Welcome to TiddlyWiki created by Jeremy Ruston, Copyright © 2007 UnaMesa Association
by [[Jackie Damrau|TW Staff Bios]], Managing Editor
Once again the 2010 Dallas BEST (Boosting Engineering and Science Technology) competition has completed and many LSC members assisted in judging the students' process engineering notebooks. In past years, LSC has provided monetary support, yet with the downturn in funds, we were only able this year to provide judges. Of course, our able-bodied ''Ann Balaban'' and ''Kathlyn Auten'' managed the awesome competition.
And, following the yearly tradition I started two years ago, we're printing the students' essays from their notebooks to give them additional recognition for learning about the field of technical communication. Read the essays provided by these schools — these could be your future employers or co-workers:
[>img[Dallas BEST|DallasBEST.jpg]]
* [[A+ Academy|A+ Academy Essay]]
* [[Colleyville Middle School|Colleyville Middle School Essay]]
* [[Dallas Lutheran School|Dallas Lutheran School Essay]]
* [[Grapevine Middle School|Grapevine Middle School Essay]]
* [[Heritage Middle School|Heritage Middle School Essay]]
* [[The Hockaday School|The Hockaday School Essay]]
* [[Lone Oak High School|Lone Oak High School Essay]]
* [[The Parish Episcopal School|The Parish Episcopal School Essay]]
* [[JJ Pearce High School|JJ Pearce High School Essay]]
* [[Rockwall-Heath|Rockwall-Heath Essay]]
* [[Seagoville High School|Seagoville High School Essay]]
* [[St Marks|St Marks Essay]]
* [[TAG (Talented And Gifted) Magnet School|TAG (Talented And Gifted) Magnet School Essay]]
* [[Ursuline Academy of Dallas|Ursuline Academy of Dallas Essay]]
by [[Jackie Damrau|TW Staff Bios]], Fellow
[img[lavacon.jpg]]
In September, I attended my first Lavacon conference. I encourage everyone to consider attending at least one Lavacon conference. It will truly open your eyes to the wealth of information and the quality of that information. The 2010 Lavacon conference, ''~LavaCon 2.0: The Conference on Digital Media and Content Strategies'' (http://lavacon.org/), opened the doors of social media to others and me who were or have been skeptical about entering into this social media outlet.
As I always do, I’m going to share with you the nuggets that I took away from the sessions I attended. Feel free to email me at <html><a href="mailto:jackie.damrau@comcast.net">jackie.damrau@comcast.net</a></html> if you want to know more.
!!Thursday, 9/30
[>img[dogpark-sandiego.jpg]]
# ''Opening Keynote: Social Media in Business America (Natalie Malaszenko, Director of Social Media & Commerce, PETCO):'' Natalie’s passion for leading PETCO to work ''for'' the customer by //listening and including customer ideas// in their business decisions. Companies are too willing to cling to the past and want to continue doing what they have always done. They need to develop a social media disaster recovery plan for what to do when events occur. Through social media, you have a matter of a few hours to respond and ''not'' the standard 24 hours to make your marketing response or public statement response. Natalie provided her top ten effective social media observations in business:
## ROI (return on investment) is in the eye of the beholder (define your successes)
## Know that your demographic is key (give customers exciting ways of finding out about your business)
## Embrace negativity, yet be ready to change
## When you have fun, they have fun
## Meet your new business partner: your ''customer'' (empower your community to influence others by collaborating with your customers on a common cause)
## If you don’t know how to begin, just listen (know where you customer spends their time)
## Tools and platforms aren’t always the answer
## Shock and awe can convince the top
## Messages are co-created. You can start it, yet you won’t finish it
## But social teams expand beyond social teams. Hub-and-spoke structure uses employees who know special areas talk with customers about that area using social media.
# ''Intelligent Content: The Magic Behind the Curtain (Ann Rockley, The Rockley Group):'' Ann’s presentation covered how intelligent content should be structurally rich, semantically categorized, and automatically available.
## //Structurally rich// means that we should apply different style sheets for multichannel publishing, filter inappropriate content automatically, and search on content by context of a particular element type.
## //Semantically categorized// uses metadata and tags to enable content to be pushed to wikis and other social media venues by integrating them through mashups and pipes. Without metadata, it is almost impossible to automate.
## //Automatically available// relies on data being easily discoverable, efficiently reusable, dynamically configurable, and completely adaptable.
# ''Stop Documenting, Start Designing (Vivian Aschwanden and Jim Smith, Platform Computing Corp.):'' This session talked about where and when users need information, how to let them stay in task, how many pieces you already know exist fit together to make a coherent user assistance system in the product, and then to think about what to write about. Vivian and Jim talked managing context by new markets and customers, identifying the changes by reviewing different kinds of design documents with a different focus, writing conventional documents as late as possible, communicate with your users ''more through the GUI (graphical user interface)'' than the document, and focus your efforts on filling gaps in the user interaction. Gathering this information still requires you to look at the standard design and feature specification documents.
# ''Lunch Keynote: State of Social Media in 2010 (Neal Schaffer, Windmill Networking):'' Neal presented an insight into the social media types—blogs, microblogs, video/photo/podcast sharing, social networking—by telling us that these are not just for marketing. All departments can work together to own the company’s ‘’Social Web’’ presence. Social media should become your free search engine optimization (SEO) tool with companies using their blogs to attract customers to their websites and not the reverse. Neal said that Twitter ([[www.twitter.com|www.twitter.com]]) is the most used social media site for businesses to talk with customers to let them know ''that they care''. A social media strategy should be objective, focus on the customer, present the company brand, and share information. Companies need to make their social media presence about ''their industry'' and not all about them. The most important tip he gave was to //decide what ''not'' to do// and get into the social media world.
# ''Why Innovate? Getting to Point B using Digital Media (Vivian Aschwanden and Jim Smith, Platform Computing Corp.):'' //Yes, I went to another session of the Aschwanden-Smith team to see what else they had to say.// I learned in this session that process is the core for motivating maturity to meet team and corporate goals. Vivian and Jim (re)defined the terms innovation and social media. ''Innovation'' is where you create values with new ideas and concepts, values and benefits, that can be incremental or radical. The benefits of re-innovating are to promote higher customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and improve delivery reliability. ''Social media'' (re)defined to be a collaborative, real-time common tool that is frequently web-based within corporations. The benefits of social media are seeking process improvements, reducing team constraints, timing to connect with customers, envisioning and defining a stable set of processes, and reenergizing and innovating team interactions. All innovation can use enabling technologies like wikis, ~SharePoint, Live Meeting, Google docs, Skype, eSupport knowledge bases, community websites, content management system workflows, Facebook, and Twitter.
# ''Getting The Word Out: How to Implement Your Online Branding Strategy (Matt Sullivan, roundpeg, inc.):'' Matt talked about why we use Twitter and how anyone using it should consider using an aggregator, like [[hootsuite.com|www.hootsuite.com]], [[tweetdeck.com|www.tweetdeck.com]], or [[socialoomph.com|www.socialoomph.com]], to be able to send out one tweet through as many media channels as possible. He then talk about ~LinkedIn and the perception that it’s use is for purely professional reasons, that you should be selective about your personal network, display your tweets and blog content on your ~LinkedIn page, and that, if you are a company, you should create a good landing page and update your information via an aggregator. Matt covered blogs by saying that they should serve as a collection point for varied content, and then he talked about blog tools—Tweetmeme, ~SexyBookMarks, ~TwitterTools, Yet Another Related Posts, and Google Sitemap—you can use to improve your social media presence. This session ended with three universal tips:
##Be relevant and engaging
## Use social media to establish credit (share tips, announce successes, discuss/solve problems)
## Be generous (share others’ successes, recirculate/”like”, comment on other blogs, and link share when appropriate).
# ''Day 1: Closing Keynote: You’re Only as Good as Your Last Tweet (Crosby Noricks, Red Door Interactive):'' The day is ending and the head is swimming with all this newly learned information about social media. Crosby had us laughing and learning new phrases of speech (check out the #lavacon tweet stream about “taking your pants off”). We did learn that tweets that include links are far more likely to be retweeted than those without links. The social media Twitter strategy that Crosby recommends is to ''Identify'' your goals; ''Listen'' to what people are saying; ''Assign'' metrics; and ''Create'' engaging content. And, she ended with giving us her //secret social media sauce//:
## Make a commitment to participate daily
## Share great content by sharing it ''first''
## Care about your followers by providing support and solutions
!!Friday, 10/1
[>img[BalboaTheatre.jpg]]
# ''Opening Keynote: Get Ready for Socially Enabled Everything (Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler):'' From Scott’s session, I learned that about goog411, wordle, and how everything should be shareable and syndicatable. Our social efforts should help people do stuff and to remember that //it’s not about you, it’s about the relationship// and that location awareness is a must. Scott then told us about the next new wave in social media which is augmented reality and that we should take advantage of it. To quote Scott, “Everything is about to change and you need to know if and when you are ready.”
# ''Creating a Content Strategy (Rahel Bailie, Intentional Design Inc.):'' A content strategy should be iterative, not linear as you do your research, write and edit, solicit approvals, translate, and publish your documentation. Rahel talked about the content lifecycle having a strategic component, Analysis, and three tactical components: Collect, Manage, and Publish. This content lifecycle concept is not new to me, yet what I did learn is that we need to pay more attention to the implementation. Implementation involves post-publishing (do you sunset, evaluate, iterate, or archive content?), publishing (how many channels and variations do you need?), management (components versus business rules), and technical (components versus standards). Rahel ended with this, “You need to know where you are going to reach the tactical objectives through effective strategic planning.”
# ''Discovering the Hidden Treasure of Dynamic Product Information (Liz Fraley, ~Single-Sourcing Solutions, Inc.):'' Content should be customized to the customer so that they can find the information they want quickly to keep them happy and on your site. Knowing how they use their investigative skills through social media is important. We spent time on talking about how to get your information before the C-management level by learning to speak their language and developing a row-based matrix that shows how the product information improves revenues, expands market share, and increases customer loyalty.
# ''Lunch Keynote: Why Content Strategists are the Next Corporate Rock Stars (Mark Fidelman, ~MindTouch):'' This session took us all back through many of the “Golden Oldies” like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and such. Yet this walk down memory lane (for those who remember) left that lane and talked about how social media is the new ''avenue of the city'' where:
## Our content has to be engaging to create revenue (think about iTunes for Apple)
## Fans of your content are your community so keep them engaged by getting them to contribute content
## We can reduce the noise and provide clarity by connecting content with actual customer requirements
## Discovering great content through the use of analytics
## Setting the base for your customers that makes them want to visit and use your site to their advantage
# ''The Psychology of Social Media (Mario Lehenbauer, University of Vienna):'' This session was one of the best ones I attended. Being interested in psychology from all perspectives: linguistically, socially, and through business, it was interesting to hear the research that Mario has been doing at the University of Vienna. He talked about the reasons that the Internet is so successful being that it is available 24/7, easy to use, makes people feel mighty and powerful when they log in and seed content as an active user, that it creates a feeling of intimacy as we begin connecting with others online, and how we lose track of time when we are ''surfing the Internet''. Mario then talked about seeding behavior in its uses and gratification approaches, high versus low seeders, and that there is no gender differences, and concluded by talking about the focus that he is seeing on Twitter and Facebook.
# ''Integrating Content Management and Business Process Management (Katie Hicks, ~Hewlett-Packard):'' This session covered how Katie’s group at HP is effective reusing its content by identifying gaps in technical use, partner involvement, and built-in terminology and style, and deliverable flexibility.
# ''Getting the Most Out of Twitter…Everywhere! (Char ~James-Tanny, JTF Associates Inc.):'' Char is a //GREAT// speaker. If you ever get a chance to hear her, please do. She shared so much information with us that our heads were reeling by the end of the session. Of course, this session was for those more advanced in using social media; however, for me, a social media newbie, it gave me more reason to “try” to begin using it more. Char shared a selected number of social media applications that we should consider using, such as:
##Twitter clients: [[twitter.pbworks.com/Apps|http://twitter.pbworks.com/Apps]]; [[squidoo.com/twitterapps|http://www.squidoo.com/twitterapps]] (or just do a Google search for “twitter apps” to see how many are out there)
##Twitter services: [[tuttoaster.com|tuttoaster.com]]; [[work.blogspot.com|http://work.blogspot.com/]]
###Reading and filtering: [[tweetscan.com|http://tweetscan.com/]]; [[tweetbeat|http://tweetbeat.com/]]; [[Cadmus|http://thecadmus.com/]], [[My6Sense|http://www.my6sense.com/]]
###Notifications: [[Twitstra|http://twitstra.appspot.com/]]
###Analysis and quality: [[refollow.com|http://refollow.com/refollow/index.html]], [[foller.me|http://foller.me/]], [[klout|http://klout.com/]]
###Location: [[friendorfollow.com|http://friendorfollow.com/]]
###Widgets: Flickr, Facebook, ~LinkedIn //(keep business away from personal)//
###Corporate environment: [[yammer.com|https://www.yammer.com/]]
###Security: check your security and use “Revoke Access” as needed
!!Saturday, 10/2
[>img[HotelStJames.jpg]]
# ''Social Networking, Social Presence and Social Boundaries (Phylise Banner, American Public University):'' Attending a session where the presenter is an expressive poet and educator is interesting. If you know Phylise, you know that her expressiveness is unique. Let’s just say that the way she started this morning’s session off was “all the rage” the rest of the day and on the #lavacon twitter stream. Yes, we did learn stuff, so here it is.
##We are public by default and private by effort. When using social media, we make a conscious effort to decide what we will share and what we won’t. Our relationships are based on common interests, which is why we connect with certain people. We determine intimacy levels by trust and define circles of exposure, trust, and curate our private lives.
##The identity we create is distinct in each world we exist it: social, personal, and corporate. There’s even a word for this: multiphrenic self. Look it up and tell me what you learned.
##Reputation is where we decide what image we want to shape and present to everyone and depending on that image, you have to know whether you can start fresh after messing up. Introvert, extrovert, another –vert, can we change?
##We create our social role/capital through social contracts where the only way we are known or visible is if we openly share personal or relational content with others. Some are comfortable, others are not. Doing this online is even more frightening for some and less for others.
##Finally, we establish boundaries that are firm and impregnable as the price is high and carries great risk. When boundaries become permeable, movement becomes more fluid (Flanigan, 2010).
# ''What’s Your Content Doing and Where is it Going? (Lee Traupel, ~LinkedMedia):'' Content is anything (text, images, …) that is everywhere. It’s also audio/video, social conversations, blogs-wikis-discussion groups, corporate websites, and mobile devices. Great content requires creating, publishing, and measuring compelling words and images that resonate with your audience. Determining how and where social media fits in requires looking at how using existing content, knowing the analytics, and whether ROI being received is ample. Connecting with your audience requires being engaging and having a personality, must be keyword-rich (SEO friendly), is relevant and fresh, and gets picked up by social streams (retweeted). The social web is vast, broad, and deep; it is global with no boundaries or borders, and is driven by many-to-many conversations with others and replicated. Cross-pollinating your content through the social media channels to garner business and reputation is necessary, yet be aware that it can consume a large portion of your time. For businesses, the absolutes for social content marketing are that your content must have value and be well written, integrate your community with appropriate ads, should leverage social influencers, and be measurable and quantifiable. Metrics comes with everything these days, even content. Content metrics focuses on measuring the social voice and brand mentions, capturing audience engagement, understanding how conversations reach across multiple social networks, and bringing an insight into having key influencers onboard with your brand. Lee recommended that you write a blog post once and have it retweeted, picked up on ~LinkedIn, and spanned through other social networks.
Do you think we learned about social media? We did. The end of each day we were exhausted with all the relevant, timely, and interesting information we received. As I said, this being my first Lavacon conference was an eye-opener. Will I attend others? Definitely yes! Should you attend a Lavacon conference? Why wouldn’t you!
<hr>
Kudos to Jack Molisani, the organization of Lavacon, and to John Hedtke, who insisted I attend. Without these two wonderful folks, I probably wouldn’t have gone. I’m glad I did. By the way, the photos you see throughout this article are ones that were taken from my cell phone during a walking night tour that Jack put together of the Gaslamp District in San Diego. He made sure that once we were exhausted with information, we became exhausted with all the historical elements of San Diego.
[img[San diego room view.jpg]]
Deadlines for article submissions for this year are:
|!Issue|!Deadline|
|--September--|--August 14--|
|--October--|--September 30--|
|--~November-December--|--October 31--|
|January|December 31|
|February|January 30|
|March|February 28|
|April|March 31|
|May|April 30|
|Summer|June 15|
<html>
<h3>Arroxane T.U. Eber, President</h3>
Email: <a href="mailto:prez@stc-dfw.org">prez@stc-dfw.org</a>
</html><br>
[<img[ArroxaneU.jpg]]Arroxane is a Senior Technical Writer for Avid Technology in Irving. She has a master's in Technical Writing from the University of North Texas and a bachelor's in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College. Arroxane is a former U.S. Marine, member of the National Space Society, Big Sister, and polyglot. She's been active in LSC for several years in a variety of roles.
<html>
<h3>Jackie Chamberlain, 1st Vice President</h3>
Email: <a href="mailto:1vp@stc-dfw.org">1vp@stc-dfw.org</a>
</html><br>
[<img[JackieC.jpg]]Jackie has a BA in English from University of North Texas, with an endorsement in Technical Writing. After over four years as a Technical Writer at a local franchise headquarters, she is currently working on her Microsoft Certified Professional Certification (MCP) while looking for a new employer.
<html>
<h3>Kathryn Poe, 2nd Vice President</h3>
Email: <a href="mailto:2vp@stc-dfw.org">2vp@stc-dfw.org</a>
</html><br>
[<img[Kpoe2.jpg]]Kathryn is a Fellow and past chapter president, is a self-proclaimed Knowledge Wrangler. She is currently enlightening minds in the financial sector.
<html>
<h3>Mike Hiatt, Parliamentarian</h3>
Email: <a href="mailto:policies@stc-dfw.org">policies@stc-dfw.org</a>
</html>
[<img[MikeH.jpg]]Mike is a senior member of STC, having been a member of the Lone Star Community since he joined. He currently is a senior technical writer with Tekelec, GENBAND Inc., a telecom media gateway signaling and switching company. He previously served three years as Treasurer of the LSC and is currently serving Parliamentarian.
<html>
<h3>Kristy Nolan, Treasurer</h3>
Email: <a href="mailto:treasurer@stc-dfw.org">treasurer@stc-dfw.org</a>
</html>
[<img[KristyN.jpg]]Kristy is a senior member of STC. She is the Ground Ops Manager, Central Publications for Southwest Airlines, with a BA in biology from Hiram College and an MEd in environmental education from John Carroll University. Prior to joining Southwest Airlines, she was the assistant director of the SS William G. Mather Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Kristy just returned from her third Eye Care mission to assist the people of El Salvador.
<html>
<h3>Rob Brown, Secretary</h3>
Email: <a href="mailto:secretary@stc-dfw.org">secretary@stc-dfw.org</a>
</html>
[<img[RobB.jpg]]Rob is a senior STC member. He has been active in the Lone Star Community (LSC) for about six years. This year, he is the LSC Administrative Council secretary. He also served as a judge for the 2009 STC International Online Competition. He has served as our LSC Competitions General Manager for two years, as a competition judge manager for two years, and as a competition judge for five years. In 2006, he received our chapter's Distinguished Community Service Award. He has been a technical writer and instructional designer in Dallas for the past 20 years.
