Quote: I think it is worth doing it and it keeps me busy.

Bert, If everybody would latch on to that attitude and run with it as a New Years resolution what a great forum we would have for 2003. I got to tip my hat to you for a great statement. With that outlook I’m sure you will have a lot of musical pleasure in 2003 along with anyone else with the same attitude.

My brother is a tech writer for Motorola Corp.. We have had many discussions on writing these instruction manuals. Quite a subject. When he goes to the engineering department to gather the information he needs to publish a manuel he runs into this blank wall. The blank wall is this: These super brains know what they are doing but have a very hard time putting into words what they have done. My brother says at times he could just pull his hair out in frustration. He tries to explain to these people that he is trying to write a book for the poor guys out in the field who have to use and repair these things. My brother, Jim, is very good in electronics and many times has to get the schematics and figure out for himself how this product works and how to fix it. Then comes the task of transferring his mind into words. Words that the common Joe Blows of this world can understand. If you think this is easy just try it. Pick up something near you. Something simple. Take pen in hand and tell me how all its parts look like, how they work and all the things it does. Let the wife or a friend read the paper and see if they can make any sense out of it. This can be a great parlor game with a lot of laughs. Just think what happens when this is given to a translator. My head is starting to hurt.

This world is moving fast. Our Technics keyboards have just leaped ahead of all others to the cutting edge of things. Yes, they are wonderful sounding and easy to use right out of the box. But! But can also leap from their box into a completely different box. The computer. Most of the people using these keyboards have a hard time even spelling confuser, I mean computer. A lot of people have a hard time with the things they were supposed to learn in school. Reading comprehension! In fact many of our urban schools are putting out kids who really can’t read. If they can’t read well, how in the world can they comprehend what they read? Even my Ruthie has a hard time with this reading comprehension thing. I don’t mind. She might have a hard time comprehending what she reads but she sure can comprehend what I need. Ya, Ruthie and me hit it off real good!

Three cheers now for the tech writers. Three cheers now for the people who can’t understand them. Lets give thanks for them all! Hay Doug are you nuts? Have you lost it? No guys. If that wasn’t the case there would be no reason for this forum to exist. No questions. No answers. No help. No thank you’s. Have a happy New Year Folks.

Grandpa Doug