John McGehee

  We all have instruction manuals and documentation for our stuff. Where do you put them so you can easily retrieve them? File instruction manuals alphabetically by manufacturer name in an A-Z expanding file. Just put them in the pocket for the first letter of the manufacturer name without further sorting within the pocket. While filing by manufacturer name might seem disorganized or arbitrary, it is actually a simple hash table , which in computer science is well known for efficiency. I recommend the Smead 70121 A-Z expanding file . Order online—retail office stores usually stock only a cheaper, harder-to-use store brand.

The subtle distinction between Japanese particles は (wa) and が (ga) makes it difficult to choose between them. Here I will show you a simple way to get it right every time. Professor Eleanor Jorden of Cornell University taught me that we actually have the same thing in spoken English. We stress words in a sentence to emphasize them. Consider: " THIS is delicious " emphasizes that this one is the delicious one, as compared to others. In this situation you use が (ga) ; これ が おいしい。    (Kore ga oishii.) Be careful to offer kind words about the others so that nobody feels left out: それも食べたいですね。    ( Sore mo tabetai desu ne.) " This is DELICIOUS " emphasizes the taste; the thing being tasted is already established. In this situation you use は (wa) ;  これ は おいしい。    (Kore wa oishii.) Since the thing that is delicious is clear, Japanese speakers commonly drop これは and just say,  おいしい。   (Oishii.) As demonstrated by the above examples, が (ga) emphasizes the word t