!!The Application of Science Technology on the History of Robots
by A+ Academy ~Robo-Knight team
[>img[A+ Academy Robo-Knight logo|A+ Academy.jpg]] Modern technology is rapidly increasing, humanity can hardly keep up. This year we were motivated, encouraged, and persuaded to participate in the 2010 Robotics Competition. Mr. Lopez, the Physics teacher, had almost everything ready for us to begin the journey that comes with building a robot and entering it into a competition. There are many people who had never been involved in a project of this magnitude. Not only did they have to learn everything there was to know about building a robot, but they also had to learn how to work together as a team. It was difficult but everything was achieved.
In a robotics competition, you must build a robot that can accomplish any tasks presented. Whether it’s pushing a Frisbee disk around, or placing eggs from one side of a ring to the other. Points are only awarded when the presented task is completed to the best of the team’s ability. The ultimate goal is for the team to get the highest possible amount of points before the competition ends.
Robots have been around for a couple hundred years now. Jacques de Vaucanson was one of the most famous inventors. Born on February 24, 1709 Jacques was a French engineer and inventor. After becoming interested in mechanical engineering, Jacques found a mentor in Le Cat, and was inspired to build again. Learning anatomy from Le Cat led him to construct the devices used today. He built a contraption that imitated the vital functions such as circulation, respiration, and digestion. Although these were impressive inventions, Jacques seemed to become bored with them and sold them to whomever was interested. Not only was this a major milestone in the medical world but it also was one of the most important things to happen in the history of robot contraptions.
There are many milestones in the robotic world. In 1956 George Devol and Joseph Engelberger designed the world’s first robot company. They invented Squee, the electronic robot squirrel invented. In 1970 Shakey was introduced as the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence. In 1979 The Standford Cart was built, it had a camera mounted on the top and took snapshots of the distance in the obstacle, and made its way from one side of the obstacle to the other using just those pictures as guidance. No matter the difficulty a challenge presents, if you give humans the benefit of the doubt they will come through with a solution. The aptitude of the human brain is an astonishing, but unexpected experience to witness. Building robots is just another example of how powerful mankind can be and is.
This experience has taught the ~Robo-Knights that with hard work comes reward. It may not come in trophy form but having the satisfying thought that we built a robot, no matter how insignificant it may seem compared to all the other remarkable inventions, we’ll consider ourselves well served.
!!Bibliography
Bellis, Mary. "Timeline of Robots." Inventors. 21 Sept. 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. http://inventors.about.com/od/roboticsrobots/a/RoboTimeline.htm
"Jacque de Vaucanson." VaucansonGB .22 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://research.miralab.ch/automata/eightennth/vaucanson_uk.htm
"Three Famous Roboticists at Futuroremoto 2009." Domenico Prattichizzo & ~SIRSLab's Folks Blog. 23 Sept. 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. http://prattichizzoblog.dii.unisi.it/2009/11/28/three-famous-roboticists-at-futuroremoto-2009/
|[<img[STC logo|Logo-Type-Horz.png][http://www.stc.org]]| ''STC advances the theory and practice of technical communication across all user abilities and media so that both businesses and customers benefit from safe, appropriate, and effective use of products, information, and services.'' |
STC is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication. It is the largest organization of its type in the world. Its 18,000 members include technical writers and editors, content developers, documentation specialists, technical illustrators, instructional designers, academics, information architects, usability and human factors professionals, visual designers, Web designers and developers, and translators – anyone whose work makes technical information available to those who need it.
For more information, contact the STC headquarters:
<html><a href="http://www.stc.org>Society for Technical Communication</a></html>
9401 Lee Highway
Suite 300
Fairfax , VA 22031
*[[2010-2011 Deadlines]]
*[[Submission Guidelines]]
*[[Copyrights & Trademarks]]
*[[Advertising Rates]]
*[[Reprinting Policy]]
*[[TW Staff]]
*[[Back Issues]]
*[[About STC]]
Content must be “camera-ready” in the form of a GIF or JPG file. (''Note:'' We do not support animated GIFs or other animation technologies.)
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Make checks, money orders, or purchase orders payable to:
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Contact the Managing Editor at e-mail: <html><a href="mailto:newsletter@stc-dfw.org">newsletter@stc-dfw.org</html> for more information.
by [[Arroxane Eber|2010-2011 LSC Admin Council]], 2010-2011 LSC President
!!!Interorganizational Cooperation
[<img[Arroxane Eber photo|ArroxaneU.jpg]] If you looked around any room at the STC Technical Summit, you would probably see members of the Usability Professionals Association (UPA), Interaction Design Association (IXDA), American Society of Training & Development (ASTD), and several other professional groups. No rule has prevented a professional from participating in numerous organizations. Perhaps you, yourself, have attended a conference or presentation by an organization other than STC.
In the last few years, cross-pollination of professional groups has become more common as the economy has slimmed down both membership and budgets. Besides sharing speakers, workshops, and members, similar organizations often share discounts and benefits within a geographical area.
Although STC does not endorse this philosophy at the international level, within Dallas/Fort Worth it is the key to survival for all these groups. When each group has only a handful of active volunteers that have finite skills, it is in the interest of these groups to reach out to one another.
Think of it as the Stone Soup of professional development: alone we all have just a few scraps, but if everyone contributes a little something, the entire community feasts—in this case, on knowledge.
So as President of the Lone Star Community, I'm adding our resources to those of other similar groups in this area. We're cooking up something good for December. If you'd like a taste, you're welcome to join in. Just bring whatever you've got to contribute.
by [[Arroxane Eber|2010-2011 LSC Admin Council]], 2010-2011 LSC President
[<img[Arroxane Eber photo|ArroxaneU.jpg]] When was the last time you got something for nothing? How about a free professional course, workshop, or training session? Okay, you do have to give something to get a little help with professional development: you have to submit an application. That's it. No, really.
!!Professional Development Scholarship
Most of the time when we hear "scholarship” we tend to think it’s “only for college students,” and that is partially true of the Lone Star Community scholarship fund. But LSC also provides awards to professionals who could use financial assistance for polishing or expanding their skills.
You can use the professional scholarship award for just about any kind of technical communication training: workshops, seminars, webinars, classes, courses, conferences, and more.
Community members often overlook this use of the scholarship fund. I'd like to change that and make it common knowledge. I don't think that requires wearing a sandwich board with "FREE MONEY" painted on it, but I could be wrong ... and Halloween's around the corner.
To apply for this scholarship, the requirements are pretty simple:
* Enroll in a workshop or course in technical communication.
* Pursue a career in technical communication.
* Be a current, paid member of the LSC.
* Submit an application.
The application information and more is available on the LSC website under [[About > Scholarships|http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34&Itemid=31]].
So, what are you waiting for?
[img[twitter_logo.jpg]]
Check LSC out:
{{{@STCLoneStar}}}
by [[Arroxane Eber|2010-2011 LSC Admin Council]], 2010-2011 LSC President
[<img[Arroxane Eber photo|ArroxaneU.jpg]] Everyone wants to know, "What's in it for me?", or WIIFM. It's a standard viewpoint for writing—especially in Marketing Communications—but even technical communication has to consider what the audience wants.
Some op-ed writers and media pundits point out that American culture is all about the bottom line, comparing today's society with that of a century ago when volunteering and giving of oneself was more common. They also cite psychologists who note that making others feel better is an innate joy that gets lost somewhere between the paycheck and the pay-per-view.
Of course, many people today just don't have the time to give. Their schedules are full with kids, elderly parents, crazy work demands, commutes, and honey-do lists longer than their arms. Still, anyone who has time to watch TV, play computer games, or indulge in a hobby can make time for just a little community service.
Community service is actually an integral part of being an STC member. Most STC members don't realize that the non-profit classification of STC in the US is as an organization for educating the community. This means the responsibility is upon every one of us to step out and spread the importance of clear, concise communication. If you're trying to think how you might do that and coming up short, here are some suggestions:
* Visit a nearby school on career day and talk about what you do.
* Be a guest speaker at a local Toastmasters meeting.
* Offer advice to your neighborhood emergency response organization.
* Be a guest writer/blogger for a newspaper or website.
* Explain to your city council the benefits of attracting technical communication professionals to work and live in your area.
* Attend a Meetup or ~PostUp (formerly Tweetup) and share your profession.
* Offer expert advice to those thinking of a career shift.
You have an infinite number of ways where you can combine your career with your community. To intentionally misquote President Kennedy,
<<<
"Ask not what your (Lone Star) community can do for you, but what you can do for your community!"
<<<
Let's change, "What's in it for me?" to, "What's in it for my community?"
*[[FEATURE ARTICLE: Using Google Analytics to Track Web-Based Documentation Usage|FEATURE ARTICLE: Google Analytics to Track Web-Based Documentation Usage]]
*[[2010 Dallas BEST Process Notebook Essays]]
You can find all the //Technically Write// back issues by clicking on one of the links below.
[[HTML Issues]]
[[PDF Issues]]
!!Technically Wired
A proof-of-concept experiment in 1996, Technically Wired took the content of //Technically Write// and combined it with the graphical potential of the Web. Three issues were produced until the Internet Professional Interest Committee (IPIC)—-as ~SIGs were known then-—decided it was too intensive an effort for one person.
Links and e-mail addresses in these issues have been disabled, since they're likely to be extinct.
September 1996 October 1996 November 1996
by [[Joshua Harris|TW Staff Bios]], Member and Contributing Editor
[>img[sun graphic|sun_clipart.jpg]] September is just around the corner. Finally. That means the fall season won’t be too far behind.
If we didn’t live in Texas, that is.
As anyone who was born and raised in this state—or has lived here more than two years—can tell you, fall doesn’t actually start in Texas until late October. Meanwhile, we just have to sweat it out (literally), do our best to keep cool, and go about our daily business.
That’s much easier said than done, though. Not only does the heat sap the energy right out of most people, it also saps the energy right out of most air conditioners (A/Cs)—along with all the money in the owner’s pockets.
Fortunately, there are little things you can do to abate the flow of money from your pockets and into the utility company coffers. Some options work better than others, depending on individual situations, but if you’re able to combine any of them, your air conditioner can take a break and you can keep more of your hard-earned money.
!!Keep it Clean
This is the easiest, and most often overlooked, thing you can do to keep your A/C running smoothly. At least once every month you should make sure the condenser coils are clear. Just unscrew the cover and hose them down. Try not to get the control panel wet, though. It can handle a bit of moisture, yet why risk it? The same thing goes for the filter in the house, too. Replace it at least once a month. More airflow through the coils and the filter means the A/C doesn’t have to work as hard to keep you cool.
!!Insulate Your Home
[<img[insulator graphic|insulator_clipart.jpg]] This option could actually cost quite a bit up front, yet the savings later will more than make up for the initial cost. Many homes in the U.S. are under-insulated, which includes new construction within the last 5–10 years. There are several factors that affect how much insulation you’ll need, and what type, so do some research and find a reputable installer. Just remember, you can’t have too much insulation.
!!Vent the Roof
[>img[roofer graphic|roofer_clipart.jpg]] Hot air rises, but it also gets trapped in closed areas. The attic is a big offender when it comes to trapping hot air. Make sure this air has a way to get out so that even a heavily insulated attic won’t hold on to heat. The best option in this area is a combination of soffit vents and ridge vents. The soffit vents are placed on the eaves of the roof that overhang the main structure of the house. The ridge vents are literally long holes in the top of the roof with a screen-like structure used to elevate the ridge a few inches above the roof.
!!Turn Your Home into a Wind Tunnel
This works really well for one-story “shotgun” homes that are longer than they are wide. Open the doors and windows at both ends of the house and let the breeze flow through. You can help move the air along by placing a fan—facing OUT—in one of the openings. This idea can also be useful in a two-story home. Open the doors and windows on one side of the house on the first floor, and then open the doors and windows on the opposite side of the house on the second floor. You can use a fan or two (one blowing IN on the first floor and another blowing OUT on the second floor) to move the air along. Just be aware, the wind tunnel idea may actually raise the temperature inside your home, yet it will provide a breeze. Even a hot breeze is better than no breeze at all.
!!Close the Curtains
Simply hang some blackout curtains over all the windows and keep them closed. The radiant heat from the windows will be “caught” in the area between the window and the curtain and won’t raise the temperature in the room as much. If you don’t have enough curtains, you can always pin blankets over the windows to provide the same effect. The major drawback here, of course, is that you won’t be able to see out as well. Yet since heat is a byproduct of light, you’ll just have to pick your poison.
!!Wear a Scarf
Wrap a towel that has been soaked in warm—yes, warm—water around your neck. As the water evaporates, the towel will feel cooler than its surroundings. Your carotid artery, conveniently located in your neck, will help distribute this cool sensation to the rest of your body. Special “cooling towels” are sold in some sports stores for just this purpose, but you can also use a chamois, a dish towel, or even a handful of paper towels in a pinch.
!!Don’t Close the Indoor Vents
Even if you have a spare room you’re using as storage for a bunch of junk, closing the A/C vent in the room is still not a good idea. Worst-case scenario, the extra pressure created by closing the vent will cause the A/C duct to disconnect and the cold air will escape into the attic. Instead, you should leave the vent open and place a fan in the doorway to help circulate the cool air from the room to the rest of the house.
!!Turn the Computer Off
There are different camps regarding thermal degeneration of computer equipment. There is no argument, though, that computers can produce a lot of heat. Turn off the computer, monitor, or laptop whenever you’re not using it.
!!Eat Cold Food
[<img[coldcuts graphic|coldcuts_clipart.jpg]] The last thing you want to do in a hot house is add to it with an open flame. Try to avoid cooking things on the stovetop—even if you have an electric range. If your food absolutely has to be hot, cook it in the microwave. The sealed environment will cook your food without leaking heat into the house.
!!Wash and Dry Clothes Early or Late
[>img[laundry graphic|laundry_clipart.jpg]] The washing machine and dryer you depend on for clean clothes produce a lot of heat. A great way to lessen their impact on your home temperature is to wash or dry your clothes early in the morning or late at night when the sun is not present and outside temperatures are lower. You can also take advantage of evaporative cooling by air-drying your clothes in the house instead of using the dryer. If your clothes are too stiff after air-drying, try using fabric softener in the wash, or throw the clothes in the dryer for a quick ten minute “fluff” to make them loosen up.
!!Swamp Thing
A bucket of ice water placed in front of a fan makes for an instant swamp cooler. Just make sure the condensation that forms on the bucket doesn’t leak into the outlet powering the fan. Water and electricity still don’t mix, and catching the house on fire would introduce a whole new set of problems.
!!Stay Cool
Like I stated earlier, the effectiveness of these suggestions will vary by your situation. All you can do is try out each one and discover which works for you. If anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to share them here. In the meantime, keep cool, keep writing, and I look forward to meeting you at the next (air conditioned) meeting in September.
by [[Joshua Harris|TW Staff Bios]], Member and Contributing Editor
[>img[fall_clipart.jpg]]Fall has finally arrived in Dallas and the temperatures are starting to drop.
Unfortunately, the daylight hours get too short to enjoy this refreshing change in temperature as the year goes on. Many people in the area may begin to experience the effects of this shortened exposure to daylight and struggle to stay awake during the day, have trouble going to sleep at night, or both. While some will deal with these symptoms through self-medication, others will find a surprisingly simple remedy in the form of light.
Blue light, to be specific. It is all-natural, has no known side-effects, and has remained an effective agent for years. To find the biggest source of blue light, all one has to do is look up towards the sky on a clear day.
Blue light regulates the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone. When exposed to blue light, the human body limits the production of melatonin and a person stays awake and alert much easier. In the absence of blue light, melatonin production ramps up as the body thinks it is night, and one may begin to feel tired and groggy.
[<img[bluelight_clipart.jpg]]The main drawback to blue light is that the greatest exposure comes at the exact opposite time it should. To get to work on time, many people wake up and leave the house before the sun rises. As necessary as this evil may be, it severely limits the exposure to a nice healthy dose of blue light in the morning to help get the day going. Blue light exposure during the day isn’t actually that hard to come by. There are so many man-made sources of blue light in the typical office that one would be hard-pressed to avoid it altogether. A 2008 [[study|http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18815716?dopt=Abstract]] by the Surrey Sleep Research Centre even showed that blue-enriched white light in the workplace improved employee alertness, performance, and sleep quality.
Yet that is during the day, when blue light exposure is normal and expected. The problem arises at night when a person is subjected to a barrage of blue light emanating from devices at home when the body is supposed to be getting ready for sleep. Common sources of blue light at home are the television, the computer or laptop screen, even alarm clocks with blue displays. All of these devices can interrupt the production of melatonin and wreak havoc on the body’s internal clock.
Steps one can take to help reduce this harmful effect:
* Turn off the TV and/or computer after dark, or at least keep their use to a minimum. Consider installing [[F.lux|http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/]] (free) on the computer to reduce blue light emissions after sundown.
* Cover or unplug any alarm clocks with blue displays.
* Use candlelight instead of fluorescent lighting.
* Keep the bedroom as dark as possible.
* Wear orange-tinted safety glasses to filter out any stray blue light.
Use a source of red light if there is an absolute need for a light on at night. Even a simple red party bulb will suffice. It may cast an eerie glow on everything, but red light has little to no effect on melatonin production so it won’t disturb sleep patterns. As a bonus, anyone relying on a red light for illumination won’t be temporarily blinded if someone suddenly turns on a brighter light.
Feel free to share any other tips or personal stories and experiences about increasing/decreasing blue light exposure. In the meantime, enjoy the cooler weather and get some sleep.
[img[Colleyville Middle School logo|ColleyvilleMS.jpg]]
by the Notebook team
The Dallas Best theme during 2010 is Total Recall. In the competition we have to make our robot pick up gizmos. The arm on our robot is very similar to an arm on a claw machine. They both move to grab something. The engineer or the person who builds the robot arm or claw machine arm has to build them both in similar ways. The building of the robot arm relates to real life engineering because if you were and engineer designing a claw machine arm, you would have to use similar methods to get the job done.
The claw machine arm consists of many parts but the main parts are similar to our robot arm. Our robot uses its arm to pick up gizmos and then puts them in the place where one person from our team sorts the good and bad gizmos. Our arm is made up of steel, wood, PVC pipe, a spring, and rubber bands. We use the controller to move the arm to go and pick up gizmos and gadgets. Our arm is very similar to a claw machine arm and how a claw machine arm is made. A claw machine arm is mostly made of steel and has a claw on the end of it to pick up stuffed animals. A regular claw machine usually has three prongs. Our robot has two so we can pick up gadgets and gizmos easier. Our robot arm used to fall on the ground when we extended it but we added a spring on the arm connected to the base so it would not fall or break. Claw machine engineers have to build claw machine arms similarly to the way we built our robot arm. No one quite knows who invented the claw machine but they became popular in the United States in the late 1980’s. Claw machines are usually put together by an assembly line or by people building them one piece at a time. In an assembly line each person makes a different piece. To make our robot a group of people built one part at a time then we connected each piece together. This is similar to building a claw machine because when building a claw machine individual parts must be made before the whole machine can operate as a whole working claw machine.
