Re: Iambic pentameter (was Use v. utilize; was Re: Simple ge Question)

[Jim Cort <jcort -at- TOTALTEL -dot- COM>]

I highly recommend the insertion of little "Easter eggs" into one's manuals.
I once worked at an apparel manufacturer for six years as the sole tech
writer.  In every manual I ever did for them I put a joke of some kind.
This is a bit of an exaggeration, but sometimes this practice made the
difference between jumping out the window and not jumping out the window.
It tended to help me keep perspective.

Most of the time, it was a silly name or two, or silly action buttons on
generic screen examples.  I regard my crowning achievement the time I
inserted the lyrics to the song <Mairzy Doats> (don't know Mairzy Doats?
Look down below) into a screen shot for some messaging software.

The whole six years I was doing this, I was caught only once, by a woman
with whom I was fortunately on good terms.  I had placed one of our branch
stores in Dismal Seepage, Ohio.  She told me to change it, so I moved the
store to Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Say, you don't suppose this had anything to do with my being laid off, do
you?

<Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divy
A kiddley divy too, wouldn't you?>

Jim Cort
Technical Writer
TotalTel
Jcort -at- total -dot- com <mailto:Jcort -at- total -dot- com>

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