I have a penchant for graphics. Perhaps I am a graphic artist in a parallel universe? In this universe where I am just a wannabe, I relish great visual presentations, whether videos, graphs, graphics, layouts, website, or anything else where some concept is communicated visually. These visuals inspire me. That may not be evident right away, but the old brain cells register the inspiration, tucking it away to pop up at some future date. The fact that they do not relate to the actual work I am doing does not matter. Or perhaps that is the key. They might be so different that they simply jiggle my brain to get it to view some dry technical drawing from a – to me – previously unknown angle. One source of inspiration is a recent addition to my Google Reader: Presentation Zen. I don’t remember who led me here, but this site…
Comments closedTag: technical communication
I still subscribe to newsletters, and one in particular that I enjoy is the one from the Chicago Manual of Style team. The newsletter permits you to forward and repost the message, so I will do so here. The newsletter is mostly a list of the most recent questions submitted to the team. Many of the questions are quite useful, but it is the answers that are sometimes quite delightful. Obviously some clever people there! Here are this month’s questions: The Chicago Manual of Style Web site has just been updated with answers to the following new questions: Q. I am having a dispute with a local store regarding the wording of their return policy. Q. Is footnote numbering allowed in an index along with a page number? Q. I’m trying to find a definitive answer to whether an inanimate object can take the possessive form. Q. Does the following…
Comments closedMany, many years ago, the managing director of the company where I worked accused me of being disloyal to said company. I had participated as technical secretary in a regularly scheduled meeting with all the technical managers where we had the usual agenda of evaluating or planning past, current, and future projects or events. A problem came up that concerned my department. Deliveries were delayed or incorrect in too many cases, and support and customers were complaining. This was duly reported in the minutes of the meeting. All participants, plus a few higher placed managers or directors received a copy of the minutes. One technical manager distributed it to his support staff. This is where the managing director got angry. All participants at the meeting got a reprimand about being disloyal for discussing such problems. One other manager (why him, I cannot recall) and I were especially singled out and…
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