Building this robot and writing this paper has made me realize how similar this is to real life engineering. After doing all the research and helping building the robot I have realized that this is a very good experience and a very helpful class for people who want to get a job that has anything to do with engineering. A claw machine and our robot are very similarly made and constructed and now we can build a better robot knowing that there is some one that is doing something similar out there.
*[[Inside this issue...]]
*[[Editor's Corner|Editor's Corner]]
*[[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]]
This newsletter invites writers to submit articles they wish to be considered for publication. (''Note:'' By submitting an article, you implicitly grant a license to this newsletter to run the article and for other STC publications to reprint if without permission.) Copyright is held by the writer. In your cover letter, let the editor know if this article has run elsewhere, and if it has been submitted for consideration to other publications.
Some articles might refer to companies or products whose names are covered by trademark or registered trademark. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Reference to a specific product does not constitute an endorsement of the product by the LSC or STC.
!!Total Recall
by The Robotniks
[>img[Dallas Lutheran School|DallasLutheran.jpg]] ''I: introduction:'' discuss the fact that not all products are perfect/recalls are common part of life, whether food, machines, or other consumer purchases/take a closer look at food recalls and why and how done: assigned to Robbie
''II: Good products that have been recalled in recent past'' //the articles should have the #s by the sentences that answer that part of the information needed//
A. Peanut butter for Salmonella
1) It started January, 2009. 2) The symptoms are diarrhea, cramps, nausea/vomiting. 3) A stripe of salmonella was found in the production lab and fell into the peanut butter were it lays dormant until it is ingested. 4) Most of the time there is no “cure” you just have to stay hydrated. 5) 5,500 products were recalled and refunds were given.
B. recall for eggs with salmonella bacteria
August 13, 2009, Salmonella was reported to have caused many sicknesses. They found that it was from eating eggs. Reporters say that farms “failed to adequately and properly test, inspect, and comply with federal and statutory regulations… so the eggs were safe.” The symptoms of salmonella are fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, ruptured intestinal tract and infected ovaries. The outbreak was suspected to be caused by failure to utilize eggs or to sterilize them correctly. To get rid of the bad eggs, the company conducted a nationwide voluntary recall of shell eggs and then additional recalls were made if needed. Ways to prevent the disease are to keep eggs refrigerated, discard cracked of dirty eggs, wash hands after contact with raw eggs, and avoid raw eggs.
C. Baby formula for insect parts: assigned to Joe
1-When did it happen/2-what were the symptoms/3-what caused it, how did it get there/4-how was it treated in people/5-what actions did the company take-how was the recall handled
''III Food contamination''
A. Salmonella tell how it is caused/what are symptoms/how is it treated/how can it be prevented
B. Gastro-intestinal discomfort in infants: how caused from beetles)/symptoms, cures/how to prevent
''IV suggestions/solutions: assigned to Robbie''
A. Preventive measures in production
1. quality control checks (Make wise suggestions that production could follow)
2. how often (how frequently should it be done-suggestion from you)
B. Reactive: Recall standards
''V. Conclusion:'' not all products are perfect/recalls are common part of life, whether food, machines, or other consumer purchases/how to be proactive
by [[Jackie Damrau|TW Staff Bios]], Managing Editor
!!!My Last LSC Editor’s Column
[<img[Jackie Damrau photo|JDamrau_GS_5pct.jpg]] My time has come to turn the reins of the LSC //Technically Write// over to someone else. With my recent move to the state of Washington, my time is being consumed by work, other family life events, and starting in January 2011, the STC International Summit Awards.
I’ve enjoyed my time as your editor. My goal has always been to give you a newsletter that you could be proud of and that had lots of information that you might not see in any other STC publication. I know through the letters to the editor (some printed in back issues) and from emails that have not been shared that that goal has been met.
To quote Mia Hamm, “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” LSC, you have been my team; my newsletter staff—''Paula Robertson'', ''Jeanne Foster'', ''Louellen Coker'', ''Joshua Harris'', ''Dale Erickson'', ''Doug Dow''; the managers and officers I’ve served with or have served; and all the members have been my family. It’s hard for me to step away, yet I must go on to champion the STC International Summit Awards.
I only ask that you not forget me too soon. I’ll keep my ear out for news about LSC and will always be a member-at-large.
Thanks for all the wonderful memories, for supporting me through my Associate Fellow and Fellow honors, and recognizing me as a BALA recipient. You’re near and dear to me.
!!In this month's issue, you'll read:
* [[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]] on Interorganizational Cooperation
* Doug Dow’s review of the [[November Meeting Review: Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment]]
* Bob Zebian’s feature article about [[Google Analytics|FEATURE ARTICLE: Google Analytics to Track Web-Based Documentation Usage]]
* Local school essays from the [[2010 Dallas BEST Process Notebook Essays]]
and all the rest of what you look forward to reading.
!!Letters to the Editor
<<<
Wow, wow, wow!
What a great and thorough review!
I’m going to post the link to my social media channels.
//—Jack Molisani ([[2010 Lavacon Conference|2010 Lavacon: Thanks, Jack & John!]])//
<<<
!!!
<<<
Hey, Jackie,
In the interests of accuracy …, I figured I’d update you on a couple of captions included in your article ([[2010 Lavacon Conference|2010 Lavacon: Thanks, Jack & John!]]):
# The photo of Balboa Theater: The theater is actually outside of Horton Plaza, which is a well-known (and awarded) shopping center …
# The photo of the convention center: Just as an FYI, across the harbor in the distance is Point Loma (that “hump” that heads left across the horizon). In the near background, just across the water, is Coronado (home of the Hotel Del Coronado and Navy base).
And just totally trivial, fyi … those white “awnings” on the convention center? Those are known as the “sails” and are meant to mimic the sails in the harbor. (Can’t tell you how many New Years Eves I’ve spent under those sails, freezing my butt off cuz all the warm air from the heaters escapes!!)
// — Sue Heim (native and proud San Diegan!)//
<<<
!!!
<<<
I just wanted to comment on your thorough recap of [[2010 Lavacon Conference|2010 Lavacon: Thanks, Jack & John!]]—great job and thanks so much for sharing. I have been to one when it was in New Orleans and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have loved to have attended this year, but …
//— Kelly Burch, LSC member//
<<<
!!!
<<<
Hi all,
I just wanted to let y’all know that Heather (Steele) did a Joomla workshop in Cleveland this weekend //(Ed., that’s October 30th for the North East Ohio chapter)//. We did it remotely and she presented, via a webcast, to just under 20 people at the fall educational workshop.
She totally rocked the house and represented the Lone Star Community very well. She exemplified the excellence for which the Lone Star Community is known.
Thanks Heather; the folks in the class have been applying the information you presented on the local site already.
//— Paul Holland, LSC/NEO member and Web manager//
<<<
by [[Jackie Damrau|TW Staff Bios]], Managing Editor
[<img[Jackie Damrau photo|JDamrau_GS_5pct.jpg]]
//The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be…
because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap!//
– Mary Anne Radmacher
Jumping from one career to another can be interesting, exciting, scary, and a venture into the unknown. My career over the last 30+ years has taken broad turns.
* I thought I wanted to be a ''legal secretary'', so I went to business school, received a diploma in this career field, and worked in it for ''2 years''. Decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do and jumped to…
* ''Technical typist/editor'' for a government R&D subcontractor typing research papers and answers to ~RFPs. My career here spanned ''8 years''. Working for a subcontractor to the government is not a guaranteed job career, so I jumped to…
* ''Editorial assistant'' at a university for the ''next 5 years'' where I typeset research papers and graduate theses/dissertations, and monitored the department’s computer network and annual budget. Making a larger salary is always nice, so I was wooed back into the government R&D subcontractor world as an…
* ''Administrative Assistant/Publications Specialist/Technical Writer'' for ''5 years''. During this six-year period, my family and I relocated from New Mexico to Texas to continue our work for the government subcontractor. We loved that job so much we considered it ”the” job for the rest of our careers. Not so, says Congress, and away it went. So here I jump again to…
* ''Technical Writer/Proposal Coordinator/Trainer'' for varying industries for ''3 years'' until the next “ideal” job came along where I was an…
* ''Instructional Designer/Team Lead'' for ''4 years''. All was going along smoothly, then the dot-com bust happened causing management shifts that resulted in my looking for something more satisfying. So I jumped to…
* ''Technical Writer/Knowledge Engineering Analyst'' where I’ve been happily employed for ''6 years''.
Now, I’m jumping again, but not in profession, in location. My current employer, ~T-Mobile, asked me in April to move to its headquarters location in Bellevue, Washington. After much soul searching and family discussions, my decision is made. My husband and I are moving from Dallas to Bellevue to accept this opportunity to further my career.
In Radmacher’s quote, the jump is //frightening// yet I have kept my //eyes open and am leaping// with the hope that this page in my life and career will be rewarding. As I move along from the STC Lone Star Community, I’ll certainly miss all the friends that I’ve made, the times I’ve spent meeting new members at the monthly meetings, and all the other volunteer activities that I’ve served in for the community.
Yet, I, like many of our other former LSC members (Judy ~Glick-Smith, Ginny Gilstorf), will still be part of you as your Managing Newsletter Editor. The newsletter issues may be less frequent than monthly as the community is going through growing pains, yet the Newsletter committee will continue striving to give you the news you need.
And, should anyone out there want to take a ''jump and become'' the next Managing Newsletter Editor, let me know. It’s a rewarding volunteer opportunity that can extend your career into areas you may have never imagined. Imagination is our dreams to a better place, so ''jump on my train''. I’m not alone at all!
!!In this month's issue, you'll read:
* [[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]] about LSC's Professional Scholarship
* About our September program, [[September 16th Meeting: Sketching User Interfaces]] presented by Brian Sullivan, Sabre and immediate ~DFW-UPA past president
* Louellen Coker reviewing [[LinkedIn's Behance Connection|FEATURE ARTICLE: LinkedIn adds Behance Connection via Creative Portfolio Display App]]
* Joshua Harris, new LSC member and Contributing Editor, telling you how to [[Beat the Heat]]
* Jackie Damrau reviewing the [[STC Carolina chapter's August meeting|Review of STC Carolina August Meeting]] with Steven Jong talking about STC Certification
and all the rest of what you look forward to reading
!!Next Issue Deadline: September 30th
Send your articles, book reviews, software reviews, or a fun, creative piece to publish in our future newsletters. Your newsletter is for you! Share a bit of your professional self.
Articles accepted at <html><a href="mailto:newsletter@stc-dfw.org">newsletter@stc-dfw.org</a></html>.
Enjoy your monthly reading!
by [[Jackie Damrau|TW Staff Bios]], Managing Editor
[<img[Jackie Damrau photo|JDamrau_GS_5pct.jpg]] Last month I told you about my jump to a new state. I've arrived and in whirlwind time, we've unpacked all our boxes (still waiting to hang stuff on the walls), explored the city of Redmond, visited our new doctors and dentist, and had a procedure or two done. My husband being retired has helped in getting much of this done. Me, work is going along as smoothly as it was when I was in Dallas.
Do I miss my LSC friends and family? You bet I do.
Do I want to be back home with y'all? Of course
Yet, a larger purpose exists, so I'm accepting it and getting on.
With the whirlwind mentioned, I wasn't here about two weeks when I was off again to attend Lavacon in sunny San Diego, California. It was a wonderful experience which you can read more about in my review article.
This "rolling stone" (yes, I'm old and know who The Rolling Stones are, do you? -excluding Paul Holland <smiles and hugs, Paul; sorry Kristy>) is still fielding this newsletter from a distance. Got an article! Join Paula and Joshua, SEND THEM IN.
Time is nearing for my favorite Monday evening TV shows, so off this newsletter goes to the Internet presses.
!!In this month's issue, you'll read:
* [[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]] about reasons for discovering her WIIFM //(What's your's?)//
* About our [[October Meeting|October 21 (ONLINE): Designing Surveys for User Experience]] AND [[November Meeting|November 18th Meeting: Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment]] programs
* Emily Young reviewing the [[September meeting|September Meeting Review: Sketching User Interfaces]] and her search for an illusive chicken salad sandwich
* Paula Robertson talking about [[Fort Sam Houston Manhole Mystery|FEATURE ARTICLE: The Manhole Mystery at Fort Sam Houston]]
* Joshua Harris, Contributing Editor, telling you about the [[Blue Light Special]]
* Jackie Damrau reviewing the [[2010 Lavacon Conference|2010 Lavacon: Thanks, Jack & John!]] held in San Diego, California
and all the rest of what you look forward to reading
!!Next Issue Deadline: October 31st (a spooky night of fun, tell us about @@your@@ goblins)
Send your articles, book reviews, software reviews, or a fun, creative piece to publish in our future newsletters. Your newsletter is for you! Share a bit of your professional self.
Articles accepted at <html><a href="mailto:newsletter@stc-dfw.org">newsletter@stc-dfw.org</a></html>.
Enjoy your monthly reading!
<html>
<table>
<tbody>
<td bgcolor="#CCFFFF"><strong>Organization</strong></td>
<td bgcolor="#CCFFFF"><strong>Day</strong></td>
<td bgcolor="#CCFFFF"><strong>Place</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td><p>DFW Usability Professionals' Association (DFW UPA)<br />
E-mail: <a title="DFW UPA email" href="mailto:dfwupa@yahoo.com">dfwupa@yahoo.com</a></td>
<td>Third Tuesday </td>
<td>varies</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>North Texas Adobe Captivate User Group<br />
E-mail: <a title="Walt Stewart email" href="mailto:waltatwork@gmail.com">Walt Stewart</a></td>
<td>Third Tuesday </td>
<td>varies</td>
</tr>
<td>Dallas Association of Women in Computing </td>
<td>First Thursday </td>
<td>Crowne Plaza, Addison </td>
</tr>
<td>North Texas PC Users Group (NTPCUG)</td>
<td>Third Saturday </td>
<td>King of Glory Lutheran Church </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</html>
by Bob Zebian, STC member
An ongoing question for information professionals is “Just how do users use our documentation?” There are several methods to help determine this, such as setting up use case scenarios or electronic customer feedback, but while these have some value, they are also somewhat artificial. What is needed is a tool that tells you what topics users are reading, how long are they reading, and how they navigate to the information they need.
Web analytic tools can provide this type of data for technical information that is accessed through the Web. Even though most Web analytic tools are designed for marketing use, they can also provide valuable information for technical communicators.
There are numerous Web analytic tools available, some of which require a purchase. [[Google Analytics|http://www.google.com/analytics/]] is a free Web analytics tool provided by Google. It is simple to set up and maintain. The information is access controlled. According to Google, no personally identifiable information is tracked. The information is presented in graphical format online, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet for further manipulation or analysis.
[<img[Google Analytics Home Page|GAHomepage.jpg]]To set up an Analytics account, you need to open a Google account. After that, you can set up an Analytics account that specifies the Web site you want to track. Google provides custom code that must be inserted within your HTML pages to track user activity. Insertion of this code can be automated through tools such as ~DreamWeaver, ~WebWorks ePublisher or the DITA Open Toolkit. (You should always check with your company’s Legal department to verify that use of this code is in accordance with company practices.)
After an Analytics account is set up and the HTML pages containing the tracking code are uploaded to your Web server, analysis can start. (There is a 24-hour lag in reporting data.) You log into your Google Analytics account and access the dashboard. This page shows the basic analytical information.
[>img[Google Analytic segments|segments.jpg]] You can drill down through the data for more detailed information, or navigate using the left-menu to other categories of information. You can specify date ranges for data. You can also filter data by creating segments based on product line, URL component, user location, browser type, and other data.
The type of information available includes:
* Number of visits and views to a page
* How long the user visits each page
* How long the user visits the site
* User navigation paths
* Types and release kevels of browsers used to visit pages
* User location
* Does the user exit the site after viewing a page (bounce rate) or does the user visit other pages?
* User operating system and Java levels
!!Example of Determining User Behavior
Once you begin to analyze the statistics, you can get a better idea of how users use your site. For example, the Average Time on Site page shows that users average a little over 5 minutes on each visit.
[img[Average Time on Site page|GA_Time_on_Site.jpg]]
The Average Pageviews page shows that users average less than 5 pages viewed per visit.
[img[Average Pageviews|GA_Pageviews.jpg]]
What does this tell us? First, it reinforces the latest information architecture finding that users no longer read documentation from beginning to end. The short duration visits and the few number of pages visited shows that users are looking for specific information, finding that information, and then getting back to their jobs.
Also, the low number of pages visited shows that, in general, users are finding the information they need, and then exit the site.
Of course, this is a very high-level view. To be really useful, you would need to look at the Average Time on Site/Pageviews for specific URL or business functions. This might help identify what topics users are really using (indicated by longer viewing time and more pages viewed.) Also, if a user exits the site after viewing a page, it could indicate that he found the information he needs. If he goes onto other pages, it may mean that the page did not answer his question and he needs to look further.
!!Sharing the Information
You can add more users to Google Analytics, so other technical communicators can access and download the information. You can define security levels where some users can view data, but only select users can modify analytic settings.
As mentioned earlier, the information can be downloaded into a spreadsheet, which you can then manipulate to provide data for yourself or for management reports. For example, the graphic below is part of a management summary that tracks browser type trending over a period of months. This graphic was created by downloading each month’s data into a spreadsheet and creating an Excel graph. Web developers can then use this information to determine which browsers should be supported for presentation of online documentation. Other areas of the company, such as Product Management, can also use this information to determine which browsers products should support.
[img[Browser Trends|BrowserTrends.jpg]]
!!Summary
The Web presents technical information professionals with the opportunity to present the most up-to-date information to users. It also provides tool to gather near-real time data on end user behavior. Web analytic tools such as Google Analytics provide not only the ability to capture and present data in an easy-to-understand format. The tools also provide the ability to download data that can be further analyzed offline.
Increasing use of Web analytics has been identified by as one of the top 10 trends in technical communication:
<<<
“For many people, particularly those under 30, if information is not on the Web, it doesn’t exist. … The value of technical documentation has been extremely difficult to measure. Web Analytics offers the ability to measure the effectiveness of the deliverables in new ways.”
— Ellis Pratt, Cherryleaf (http://www.cherryleaf.com/blog/2010/01/trends-in-technical-communication-in-2010-and-beyond)
<<<
Technical information professionals should use the opportunity that Web-based analytics tools provide to analyze user behavior with a goal to improve the quality of their documentation deliverables.
<hr>
//Bob Zebian is an Information Architect at Sterling Commerce, an IBM Company. He has been in the technical communication field since the first Reagan administration, yet learns something new every day. He has spoken about DITA and content management systems at various conferences.//
by [[Louellen Coker|TW Staff Bios]], Senior member
[<img[Louellen Coker photo|LCoker.jpg]] Over the summer months, [[LinkedIn|http://www.linkedin.com]] added a new feature that allows creative types to display their portfolios on their ~LinkedIn profiles.
The [[Creative Portfolio Display|http://www.linkedin.com/opensocialInstallation/preview?_ch_panel_id=1&_applicationId=104096]] allows you to import your Behance Network portfolio into your ~LinkedIn profile. Prior to seeing the ~LinkedIn integration notice, I hadn’t seen much about Behance, so a good portion of this article will delve into defining Behance to give you an idea if you want to bother with the app at all.
!!What Behance Is
[[Behance tells us|http://www.behance.com/Products/Creative_Network]] that they are “the world’s leading platform for creative professionals across all industries. Members build multimedia portfolios that display their work.”
