I’m a lousy artist, but I know a good illustration when I see one. For example, take this illustration, which appears on page 50 of Hat in the Ring, by Bert Frandsen (2003: Smithsonian Books). The drawing is by Charles Frandsen Architects, PC. Though I have no idea who actually drew it or what (ifContinue reading “Are the rules of good art the same as the rules of good writing?”
Category Archives: Tech writing
Social media meets technical writing: two stories
It’s been a deeply snowy winter in Massachusetts, with many roofs collapsing under the strain. Our snowblower, a powerful but flimsy model by a manufacturer that shall remain nameless, stopped moving, so we bought a new drive belt, and one Saturday I tackled the replacement job. I followed the owner’s manual carefully, up to theContinue reading “Social media meets technical writing: two stories”
Learning experiences and learning styles
[Edited 2/5/11] This recent article on fonts by Laura Miller on Salon.com caught my eye: Hideous fonts may boost reading comprehension On the subject of fonts (or, typefaces, to use the more technically accurate term), feelings often run high. People have their favorites, for reasons both practical and sentimental. The story of how Helvetica becameContinue reading “Learning experiences and learning styles”
Email? lol
One hundred and fifty years ago, traditionalists predicted the telephone would never catch on as a means of business communication. What industrialist in his right mind would agree to a contract over a wire? No, the only way to conduct business was face to face. I can remember when electronic mail first became available forContinue reading “Email? lol”
Marketable skills
I’m a sucker for headlines with numbers in them—you know, like “Five Reasons the iPad will Take Over the World” or ‘The 10 Phoniest Movie Monsters of All Time.” So I read with interest “Seven Marketable Skills that Most Technical Writers Have,” by Laura Spencer, on the blog ihearttechnicalwriting.com. To summarize, her list is: InterviewContinue reading “Marketable skills”
A back-to-school list: un-rules of grammar
Jan Freeman, who blogs about language at Throw Grammar from the Train, lists here ten picky rules of grammar that are wrong. Oh, dear! I think I believe(d) all these rules 8^( How about you?
What will certification do for me?
In speaking with people since the Summit about certification, I’ve been asked many variations on the question “what’s in it for me?” It’s a natural question that must have a good answer, but there’s more than one way to look at it.
