Typos discovered this week in two very different kinds of communications turned some faces scarlet with embarrassment, and anger, while amusing many other folks.

First, an unidentified, and now possibly job-hunting, functionary in the White House mistyped a phone number for reporters to call for a G-20 briefing with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor General James Jones, USMC Ret. The phone number on the press release was instead the number for a phone-sex outfit. Talk about worrying who answers when the phone rings at 3 a.m. ...

Next, the makers of Peace Cereal accidentally printed a phone-sex number on boxes of its breakfast food instead of the company's toll-free number. The Eugene, Ore. - based company, Golden Temple, immediately apologized and set about removing boxes from the shelves. I don't know, I think this typo unintentionally helps them carry out their mission statement: "By enjoying a bowl of our cereal, you’re joining us in our ongoing campaign to bring much-needed funds to people who could use a helping hand."

Inquiring minds have to wonder: Are incorrect phone numbers like this always for sex-industry outfits, or are those the only ones that make the news? It's like those sorta-faces on trees, paint stains, grilled cheese sandwiches, freezers and such - surely there are many more that don't look like Jesus or Mother Theresa. Do people just shrug and say, "Oh that dried catsup blob? We think that's just Henry Kissinger," and don't bother to call the news?

Spell check is being blamed for an error that led officials at Brigham Young University to recall all copies of a recent issue of the student newspaper. The error? A caption described a group of Mormon church leaders as "apostates" instead of "apostles."

No one seemed to know if the error was simply an accident or deliberate. Creative people are always tempted to joke around, and more than one publication has been embarrassed by jokes that slipped through all the filters and into the public eye.

And it's not beyond the realm of possibility that it was a prank. My inlaws used to rent an apartment to Mormon missionaries, and in getting to know them, I discovered some were gently irreverent toward their church's leadership.

Furthermore, it's entirely plausible that spell check passed over an innocent error. (I always try to keep in mind that when I spell "duck" the "f" key is right next to the "d.")

At any event, I hope it was just a goof - if it was deliberate, the poor soul who did it is in for a lot of heck.

What is the first thing you do when you get in the office each morning?
My day starts early -- around 5:30 most days (That's me with an early bird, a Harris Hawk, at right). Breakfast first, always, accompanied by TV news and checking email, Dilbert, Calvin & Hobbes, Facebook, and the news online. Handle any overnight business, send emails to clients or designers or writers as needed. Feed our foster-care horses and donkeys, play with cats and welcome the day -- definitely a morning person whose ideas come early. I spend about 40 minutes commuting and use the cell phone only when I must.

First thing at the office: Switch on computer, get coffee and catch up on what’s happened since breakfast. If I haven’t already, figure out a plan for the day -- if other things don’t interrupt. Plans are useless, but planning is essential.

What's your favorite non-electric tool you use for work?
Sticky notes. I use stickies at home and office to capture fleeting ideas and to-dos, to remind me of obligations and appointments. They have almost replaced my "back-of-hand Pilot."

Which meal fuels you better for the day, breakfast or lunch?
Breakfast, definitely. Morning guy all the way. Coffee and either oatmeal with fruit and nuts, or toast, cottage cheese and fruit. When I travel and have to be going all day, I go the bacon and eggs and grits and biscuits route. Lunch makes me sleepy.

Do you doodle while on the phone or in meetings? What do you doodle?
Some times at meetings. Rarely when I am on the phone. Usually I am multi-tasking and the keyboard is tempting.

How do you divide your time each day between projects? Do you set aside specific hours to work on certain things, or do you just play it by ear and see what needs the most attention?
I've never been able to consistently block out time for only one task. Sometimes when I am desperate, I turn off the phone and set email to check every 30 minutes to an hour. If I have to read a book for research or a review, I usually have to do that at home; there are too many incoming distractions at the office, and the chairs at home are more comfortable for that. I am thinking of bringing a reading chair to the office, but it will seem bare without a cat in it.

If a blank page terrifies and baffles most writers, imagine how an editor must feel when one issue of a magazine goes to bed and the next one awakes and demands that its 64, 72, 80 or more blank pages be fed - and soon. Small wonder that a lot of editors find cleaning up their offices after completing an issue much more important than welcoming that new number with open arms.

Of course, it's not quite that bad (that is to say, it better not be). Editors assign stories several issues ahead; depending on the publication and story, it might be as much as a year ahead.

We at Hammock take a conservative approach to most assignments, preferring to work only a couple issues ahead so we can adapt to changing client needs and wants. So we're constantly working the idea file - which may consist of a thicket of sticky notes as well as multiple file, bookmark and email folders.

Here in late April, I'm just finishing up some mid-course changes for the 2009 editorial calendar of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, and working on a draft of 2010's calendar.

We at Hammock take a conservative approach to most assignments, preferring to work only a couple issues ahead so we can adapt to changing client needs and wants. So we're constantly working the idea file - which may consist of a thicket of sticky notes as well as multiple file, bookmark and email folders.

Here in late April, I'm just finishing up some mid-course changes for the 2009 editorial calendar of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, and working on a draft of 2010's calendar.

