Happy 5th Anniversary! Thanks so much for five wonderful years of your wit and wisdom. I tracked back to my first email to you dated September 14, 2006, on the subject of "greenwashing." I remember reading about your blog in Jon Carroll's column in the San Francisco Chronicle — most likely http://sbyd.es/ij5nQU — and finally gathering the courage to comment. Now, I can't imagine going without your wonderful blog posts and Twitter-literacy, along with the opportunity to have actual conversations.

As I was reading this, I thought of the "no name bar" in Sausalito CA, which has been around for more than 50 years. Its name always seemed so appropriate, and even more so after I read a bit of its history: http://bit.ly/gaI2uO

I must admit that it took me more than a year to fully adopt my Next Moon domain as a business name and identity. In the beginning, I could rarely even say the words with a straight face. Now, of course, I'm more than happy to be Chief of NextMoon -- http://bit.ly/921zqC

Re guesstimating bra size: I once had a friend who grew up in Central America, where her father had a business manufacturing Maidenform bras. She said that her father would bring bras as hostess gifts, and that they always fit. (Of course, I'm not sure how he or they verified that....)

EGO! In big, bright neon. It's perfect! Actually, Rubato is a pretty good name, in light of the musical connotation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato

I really like the names that Deborah Lippman gives her nail polish line (lippmanncollection.com). She's a singer, so she often uses titles of great songs, like "Night and Day" or "Call Me Irresponsible." She has great color descriptions, too -- "vivacious violet," "pink melon melange," "mood ring blue/green (shimmer)."

I must watch too much TV; I got 19/20. But I didn't spot the errors either.

I've never heard the term "cataphora" before, or its counterpart "anaphora." They are great additions to my lexicon of almost-useless terms (like "antepenultimate"), but I'm not sure about using it as a corporate name, no matter how apt it might be. Frankly, without knowing its meaning, I associated it with "catastrophe" and "catatonic."

Years ago, one of our clients (an architectural firm based in Pittsburgh PA) told us that they used pink noise in their office. They said that it really made a different in their working environment. As I recall, they said that it encouraged the kind of good "eavesdropping" that happens when team members work near each other, while eliminating excessive volume. I don't know whether they still use it, or whether it is common in corporate workplace environments, but I'll check and report back.

Their design does remind me of the X that Paloma Picasso designed for Tiffany & Co., which is "the universal symbol for a kiss" - http://bit.ly/c6gmRx

Love your take on the ads. My favorite was the Google ad, but I didn't realize that it was part of a series. Thanks for the link! The HomeAway ad was clever on so many levels, including the naming of the diminutive Napoleon suite and a new take on "scenic view." BTW - did you notice the fine print on the tagline at the end of the HomeAway ad? Half the cost of a hotel, based on a comparison of cost per square foot -- another clever use of language.

I rather liked the whimsy of not breaking my back over carrying so many paperbacks; however, I didn't like the use of "over" instead of "more than," nor the use of the possessive (paperbacks') when the correct usage is simply the plural noun.

What a lovely tribute to Messrs. Safire and Gelsthorpe. Like so many others, I have admired Mr. Safire's writing for years, but I am absolutely delighted to be able to know about Mr. Gelsthorpe and his influence on our culture.

This is a very interesting diagram. I'm not sure I would put doctors ahead of nurses, but that's not the point. Since I work in the A/E/C industry (architecture, engineering, construction), I immediately began to think about where architects, interior designers, engineers, and contractors, as well as accountants, marketing, advertising, and PR professionals might fit. My guess is that the more experience one has with individuals in these categories, the more likely one would be to make/alter the judgments. The professions generally have licensing standards or generally accepted ethics or principles regarding the way they do business. Once one shifts into newer areas of business (including marketing of professional services), the fewer "rules" about what one does, why, and how. In the A/E/C industry, it became very important for the client to become educated. I expect that will happen in social media, too.