[[Behance|http://www.behance.com]] is a community site, similar to [[Facebook|http://www.facebook.com]] or [[LinkedIn|http://www.linkedin.com]] that caters to the creatively minded in about 125 industries as diverse as writing, woodworking, virtual world design, graphic design, and origami. This site allows you to build a network of other like-minded individuals as well as provide recruiters, top creative companies, editors, and the like the ability to view your work.
You can post your portfolio for ‘’FREE’’ on Behance.com and have instant exposure on several different platforms. ‘’FREE’’ is always nice.
!!What You Get
On the very positive side, with Behance, you get:
* ''Free'' platform to showcase your skills
* ''Easy-to-use project editor'' that assists you with adding text, video, and audio to your portfolio
* Ability to ''link to others'' on your project team and give them credit for their efforts
* Ability to ''send by e-mail an [[ad-free link to your portfolio|http://www.behance.net/LouellenCoker/frame]]'' to clients and potential clients/agencies
* ''Customized profile''
* Ability to ''tell the world'' (or your social networks on Twitter, Facebook, and ~LinkedIn) that you just posted a new project
* Easy-to-use ''résumé builder''
* Forum, Blog, and competitions designed to help you promote yourself
As with any free social service, you will get some things that fall into the “not quite so positive” realm:
* You place yourself square in the middle of the competition with many talented and qualified people. (You know how Web surfing goes… one link leads to the next, and the person who came to check you out is calling the next person on the list.)
* While you can add and delete your projects, you can’t download them. In short, it’s display only, not an archive that others can access.
* What is free today could change to a fee model in the future. (NING is a great example of this. Many set up strong and very active communities only to have to pay a monthly fee or move/rebuild their community to a different platform when NING adopted their fee structure this year.)
* You’re adding one more place to need to update your information.
!!The Test Drive
I’ll admit it, this was the first I’ve heard of the Behance network. Signing up was fairly easy. It involves completing a simple form and going through a verification process.
I was able to set up [[my individual account|http://www.behance.net/LouellenCoker]] with ease. I went back to set one up for my business, [[Content Solutions|http://www.yourcontentsolutions.com]], and wasn’t quite so lucky. After attempting to sign up the business with two different e-mail addresses and waiting overnight, I broke down and submitted a bug ticket to determine why I’m not able to set up two different types of portfolios. At the time of this writing, I had not received more than an auto response from them. (In all fairness, it’s only been a few minutes, so don’t think that I’m saying they’re nonresponsive.)
After you’re in, you have some liberties for customizing your color scheme. Because I’ve worked hard to establish my brand identity, this is important for me. The default layout is effective, so you really won’t miss not being able to adjust that.
Behance links to ~LinkedIn nicely and literally by a click of a button. When I set up the account and linked it, I uploaded one project, directed the feed to ~LinkedIn, and then added another project to Behance. I could see the project there, but it did not show up on [[my LinkedIn page|http://www.linkedin.com/in/louellencoker]] immediately. After about an hour of waiting, I submitted a bug report. By the next morning, my second project was visible on my ~LinkedIn page.
While I didn’t look for documentation to support this statement, my suspicion is that there is a time delay in the RSS feed rather than a bug with the system. But this is important to know if you’re using the system.
All in all, it’s a great free service. Behance.com does what it says it will do. It connects to ~LinkedIn easily. I haven’t delved deeply into the community, yet I would think it is similar to any community. It will be what you make of it.
!!Implementation
Should you dive into the Behance community? Well, that’s up to you. As I mentioned in my presentation to the Lone Star Community earlier this year, you should be strategic with your social media involvement.
Because there are so many avenues for involvement, it is easy to become overwhelmed. I recommend a 4 + 1 approach:
* Website
* Blog
* ~LinkedIn
* Facebook (both personal and professional pages)
* One other that targets your niche (Twitter, Behance, ~SlideShare, ~YouTube)
Will I use this service and connect it to my ~LinkedIn page? Certainly. It puts me where my target audience/clients/colleagues will find me easily. And even better than that, it gives me a backup for when my website and/or blog experience technical difficulties, allowing me to set up a link on my 404 error page directly to a backup portfolio.
<<<
[//Editor’s Note: Louellen’s article was so persuasive that I jumped right on the bandwagon myself. It’s worth noting, though, that for the portfolio image upload, Behance only accepts JPEG, GIF, and PNG file formats. I had intended to use PDF, which is not accepted.//]
<<<
!!Louellen’s Follow-up
After submitting my review to the Lone Star Community's //Technically Write//, I discovered additional information worth sharing. As I mentioned above, I was not able to initially set up a business site. The difference is that to enroll as a business, you must be invited. It took a few hours for the system to generate that invitation. So, if you're a business, be sure to factor that into your development time.
As both of my issues were resolved, I really did not expect to hear from a Behance representative. I assumed that they fixed it through the back end and didn't respond. However, bright and early Monday morning, I received responses to both my tickets within moments of each other. (So they don't work weekends! Go figure! I don't have a problem with that.) The first confirmed that there is some time delay with the feed from one platform to the other. (Not a problem, and is similar to other social media sites.) The second requested additional information so that they could locate my business in their system.
I have to offer up kudos to Behance for responding so quickly during business hours, especially when the bug reports I sent were more user error/impatience than an issue with the system. You'll definitely want to check out their service.
by [[Paula Robertson|TW Staff Bios]], Member
//Ed.: A different version of this article was previously published (pp. 14-15) in the September/October 2010 issue of [[Public Works Digest|http://www.imcom.army.mil/hq/publications/pwd_digest/]].//
[>img[FSH manhole cover.jpg]] Have you ever wondered what you would find under the lid of a manhole? While hardly noticeable, embedded in the streets that we drive over, sanitary sewer manholes provide more than an inconspicuous clue to the utility system concealed beneath. They are the only accessible means to begin exploration of a complex system that is vital to the health of troops and civilians who embody the missions at our nation’s military installations.
The Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) of 2005 recommended the expansion of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to become the premier medical training complex for the U.S. Department of Defense. The consolidation and relocation of multiple service branches’ medical training activities to Fort Sam Houston would mean a significant increase in on-site population, greatly expanded missions, and improved medical care to the military community. As part of an initiative to analyze the current infrastructure and its capacity to support the expansion, in 2007 the Fort Sam Houston Directorate of Public Works (FSH DPW) contracted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the water utilities at Fort Sam Houston.
The //Comprehensive Infrastructure Studies// included storm water, water distribution, and wastewater collection system assessments. As technical editor of the reports that documented the findings and recommendations for two of these studies, the most interesting to me was the Fort Sam Houston Wastewater Collection System Study, which delved into the mysterious underworld of the sanitary sewer system.
For the Wastewater Collection System Study, Fort Worth District engineers conducted a Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Survey (SSES). The typical SSES includes the following component tasks:
* Assessment of the lift stations, which pump wastewater uphill to the collection system of pipes, or mainlines
* Manhole inventory and assessment
* Wastewater flow monitoring
* Mainline inventory and assessment
* GPS surveying, to update or create an accurate GIS map of the collection system components
* Development and analysis of a Hydraulic Model of the collection system, based on all the data collected in previous tasks
Wastewater flow monitoring is one of the early activities of the SSES, typically done while collecting the manhole inventory data. Thus we begin to uncover the mystery, peering straight into a manhole and even crawling down inside, thanks to the images captured by our third-party contractors.
!!Go with the Flow Monitoring
The Fort Sam Houston Wastewater Collection System consists of roughly 232,000 linear feet of gravity sewer mainline and 1,060 manholes. Much of the system was built in the 1930s and has far exceeded its 50-year design life. As stated in the //Fort Sam Houston Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Survey Temporary Flow Monitoring Report// (February 2009), “Extraneous water from infiltration/inflow (I/I) sources reduces the capacity of the collection system to transport wastewater and may result in sanitary sewer overflows. Groundwater may enter [infiltrate] the collection system through defects, such as open pipe joints, cracks, broken pipe, dropped joints. Inflow, or rainfall [derived] infiltration/inflow (RDII), normally occurs when rainfall enters the sewer system through drains, missing cleanout caps, roof leaders, manhole covers and frame seals, storm sewer cross connections.”
To quantify and determine where groundwater infiltration and RDII could enter the collection system, the study team installed flow monitoring equipment in 18 manholes, chosen at key locations in the FSH system as representative of the system hydraulics. Flow monitoring measures the hydraulic variation of sanitary sewer flows for extended periods under dry- and wet-weather conditions. To measure and record the actual flow, technicians installed a submerged flowmeter inside each of the 18 manholes. Six continuously recording rainfall gauges were also operational, to obtain rainfall intensity and duration for the same monitoring period.
[img[Prober_tritech_photos.jpg]]
The flowmeter, which is a small probe, is mounted to a steel band installed inside the outgoing pipe at the manhole base. The probe uses sonar to detect fluid velocity; a pressure detector determines the depth of fluid in the outgoing pipe. The probe is connected to a data recorder, which is secured to the side of the manhole chimney. The data recorder captures and stores the flowmeter readings.
[>img[Flowmeter and data recorder installed.jpg]] Upon activation, each of the 18 meters measured and recorded flow data at 15-minute intervals. Over a 24-hour period, each recorder accumulated 96 data sets, which included velocity (cubic feet per second) and fluid depth (inches). For this study, the 18 flow monitors were active for 39 consecutive days. About once a week, a technician pulled the cover of each meter manhole and connected the recorder to a laptop to upload the data.
!!Data “Flow”
Using the velocity, fluid depth, and pipe diameter data for each monitored mainline, additional flow data was derived, including Minimum and Maximum Flow, Average Daily Flow, Peak Flow, Ratio of Fluid Depth to Pipe Diameter (d/D), and Percent Full. The wastewater flow monitoring provided adequate hydraulic data to determine the following key information for the system area represented by each meter manhole:
* ~Dry-Weather Average Daily Flow. The flow data for a typical dry-weather week (not impacted by rainfall) provided an average flow rate per day.
* ~Dry-Weather Peak Flow. Peak flows recorded during dry weather were compared to the full pipe capacity, to determine the total system capacity being used during dry weather.
* ~Wet-Weather Average Daily Flow. Wet-weather flows for each recorded rainfall event were analyzed to determine the percentage of rainfall that enters the collection system. Comparing the rainfall event flows with the dry-weather flows established the rainfall-derived infiltration/inflow (RDII).
* ~Wet-Weather Peak Flow. Peak flow rates during wet weather are critical to the analysis of the total system capacity. Peaking ratios (Peak Flow Rate to Dry-Weather Average Flow) were compared for dry and wet weather.
!!Results Revealed, Mystery Solved
[<img[Frog.jpg]] In addition to data about hydraulic performance under dry- and wet-weather conditions, flow monitoring provides important information about flow patterns. The study team used all of this information to develop a hydraulic model of the FSH Wastewater Collection System, which integrated the flow data for the single mainlines to establish baseline flow patterns. The model uses those patterns to assess existing and future carrying capacity and to predict the performance of the complete collection system under a variety of simulated operational conditions.
As noted by Dave Bowersock, Fort Worth District Senior Engineer, “With the completion of the FSH wastewater system analysis and the hydraulic model results, FSH DPW will have reliable data as well as access to the measurements and assumptions that the Project Delivery Team used to construct the hydraulic model of the system. Planners, utility design engineers, and maintenance personnel will be able to use modeling results to clearly identify problems and create proper system designs for future development at Fort Sam Houston.”
Further, the flow data was used to quantify the RDII, assess its impact on the Fort Sam Houston wastewater collection system, and prioritize areas with excessive I/I for rehabilitation to meet the BRAC requirements. As a result, the study made recommendations of a $2.7M investment in the FSH Wastewater Collection System alone.
Amazing what can be “uncovered” from the wonderful world inside a sanitary sewer manhole!
//Paula Robertson is a technical writer/editor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District
Photo credits: Pipeline Analysis, LLC//
!!Design/Manufacturing Process
by Grapevine Middle School team
[<img[Grapevine Middle School logo|GrapevineMS.jpg]] The totality of the design & manufacturing process is defined by implementation, and differs in detail within every manufacturing company. The following is representative of that process as viewed from within the turnkey industry.
''Conceptual Design:''
Also sometimes called "preliminary design" or "functional design," this stage deals not only with aesthetic issues such as styling, but with practical issues such as simulation and industrial design for manufacturability.
Paper and pencil, brush and oils, and sculptor's clay used to be the conceptual designer's tools in the automotive industry. Today, modern CAD/CAM systems provide him more and more powerful tools which free him from the necessity to create physical models.
It is here that companies such as Cognition, Aries, and Parametric Technologies have seen an opportunity to provide design engineers an entirely new way to approach the design engineering process; offering techniques which lie far beyond traditional methods and allow engineers much greater freedom to exercise their creativity.
Photorealistic rendering output is becoming an essential capability for conceptual design; it allows management to view the design as it would be manufactured, and also allows engineers to try different variations of the design without the accompanying investment in cost and time that normal prototyping techniques traditionally require.
''Analysis and Refinement:''
Also loosely termed CAE, or simply "engineering," various high-level capabilities come under this category.
Finite Element Modeling and Analysis is performed as part of the engineering process. This stage of the process, which is intended to subject a preliminary design to real-world constraints and to iterate on that design until its behavior, given the design, is acceptable. Even within the narrow discipline of FEM/FEA, there are many specialist disciplines. These include fatigue analysis, thermal, vibration and magnetic analysis. Plastics, iso-plastics, and composites complicate the analysis. The exercise of finite-element modeling and analysis is one of the more obvious "applications" to which an existing design is subjected, but there are a large number of others.
Interference analysis, structure design, mass properties, adherence to safety and/or corporate standards and imposition of local codes and regulations are often all requirements for a design to be accepted, and that design generally must pass these analyses before it can be considered for manufacturing or construction.
In the design of an automobile, for example, stress analysis is an issue only for key engine or body parts. More time-consuming is the ergonomic design of windshields, instrument panels, and even seats. A new water pump must not only be efficient, and deliver so much volume of water per minute, but it must also fit comfortably within the numerous other components which comprise an engine.
''Design for Manufacture:''
Also termed "design modeling,"' this is another step in "reality design." Often, a so-called "finished" design is impractical to manufacture. Setup costs, consistency with existing manufacturing methods, or excessive complexity may preclude the consideration of an otherwise good design, causing that design to be modified.
A large number of applications exist which satisfy this requirement. The lifetime of a stamping tool, for instance, can have a significant effect on the long-term profitability of a division which manufactures press parts: this requirement alone may have an overwhelming influence on its design. In the plastic injection process, many designs are instantly made infeasible due to their inability to lend themselves to the realistic flow properties of the liquid plastic that is injected into them at high temperatures and pressures. A difference in 5% in injection and cooling time for a complex mold can make the difference between profitability and loss to an industry which works with little room to spare.
Pedestrian considerations such as the design of clamps to hold parts while they are machined, and machine-to-fit tolerances given the practical availability of real machine tools are make-or-break decisions for a manager to make.
Included within this area are assembly verification, component design, and electro/mechanical design.
''Drafting and Documentation:''
This is the world of ~AutoCAD, yet this area represents but a small part of the turnkey vendor's CAD/CAM universe.
Detail drafting represents no more than one-third of the requirement here. Technical illustration, schematics, and layout are equally important.
Before the days of geometrical models, detail drafting used to represent the "meat" of practical design. Due to the significant limitations of current turnkey design systems, much of detail drafting may never appear on a geometric model.
For example, fillets and chamfers may appear only as "features" on models and may never be represented as actual geometric constructs. As a practical issue, it is far easier to represent a fillet by a symbol on a drawing, and then to cut it with a single path of a ball-end mill, than to go through the difficult mathematics required to represent it geometrically. This is something which practical designers know and make use of.
Other aspects of the detail drafting process have to do with what we regard as "drawing creation," and are intended to aid the ultimate downstream machining process. Surface finish characteristics, tolerance limits, detail magnification, and other aspects of detail drafting are not part of the geometrical model, yet become part of the total representation of the design by virtue of the fact that draftsmen, at least within the turnkey system, can access the original model and work directly upon a local representation of it, even though they are not allowed to modify it. Thus, draftsmen can be specialists in drafting and drawing creation, without having to be expert designers too.
''Toolpath Creation & Machining:''
Also termed "manufacturing engineering," this phase of the process is one of the most complex and demanding. Composed equally of "manufacturing preparation" and "manufacturing simulation," most companies spend the bulk of their CAD/CAM budget here.
Manufacturing preparation includes pattern nesting, tool design, fixture design, sheet metal development, manufacturing quality control analysis, and the actual NC programming itself.
Manufacturing simulation includes coordinate measuring machines, NC flame cutting, off-line robotics, NC tube bending, wire EDM, milling, drilling, routing, flame cutting, turning, and the important area of NC toolpath verification.
Although machining is essentially performed directly off the model geometry, it is by no means as "automatic" as the descriptions of it tend to imply. N/C is still more art than science, and even old-fashioned techniques of creating machined parts have not disappeared.
Creation of geometry is often the simplest aspect of the N/C process. Due to limitations in the algorithms which the turnkey vendors provide, "work-arounds" always have to be provided, including the ability of the user to directly edit the tool path which is being generated.
Toolpath simulation is intended to allow the user to see the form of the finished part that will come out of the machining process, and to correct any problems which are observed. The development and maintenance of postprocessors, which translate geometric toolpath descriptions into a language which each machine tool understands, is an industry in its self.
<html>
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<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0703/index.html">March</a></span></td>
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<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0611/">November</a></span></td>
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<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0512/">December</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0603">March</a></span></td>
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<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0510/">October</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0701">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0604">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0511/">November</a></span></td>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0602">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0605">May</a></span></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<ul>
<li>Volume 21, 2004-2005</li>
</ul>
<table width="378" border="0" id="Volume21">
<tr>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0409/">September</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0412/">December</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0503">March</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0410/">October</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0501">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0504">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0411/">November</a></span></td>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0502">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0505">May</a></span></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<ul>
<li>Volume 20, 2003-2004 </li>
</ul>
<table width="378" border="0" id="Volume20">
<tr>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0309/">September</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0312/">December</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0403">March</a></span></td> <td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0408">Summer</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0310/">October</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0401">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0404">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0311/">November</a></span></td>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0402">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0405">May</a></span></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<ul>
<li>Volume 19, 2002-2003</li>
</ul>
<table width="378" border="0" id="Volume19">
<tr>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0209/index.htm">September</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0212/index.htm">December</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0303/index.htm">March</a></span></td> <td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0307/index.htm">Summer</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0210/index.htm">October</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0301/index.htm">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0304/index.htm">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0211/index.htm">November</a></span></td>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0302/index.htm">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0305/index.htm">May</a></span></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<ul>
<li>Volume 18, 2001-2002</li>
</ul>
<table width="378" border="0" id="Volume18">
<tr>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0109">September</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0112">December</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0203/index.htm">March</a></span></td> <td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/02SS">Summer</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0110">October</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0201">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0204/index.htm">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0111">November</a></span></td>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0202/index.htm">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/newsletter/0205/index.htm">May</a></span></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
</html>
[img[Heritage Middle School logo|HeritageMS_1.jpg]]
!!A “BEST” New Hope
by Team Force, Heritage Middle School team
[>img[Star Wars logo|HeritageMS_2.jpg]]
During the final, last ditch effort to destroy the Death Star, our friend ~R2-D2 suffers a major blow while assisting Luke Skywalker in the back of his X-wing fighter. With the help of the FORCE, Luke blows up the Empire’s diabolical planet-destroyer, and returns with his injured friend to the Rebel base. The celebratory mood on the base is dampened by the sight of the impaired R2 unit, but hope is high that he will be rehabilitated.