Next year has several important milestones for the Marine Corps, including the 65th anniversary of the Corps' landmark battle on Iwo Jima, as well as the end of World War II. It's the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, and also of the legendary battle of the Chosin Reservoir, with Marines and Soldiers desperately holding back a much larger North Korean force. It is also the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon; two US Marines were the last American Warriors killed in direct action there.

Decisions on these stories will be made well in advance, with the knowledge that opportunities may arise that we'll have to jump to take advantage of.

Nevertheless, with all this looming in the near future, and the covers still settling around the chin of our May-June issue, the July-August issue is demanding full attention for now. So we start the process of checking with writers about their progress, sifting through what will add up to hundreds of photos, and reading constantly about the Corps and America's military and history.

The July-August issue will get an "esprit de Corps" boost from my visiting the 2009 Marine South Expo at Camp Lejeune next week. It's inspiring, and sobering, to get out behind the computer screen and talk to Marines who have been in harm's way, and are likely going back fairly soon. It's also uplifting to meet "Mature Marines," who have served their hitch, or their career, and are on hand with the Marine Corps League to greet today's Warriors.

Because Marines study deeply the Corps' history, a few words can convey volumes - Peleliu, Tarawa, Chosin, Tet, Khe Sanh, Desert Storm, Fallujah. There's a bond, a sense of continuum that permeates these events, and that we strive to convey every time we fill those blank pages.

The headline at FanIQ says it all: "The Marlins Beat The Natinals Last Night. No, That's Not A Spelling Error."

You would think that a town as adept at adding 0s to dollar figures as Washington is, the town that is after all the Capital of the United States, wouldn't leave the O out of the word "National."

But there it is. Given today's media culture, it won't surprise me to see O Magazine take up the cause to bring back the O in national. Sniggering news anchors (over the age of 30) will be intoning: "Next up from our White House Bureau, the story of O. And we don't mean Obama."

This typo could start a trend that might inject some fun back into the Natinal Passtime.

Instead of the Kansas City Royals, some sheik from Dubai might buy the team and call it the Ryals. The Detroit Tigers, always near the bottom, could become the Detroit Tiers. The Florida Marlins will move to Northern California and become the Marins. Seattle's team will enlist and become the Marines.

The Phillies are already kind of obnoxious, so let's typo them down to Pillies. Across the Keystone State, the Pittsburgh team will only complain about becoming the Prates, though they won't have anything on the Texas Ragers. San Diego will trim down its roster to the Pares.

The NL's pennant hungry New York Team - the Ets, of course. Baltimore gets an extra base on a spelling error with its Orioes. And speaking of compound errors, Atlanta's Bras are looking for a little support.

As for the rest of MLB, I'll leave it up to you to mangle baseball metaphors and typos. For now, I'm taking my ball and going home.

In his controversial novel "Starship Troopers," sci-fi legend Robert Heinlein wrote of a future military corps called the Mobile Infantry. Highly selective and totally volunteer like today's US Marine Corps, the MI were usually the point of the spear, and were equipped with spacesuit like outfits that augmented their natural muscular abilities. The so-called powered suits - far more advanced than, say, Robocop's - allowed them to run faster and farther, lift heavy objects, carry immense loads including all sorts of weapons and ordnance, and to survive attacks by many types of weapons.

The future is knocking at our door.

At the 2009 Marine South Expo at Camp Lejeune, NC, Lockheed Martin and Berkeley Bionics gave the Marine Corps its first look at what might be called the Mark 1 MI suit. Dubbed the HULC - Human Universal Load Carrier - the powered "exoskeleton" was shown off to the Army a few weeks earlier. L-M is tasked to deliver a working version within 18-24 months.

The titanium framework allows the warrior to easily carry an extremely heavy load of gear - the demo at Marine South had 145 pounds of gear not counting the device itself - with the goal of enabling a Marine or Soldier to maintain a 3 mph pace long enough to cover 26 miles before the lithium ion battery pack would require charging. The system could include arm assistance that would enable them to lift heavy object easily and without risk of back injury.

Sensors pick up the Marine's movements so the suit "anticipates" what he or she is about to do - walk, run, jump, squat, etc. The exoskeleton can be programmed to the Marine's weight and height, allowing it to be customized to each wearer.

There's a video showing what HULC can do... today. The challenges now are to continue to refine the system to operate even more smoothly, to improve battery life, and to make the units even lighter and more powerful.

As you might imagine, the futuristic exoskeleton drew a lot of attention from 2nd Division Marines, many of whom are just returned from or about to deploy to the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Dismounted Marines - a fancy way of saying Leathernecks on foot - often carry loads of 100 pounds, including uniform, weapons, armor, water and electronics. It's a tough thing to do, even for these phenomenally fit young men and women. So something like this powered suit could help immensely.

Marine South is sponsored by our client, the Marine Corps League. This was the 17th show held at Camp Lejeune (pronounced, Luh-jern, per the family), bringing Marines and military suppliers together to discuss current products and services to make them better for Marines in the field. More than 3,600 visitors checked out items and services from 200 vendors.