Wired.com recently posted a list of the top 5 annoying clichés overused in science writing. These gems appear in all kinds of science writing, including business plans. The comments section is particularly funny as readers weigh in with their predictions of other offending clichés.

I’m on the fence regarding the use of clichés in business plans. They easily convey the market paradigm shift that a silver bullet product delivers. This is especially pertinent when concisely shedding light on key concepts. By using all of the Rosetta stones available, potential partners and financiers will be engaged in a perfect storm that will advance the business case to the next level and allow the company to deliver their holy grail to market in 5 to 10 years.

Clichés add little concrete value and take up valuable space in a manuscript. However, sparing use of clichés can be useful in select circumstances. Author awareness of any predilection for certain turns of phrase helps ensure rational use in writing.

Want to see more clichés: http://www.westegg.com/cliche/

A colleague’s email sent me off to visit the Neatorama store this morning. It has all sorts of trinkets and other junk, but by far my favourite set of products are the science t-shirts:

“Support bacteria! It’s the only culture that some people have.”

“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.”

And another set of t-shirts that had me laughing out loud are the “Scientists do it . . .” series:

“Chemists do it in an excited state”

“Seismologists make the earth move”

You get the idea. I am kind of a geek for science humour and puns. If you’ve got them, send them to me and make my day!