Unbeknownst to most Star Wars fans, (but disclosed in recovered Deleted Scenes), ~R2-D2 underwent a rigorous rehabilitation program before he was returned to service among the Rebel Troops. As part of his reconstruction, ~R2-D2’s team of engineers wanted to test out some of the basic skills he had been reprogrammed to perform. One group of engineers, the Team FORCE, found the BEST Robotics competition, which, luckily, provided the same supplies for their contest as they used to rebuild ~R2-D2. In addition, the engineers felt fortunate to have found the ideal environment to demonstrate that their rebuilt ~R2 unit could perform some of the industry-accepted basic functions of robotics. These engineers were confident that if ~R2-D2 could successfully compete in the TOTAL RECALL contest, then he would be ready to start his next phase of rehabilitation.
This is the story of the first phase of ~R2-D2’s recovery and entry in the BEST Robotics Competition. Most entrants refer to this as TOTAL RECALL. We call it TOTAL REHAB.
''Volume 27, No. 3 (November 2010)''
[[Editor's Corner|Editor's Corner]]
[[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]]
[>img[member-get-a-member-logo.jpg][http://www.stc.org/membership/mgam-about.asp]]''Meeting Reviews''
*[[November Meeting Review: Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment]]
''Articles''
[[FEATURE ARTICLE: Using Google Analytics to Track Web-Based Documentation Usage|FEATURE ARTICLE: Google Analytics to Track Web-Based Documentation Usage]]
[[2010 Dallas BEST Process Notebook Essays]]
[[LSC News|LSCNews]]
and all the other items.
''Volume 27, No. 1 (September 2010)''
[[Editor's Corner|Editor's Corner]]
[[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]]
[[September Meeting: Sketching User Interfaces|September 16th Meeting: Sketching User Interfaces]]
[[FEATURE ARTICLE: LinkedIn's Behance Connection|FEATURE ARTICLE: LinkedIn adds Behance Connection via Creative Portfolio Display App]]
[[Beat the Heat]]
[[Review of STC Carolina August Meeting]]
[[LSC News|LSCNews]]
and all the other items.
[>img[2010PresidentAward-MonicaWinkelman.JPG]]''Volume 27, No. 2 (October 2010)''
[[Editor's Corner|Editor's Corner]]
[[Arroxane's Area|Arroxane's Area]]
''Meetings''
*[[October Virtual Meeting: Designing Surveys for User Experience|October 21 (ONLINE): Designing Surveys for User Experience]]
*[[November Meeting: Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment|November 18th Meeting: Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment]]
''Meeting Reviews''
*[[September Meeting Review: Sketching User Interfaces]]
*[[2010 Lavacon: Thanks, Jack & John!]]
''Articles''
[[FEATURE ARTICLE: The Manhole Mystery at Fort Sam Houston|FEATURE ARTICLE: The Manhole Mystery at Fort Sam Houston]]
[[Blue Light Special]]
[[LSC News|LSCNews]]
and all the other items.
!!Six Sigma: A Industrial Innovation
by P-51 Mustangs, J.J. Pearce High School team
[<img[J.J. Pearce High School logo|jjpearce.jpg]] Six Sigma, a widely-used method of business management, is often associated with today's business and technology industries. It began as a set of practices intended to be used to find and repair defect-causing sections of production lines, but it has since been spread to apply to many fields of business. Originally associated with the Motorola Corporation, it is now used by many different companies.
Six Sigma, while relying upon older projects of a similar nature, introduced new features that allowed it to be applied as broadly as it has been; namely, the hierarchy of training and classification levels designed to provide both easy implementation and to allow Six Sigma to become a form of business management in and of itself. There are five of these belt colors in the basic implementation of Six Sigma: Green Belt, Black Belt, Master Black Belt, Champion, and Executive Leadership. Each of these tiers comes with their own training and implementation programs, and each is also tailored towards a specific aspect of the Six Sigma initiative. Let us consider the Six Sigma hierarchy as a caged ant colony. Starting from the most senior position, Executive Leadership, observers see the applications of Six Sigma being envisioned and the subsequent granting of freedom to the workers in the lower tiers that they require to bring into corporeality these visions. These individuals would be analogous to the queen of the hive: planning the hive and birthing workers. Looking upward from the queen's lair in such a colony, one might see the equivalent of the Champion: a proxy for the executive leadership, responsible not only for helping to both realize and further detail the vision, but also to mentor the tiers below them, including the Black Belts. These Champions, drawn from upper management, are also responsible for ensuring that the application of Six Sigma across all planes of business occurs in an integrated manner, leading in the future to a manufacturing process that is as efficient as possible, but also to a business system that is closely interrelated with the manufacturing processes and works towards the mutual good of all parts of the company. Were one to venture farther upward, along the outer edge of the glass, viewing the construction and production produced by the observed ant colony, one might see certain individuals devoted to showing new members of the hive the tunnels, where things are kept, and how to maintain efficiency. These individuals would be analogous to the Master Black Belt: employees who devote all of their time to ensuring that the Sigma processes are being employed efficiently, and to training new employees in the methods and implementations of Six Sigma currently being utilized. They also identify projects that would benefit from Six Sigma implementation, and work with Black Belts on implementation. The Black Belt, then, is an individual who, like the Master Black Belt, devotes all of his time to Six Sigma, but in the case of the Black Belt, time is spent on actual implementation of project-specific processes as opposed to identifying potential projects or working with new employees. These individuals lead in the planning and construction of new areas of our colony, and plan and lead exploratory and resource-gathering crews out of the nest, to improve the colony. Finally, the Green Belts are our worker ants. These workers, however, go out of their way to implement Six Sigma processes handed down from the highest tier to the lowest, and are responsible for the effectiveness of the entire system. Efficient and skilled Green Belts are the base for the pyramid of business management that the Six Sigma program strives toward.
[>img[jjpearce_6Sigma.jpg]] The name “Six Sigma” originates from the calculations used to determine process variation. Sigma (σ) is used to represent the mathematical value standard deviation from the mean, and the inflection point of a bell curve representing production values. Visually "Six Sigma" is a graph with the curve's horizontal axis graduated in units of sigma with zero being the product's specified target value. The vertical axis represents the units produced at that sigma value. A process that receives the Six Sigma designation will have specifications which fall between -6σ and 6σ. This sigma value also corresponds to defects per million opportunities (DPMO).Product lines with very little deviation will have a sigma value very close to 6: a DPMO value of 3.4 corresponds to a 6, which represents 99.99966% yield.
Six Sigma, while effective, has been accused of flaws by supporters of other methods or those who do not fully understand it. One of these arguments, that its arbitrary nature does not apply to all industries, states that while 3.4 DPMO might be both financially and operationally optimal for some industries, in others it may be higher or lower. This is certainly true, for example, the direct mailing business cost-effectively replaces quality with quantity. Some products with higher standards, such as automobile safety equipment or medical devices like dialysis machines, defibrillators, or pacemakers may require a much higher success rate, as human lives depend upon them. In these cases the "Six Sigma" philosophy applies but the number of sigma’s should be adjusted up or down for each business case.
Total Recall corresponds to Six Sigma, and is also a representation of the world today: people do not like to receive faulty products, and companies do not like losing money to avoidable flaws. The game, which encourages shipping only good parts and removing defective parts pre-packaging, represents this ideal. In addition, it brings forward a new view of the industrial scene: rather than a factory packed with low-wage workers making low-quality products, as America saw in the 1930's through the 1960's, or a factory with large machines making huge quantities of goods to offset production losses to heat, incorrect assembly, or other factory error, we see an image of the technology and manufacturing industry that is dominated by the need for quality components. Small robots, each with extremely precise manipulators and programming, and each with a task to fulfill, working both towards producing at the magical line where marginal cost meets marginal revenue and keeping production efficiency as close to the coveted Six Sigma as possible.
!!!Works Cited
Antony, J. (2008, January 7). Pros and Cons of Six Sigma: An Academic Perspective. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from onesixsigma: http://www.onesixsigma.com/node/7630
General Electric - Six Sigma. (2010). Retrieved October 10, 2010, from General Electric: http://www.ge.com/sixsigma/
Pande, P. (2001). What Is Six Sigma? New York: ~McGraw-Hill.
[img[http://stc-dfw.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/lscHelpDesk-1024x705.jpg]]
To join:
# Go to http://www.stc-dfw.org.
# Click ''Help Desk'' link under ''Important Links'' section.
# @@''First-time visitor:''@@ Select ''Register' from Menu bar. (We’ll validate that you are a current LSC member. Once validated, you’ll receive an email with your login credentials.)
# @@''Existing member:''@@ Type your Login and Password information, and click ''Login''.
*[[2010-2011 LSC Admin Council]]
* ''LSC Committee News''
**[[Membership Committee]]
**[[Volunteer Committee|Volunteer Committee: Want to help a little? (Elisa Miller)]]
*[[LSC Help Desk]]
*[[Lone Star Job Bank]]
*[[STC Texas Chapters]]
*[[Educational & Networking Opportunities]]
[img[Lone Oak High School logo|LoneOakHS.jpg]]
!!RESEARCH PAPER
by Lone Oak Red Storm Robotics team, Lone Oak High School
''Definition of a “Robot”:'' A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.
First use of the word “Robot” was by the Czech playwright, Karel Capek, who first used the word in 1890. He introduced the word robot for a play he wrote in 1921, named R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots).
“It is with horror, frankly, that he rejects all responsibility for the idea that metal contraptions could ever replace human beings, and that by means of wires they could awaken something like life, love, or rebellion. He would deem this dark prospect to be either an overestimation of machines, or a grave offence against life.” stated Capek. He himself did not believe that his own ideas would ever be possible.
Isaac Asimov, the author of "I, Robot," proposed his three “Laws of Robots”, and he added a ‘zeroth law’ based on similar concerns of Capek, that robots could replace humans and could be overestimated for doing the work of humans. Asimov’s Laws are:
* Law Zero: A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.
** Law One: A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law.
** Law Two: A robot must obey orders given it by human being, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law.
** Law Three: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a higher order law
!!!The First Robot: ‘Unimate’
Joseph F. Engelberger and George C. Devol made the first working robot. Its nickname is the ‘Unimate’. Engelberger was afterwards known as the “Father of Robotics”.
The Unimate was used to work with heated die-casting machines. It also spot welded on auto bodies. Both of these tasks were difficult for humans to perform. Robots were soon used to start loading and unloading machine tools.
How robots impact our daily lives: first of all, robots do most of the work for us. We, as people, just program robots (which basically we tell them what to do through programming and they do it). The things in which robots can accomplish are far more compared to human capabilities, such as; working under extreme conditions or just doing the work we can do, except 100 times faster. Secondly robots have, for the most part, started to take over in factories. Soon (in the near future) robots will take over completely, especially in the factories, which produce all our major vehicles. They do all our welding and parts assembly, as well as painting.
The game, in which we will have our robot competing in, is a very similar type of robot compared to those robots used in electronic testing. Some robots, which test tone in the newer types of electric pianos, and, if or when the pianos are defective, they will be taken off the assembly line and added to a defective pile. This concept is very similar to the one we will be using in the game. Telling whether a product is good or bad, and then putting that product where it belongs.
!!!The Electronic Brain:
The idea of the electronic brain is widely spread, but computer scientists were put in charge of the operation. They are in charge of robot departments of robot customers and of factories of robot makers. But these people really didn’t know what they were doing. They just assumed that they were right. As a result, many experimental tasks in those labs were made to fit their robot’s capabilities but had little to do with their real tasks in the factory.
Teleoperated, also known as remote control devices, have been built since the 1890’s. The first one being the radio controlled vehicles built by Nikola Tesla. Tesla was also known for inventing the induction motor, AC power transmission, and many other electrical devices.
!!!Benefits of Robots:
Robots are very beneficial to workers, industries, and countries. If introduced correctly, robots improve quality of life, making it where workers don’t have to do dirty, boring, and dangerous, and heavy labor. Yes, robots sometimes replace humans, but, they also give people jobs, such as; robotic technicians, salesmen, engineers, programmers, and supervisors. Robots can also work 24/7 without tiring and work for a fraction of the cost of salaried employee.
!!!References:
http://www.robotics.utexas.edu/rrg/learn_more/history/
http://www.learnaboutrobots.com/robotVision.htm
http://www.marshallbrain.com/robots-in-2015.htm
Lone Star’s Job Bank is an online source for employers, recruiters, and job seekers to come to for posting and applying for open job opportunities.
* ''~LSC-STC Job Board'' (http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?option=com_jobline&Itemid=60) where employers and recruiters can upload job opportunities, and job seekers can sort and evaluate opportunities as well as cut and paste their résumé and cover letter into the posting's application.
* ''Job Search Community'' (http://stc9.ehost.com/JobBank/index.php) is where you can post résumés, discuss opportunities, commiserate, and support each other as we look for new opportunities.
''//Please encourage any recruiters who routinely contact you to post their opportunities at the new job board.//''
<hr>
The international <html><a href="http:www.stc.org">STC Web site</a></html> maintains nationwide job listings, along with some international opportunities.
[img[Lone Star Community logo|LSC_logo.png][http://www.stc-dfw.org/]]
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<hr>
^^Published monthly from September through May, //Technically Write// is the official newsletter of the STC Lone Star Community. It is produced by, for, and about the members, associates, and friends of the STC Lone Star Community.
Opinions expressed are those of the authors, and are not necessarily those of the STC nor the STC Lone Star Community. Neither the STC nor the STC Lone Star Community endorses products or services, but may, as part of our educational activities, allow their mention in articles and notices.^^
<hr>
[img[2009 APEX Award of Excellence logo|apex09_winner_30.jpg][http://www.apexawards.com/]]
<hr>
^^© 2010-2011 [[STC Lone Star Community|http://www.stc-dfw.org/]]^^
by [[Elisa Miller|TW Staff Bios]], LSC Membership Committee and Senior Member
We have @@''125 members''@@ in the chapter. We did not get any new members and none left our community.
[>img[member-get-a-member-logo.jpg][http://www.stc.org/membership/mgam-about.asp]]The biggest membership news is an opportunity to earn part of your dues by referring new members. This is the ''Member-get-a-member promotion'' presented by STC.
When a friend or colleague joins STC on ''your recommendation'', they simply fill in your name and the name of the chapter or SIG on the online application form. Every time you, a chapter, or a SIG recruits an individual member, one point is given. ''//One point is equal to $10—up to a maximum of five credits or $50—toward your 2011 STC membership.//'' When a student member is recruited, a half a point is given. You must ''//recruit two students to receive credit//'' toward your membership dues. STC will keep track of your recruitment activity for you and post your recruitment activity on the results pages. It's that simple.
Hopefully, we'll be able to see some new members as a result of this program, which runs through January 15, 2011.
For all of the details about the program, go to: http://www.stc.org/membership/mgam-about.asp
by [[Elisa Miller|TW Staff Bios]], LSC Membership Committee and Senior Member
While our numbers may be down, what we lack in quantity, we make up in quality!
The Lone Star Community currently has ''120 members'', with another ''30 unaffiliated members'' (folks who live in our area that chose not to pay local member dues). Several of these folks are honorary members of our chapter, as they have made donations directly to the chapter for which we are grateful.
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<p><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>Thursday, November 18, 2010<br/>
6:15-8:00 p.m.</strong></span>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Speaker:</strong></span>
<br>
Ravi Verma - The Org Whisperer, SmoothApps</span></span>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Presentation Topic:</strong></span>
<br>
Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment
<p>Reservation opening soon!</strong>
</a>
</p>
</td>
<td width="250" valign="top">
<strong>Location:</strong><br>
REI<br>
4515 LBJ Freeway<br>
Dallas, Texas<br>
<a title="Map and directions" href="http://www.rei.com/map/store/45" target="blank">Map and directions</a><br>
<br>
<strong>Room:</strong> Guadelupe<br>
<br>
<strong>Cost:</strong>
<ul>
<li>$5 STC members</li>
<li>$5 Students with student ID</li>
<li>$10 Guests</li>
</ul>
</td>
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[>img[Ravi Verma|RaviVerma.jpg]]Organizations undergoing Agile Transformation encounter some common barriers—silos with misaligned metrics, inaccessible customers and a lack of well defined release content up-front, to name just a few.
These barriers can be classified in three groups:
* Dealing With Change
* Dealing With Personality Type Differences
* Dealing With Conflict
In most cases, Agile teams and sponsors are not trained to remove these common barriers. A blended strategy of “Hope and Winging It” is probably going to generate mixed results at best, with the possibility of decelerating or even destroying the Agile Transformation.
Yet it doesn’t have to be so! With the right training, Agile teams can be equipped with a framework and techniques to remove these barriers. This presentation will help you learn about a simple framework for Accelerating Agile Transformation, with practical techniques you can apply the moment you finish the session!
You will be introduced to the three pillars of this framework:
* Patterns in Change Based on the 8 Step Change Leadership Model by Dr. John Kotter, Harvard School Professor and Change Leadership Guru
* Patterns in Personality Type Based on MBTI, the world’s best-selling Personality Type Assessment
* Patterns in Conflict Based on TKI, the world’s best-selling Conflict Resolution Assessment
Ravi describes each of the three techniques using real-world examples of his own and includes introspective challenges that help attendees gain new insights on Accelerating Agile Transformation.
Attendees will walk away with three key lessons:
# A high-level overview of Agile Software Delivery using Scrum
# An overview of a simple, powerful three-pillar framework for leading change efforts in their organizations
# Practical examples on applying this framework to an organization that is introducing Agile Software Delivery
//Ravi has spent 10+ years delivering multi-million dollar, enterprise class software in the networking, telecom, wireless and security industries. Having worked with giants like Cisco, Avaya, Siemens and HP, as well as startups and mid-sized companies, he is intimately familiar with patterns of success and failure that repeat whenever you put together a bunch of people with a bunch of code.
Ravi has a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from R.V.C.E., Bangalore. He also has a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the Caruth Institute of Entrepreneurship at the SMU Cox School of Business, and a Certificate in Organizational Development from ~DePaul University.
Ravi is an MBTI Certified Practitioner with a Certificate in Advanced Conflict Resolution from Kilmann Diagnostics. He is also a Licensed Facilitator for "Leading Bold Change" workshops based on the teachings of Harvard Business School Professor, John Kotter.//
by [[Doug Dow|TW Staff Bios]], Associate Fellow
A small crowd of twenty-some Lone Star members bypassed the camping tents, climbed the stairs, made their way past racks of discount sporting gear, and found the REI Sporting Goods Store’s community room to hear Ravi Verma speak on preparing teams for the transition to Agile development methodologies.
[>img[Arroxane-RaviVerma.jpg]]It was my first meeting of the post-Crowne era, so change was certainly in the air. The room was very basic, lit only with neon, but it sufficed with audio and video equipment available. There were only a few interruptions from the store’s paging system. (Speakers should be advised not to compete with it.) With the new meeting price structure, most attendees opted to eat the sandwich buffet from Jason’s Deli. With the focus on food, there was less actual socializing time (our mouths are annoyingly unitasking), but the picnic atmosphere was pleasing.
