Monthly Archives: January 2010

January 23, 2010 · 3:08 pm

The Slush Pile

This article in the Wall Street Journal has shown up in a couple of places, so I thought I would put it up here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703414504575001271351446274.html

From the article, it looks like book publishers, at least in the U.S. are no longer reading their slush piles and pushing that responsibility off on agents. While this article focuses on U.S. publishing, any more U.S. publisher are simply parts of larger international conglomerates, so I don’t see why this wouldn’t take place in other countries, too.

Unfortunately, it will only create further bottlenecks and a further push to find the next blockbuster. After all, agents only make money on commissions, and if they have to spend more time doing what publishing house used to do at least some of, it only means the agents are going to focus on making up for lost time/money by taking on those things they think are “sure bets” with an emphasis to be blockbusters, otherwise the publishers won’t bite on the manuscripts and the agents will have lost even more time/money. Much of this comes from too much vertical integration, i.e. one conglomerate buying another conglomerate buying another conglomerate buying another, and so on. It’s the larger cow syndrome, whereby a cow twice the mass of its ancestor needs a neck three times the size just to hold its head up.

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January 8, 2010 · 2:50 pm

Manual or Guide

A member of a technical writing discussion group asked if the term should be Manual or Guide for user documentation.

In my experience, both Guide and Manual have been used to mean the same thing. Often, a shortened version is called a “guide,” while the larger, longer manual is called a “manual.”

However, to me, the more important distinction is whether the documentation is a reference manual (or guide) or a how-to manual (guide).

The difference is that a reference manual tells you what features/functions are available, but not necessarily how to engage those features/functions. A how-to manual tells you how to engage at least some of the features/functions available.

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January 7, 2010 · 2:33 am

You may already be a winner

I know this isn’t directly related to writing, but I’m going to ask a question. But first look at the follow text:

***The New Year Award***
British Online [info@live.co.uk]

Dear lucky winner,

We happily announce to you the new year draw (1068) of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY,online sweepstakes International program held on the 6th of January 2010. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:07-10-22-24-34-44 (Bonus number 18).You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £2,532,137 (Two million, Five hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty Seven pounds sterling).

To file for your claim, fill the winner verification form below and forward to the fudiciary agent immediately via email.

Agents Name:Hughes Stanford
Email: claimsdirector29@sify.com
Phone: +44-703-192-6694 Fax: +44-702-407-2356

VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM
Full Name.
Contact Address.
Nationality.
Sex.
Telephone Number.
Occupation.

Once again congratulations…

Cordially,
Sir George Arisson
Online Co-ordinator

***********

So, okay, here is my question. Do people in England, Austria, India, Pakistan, and all points in between receive similarly cockamamie e-mails offering equally preposterous scenarios? Are they offers to transfer funds from American banks to their bank accounts if they provide every piece of personal data about themselves, except the size of their bicuspids?

I’ve received offers from the widows of deposed Africa rulers, to royalty whose family line has petered out and the last living heir wants to share the wealth with the closest distant relative, and I’m it by some Darwinian fickle finger of fate.

I was disabused years ago of my illusion that Chinese fortunes in Chinese fortune cooks were a Chinese tradition and that they came from some Chinese equivalent of the Ancient Greek Oracles. It is an American twist and the fortunes are written primarily by two small groups, and they have even done market research trying to find out what sort of “fortunes” people want to read. Hence, you now get fortunes that read: “True happiness is what you make of it.” Or, “Smile and you will enjoy the world more.” Nothing too cryptic. Nothing bad.

And what does that have to do with e-mails promising fortunes for little effort? Nothing, except in both cases you will probably walk away with less than you started with if you put too much faith in already being a winner when you’ve done almost nothing to earn it.

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January 2, 2010 · 4:48 pm

And the lights come tumblin’ down

Across the street, the neighbors have already removed all their Christmas decor. The exterior decorations and lights were gone before New Year’s Eve and the tree in their window was not lit up last night, so I can only assume it, along with the candles they had in their second-floor windows has been taken down for the season. Up the street, a house that had a yard full of lighted things, including an inflatable snow-globe of a reindeer helping to pull Santa out of a chimney, was not lit last night. In other places around the neighborhood the lights were off or parts of them were burned out and not replaced. Ah, such is the end of the Christmas season. Soon, I will be taking our exterior lights down and packing away our inflatable tableau of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, his dog house with Woodstock sitting on top holding on to a wreath. But at 18 degrees F right now, I may wait a day or a few to see if it warms up a little.

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Filed under Christmas, decorations, Holidays