastest Texter in the Nation

It seems almost counterproductive to congratulate a teen on the fact that they are the fastest texter in the nation. But I guess if it comes with a $50,000 reward, it is hard to find the bad in it. I should also be proud that this dubious award was given to a fellow Wisconsinite, Austin Wierschke. This is actually the second year in a row that the 17-year-old has received the honor, with prize money now coming to $100,000. And you have to give him thumbs up (pun intended) for his decision to use that money to pay for college. … Continue reading →

Impact of Texting on Grammar

If school hasn’t already started for your child, it is just around the corner for others. Did your child spend any time brushing up on their math skills this summer? How about their grammar? Well if your tween is a regular texter, their grammar skills might be lacking. A new study recently came out that found tweens who use shorthand (also known as tech speak) when texting, are more likely to use improper English, compared to those who don’t text. Let me give you an example of a message that might be sent… R u goin 2 b round ltr … Continue reading →

Rough Ride: The Roller Coaster of Adolescence

Few things strike fear into the heart of parents more than the approaching adolescence of their children. They’ve heard horror stories from family and friends, and they dread the fear of the unknown and how it’s going to go with their own kids. Will that happy-go-lucky child turn into some sort of a sullen monster? Will the childhood skirmishes of yesterday turn into open warfare? Will the days of having their friends over all the time turn into years of going out to be with friends somewhere else? Most of us can remember feeling awkward, unattractive, anxious, and overwhelmed as … Continue reading →

Shepherd’s Pie

When I was growing up there always seemed to be this stigma about “healthy” food on the sitcoms. What was the stigma? Easy: kids didn’t eat “healthy” food. This was repeated in the literature I read as a child, as well as in the offhand remarks other adults (even teachers) would make regarding so-called “healthy” food. Often-times a synonym of healthy food would be vegetables (especially green vegetables). These synonyms were like a shorthand for sitcom writers and adults alike to describe the behavior of children. You grew, as a child or adult, to understand the motivations of the kid … Continue reading →

When Twitter and Dyslexia Collide

As an adult who has dyslexia, I must say, I found it amusing when I discovered that there are dyslexia related resources on Twitter. Of all the social networking sites, Twitter is, by far, the most confusing to interpret for those of us with dyslexia. I realize, however, that the dyslexia resources on Twitter are not necessarily there for me, a person who has that particular learning disability. Most of these Twitter entities are trying to provide help for parents whose children have dyslexia. I find Twitter to be confusing for many reasons. It took me a long time, and … Continue reading →

Research & Presentation (Part 1)

This is going to sound really boring but today I gave a thirty minute presentation on nineteenth century copyright law. Phew! Okay… before you click on the closest link you can find (in order to get out of here) I want to assure you that I won’t be writing about the nineteenth century or copyright law in this post but I WILL be writing about researching and presenting on what others might perceive as a boring topic. Still reading? Okay. Let’s begin. I’ve got to tell you one of the benefits of being a “theatre person” is that I am … Continue reading →

Unraveling the Prescription Code

It isn’t just the bad handwriting that keeps us from understanding the scribbles on a prescription sheet. There’s a bit of shorthand or code in there, too. Are you ready to crack the code? Here are some terms and phrases you might see on your prescription — in case you’re curious. Many of them deal with timing: what time of day the medication should be taken, and how frequently the medication should be taken. An “am” or “pm” (not surprisingly) refers to medication taken in the morning or the evening. But other bits of code might be less obvious. If … Continue reading →

Fifth Grade Math Curriculum

Fifth grade math curriculum builds upon what was learned in previous years. Your child may already know many of these concepts, but they must be practiced at a higher difficulty level. Here are the math concepts that your fifth grader should learn. Reading and writing numbers to 10 places: Children should be able to read, write. Add and subtract numbers into the billions (1,000,000,000). Numeration systems: Students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers, common fractions, and Decimals to the thousandths. Mixed numbers: Students must understand and be able to add, subtract and multiply mixed numbers. … Continue reading →