As a fan of magic, speaker Ravi Verma was pleased that this evening would find fans cramming the multiplexes for the opening of the new Harry Potter movie. Verma also found delight in his wife’s cooking—magical, the way she found and blended ingredients even in trying circumstances!
In this way, Verma jumped from magic to Agile, an approach to software development that responds to change rather than following a strict formal plan. Aspects of the “Agile Manifesto” fly in the face of software development methodologies prevalent in the twentieth century. Clearly, I recall the military project I worked on back in the ‘80s where the Computer Product Development Plan and the software specifications were all contract-driven, immutable, supplied by management. Today, with Agile, the customer is a constant collaborator, with developers adapting to changes as needed.
Verma explained the significance of the scrum, the daily stand-up progress meeting, and the sprint, the timeframe in which a potentially shippable product can be developed.
Obstacles to successful Agile implementation derive from one or more of three factors (or “pillars”): Change, Personality, and Conflict. Many people resist change, so setting the stage and planning the transition is crucial. Verma discussed change planning in some detail, but time ran out before he could discuss Personality (MBTI) and Conflict.
Verma spoke in a light, humorous manner and invited questions throughout. The amplification might have been higher, and it would have been better if he had stopped during the two or three paging system broadcasts. As guests of REI, the interruptions are probably unavoidable.
The food was good (and plentiful), I learned stuff, and I reconnected with old friends. I commend LSC leaders for their agility during this time of change.
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<p><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>Thursday, October 21, 2010<br/>
6:15-8:00 p.m.</strong></span>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Speaker:</strong></span>
<br>
Elisa Miller, GE Healthcare</span></span>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Presentation Topic:</strong></span>
<br>
Designing Surveys for User Experience<p><a title="STC DFW Reservations page" href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?view=details&id=79%3Alsc-online-meetup-elisa-miller&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=55" target="_blank"><strong>Reserve your seat now!</strong>
</a>
</p>
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<strong>Location:</strong><br>
<a title="Web Seminar (Preregistration REQUIRED)" href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?view=details&id=79%3Alsc-online-meetup-elisa-miller&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=55" target="_blank">Web Seminar <b>(Preregistration REQUIRED)</b></a>
<br>
<br>
<strong>Cost:</strong>
<ul>
<li>$10 STC or UPA members</li>
<li>$10 Students</li>
<li>$15 Guests</li>
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[<img[Elisa Miller|e_miller_small.jpg]]What is it that you really want to know. Many surveys are set up for specific input. How do you create a survey that will yield the best information? When is a survey your best method for gathering data? Ever want to understand the difference between market research questions and those for user experience research?
This session will answer those questions and more…including how to avoid biased questions and how to tailor your survey to get the best results. Participants will walk away with the answers to many questions about conducting a targeted survey that can inform user design decisions.
//Elisa K. Miller is a Sr. UX Engineer for GE Healthcare. She is actively involved in the Dallas creative community by splitting time with ~DFW-UPA and STC Lone Star Chapter (past president and current membership chair). Elisa is passionate about making software easier to use as well as more efficient. For the last fifteen years, she is honed her skills in content strategy, information architecture and design, and multiple methods of user research to improve user experiences. When she and her husband aren’t training their dogs Xena and Lulu, she’s pursuing a graduate certificate in Applied Statistics from Penn State.//
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<ul>
<li> Volume 17, 2000-2001</li>
</ul>
<table width="378" border="0" id="Volume17">
<tr>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/news_01_01.pdf">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/news_03_01.pdf">March</a></span></td>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/news_05_01.pdf">May</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/news_02_01.pdf">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/news_04_01.pdf">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<ul>
<li> Volume 16, 1999-2000</li>
</ul>
<table width="378" border="0" id="Volume16">
<tr>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/LSC_Newsletter_Jan_2000.pdf">January</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/LSC_Newsletter_Mar_2000.pdf">March</a></span></td>
<td height="21"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/LSC_Newsletter_May_2000.pdf">May</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/LSC_Newsletter_May_2000.pdf">February</a></span></td>
<td width="90"><span class="style1"><a href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/pdf/LSC_Newsletter_Apr_2000.pdf">April</a></span></td>
<td width="90"> </td>
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|>|>|>| !2010 |
|!Date|!Format|!Topic|!Presenter(s)|
|--9/16--|--In person--|--Sketching User Interfaces with the Design Studio Method--|--Brian Sullivan--|
|--10/21--|--Online--|--Designing Surveys for User Experience--|--Elisa Miller--|
|--11/18--|--In Person--|--Overcoming Obstacles When Moving to an Agile Environment--|--Ravi Verma--|
|December|In Person|Holiday Happy Hour|TBD|
|>|>|>| !2011 |
|1/20|In Person|Annual Awards Banquet|TBD|
|2/17|Online|Managing Documentation Projects in a Collaborative World|Larry Kunz|
|3/17|In Person|Chapter Elections|TBD|
|4/21|Online|Job Hunting Secrets that Might Surprise You|Jack Molisani|
|5/19|In Person|Chapter Officer Inductions|TBD|
You are welcome to link to or reproduce original material in //Technically Write// with proper attribution (source, issue date, and author’s name) in the link text, or in the byline. Kindly notify the Managing Editor at <html><a href="mailto:newsletter@stc-dfw.org">newsletter@stc-dfw.org</a></html> when electronic reprints are published, or send a copy of publications containing reprinted versions to the Managing Editor at the address below.
Mailing Address:
Technically Write
P.O. Box 515065
Dallas, TX 75251-5065
by [[Jackie Damrau|TW Staff Bios]], STC Fellow
[<img[Jackie Damrau photo|JDamrau_GS_5pct.jpg]] The STC Carolina chapter’s August 2010 monthly program was the host to Steve Jong (member, STC Board of Directors and the Certification task force), who spoke on the topic of “Technical Communication Certification: 20 Questions Answered.” I attended this virtual presentation and am providing a review for the members of STC Lone Star Community.
Steve’s presentation was informative, funny, and engaging. Yes, he kept himself to 20 questions.
Want to know what they were and my summary of his answers? Read on.
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<ol>
<li><b>Who is Steve and why is he here?</b><br>
Steve told us about his professional background, the many types of certifications and certificates (there’s a difference!) that he has held or currently holds, and that he has been an STC senior member since 1982.
</li><br>
<li><b>What is certification?</b><br>
He read the standard definition, which basically says that you reach a certain level of designation as an individual by meeting certain established criteria. He then explained the differences between the terms certificate, certification, licensure, and accreditation.
<ul>
<li><b>Certificate:</b> you pay to attend a class, may take a test, and receive a certificate saying you attended the class. Some certificate organizations will display your name on their website. For instance, I recently became BPMN certified through [[bpmessentials.com|www.bpmessentials.com]], where you’ll find my name listed.</li>
<li><b>Certification:</b> you must earn it by studying a specific set of information, taking a proctored test, and then receiving a certificate with a certification number on it.</li>
<li><b>Licensure:</b> you are granted a license by a government or agency that gives you permission to practice a given profession or occupation, like beauticians, massage therapists, and so on.</li>
<li><b>Accreditation:</b> you are granted credit or recognition after going through a formal evaluation according to specific criteria or standards as established by a professional society, non-governmental body, or governmental agency. According to <a title="wordnetweb.princeton.edu" href="http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=accredited" target="_blank">wordnetweb.princeton.edu</a>, examples of accreditation are “an accredited college, commissioned broker, licensed pharmacist, authorized representative.”</li>
</ul>
</li><br>
<li><b>What does this have to do with our profession?</b><br>
For anyone to provide a certification, they must meet three criteria: 1) have a unique Body of Knowledge (BoK) that defines the profession; 2) have an established Code of Ethics that protects clients; and 3) offer a certification of qualified practitioners who have met a minimum set of standards that identifies that individual as a professional.
</li><br>
<li><b>What took so long?</b><br>
STC started the certification discussion in 1964 during the STC Conference held in San Diego, California. The first sanctioned work toward certification began 11 years later (1975) by sending out several member surveys to collect information. In 1985 (10 years), STC issued an RFP, yet the responses were never pursued. Certification discussions didn’t come back up until 1998 when STC commissioned a feasibility survey, followed by the start of the Certification task force and the development of the BoK in 2007, benchmarking in 2008, and adoption of a value proposition in 2009. The STC Board of Directors approved the proposition on 30 April 2010.
</li><br>
<li><b>Why did STC finally accept it?</b><br>
STC accepted it based on the following drivers to: 1) legalize our profession; 2) establish professional standards; 3) increase employability and salary; 4) satisfy employers’ expectations; 5) reduce hiring risk for employers; and 6) bring in non-dues revenue for STC.
</li><br>
<li><b>What is STC trying to achieve?</b><br>
They are trying to set the guiding principles for the technical communication profession. Part of the guiding principles is that you do not need to be an STC member to become a certified technical communication professional. Another guiding principle is that we can begin to differentiate ourselves in unique ways by passing specific skills and experience achievements through certification that say we “truly” know our field and we are qualified to do the work.
</li><br>
<li><b>What is STC certifying?</b><br>
STC will be certifying six key practice areas: 1) User, Task and Experience Analysis; 2) Information Design; 3) Process Management; 4) Information Development; 5) Information Production; and 6) Review Coordination and Reconciliation. These key practices came from a 1995 study that was validated through ISO documentation standards.
</li><br>
<li><b>What’s the value of certification?</b><br>
Steve presented the value of certification to companies like
<a title="Energy Star" href="http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/downloads/mou/Final_Draft_Conditions_and_Criteria_for_Recognition_of_Certification_Bodies.pdf" target="_blank">Energy Star</a>, <a title="Certified Angus Beef®" href="http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/brand/index.php" target="_blank">Certified Angus Beef®</a>, and <a title="Good Housekeeping" href="http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-testing/history/welcome-gh-seal" target="_blank">Good Housekeeping</a>, and why they are some of the key leaders in certification.
</li><br>
<li><b>What’s in it for me?</b><br>
Being a technical communication professional certified by STC should give you a better opportunity with employers when they are hiring. Think about the differences today that employers look at when hiring a technical systems person who is Microsoft-certified versus someone who has taught him/herself everything they know and is not Microsoft-certified.
</li><br>
<li><b>What’s in it for employers?</b><br>
Certified employees are more often competent and successful. Employers will spend less money in hiring, training, and replacing certified individuals (because we can “hit the ground running”). This leads to employers seeking out and paying more for certified professionals.
</li><br>
<li><b>What’s it going to cost?</b><br>
For STC, we don’t know yet. A comprehensive survey of other professional associations like ours has been done. For example:
</li>
Association Fees Recertification Fees
Member Non-Member Member Non-Member
ISPI
$995 $1,195 $175 $350
ASTD
$799 $999 $150 Not mentioned
PMI
$4,450 $4,930 $2500*
*Includes software license renewal fee
<li><b>What might be in the application packet?</b><br>
Résumé or curriculum vitae; attestation from you and client (boss); signed Code of Ethics; work samples and artifacts; and accounts (stories) of projects
</li><br>
<li><b>How will the evaluation work?</b><br>
Your work will be evaluated similar to that of the STC International Competition or the Community Achievement Award. The basic premise will be to “show us” by providing copies of your work that we can look through to know that you have a solid foundation on what it is to be a technical communication professional. We will have several opportunities throughout the year when evaluations will occur.<br><br>
The STC Office will be responsible for screening your application packet to ensure that all the requested documentation (see question #12) has been received. Your packet will then be examined by three trained evaluators (who will be under non-disclosure agreement and will evaluate your works against a set of established criteria).
<br>
To bestow your certification, evaluators will follow these voting guidelines:
</li>
Criteria # of Votes
Certify 3 – 0
Return for certification 2 – 1
Reject 1 – 2; 0 – 3
<li><b>What about the Body of Knowledge?</b><br>
The Technical Communication Body of Knowledge (TC BoK) is still being worked on. The expectation is that it will become the basis for future exams to test against it versus evaluating project- or portfolio-based information. Future plans are to use the TC BoK to develop specialty certifications from it.
</li><br>
<li><b>What are certification marks?</b><br>
We don’t know yet. We are considering looking at providing a certificate, plaque, pin, logo, designation, or website listing.
</li><br>
<li><b>I have a Technical Communication degree. Why should I certify?</b><br>
Certification assesses both what you know and what you have done. By having a Technical Communication degree, you already have a solid foundation in what it takes to be a technical communication professional.
</li><br>
<li><b>I can’t do it or don’t know the area. How can I get certified?</b><br>
The Certification task force is considering three options:
<ul>
<li>Use completed projects (not current ones); use samples from previous jobs; redact samples (if needed)</li>
<li>Use a case study</li>
<li>Take a class first and learn it, then apply to take the certification exam</li>
</ul><br>
<li><b>I’m not a writer. What about me?</b><br>
The future plans will be to offer specialty certifications that will require studying specific sections of the TC BoK. We are also looking into partnership with others (STC members, SIGs) to help build out these certifications.
</li><br>
<li><b>Will I have to maintain my certification?</b><br>
Yes, every <b>three</b> years. You will need to: 1) continue your education to keep your skills current, learn new ones, and stay active in the field; and 2) submit a recertification packet with proof of course attendance and fees paid, attendance at chapter meetings or conferences, and other items yet to be determined.<br><br>
Recertifications will be screened by the STC Office for completeness and then sent to the evaluation team to vote on, following the criteria mentioned in question #13.<br>
STC will revise its exams and certification criteria every three years.
</li><br>
<li><b>What about international certification?</b><br>
Only STC has the international reach to offer an international certification that can be used by employers worldwide. While we are still working out those specifics, an international certification will be built against the TC BoK and the ability to validate work outside of the North American market.</li>
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!!Robotics in Manufacturing
by Team Black Hawk, ~Rockwall-Heath High School
Manufacturing has changed drastically in the past century with the aid of machines. Manufacturing began by utilizing human labor to achieve mechanical means and has transformed into a series of robots doing the labor while only a few humans managing the process. A majority of manufacturing is done by machines today, instead of human labor, due to the effectiveness, strength, and versatility of machines.
[>img[Rockwall-Heath High School logo|rockwallheath.jpg]] Manufacturing is defined by Wikipedia as “the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale.” The implementation of this tactic, to fabricate goods, has some of its earliest roots beginning with the Industrial Revolution (Industrial Revolution - Credo Reference Topic." 2010). During the Industrial Revolution, the majority of manufacturing switched from being primarily human and animal powered to being powered with machines controlled by humans. Machines such as the steel plow, cotton gin, and lockstitch sewing machine; invented by Elias Howe in 1846 (Manufacturing - History Resources 2010), dramatically changed the manufacturing process from being completed through human effort to being completed through the aid of machines. These early machines were used by humans to manufacture items for the textile industry, parts for other machines, and iron for construction projects such as bridges and trains throughout the Industrial Revolution. This lead to more manufacturing inventions soon after.
Overtime manufacturing became more complex. Machines were invented to replace human labor to build parts for cars, bikes, planes, and other machines as early as the 1900s (Manufacturing - History Resources 2010). These machines were more efficient then using human labor because they were inexpensive, quick, and easily manageable; compared to having a group of employees that must be paid and managed. These machines did simple, menial tasks such as: screwing in parts, painting parts, and bending/forming parts. All of which are tasks that many humans can do, but machines can do faster and more efficiently.
Many diverse industries currently use machines and robots to assist in manufacturing. Industries such as automotive, aviation, machine manufacturers, electronics, aerospace, software design, agriculture, transportation, cosmetics, biotechnology, food, clothing and textiles, petroleum, and chemical industries all rely on machines to function (Types Of Manufacturing Industry 2010)( Types of Manufacturing Industries 2010). The number of machines and robots being has rapidly expanded since the introduction of machines in industries, and “as long as the economy is good, the use of robots will continually expand” (Nelson 2010).The increasing number of working machines replacing human labor introduced into these businesses help to decrease product error and increase the supply and quality of the goods for many industries.
The use of industrial robots in manufacturing have come a long way since the creation of the first industrial robot, the Ultimate by George Devol, in 1954 (Motoman 1974).Industrial robots are now found in a variety of locations including the automobile and manufacturing industries. Industrial robots “cut and shape fabricated parts, assemble machinery and inspect manufactured parts. Some types of jobs robots do: load bricks, die cast, drill, fasten, forge, make glass, grind, heat treat, load/unload machines, machine parts, handle parts, measure, monitor radiation, run nuts, sort parts, clean parts, profile objects, perform quality control, rivet, sand blast, change tools and weld” (Types of Robots 2010).
Due to the need of machines and robots in manufacturing the role of humans in the manufacturing process has changed. In the beginning, a majority of humans were working in manufacturing materials. As times changed, those jobs were taken over by machines, leaving more room for humans to spend their time developing and creating, better machines for manufacturing and to make life easier.
!STC Communities in Texas
* [[STC Austin|http://www.stcaustin.org/]]
* [[STC Houston|http://www.stc-houston.org/]]
!STC Student Communities in Texas
* Angelo State University
* [[College Station (TAMU)|http://www2-english.tamu.edu/stc/Website/Home/]]
* [[Texas Tech University|http://english.ttu.edu/stc/default.htm]]
!!Research Paper
by Seagoville High School Dragons
Productions of items and their success depend on a variety of factors that include who they attract, their purpose, and benefits to the company in general. Companies are faced with production factors daily and deal with them according to their expected outcome. I will be discussing production factors for a gizmo and a gadget.
Gizmos in pre-adolescent hunting have production factors that companies pay close attention to. The targeted group, children twelve and under, are evaluated to see if the product will have a positive or negative effect. The production cost varies for every age group. Every company is aware of the defects they leave with their product and how it can affect their targeted consumer group. To produce their products with defects without corrections saves companies money. They should be aware of how those defects affect their consumers. If their item has a defect that can harm their consumer, like kids, then there will be a mandatory recall on that item to prevent any harm to them. However, companies purposely manufacture discovered defects in their products to save money, as long as they doubt it can cause harm. Companies expect people to avoid the trouble of complaining to them about the defective gizmo, especially if it’s cheap. They are also aware that it’s cheaper to fix defects when customers bring it to their attention than if they were to fix them in the factory.
Gadgets aimed at senior citizens also have production factors that are evaluated thoroughly. This age group is sixty-five and over. Defects for these products are also purposely manufactured as well, but less attention is paid toward them since adults are less prone to being harm by them, as opposed to children. Also, they purposely avoid fixing the defects since senior citizens are less likely notice and complain. Companies aim at this group because most of them tend to be in a state of oblivion. The hassle of complaining about a defect for an item is great, so they usually avoid that.
The costs for production of items for any age group are evaluated greatly to maximize a companies’ profit. The main reason defects are ignored is due to their cost of repairing them in the factory as opposed to repairing them from the hands of the consumer. General Motors prefers to manufacture cars with defects, hoping they will go unnoticed. Most consumers prefer to avoid driving and wasting gas to fix minor vehicle defects. Unfortunately cost and profit seem to be the major force in decision making regardless of morals or the negative effects it has on the consumer.
