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RE: Re: Seeking something like "The Elements of Technical Illustration"
Subject:RE: Re: Seeking something like "The Elements of Technical Illustration" From:"Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:07 Nov 2003 18:39:43 GMT
Ok, but I'm really not all that sure I think it was all
that "tough..."
My intro to tech writing was back when "writing" meant
scratching out drafts on a ruled tablet with a #2 pencil.
I was a junior engineer in a dept full of engineers who
dreaded having to write, so the typical "new guy" break-
in assignment was to rewrite the proposals, specs, test
reports and assembly instructions written by the more
senior engineers. When everyone found out that I was
actually good at it, it ended up being my regular job.
I hand wrote my drafts and turned them in to the secretary
to type (because she was the only person in the dept with
a typewriter, it was that small a company), with hand-
drawn notations to leave X inches of blank space above the
figure captions so the figures could be pasted in. Then
Xerox copies (back then virtually all photocopiers were
"Xerox machines") of the figures were pasted in and after
everyone had blessed the content the whole thing was bundled
up with the original graphics and sent to the printer, who
did the page layups, set the type and shot camera copy with
the "good" figures.
My first intro to using a computer to write was on a Xerox 6085 computer. I had to sign up and wait to get on this
system for a 30 minute period once a week. I remember
thinking at the time that it was a very cool concept, but
was never going to catch on until everyone could have one
at their own desk. Today, of course, we do, but there are
times I really miss having that secretary, page layup
person and typesetter...
Excuse me, I have to go take my Geritol now.
Gene Kim-Eng
------- Original Message -------
On
Fri, 7 Nov 2003 09:00:09 -0700 Richard G. Combs?wrote:
Ah, the other great Friday tradition (besides silliness): Time for us old
fogeys to reminisce and tell the youngsters how tough we had it. ;-)
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