Mentioned in STC's IDL SIG Newsletter!

The Society for Technical Communication's (STC) IDL SIG mentioned me in its Fall 2009 newsletter yesterday. Pretty cool! Thanks, IDL SIG. Although a few of the details in the blurb are slightly incorrect (we co-authored a case study in the book, the case studies are related to more trades than just construction, and Laurent Brixius is the author), it's still nice to see.

Check out the Member News section on page 15:
http://stcid.ehost.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IDeaL-Fall2009.pdf

"Creating with SketchUp" Book - Publish Date Set for Nov. 6

A book I worked on is getting published on November 6th! The book is "Creating with SketchUp - 16 projects, from architecture to theater." It will be available from Pearson, a publisher in the education industry. Big thanks go out to the coordinator and author of the book, Laurent Brixius, and the co-director and translator, Jean-Philippe Moreux! As well as to my co-author, James Steacy! They helped make it all possible.

It brings together 16 case studies from a variety of people on their different uses of Google SketchUp. James and I co-authored one of these case studies (he acted as the expert in SketchUp, and I acted as the expert in content development and as lead writer). It's a piece that goes in-depth into the story of crafting a technical step-by-step document for construction trades who need to install a window. Follow the links below to learn more about it!

Pearson is releasing the book in French first (as "Creer avec SketchUp - 16 projets, de l'architecture au theatre"). The book might come out in English down the road, probably depending on the success of the French version. Most of the co-authors are English-speakers, so a version in English isn't much of a stretch.

• To read about the book on the publisher's website (in French): http://www.pearson.fr/livre/?GCOI=27440100233890.
• To read about the book on the main author's website (in French): http://www.arch-image.com/wordpress/.
• To read a translation of the post from the main author's website (in English): http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/sketchup/11619-cool-book-about-sketchup-soon.html#post157358.

Title: Creer avec SketchUp
Subtitle: 16 projets, de l'architecture au theatre
Author: Laurent Brixius
Co-authors: Frédéric Blanc, Matt Chambers, Tim Danaher, David Harned, Takeshi Hashimoto, Alex Jenyon, Timothy S. Killen, John Lang, Lauren A. May, Koenraad Nys, Robert Playford, Nicolas Rateau, Patrick J. Reynolds, Mitchel Stangl, James Steacy, Jean Thiriet, Kim A. Tolman
Collection: Studio Graphique
Language: Francais
Publication date: Novembre 2009
# of pages: 320
Price: 32,00 €

Umbraco Level 1 Training Oct. 19-20

Umbraco Level 1 training is being offered in Seattle on Oct. 19-20! Paul Sterling, an Umbraco MVP, is teaching the course over the two-day span.

Umbraco Training - Level 1
October 19-20, 2009
Seattle Public Library
1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104
Register Here

Several different web developers recommended this course to me. One said, "You'll end up knowing much more about Umbraco and increase your ability to direct projects and understand when Umbraco would make a great solution to a challenge." While the course's target audience is designers and web developers, it seems to be doable (and enjoyable) for those of us who only moonlight as developers once in a blue moon or wish we could.

U.S. Government Acknowledges Technical Writers As Distinct from All Other Writing Professions

U.S. Government Acknowledges Technical Writers As Distinct from All Other Writing Professions (STC.org)

According to a post on STC.org, the website for the Society for Technical Communication, the Occupational Outlook and Handbook (OOH), which is published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), will give technical writers their own report in the 2010-2011 edition out in December 2009. What does this mean for technical writers? This means technical writers will be recognized for the first time as having a profession that is distinct from all other writing professions.

STC Pittsburgh Chapter Oct. 22 Event

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) is hosting a '09/'10 kick-off event on Oct. 22, 2009. The event is open and free for anyone from or interested in the Pittsburgh technology community. Read more about it on the Chapter's website.

STC Pittsburgh Technology Group Mashup
Oct. 22, 2009, 6-9pm
@ ThoughtForm, 3700 S. Water St.

vjoon K4 Publishing System

What is K4? I heard about this publishing system recently and wanted to learn more. K4 is produced by vjoon, a company based in Germany that creates publishing solutions. This system is primarily for publishing content for magazines, newspapers, business reports, and books, both on and off-line. While K4 appears to be a solution targeted at major media companies (and is too big for the smaller company I work for), it has piqued my curiosity. Read more about it at www.vjoon.com. Have you used K4 before? Let me know your thoughts!

Overused "Quotation Marks"

Overused quotation marks are "fantastic." Ever wondered about that "fish" at the local market? Or that "Halloween" costume at the mall? If so, then maybe you're a little like me: you love to see them and you love to see them go.
Here are some recent favorites from technical reports that have made their way across my desk (only the fourth one really meant to be sarcastic):

• Architects are often taught the philosophy that "form follows function." (Or so it's said...)
• Some homebuilders will engage in "value engineering" when costs are too high. (Yeah, "value")
• A second "mini" discussion may be necessary to trim the budget. (And by "mini," I meant "huge," especially in this economy)
• "Full" plan sets for homes are often missing critical details. (Hoping you won't notice...)
• Some builders have an "open book" policy with their construction trades. (That's good, I think...)
• Getting their "buy-in" on the idea is recommended. (Or is it?)

One of my favorite blogs is The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. Check it out for more fun with quotes, because you can't help but enjoy them.

France May Put Warning Labels on Airbrushed Photos

France May Put Warning Labels on Airbrushed Photos
(Time, Monday, Oct. 5, 2009)

In the news, conservative lawmaker Valérie Boyer is hoping to pass legislation in France that will require digitally enhanced photos to carry a warning label saying they've been modified from their original state. She says that deliberately misleading photos are causing consumers to expect perfection from both themselves and the people around them, negatively influencing us to believe a distorted version of reality.

She makes an interesting point. It's very common for marketing, sales, and media organizations to enhance photos in order to sell a product or idea. However, will placing warning labels on perfected photos do much to mitigate their impact on society? Imagine that these labels would not only appear in fashion magazines, but also in newspaper columns, print advertising campaigns, newsletters, websites, news magazines, book covers.... Her strongest argument revolves around photos of people, where a woman's cellulite is smoothed away, for instance, or a man's muscles are given more definition. These modifications, she argues, can drive society to feel frustrated, depressed, and upset that "we can't be like those other people who—literally—don't exist."

For enhanced photos of people, will adding warning labels be a successful tactic? It's unlikely we'll see a decrease in society's obsession with beauty, but we may see a trend toward a greater appreciation for natural beauty. Its success will also in part be defined by how well the legislation is enacted. In a society where there are billions of photos, how do you ensure that every one that's modified has a warning label? Most likely, the answer is to define which photos fall into this category and which don't. So, enhancing your Facebook profile photo won't mean a $50,000 fine.