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<p><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>Thursday, September 16, 2010<br/>
6:15-8:00 p.m.</strong></span>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Speaker:</strong></span>
<br>
Brian Sullivan, Sabre</span></span>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>Presentation Topic:</strong></span>
<br>
Sketching User Interfaces with the Design Studio Method
<p><a title="STC DFW Reservations page" href="http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?view=details&id=39%3Atc-body-of-knowledge&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=52" target="_blank"><strong>Reserve your seat now!</strong>
</a>
</p>
</td>
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<strong>NEW Location:</strong><br>
REI<br>
4515 LBJ Freeway<br>
Dallas, Texas<br>
<a title="Map and directions" href="http://www.rei.com/map/store/45" target="blank">Map and directions</a><br>
<br>
<strong>Room:</strong> Guadelupe<br>
<br>
<strong>Cost:</strong>
<ul>
<li>$5 STC members</li>
<li>$5 Students with student ID</li>
<li>$10 Guests</li>
</ul>
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[<img[Brian Sullivan|brian-sullivan.jpg]]The Design Studio Method provides a way for key stakeholders to bring their collective insights into the design process before any coding starts. Technical writers, content managers, and usability professionals are uniquely positioned to control these sessions because of their skill sets. In this presentation, we will learn how to use this method, guidelines for creating and focusing ideas, how to control the conversation using Edward de Bono's ''Six Thinking Hats'', and more. We will see some real examples used on a couple of projects, too.
The audience should expect to have a method they can use when they leave this meeting.
//Brian Sullivan is the President of ~DFW-UPA, Founder of the Big Design Conference, ~Co-Chair of World usability Day, and Usability Principal for Sabre. He has written articles for UX Magazine and Big Design Magazine. Brian has a philosophy that we can prevent usability issues rather than treat them.//
by Emily Young
The Lone Star Community (LSC) of the Society of Technical Communicators met Thursday, September 16, 2010, at the REI sporting goods store off LBJ Freeway in Dallas.
[<img[Sept2010_RegLine.jpg]]The meeting kicked off with old friends greeting each other, some of them meeting again for the first time in many years. Jason's Deli catered the informal dinner and LSC members chatted and mingled before the program began. The most interesting part of the dinner was the disappearing/reappearing chicken salad sandwiches. I looked for a chicken salad sandwich before I sat down, but could not find any, and concluded that they had all been liberated from the table. However, when the person accompanying me to the meeting sat down next to me, I was shocked to see that—even though she was behind me in line—she had a chicken salad sandwich on her plate! I promptly returned to the sandwich trays, but still could not find a chicken salad sandwich. It was so disappointing. I mean, the chicken salad had pineapple in it for gosh sake.
President Arroxane Eber called the meeting to order and began with reminders for LSC members that our greatest tool as a community is our website: [[www.stc-dfw.org|www.stc-dfw.org]].
The website has a [[job board|http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?option=com_jobline&Itemid=65]], a [["help desk"|http://www.stc-dfw.org/HelpDesk/index.php]] forum for questions, and links to [[past newsletters|Back Issues]] and upcoming [[competitions|http://www.stc-dfw.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120&Itemid=51]]. LSC is also on Facebook. This is a great opportunity to help build a great online resource for ourselves and to create a guidebook for future technical communication professionals. Join us online today!
[>img[JackieC-BrianSullivan.JPG]]The highlight of the meeting was Brian Sullivan’s presentation on “Sketching User Interfaces with the Design Studio Method.” The process is based on the theory that sketching ideas leads to innovation. This remarkable technique uses a trained facilitator to take a group of developers through an intense design session and forces the group to collaborate on a single, well-thought-out product. It is a method for involving all development team members so that the strong personalities are balanced out by the more timid personalities. It is also a way to bring the good ideas to the surface and leave behind the rest, saving a great deal of time. The team is lead through several sessions of pencil-and-paper sketching with group discussion sessions in between. The goal at the end of the session is that a fully fleshed-out idea to present for creation.
Contact Brian Sullivan at <html><a href="mailto:brian.sullivan@sabre.com">brian.sullivan@sabre.com</a></html> if this sounds like something your company could use or if you would like more information. Brian suggests reading Edward de Bono's book, [[“Six Thinking Hats”|http://www.amazon.com/Six-Thinking-Hats-Edward-Bono/dp/0316178314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287349188&sr=8-1]] if you want to learn more about facilitating groups of people.
The LSC will meet online for the first time on ''October 21, 2010'', with a webinar on ''“Designing Surveys for User Experience”'' presented by our own Elisa Miller.
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Monthly newsletter of the STC Lone Star Community
!!RESEARCH PAPER
by St. Mark’s Robotics team
[<img[St. Mark's Robotics team logo|stmarks.jpg]] Six Sigma was once a term used solely by statisticians working with esoteric models. Now it is a crusade, a continual striving for excellence in manufacturing. Along with other quality improvement methodologies, Six Sigma brings both a methodology and a cultural change to manufacturing processes. Hundreds of companies have adopted such methods, and thousands more are to follow. Traditional quality levels, measured in defects per thousand units, fall short in a global market. Six Sigma calls for defects measured per million units. It is a philosophy, a vision, a goal, a badge, a metric, a way of business. Reaching high quality levels is critical for the success of any business.
The earliest widespread quality management attempts came from Japanese factories, eager to compete with their American counterparts. In Japan during the 1950s, William Deming taught top management how to perfect quality, testing, and sales through Statistical Process Control. He emphasized a harmony, a cooperation, between employees rather than a competition. On top of that, he stressed his “Fourteen Points for Management.” Among them were encouragements for management to stop competing on price alone, to constantly improve production quality, to push for better job training, and to foster a pride in workmanship. And these fourteen points worked—Deming is best credited for his contributions to the “Japanese Industrial Miracle.” Improving quality empirically reduced expenses and increased market share.
A potent example of Deming’s philosophies at work: Ford Motor Company once manufactured a car model with transmissions made in both the United States and in Japan. After the car was on the market, customers much preferred the Japanese transmission over the American, although Ford failed to see why. Finally, Ford engineers took apart and analyzed the two transmissions. All parts of both were within manufacturing tolerance, but the Japanese transmission’s parts were identical. This uniformity made cars run smoothly and customers experienced fewer problems. Deming’s ideal of continual improvement in manufacturing technologies had been hard at work in Japan.
[>img[6Sigma.jpg]]Six Sigma-style methods only reached the United States much, much later, but they came with a deep sense of urgency. The revolution began in the late 1970s, when a Motorola factory in the United States was acquired by a Japanese firm. The Japanese rapidly extended their influence, and before long this Motorola factory produced a twentieth of the defects before. Other factories followed suit as Motorola discovered the power of Japanese quality control methods. Six Sigma itself was officially launched on January 15, 1987, by Motorola’s CEO, Bob Galvin. Motorola’s corporate policy was updated as follows:
“Improve product and service quality ten times by 1989, and at least one hundred fold by 1991. Achieve Six Sigma capability by 1992. With a deep sense of urgency, Galvin spread dedication to quality to every facet of the corporation, and achieve a culture of continual improvement to assure Total Customer Satisfaction. There is only one ultimate goal: zero defects in everything we do.”
The stage was set: Six Sigma is now the dominate force in American manufacturing.
The ascent of Six Sigma coincides with the rise of robotic control systems in manufacturing. Indeed, robotics displace tasks that are particularly monotonous or risky for humans to perform, and are thus subject to high risks of defects. Machine vision advances in recent years, as well as intelligent algorithms, allow robots to adapt rapidly and perform more complicated, defect-reducing procedures. Likewise, our own robot adopts rapidly to changing conditions. It performs tasks that humans could find monotonous, risking defects through apathy. And our intelligent control algorithm is of the meat-and-bones kind.
Now that Joe Robot can achieve phenomenally high standards of quality, what will become of Joe Sixpack, the average factory worker? Is he doomed to the unemployment line for the rest of his days? Each new technological revolution brings the reemergence of past fears. Coincidentally, the situation we face in manufacturing is akin to the plight of the agricultural worker at the turn of the last century. Farms once employed forty-five percent of Americans; automation and mechanization reduced that number to two percent. Yet the Joe Sixpack of 1900 refused to stand unemployed. He retrained, retooled, and reequipped, using his newfound skills not only in manufacturing, but also in higher-skilled jobs. Factory workers today face not a crisis, but an opportunity. New jobs will be found as entrepreneurs tap into factory workers’ latent abilities. Workers will move toward areas of maximum utility—such is the force of capitalism.
Speaking of capitalism, some worry that an obsession with Six Sigma-type systems will stifle innovation, leading to economic paralysis. Six Sigma, while a noble goal for any business, forces an obsession with the perfection and efficiency of existing processes. Innovation demands a willingness to explore uncharted waters, something seemingly orthogonal to Six Sigma. Innovation equals sea change, while Six Sigma equals slow change. But both can and do happen simultaneously. Take Starwood Hotels, which used Six Sigma principles to increase customer satisfaction while developing an innovative system to redirect customers to nearby hotels when the original hotel is full or too small. Our own robot takes advantage of continually updating conditions via the Factory Data Port and adjusts strategy accordingly. The model factory in which we compete, while vastly simplified, emulates perfectly a blend of innovation and Six Sigma ideals.
Gone are the days of negligent quality control, when one might expect to find a screwdriver in a car’s door panel or half a sandwich inside a computer. But the work is not finished. Robots lead the push toward making all manufacturing efficient and high-quality. Technology stops for no one. Factory workers will adapt to these robotic Six Sigma processes eventually, because such is the way of the future. Technology, as well as the engineering behind it, is the future. Perhaps that’s why BEST continues to host thematic games like Total Recall, why we even participate in BEST: to introduce us safely to the concepts, difficulties, and hopes of tomorrow.
!!!Works Cited
"Debate: Six Sigma vs. Innovation." ~BusinessWeek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2007/id20070227_766365.htm
"Deming, William Edwards." Novelguide: Free Study Guides, Free Book Summaries, Free Book Notes, & More. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/eueh_01/eueh_01_00238.html
"Employment Trends: Data Presentation." Social Jrank. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://social.jrank.org/pages/849/Employment-Trends-Data-Presentation.html
Kirgis, By. "Robotics Reshapes the Supply Chain | Science & Technology Computer Science from ~AllBusiness.com." Small Business Advice from the Champions of Small Business. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/operations-supply/10589927-1.html
Reedy, Skip. "Dr. W. Edwards Deming Revolutionary Hero." CCPM Consulting. CCPM Consulting, 15 Feb. 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://ccpmconsulting.com/whitepapers/Revolutionary_Heroes.pdf
"Six Sigma - The Evolution of Six Sigma." Consulting, Training, Coaching, & Implementation for Quality, Productivity, Profitability, & Excellence. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://www.pqa.net/ProdServices/sixsigma/W06002009.html
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!!From Mechanization to Automation: Fully Automated Production and Industrial Applications
by Talented & Gifted Magnet High School Robotics team (~RoboTAG)
[<img[TAG Magnet School logo|TAGlogo.jpg]] Since its foray into the creation of most basic tools, mankind has continually built upon its knowledge of the universe and ways to interact with it. From wheels to pure metals to circuits, mankind has made tremendous strides in the development of products that make life easy, efficient and fun. Though many developments have occurred to this end, one of the greatest strides in recent history, from a manufacturing standpoint, was the creation of the assembly line, especially when coupled with the concept of interchangeable parts. This assembly line process allowed for production of materials to increase exponentially, as all workers had to do was put slot “A” into slot “B”.
The assembly line was revolutionary for the Industrial Age and has become a staple of mass production, but even it is changing. The modern assembly line is becoming more and more automated, with workers having more supervisory roles than before, allowing machines to do more of the work. In many cases, robots of various kinds are used, from the three-jointed robotic arm, to more simple robots that perform one small function. This year's game focuses on the process of one of these more simplistic robots, having a prime directive of quality control.
In competition, the robot must be built to process and package both gadgets and gizmos. The system of processing and packaging gadgets is partially automated, or mechanized, whereas the system of processing and packaging gizmos is fully automated. The differences between the gadget process and gizmo process represent the shift toward fully-automated production in manufacturing.
The processing and packaging of gadgets (see Appendix A, Figure 1) represents a system that is becoming obsolete as technology progresses. In a mechanized system, manual labor still makes up a large component of the factory production process (in this case the spotter must take an active role in production). The purpose of mechanization is to provide human operators with machinery to assist with muscular requirements and increase efficiency. Human work capability is estimated at around 250 Wh/day. It would take four days of hard labor to deliver one kWh. Meanwhile, a small engine could deliver one kWh in less than one hour burning less than one liter of petroleum fuel.
Many prominent factories are still partially automated, including Chinese and Malaysian factories that use cheap labor. Developed countries lacking a steady supply of cheap labor are under more pressure to increase productivity by keeping technology up-to-date. And even though processing costs for fully automated systems are lower in the long run, poorer countries tend to invest in less efficient technologies because upfront costs are lower.
The gizmo process (see Appendix A, Figure 2) is fully automated and quality screening and testing are condensed into one step. Fully automated systems are favored among big manufacturing companies for productivity gain, cost reduction, and increased reliability and precision. In addition, the increased demand for flexibility and convertibility in the manufacturing process has led to the introduction of Automated Guided Vehicles with Natural Features Navigation. An AGV understands where it is as it plans the shortest permitted path to its goal. Therefore, these vehicles can handle failure without bringing down the manufacturing process because they can navigate around a failed device.
~AGVs use lasers and/or machine vision to “learn” their surroundings. To plan paths, often the vehicles use an RRT (rapidly-exploring random tree) algorithm, developed by Steven M. ~LaValle and James Kuffner. For a general configuration space C, the algorithm in pseudocode is as follows:
[img[TAG_eqn.jpg]]
The above algorithm is very popular in robotics path-planning. However, four research students (Samuel Rodriguez, Xinyu Tang, ~Jyh-Ming Lien, and Nancy M. Amato) from the Texas A&M Department of Computer Science and Engineering expanded the algorithm to create an obstacle-based rapidly-exploring random tree that is able to explore difficult paths and narrow passages more effectively.
Historical concerns about the effects of automation date back to the Industrial Revolution, when textile machine operators known as Luddites protested Jacquard’s automated weaving looms, which they felt threatened their jobs. However, the use of control systems and information technology to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services has not led to the loss of jobs, but rather to a shift from industrial jobs to service jobs in the last two centuries. Many of the jobs replaced by machines involve hard physical or monotonous work of involve tasks performed in dangerous environments (nuclear facilities, underwater, etc). We will continue to see increased investment in automated technologies as companies worldwide hope to reap the benefits of innovation.
!!!Sources:
Richards, Guy. "Wireless wars [automation]." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 5.2 (2010): 36-39.Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Corporate Document Repository. http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ah810e/AH810E08.htm
Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook and Career Guide to Industries. “30 of the Fastest Declining Occupations.” http://www.boston.com/bostonworks/galleries/30fast_declining_occupations/
Presher, Al. “Robotics Make a Move Towards Autonomous Service.” Design News. 29 June 2010. Web. 11 Oct 2010.
Noble, David F. Forces of Production: a Social History of Industrial Automation. New York: Knopf, 1984.
~LaValle, Steven Michael. Planning Algorithms. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006.
Samuel Rodriguez, Xinyu Tang, ~Jyh-Ming Lien, Nancy M. Amato, "An ~Obstacle-Based ~Rapidly-Exploring Random Tree," Technical Report, ~TR05-009, Parasol Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Texas A&M University, Sep 2005.
<html><b>Managing Editor:</b></html> Jackie Damrau
<html><b>Editor:</b> OPEN (e-mail <a href="mailto:newsletter@stc-dfw.org">newsletter@stc-dfw.org</a> if interested)</html>
<html><b>Contributing Editor:</b> OPEN (e-mail <a href="mailto:newsletter@stc-dfw.org">newsletter@stc-dfw.org</a> if interested)</html>
<html><b>Copyeditors:</b></html>
* [[Jeanne Foster|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Mary ~McWilliams Johnson|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Paula Robertson|TW Staff Bios]]
<html><b>Contributors:</b></html>
* [[Doug Dow|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Bob Zebian|FEATURE ARTICLE: Google Analytics to Track Web-Based Documentation Usage]]
<html><b>Columnists:</b></html>
* [[Louellen Coker|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Arroxane Eber|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Elisa Miller|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Kathryn Poe|TW Staff Bios]]
<html><b>Photographers/Photo Editors:</b></html>
* [[Douglas Dow|TW Staff Bios]]
* [[Dale Erickson|TW Staff Bios]]
~Ex-Officio: [[2010-2011 LSC Admin Council]]
''Jo Francis Byrd.'' It took two degrees and a job from hell for Jo Byrd to discover she didn't want to be a librarian and after several additional missteps to find technical writing. A member of STC since 1992 and CIC SIG Manager since 1995, Jo helps others as she was helped early on.
''Jim Chambless'' currently is Communications Manager for Beal Service Corporation in Plano. He is a Past President (2000/2001) of the Lone Star Community.
''Louellen S. Coker'' is currently the President for Content Solutions a certified woman-owned communications firm in Denton. Louellen received her Masters in Technical Communication from the University of North Texas with a specialization in Training and Development. She is the current Public Relations Chair for the Lone Star Community. When she isn't writing, Louellen prefers to be sailing, snowboarding, distance running, or traveling.
''Jackie Damrau'', Fellow and past chapter president, works at ~T-Mobile USA. She has more than 26 years of combined experience in technical writing and instructional design. Besides supporting STC activities through LSC, one national SIG and the General Manager for the STC International Summit Awards, Jackie enjoys going to the movies and reading classic literature, Irish/Scottish/English historical romance novels, or time-travel romance novels.
''Douglas Dow'' has been a member of the Lone Star Chapter since 1990, when he transferred from the Boston chapter. He has served in various capacities, including competition judge, chair of the Community Service Committee, and five years as newsletter Managing Editor. His interests outside of the cubicle include T'ai Ch'i, swing dancing, and honking on one of his many saxophones.
''Arroxane T. U. Eber'' is currently the Senior Technical Writer for the TV Broadcast Automation section of Avid Technology in Irving, TX. Arroxane received her MA in Technical Writing from the University of North Texas. She is the current First ~Vice-President for the Lone Star Community. She is also a former US Marine and frequent community volunteer. Follow @Arroxane on Twitter and read her blog at [[www.arroxane.com|http://www.arroxane.com]].
''Dale Erickson'' serves the Lone Star Community as a Technically Write photographer and manager of the IPIC mailing list. He has been an STC member since 1982 and holds the rank of Fellow. Dale is senior technical writer at One Network Enterprises in Dallas.
''Jeanne Foster'' is a lone writer for Jasper Design Automation, a privately-held electronic design automation (EDA) company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Besides technical communications, her varied career includes everything from government service to early childhood and elementary education. Jeanne is a recipient of the LSC 2007 Distinguished Community Service Award. She has volunteered as LSC Competitions judge, Region 5 Conference Registration manager, LSC Hospitality manager, Membership manager, and SIN SIG manager. Beyond LSC volunteer opportunities, Jeanne enjoys beach vacations, dining at fine restaurants, and most of all—her new granddaughter.
''Joshua (Josh) Harris'' joined STC Lone Star Community in May 2010 and is serving as a Contributing Editor position for Technically Write. He was previously the editorial intern for //[[Science Editor|www.councilscienceeditors.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3307]]//, the publication for the [[Council of Science Editors|www.councilscienceeditors.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1]], where Josh attended and reported on the 2004 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Seattle, WA. Josh has recently begun his freelance work as a Contributing Writer for //[[Suite101.com|www.suite101.com]]//, an online magazine, where he has submitted several articles ranging in topic from choosing a home theater system to avoiding common writing errors.
