Re: Procedures for supposedly obvious things

[Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>]

   Jessica Weissman wrote:

I once had to write a procedure for taking a shower in a confined space,
for a defense department contract.  This was related in some way to
writing the MIL-SPEC for showers.  Or some such; it was 20  years ago.
At the time I was a programmer rather than a tech writer, but the
instructional designer/tech writer was swamped and handed the task off
to me.
  

   MIL-SPECs bring back memories.  One of my first projects as a technical
   writer (1976) was to write a specification for a "muffin style cooling fan"
   that would be used on nuclear submarines.  The specification included
   instructions for dipping in a vat of water and exploding charges above,
   below and around it, then testing it to see if it still met noise standards.
   Overall, the specification went on for 325 pages and required six months of
   time for two writers and an illustrator.  Fans that passed the test cost the
   gov't around $50 each. The same muffin fan (according to the manufacturer)
   could have been purchased from Radio Shack for $5.95., but without the
   accompanying 325 page specification.
   Al
   --

   Al Geist
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   Voice/Msg: 802-658-3140

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   See also:
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   "When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to
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                            Theodore Roosevelt

References

   1. mailto:al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
   2. http://www.geistassociates.com/
   3. http://www.geistimages.com/
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