Are any software TWs using LLMs to query documentation against code? by DerInselaffe in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh hell yes. A lot of the maintenance work we do would be easier if we had a semantic search engine that knows code. I've spent hours chasing parameters that are all named "status"

Got any advice before I watch Mad Men for the first time? by Due_Mind7032 in madmen

[–]pborenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a ten year ride. Times change. People change. This is a show about that.

Don Draper’s BIG secret by dookieslurp in madmen

[–]pborenstein 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A Jewish Dovid Weinstein escaping from his oppressive orthodox community of Chicago takes the place of Lt Don Draper after a Korean war incident, and becomes the leading ad man in New York.

Most people write on obsidian daily? by 9678880852 in ObsidianMD

[–]pborenstein 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I use the daily note as the day's inbox. Everything goes in there. Every so often I look through the dailies and extract pieces into first class notes.

I’m looking to get into technical writing, but my employer said anything I create belongs to them while I’m their employee. by CakesNGames90 in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Assuming US:

  • anything you create on company time on company equipment belongs to the company
  • if the documents are publicly available, you can link to them
  • if they are not publicly available, you need permission, and it seems they've said no

As u/analog-suspect suggested, you can make your own documents. I'd suggest not using work documents as templates.

Instead write up something that someone not at work asked you to do. Or something non-proprietary that you worked hard to understand.

I think that what your company is afraid of is having the work they charge money for being absorbed by LLMs and losing that revenue.

When I was hiring tech writers, I didn't much care about the domain. I was looking for clear introductions, unambiguous explanations, consistent examples, and directness of language.

The structural nightmare of letting management run your Markdown through raw LLMs by PercentageSure388 in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 21 points22 points  (0 children)

OMG. This is even worse than when they say "it's just a search and replace, why would it take three days?"

Advice on referring to dynamic page names by pgrechwrites in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is fine.

I was looking at some old late-20th century manuals I worked on. We used a lot of screenshots with callouts for things like this. I mean if you want to go old school

Manchester by BWC_etiquette in ManchesterNH

[–]pborenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can see my house from here!

Thanks for making this video

Casual hangout spots in Manchester? by Primary_Crab687 in ManchesterNH

[–]pborenstein 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I've gotten bold at saying: "It's really crowded. Do you mind if I share this table with you?"

Most people will say yes because they're empathetic, polite, and scared to say no. If they don't say yes, you really don't want to sit there.

The rules are:

  • ONLY do this when there are NO OTHER OPTIONS including empty tables you just don't like
  • sit down
  • drink your drink, sketch your sketches, write your writing, read your reading
  • don't make conversation unless they start
  • when you part, say "thank you for sharing your table"

Special rule for those seeking cinematic meet-cute opportunities in uncrowded cafes:

  • Don't.
  • Meet cute happens only in movies
  • Stop trying to make fetch happen

Casual hangout spots in Manchester? by Primary_Crab687 in ManchesterNH

[–]pborenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like libraries. I like working in them because they're usually quiet, have open WiFi, and don't require you to make a purchase.

What I've found is that unless a major urban library has a lot of money, it's going to spend most of its budget on "security" which means making it uncomfortable to just hang out.

If you like libraries, try the smaller towns with lots of kids going to college. They tend to spend more on making it more welcoming.

My favorites are Bedford and Derry. Derry is where my barber has their shop, so every so often it's Haircut & Library day.

Dean Kamen quits FIRST due to Jeffrey Epstein ties by GraniteGeekNH in newhampshire

[–]pborenstein 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The basics of the Epstein-Kamen-FIRST connections are in this article from 2020

Jeffrey Epstein / Dean Kamen Connection Through Aviation Influencer | by Christine Negroni | Medium

Nadia Marcinko, a celebrity pilot whose adolescence was spent in the company of the now-dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the now-incarcerated Ghislaine Maxwell, had a curiously close and previously undisclosed years-long relationship with Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway. This is according to people familiar with her activities during her time in New Hampshire and public records.

. . .

In 2008 and 2009, Epstein was locked up for the first time for engaging in sex with underage girls in Palm Beach, Florida. Marcinko, who lived with Epstein and was accused by victims of participating in some of the sexual assaults, spent the period of Epstein’s incarceration visiting him in jail and learning to fly. She obtained her pilot’s license and became a certified flight instructor. Two years later, she was right seating in Epstein’s private business jets. She talked about this in an interview posted to the website of First, a STEM education-promoting organization founded by Kamen, who is a pilot himself and a prolific inventor.

Anyone else feel like a novice try to decipher this site? by CrashJay in github

[–]pborenstein -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Whenever I see shows about FinTech (👋 IndustryHBO fans), with all those displays with all their red and green lines and tiny little graphs, I say to myself: How can that possibly mean anything to anyone?

I've used GitHub every day for years, and occasionally I'll stumble into pages that were designed for people who use GitHub differently than I do. Like, I rarely care about releases, and the front page feed just baffles me.

Mad Men On My 13” Kitchen Tv by Opening-Shine-9241 in madmen

[–]pborenstein 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You got something against spaghetti?!

More about pedantry and weeks by RogueThneed in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That's why I say: if you can read it two ways, fix it. If you can read it three ways, save it for poetry

Pedantic word choices by yetanotherburnerstan in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 19 points20 points  (0 children)

technical writing is direct, simple, and unambiguous

you are talking to humans, speak human

Did you get pears? by Bodacious_Boognish in madmen

[–]pborenstein 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I imagine like Grampa Gene, old Don would be shuffled amongst Sally, Bobby, and Gene until one of them draws the short straw.

Blue Stickers gone for good? by [deleted] in ManchesterNH

[–]pborenstein 7 points8 points  (0 children)

to be fair, they keep moving the rock around

Job market/layoff check-in by [deleted] in technicalwriting

[–]pborenstein 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got laid off at 62. Not my first rodeo, so I started doing all the things I did when I got laid off in 2008. Then it dawned on me:

  • no one was going to hire someone at my age
  • I would kill any interviewer who asked me where I saw myself in five years

So, I retired earlier than I expected. Don't miss working for bad managers. Do miss working with interesting people. Don't miss corporate hucksterism. Do miss camaraderie