TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Anybody got interesting stats? From:Loren Castro <lfc -at- SOL -dot- CHINALAKE -dot- NAVY -dot- MIL> Date:Tue, 6 Jun 1995 12:05:30 -0700
Chet wrote (in part):
To illustrate the point, I'd like to collect some eye-catching statistics or
anecdotes showing how the information load has increased over the years.
Anecdotes like: "typical medical chart for a patient in 1950 -- 3 pages; in
1990 -- 30 pages." Or: "In 1965, the volume of paper published by US
corporations doubled every 5 years. In 1995, the time is 9 months." I strongly
believe that a number of pressures (more complicated products, more gov't
regulation, more consumer demand for information) are acting in concert to
drive up both the volume and the complexity of the information we must
deliver.
Of course, I could be wrong. It could be that we really aren't generating that
much more info than we used to. Hmmmm............ Nayh!
----------------------
The following numbers from the _New_York_Times_ business section have always
boggled my mind:
The Gettysburg Address contains 226 words, the Lord's Prayer 56 words,
the 23rd Psalm 118 words, and the Ten Commandments 297 words, while
the U.S. Department of Agriculture directive on pricing cabbage weighs
in at 15,629 words.