''Melissa (Mel) Haughton'' is an Instructional Designer and Project Coordinator for ~MLink Technologies in Lewisville, TX. She has a Master's degree in Technical Writing from the University of North Texas. Mel is past president of the Lone Star Community.
''Mike Hiatt'' is currently a senior technical writer (calls himself an information developer) for GENBAND Inc., a telecommunications company Plano. Mike received a BA in journalism specializing in news/editorial and took enough English classes as electives for a second major. He is currently the Parliamentarian for the Lone Star Community. When he is not working, Mike prefers to be riding his bicycle, watching sports on TV or surfing the web.
''Paul Holland'' is currently a contract marketing/technical writer for a small communications agency. He is active in both the the LSC and the NEO communities. A graduate of Hiram College (B.A. in Communications), he is also a a United States Marine, a maritime historian, and he served as a volunteer on the Steamship William G. Mather Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, prior to Dallas.
''Mary ~McWilliams Johnson'' is a retired technical writer and Web designer. Check out her Web site: ~GraphicsByMary.com: [[www.graphicsbymary.com|http://www.graphicsbymary.com]]. (The ~SuperConnect site no longer exists.)
''Kristin Kirkham'' is currently an Instructional Designer for ~MLink Technologies, an e-learning company in Lewsiville. She received her BA in Technical Communication from Texas Tech University. Kristin is the current President for the Lone Star Community. When she isn't writing, Kristin prefers to be water skiing, playing with her nieces and nephews, or hanging out with friends and family.
''Jim Korth'' has worked in technical communications and support for twelve years with Microsoft, Compaq, and IBM. He holds technical certifications from Microsoft, Novell, and ITIL. Jim previously worked in banking at Citigroup and holds a B.S. Degree in Accounting from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
''Eric Lyke'' is currently the Documentation Manager for Prodea Systems, Inc., a digital home solutions company based in Plano, TX. Eric received his MA in English from Tarleton State University specializing in linguistics. He is the current Fort Worth liaison for the Lone Star Community. When he isn’t writing, Eric prefers to be reading, hanging out with the family, or playing basketball.
''Elisa Kaplan Miller''’s career path has been a winding road from journalist to journalism teacher to instructional designer; from webmaster to content strategist to information architect / usability specialist.
''Kristy Nolan'' is a Manager of Publications for Southwest Airlines. She has been with Southwest Airlines for nine years, starting at the Cleveland Airport in Customer Service. With a Masters degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, she has been in Dallas for about six years as a training developer, publications team lead, and now as a manager.
''Kathryn Poe'', Fellow and past chapter president, is a self-proclaimed Knowledge Wrangler. She is currently enlightening minds in the financial sector.
''Paula Robertson'''s Technical Communication career comprises fifteen years as writer and editor of software and hardware documentation for domestic and international clients in transportation, telecommunications, and other industries. A previous career in computer graphics rounds out her skills as a "full-service" editor. As a senior member of STC, Paula has learned the value of the term and the practice of "networking."
''Monica Winkelman'' is the lone technical writer at Hyphen Solutions in Addison, which produces scheduling software for construction home builders. She has a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Technical Writing from the University of North Texas in Denton.
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!!NASA: The Use of Six Sigma to Improve Effectiveness and Safety of Shuttles
by Hockaday Jets
[>img[The Hockaday School logo|Hockadaylogo.jpg]]The transformation of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from a small, budding group of bright minds into an entire autonomous industry created unforeseen challenges. As the body of knowledge of the universe has grown, so too has the intricacy of technology used by NASA to dig deeper into the depths of space. Due to the complex nature of rockets, satellites and probes deployed by NASA, the organization required a system to ensure efficiency and safety in their missions. By using the methodology known as “Six Sigma,” NASA has decreased their waste levels, increased production rates, and made safer rockets more efficiently.
President John F. Kennedy’s Cold War Push into the space race led to a period of incredible progress but was not without its failures. Due to the time constraints the program worked under, tasks were completed in a rushed manner. In 1967, two years before the moon landing, the Apollo 1 mission ended in tragedy. Led by Gus Grissom, the team of three prepared to launch to earth orbit. However, a spark caused by faulty wiring caused a fire in the cockpit during a training session, and because they had been latched into the cockpit and the environment was pure oxygen, the crew had no chance of survival. The lives of three astronauts were lost on the pad. NASA engineers overlooked the faulty wiring that caused the incident in a pre-flight inspection of the capsule. NASA then took several months off to redesign the main capsule.
In 1970, another tragedy hit NASA. Rather than learn from the mistakes of Apollo 1 and take the time necessary to fully revise the design of Saturn V, NASA had pressed even harder towards a second moon landing. The Apollo 13 capsule nearly ran out of fuel due to an explosion that occurred while on route to the moon. Later analysis showed that the mistake had been made in the production of the capsule. A very small switch caused the problem, and if it had been properly documented the issue could have been discovered before the launch of the mission. In 1971, the Apollo program regained momentum, launching Apollo 14, with the new service module and the rest of the Apollo program proceeded without problems.
The space shuttle program, founded in 1972, proved affordable, reliable, and easy to launch, so NASA began stacking up launches to at least 7 a year. NASA fell into a trap, believing that it was invincible and could make space flight routine. When the launch of Challenger turned to disaster, NASA’s worst fears were realized and the organization realized that significant changes needed to take place. They needed a new way to more successfully make sure that every piece of hardware they produced was completely functional and safe. Thus, NASA introduced the idea of Six Sigma to their workplace.
Originally developed by Motorola as a business administration strategy in 1981, Six Sigma is now applied in several sectors of commerce and by several major corporations, including NASA. The name Six Sigma originates from the idea that if there are six standard variations from the process mean and the nearest condition limit, barely any products will be defective. The purpose of the strategy is to improve the quality of products by removing the causes of defects. Each time Six Sigma is implemented in a project, it uses quality management methods such as statistical analysis. Experts in the Six Sigma project follow a defined sequence of steps in addition and stick to monetary goals.
In a Six Sigma process, experts in the Six Sigma method aim to achieve a 99.99966% yield in defective free products. The Six Sigma operations control hierarchy includes Executive Leadership (i.e. the CEO), Champions (responsible for Six Sigma execution across a company), Master Black Belts (assist Champions), Black Belts (apply Six Sigma methods to specific projects), and Green Belts (help with Six Sigma implementation along with their other responsibilities). Rather than relegating quality management responsibilities to the production floor, companies which use Six Sigma have separate quality control divisions. Thus the extra focus on reducing production error is aimed to prevent defects. Six Sigma is considered the optimum level of Sigma to attain. A lower sigma outputs too many defective products, while a higher sigma is too costly. This was the exact type of focus which NASA needed to aim for in order to increase the effectiveness of its shuttle program and improve its safety record.
Due to the increase in frequency of shuttle launches, NASA needed to be able to produce many rockets in a quick manner. Following the Challenger accident, NASA began to take strides towards this efficiency and goal of safety. They took initiative through programs such as the Shuttle Upgrades Program, created to make sure that all factors of risk and failure in each rocket produced would be reduced significantly. One failure out of fifty-six shuttle flights was a very poor record when lives were on the line, and NASA needed to ensure that their rate of failed flights stayed as low as possible.
NASA uses the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) plan, an approach that combines Lean Manufacturing (a production practice which heavily monitors spending excess money) and Six Sigma. The LSS global perspective takes both suppliers and customers into consideration. However, NASA’s decision to use Six Sigma was not to help engineers and operators to identify missing parts in the shuttles. Rather, it was implemented to help with micro level improvements by producing goods with standards approaching self imposed design limits. Goals in the use of Six Sigma include keeping the Shuttle flying safely and smoothly and supporting NASA’s commitment to expanded human access of space.
Although the theory of Six Sigma has made great changes to the production and safety of the space shuttle, there is always room for errors. With such complex machines, even the most elaborate of systems could not solve every problem. Six Sigma is a theory of work, involving the creation of many duplicate products; however, if there is a flaw in the design of the product, Six Sigma cannot help, explaining what went wrong with the Space Shuttle Columbia. The faulty tiles on the bottom of the space shuttle existed from the start of the shuttle program, yet it was not until Columbia’s final mission that the effects of this flawed design caused problems. Risk has always been a factor inside of NASA due to the inherently dangerous nature of their work. The Six Sigma theory was introduced so that engineers and technicians were forced to pay closer attention to the safety quality of their spacecrafts, and, in this respect, the program has fulfilled its purpose.
NASA has completed 316 projects under the Six Sigma methodology and currently has seventy-seven additional projects in the pipeline as of February 2010. NASA has applied this method to the design and manufacturing of next stage of shuttles, the Ares launch vehicles, intended to return astronauts to the moon and eventually take crews to Mars. The process shaved off sixty days of the design process by streamlining timely processes and cutting back the number of meetings. By using Six Sigma, NASA will ensure that the next generation of astronauts embark on missions unprecedented in both the degree of safety and the importance of the discoveries.
!!Bibliography
ASQ. "~Organization-Wide Approaches: Six Sigma." http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/six-sigma/overview/overview.html (15 October 2010).
Dale, Shana. "NASA Blogs: Lean Six Sigma NASA Style." NASA. http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Shana%27s-Blog/posts/post_1220024980633.html (15 October 2010).
Gantthead. "The Use of Sigma Six at NASA." http://www.neprojectservices.com/Articles/events/events005.htm (15 October 2010).
Hoyt, Diana. "Lean Six Sigma: What Every Program Manager Should Know." NASA. http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/2010/Presentations/Adrian.Mark.pdf (15 October 2010).
Six Sigma, Motorola. ~SixSigma.us. http://www.6sigma.us/ (15 October 2010).
!!Industrial Robotics and Six Sigma
by The Parish Episcopal School team
Works cited in appendix. [//Editor: Works cited appear after this article.//]
[>img[Parischo Episcopal School logo|ParishEpiscopal.jpg]] Industrial Robotics has been a budding field since the mid-20th century. It is used to do tasks incapable by humans, and also to accurately perform tasks faster and for longer periods of time than humans will ever be capable of performing. In the Total Recall, the concepts of robotics are implemented to show the accuracy and effectiveness of robots in fields of manufacturing at repetitive and quick actions performed upwards of thousands of times in an hour. Six sigma is not only a measure of perfection, but also an initiative to increase industrial success.
The first fully-automated device used in the industrial scene, and the device from which the entire concept of industrial robotics was born, was George Devol's programmable robot in 1954. In 1956, he coupled with engineer Joseph Engelberger to co found “Unimation,” the first industrial robotics company. From there, they showed the first example of robotic and computer-powered industrial manufacturing at the Servomechanisms Lab at MIT. However, following the demonstration, Planet Corporation marketed the first commercially available robot, designed and constructed by John Hopkins. The following year, American Machine and Foundry, later known as AMF Corporation, began marketing an industrially-useful robot similar to that of Planet and the Unimation Corporation. Unimation went on to be bought by the Condec Corporation and began production of the Unimate Robot System. Today, Devol's name still owns the patent to the device that many claim is what directly led to the creation of the first industrial robot.
The industrial arm that many associate with factories was not introduced until 1969, when Stanford engineers constructed the “Stanford Arm,” the first electric-powered and computer-managed robotic arm. It was first marketed in 1974, however, in 1973, Richard Hohn of the Cincinnati Milacron Corporation, built the first of a series of commercially available industrial robotic arms, known as T3, or The Tomorrow Tool. 1976 marked the beginning of the rise of interest in the utilization of industrial robotics, as the Viking 1 and Viking 2 space probes were built with the help of robot arms. In 1978, Unimation reappeared with the production of the Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly, or the PUMA robot. This machine garnered funding and backing from General Motors and is still the most commonly used assembly robot in 2010. 1980 began what is known as the “Robotic Age,” with a new company or robot design being introduced every month.
Six Sigma was introduced to the world in 1981 by members of Motorola's quality improvement technicians. It was a business strategy and manufacturing mindset designed to remove flaws. Today, a procedure of status Six Sigma performs with a success rate of 99.99966%, which means a failure rate of less than 3.4 in every million performances. The Term “Six Sigma” comes from a field of statistics known as “Process Capability,” which focuses on accurate and successful tasks with high number repetition. Bill Smith first articulated and published the correct methodology in 1986, garnering Motorola sole proprietary rights to the trademarked strategy. The ideas that Six Sigma represent were highly inspired by more than six preceding decades of advancing quality improvement methods. Walter A. Stewhart, W. Edwards Deming, Joseph M. Juran, Kaoru Ishikawa and Genichi Taguchi, are all quality improvement engineers that are credited as the primary influences of Bill Smith's Six Sigma strategy.
Six Sigma originated as a set of practices meant to eliminate manufacturing defaults and improve overall manufacturing processes in terms of speed, accuracy, basic reliability and reliability within mass repetition. The very doctrine that Six Sigma is based upon states three basic assertions: “Continuous efforts to achieve stable and predictable process results are of vital importance to business success,” “Manufacturing and business processes have characteristics that can be measured, analyzed, improved and controlled,” and “Achieving sustained quality improvement requires commitment from the entire organization, particularly from top-level management.” Although originally made with just industrial manufacturing in mind, it has spread to become a widely used business strategy.
Industrial robotics is known as a labor-reducing invention, capable of performing tasks too complicated for humans. Similarly, it is known for its ability to perform a series of tasks repetitively for long periods of time, reducing the necessity of excess of manpower. Six Sigma is a process of insuring reliability and precision of any given process in manufacturing and business. The BEST competition of 2010 utilizes the concepts of both as a tool for advancement and reward; teams must strive for perfection in order to obtain Six Sigma status, while teams must successfully perform the industrial tasks to gain points. Six Sigma is important in the field of industrial robotics for the increased quality of products that it yields, and that is seen greatly in the BEST competition.
!!!Works cited for research paper
http://www.used-robots.com/robot-education.php?page=robot+timeline Used division of ~RobotWorx; “Robot Education” – “Robot History” – “Robot Timeline”
Montgomery, Douglas C. (2009). //Statistical Quality Control: A Modern Introduction (6 ed.)//. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 23. ISBN 9780470233979. OCLC 244727396 – Six Sigma Inspiration.
Stamatis, D. H. (2004). //Sig//[sic] //Sigma Fundamentals: A Complete Guide to the System, Methods, and Tools//. New York, New York: Productivity Press. p. 1. ISBN 9781563272929. OCLC 52775178 – Six Sigma Inspiration.
Tennant, Geoff. (2001). [[SIG SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services|http://books.google.com/books?id=O6276jidG3IC&printsec=frontcover&dq=geoff+tennant&source=bl&ots=nsjy0ktIMX&sig=QVN-WnIf1A2Jk5m_0CUHx-Qhct8&hl=en&ei=moPLTLXWOsGBlAfyw9CYBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCgQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false]]. Gower Publishing, Ltd. p. 6. ISBN 0566083744.
!!Industrial Robots and the Transition out of the Factory
by Ursuline Academy’s Robobears team
[<img[Ursuline Academy of Dallas logo|Ursuline.jpg]] Industrial Robots were first imagined in 1956, a full one hundred and fifty-five years after the first steam powered locomotive was invented in 1801 (Landow). Although it took so long for someone to dream up the industrial robot, it only took inventors George Devol and Joseph Engelberger five years to take their idea from the pages of science fiction to the assembly line at General Motors, where the robot, named Unimate, began work welding (Unimate). Today, robots take part in many different industries, including the automotive, semi-conductor, food and life sciences industries, and are a part of industry throughout the United States (Leybovich). Like the robots that aspiring engineers construct for the BEST competition, these industrial robots can load, unload and package items but they can also do a lot more (Types).
There are many different kinds of industrial robots, but most of them rely on six different axes of motion to enable them to place parts precisely. Unlike the BEST robots, they don’t require a driver, and once programmed, can repeat a task with high speed, accuracy, and consistency for years. These robots do lots of different tasks in factories which are difficult or unpleasant for workers to handle. For example, in the semi-conductor industry, semi-conductors must be produced in clean-rooms, rooms free of all dust and oils. Robots are much more suited to this job than humans, who tend to introduce foreign matter into the clean-rooms. In particular, robots play a big part in the clean room of Samsung’s semi-conductor factory in Austin, Texas (Hooper). However, industry leaders believe that the next generation of robots will be even more versatile, and continue to expand even more.
John Dulchinos, CEO of robotics firm Adept Technology doesn’t want robots to be limited to factory work any longer. He foresees interactive robots working safely alongside humans in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, restaurants, and even homes (Leybovich). However, one reason robots are so well suited to repetitive factory work is that it can be extremely costly to program them, sometimes costing more than double the price of the robot itself (Hooper). In order to expand into other sectors, robots will not only need to be versatile, but also be able to adapt to the many different situations they will encounter while working closely with humans.
The robots at the BEST competition are extremely adaptable, able to perform different tasks based on different situations. For instance, if a gizmo is accidentally knocked onto the floor, the robot can take care of it. If time is running out, the robot can increase its pace. However, the robot would not be able to adapt to these different situations without a driver to perceive and interpret reality and then to make a decision about the best way to proceed. Advances in programming, collectively called intuitive programming, would give robots the ability to recognize objects using an intelligent 3D object recognition system. The system creates a model of reality and then transfers it to a 3D touch screen, where the robot suggests grip points and the human operator can revise the robot’s suggestion by marking different points on the touch screen. The robot stores the information and can later use it to make a similar decision if it encounters a similar situation. As the operator programs the robot for different situations, the robot becomes increasingly capable of solving problems as it “learns” from each new situation. This new method of intuitive programming will not only cut down on the most costly part of the industry, it will also enable robots to perceive reality and make a decision about how to proceed, much like a human does. This will enable the robot industry to expand into restaurants, hospitals and rehabilitation centers (Industry).
At this point in time, it sounds like something from a science fiction novel to suggest that in five years, the robots at the BEST competition could have the ability to see the field and make a decision about the best way to proceed in order to achieve the maximum score in the amount of time remaining. It sounds crazy, but in 1956, there were no industrial robots, and five years later, two inventors had developed and produced one that was ready to start work. Maybe in five years, the BEST competition won’t require good driving to win the match, but instead will be determined by how well the human team has “taught” the robot, and whether it is capable of adapting to different situations.
!!!Works Cited
Hooper, Rich. "Learn about Industrial Robots." Learn and Think about Robots. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. http://www.learnaboutrobots.com/industrial.htm
"Industry and Manufacturing: PROFACTOR Provides Intuitive Robot Programming." [[Robotics Trends|http://www.roboticstrends.com/industry_manufacturing/article/intuitive_human_robot_interaction_the_future_of_robot_programming]]. 21 June 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
Landow, George P. "The Industrial Revolution: A Timeline." The Victorian Web: An Overview. 26 Jan. 2006. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Leybovich, Ilya. "Industry Market Trends: Robots Take Over in 2010." [[Connecting Industry: ThomasNet News|http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2010/10/robots-take-over-in-2010-recovery-taking-hold.html]]. 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
"Types of Robots: Industrial Robots." Robotics Research Group: The University of Texas At Austin. University of Texas. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. http://www.robotics.utexas.edu/rrg/learn_more/low_ed/types/industrial.htm
"Unimate." The Robot Hall of Fame. Carnegie Mellon. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. http://www.robothalloffame.org/unimate.html
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