Ideas for Out-of-Class Project #6

My idea for our sixth out-of-class project, in which we will share a piece of UPS-wisdom with the class through a short powerpoint presentation, is to elaborate on something I've learned as a result of my environmentally-focused major. Throughout my time at UPS, I've definitely encountered some "ah-ha" moments in various environmental classes.

Currently, I'm trying to choose between a funnier, versus a more "wise" piece to share. The funnier of the two involves an analogy with salmon (basically, even as an undergraduate, you are still a young "smolt," about to embark on a much larger journey once you leave campus as a graduate) and the other comes from an environmental-history class, which taught me to start thinking about my life as one integrated with the natural world, rather than separate from it.

Both pieces have stayed with me ever since, and I'm sure they either one would be a fun subject to tackle in a powerpoint.

"What Technical Communicators Can Learn from Comics"

This was a cool article. It is very interesting to think about the rhetorical potential of comics, especially their ability to relay a lot of information in fairly short order. The visual aspect of comics helps too, as author Opsteegh writes, by getting people to remember information.

But in thinking about the article's central point -- that comics can be used to help technical writers, especially in creating how-to manuals like that of the army's M16A rifle or Google's new Chrome internet browser -- I believe a larger issue becomes revealed.

In the last line of the article, Opsteegh ends with what was perhaps meant to be an uplifting comment on the future of comic-technical partnership: "as the functional literacy of Americans falls lower and lower, technical communicators will see more and more use for comic-book-style manuals."

I find it interesting that the author uses the ever-diminishing literacy rate of Americans as a send-off point for his readers. It paints a picture of technical writing, especially with the help of comics, as a way to profit off an uneducated population. Seems to me that before we write technical manuals attempting to help people, maybe we should first help them learn how to read.

"Ten Rules for New Technical Communication Graduates"

As I read through Angela Petit's article, one comment immediately stopped me on the page:

"new graduates may discover that the biggest adjustment they make as they begin their careers is to unlearn the rules that helped them excel in the classroom, and learn the sometimes contradictory rules that govern their new workplace."

Maybe it's because this idea of unlearning relates to a current thesis paper I am writing, or maybe the general concept just intrigues me, but I think it's fascinating that the lessons we learn in school are so disconnected to the world we actually enter. The consequences of this, as Petit points out, usually require that we act and work completely opposite to the rules we spent so much time memorizing in school. But what does this say about our education system? What does it mean that we have to "abandon" what we learn, especially from higher institutions, to actually succeed in the careers we entered college to prepare for in the first place? It seems like an awful lot of learning, with not much to show for it. Makes me wonder if we should all revert back to the guild system, where students learned the craft they wanted to pursue by becoming an apprentice, shadowing someone who actually knows what they're doing instead of "going to school" for it first.

"The Game's the Thing: Working at Electronic Arts"

I thought that this article was a little lame, and definitely did not feel very inspired to go work for a video game company. For one, I have never been much good at playing them (unless you count MarioKart, circa Nintendo64) and I also could never work for a company where your writing responsibilities revolve around what a virtual-Al Pacino says in Level Two of The Godfather The Game. While I'm sure it feels pretty good to work for Electronic Arts (EA), a internationally recognized company, and while working and writing for them demands a certain level of focus in between Madden games, I cannot see this writing-arena as worthy of much more than a high score.

"The Grammar of Fun"

The most interesting piece Tom Bissell's article, "The Grammar of Fun," is the discussion of layers of meaning within "Gears of War:" a recent video game masterpiece. In the article, Cliff Bleszinski -- the creator of Gears of War -- hints to the author that apart from the "testosterone-filled chainsaw-fest" that pretty much encapsulates a Gear of War gamer experience, there is something else not-so-subtly hidden beneath the surface: a "'going home' narrative."

This got me thinking about all the levels of plot and narrative that can lie in something as virtual, and other-worldly as a video game, as well as the ways in which virtual reality becomes just another place where we project how we think the world should be. Bleszinski, also known as CliffyB, describes how he misses the house where he grew up in Boston, and reveals that Gears of War carries a parallel story, where the main character Marcus Fenix also experiences a sort of "homecoming" (but with "some of the most harried and ridiculously frantic fighting in the game" thrown in too)."When you start to peel back the layers of the Gears world," says CliffyB, "there's a lot of sadness there."

I wonder if it might be happier without the chainsaws?

