(https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brood-awakening-17-year-cicadas-emerge-4-years-early/)
". . . Swarms of cicadas are unexpectedly crawling out from under trees from North Carolina to New Jersey. . . they chirp en masse for their mates, producing a relentless, shrill buzz that is recognized as a song of summer. And within a month they are gone. . . Different populations, or broods, of “periodical” cicadas emerge in distinct geographical regions during specific years, after spending a 13- or 17-year span growing underground. . . Scientists were expecting to see Brood VI bugs in South Carolina and Georgia, which happened, but they got a surprise when Brood X cicadas also started appearing in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Ohio and Indiana last week—four years earlier than anticipated. . . Experts suspect a warming climate, with more warm weeks a year during which the underground nymphs can grow, could be triggering some cicadas to emerge ahead of their brood. . . "
(from https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/9-buzzwords-that-can-make-you-sound-dumb/?extlink=of-syndication-Recommended_Reads-Taboola-109704871-p by Mike Periu
President, Proximo, LLC)
". . ' some (business) buzzwords and overly used terms (phrases, if you will)you should think twice about using:
"Pivot"
A business pivot is a change in business strategy in response to new opportunities or a failure in its current approach. Pivoting is a good thing. . . now everybody wants to pivot everything: When someone changes her mind in a meeting, she is "pivoting from A to B," or your IT person might announce your company “is pivoting from using Microsoft Word to Google Docs.”
"It Is What It Is"
. . .a circular definition, which, as we learned in grade school, should never be used. If you want to tell me something about “it,” please make sure that it’s something valuable, insightful and worth my time.
"Results-Oriented"
. . .gives the impression that you think this is a big deal. Being results-oriented in business is like being “alive” for a human; it’s a given. People who are not results-oriented wouldn’t bother trying to sell themselves to begin with. . .
"Ideation"
This phrase refers to the process of coming up with ideas. It used to be called “brainstorming” or “coming up with ideas,” but apparently that didn’t sound important enough, so ideation was born. . .
"Growth Hacker"
A growth hacker is someone who uses “growth hacks” to grow their business. A growth hack is a creative or otherwise nontraditional method employed to achieve revenue growth. Old people call this “selling.” . . . launching a website or calling a potential customer does not make you a growth hacker.
"Gamification"
Gamification is a fascinating concept. It refers to the use of rules meant to produce gameplay in things other than games. Many successful businesses today use gamification to increase user engagement. . . before you start talking about this, it’s important to know what actually goes into this process.
"Synergy"
Synergy is the buzzword that just won’t die. It keeps coming back decade after decade. . . It’s best to be cautious whenever labeling an idea, transaction or process as synergistic; most aren’t.
"Bandwidth"
In business jargon, this refers to one’s availability. People are not modems. It sounds cheesy. Instead of saying, “I have some bandwidth for your project,” go with the oldie-but-goodie, “I have some time,” or try, “Yes, I can help you with that.”
"Key Takeaways"
. . . typically it’s employed at the end of a PowerPoint presentation—usually as the title of the penultimate slide—to summarize the most important points. It’s important to remember that not all takeaways are “key,” and not everything is worth taking away.
OHO's
"Ocean City Ditty," the
CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if
you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