Product review assignment: smittenkitchen versus The Pioneer Woman

It seems to me that over the past decade or so, cooking – and perhaps the idea of food in general – has evolved into not only a source of entertainment, but obsession. Once a fairly banal activity reserved for busy-bee housewives, cooking and entertaining have taken on new meaning in today’s society. One scroll through the popular Food Network channel on cable television says it all: the sheer variety of entertaining styles (from Napa-Valley casual to deep Southern charm) combined with unending genres of cooking (from Everyday Italian to 30-Minute Meals) and enthusiastic on-air personalities (where to begin – Giada? Ina? Rachel? Paula?) all together point to the heightened level of attention we give to our food.

It is this sense of satisfaction in creating, watching, and of course eating good food that I have chosen to compare two “products” that help spread this love to the masses. That’s right, I’m talking about food blogs.

Gone are the years when good recipes were hidden and guarded like a chest of buried treasure. In fact, it seems even the age of publishing written cookbooks has fallen a tad behind the times. Nowadays, simply a regular old search engine can instantly provide both amazing recipes and cooking tips in any food genre you can dream up.

However, as with anything mass-produced, there are bound to be some blogs that rise to the top. These are the ones you read more often, the ones you e-mail or twitter or text to your friends, and of course, the recipes you decide to try for yourself.

But there is something else, too, that draws the audience in. While describing food is the main attraction, the personalities of the food bloggers themselves – much like the charismatic individuals on the Food Network – pull people in almost as much as their edible insights. The woman (or man as it were) behind the stove has become an equally intriguing subject for the public – just ask Julia & Julia.

Based on these qualities, I have chosen to compare two of the most popular food blogs: smittenkitchen (smittenkitchen.com) and The Pioneer Woman (thepioneerwoman.com). Both written by women (and moms!), the food they create and the stories they share are worth experiencing. And, consequently, I have cooked recipes from each site.

So where to begin? How can you compare something like food blogs? Well, the answer seems to be to create easily identifiable categories. For this comparison, I have chosen to compare smittenkitchen and Pioneer Woman based on the following: food taste, recipe readability and directions, recipe variety, appearance and web design, and personality.

First: an assessment of smittenkitchen. After cooking a number of recipes from this site, I have felt pleased with not only the food’s taste, but also the ease (most of the time) in preparing it. As an aspiring college chef, my budget is tighter than most and my kitchen a little less stocked with the proper tools, but I have still found it fairly manageable to cook smittenkitchen dishes without skimping too much on ingredients, or style. Recipe readability and directions are clear, and the site also allows readers to comment, thus providing additional tips below the regular recipe from smittenkitchen followers (if you choose to view them). The variety of recipes is one of the strongest qualities of the website, providing not only an ever-growing catalog, but also categorizing the site’s recipes according to type and season. This makes cooking with local fruits and vegetables a breeze, since seasonal favorites are already highlighted for you. The blog's appearance is also a crowd-pleaser, with delicious, melt-in-your-mouth food photography depicting each new recipe that hits the homepage. smittenkitchen does, however, boast a high number of advertisements throughout the site, so be prepared for your recipes to be interrupted by ads in the margins. Finally, the personality of the author is a little mysterious. While the blog manages to include pictures of the author’s freshly born son, her Manhattan neighborhood, and the surrounding environment, you see very little of the author herself, other than the occasional hand holding a pot handle. One suggestion for this site might be to include a brief biography with a picture of the author. That way, the audience could learn a little more about her, in addition to viewing her beautiful dishes and adorable baby boy.

On to the Pioneer Woman. Where smittenkitchen leaves something to be desired in the “personality” category, “Pioneer Woman” Ree Drummond – the site’s author and creator – wears her story on her sleeve. Not only does the site provide pages upon pages of photos and stories about her family and life on their farm, but also describes the journey Ree took to get there. In a story she’s titled “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels,” Ree describes her shift from big city to country lifestyle, complete with all the trappings of a clichéd romance. But, instead of Cinderella’s magic slippers, Ree wears cowboy boots.

Ironically, however, it is this attention to detail that can detract from the site’s use as a “food blog.” This is because, in addition to cooking, Ree also includes photography tips, home-decorating ideas, and lessons from home-schooling her four children too. In this way, Ree’s attention to the actual “cooking” part can seem to sit on the back burner. Nonetheless, the taste and ease of cooking her “cowboy friendly” recipes is right on target, once you can find them. As far as variety, Ree includes recipes that demonstrate her ability to do more than make chili or grill a steak: there are delicate recipes, as well as hearty ones. And finally, the appearance, while detailed, is also heart-warming, especially in the photos she shares of her children, her husband, and friends that visit the farm.

In the end, the decision comes down to personal preference. For the online food-blog-addict that likes a direct approach, smittenkitchen’s easy-access food directory can point to exactly what you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you prefer to get caught up in a good story, or spend a few minutes fantasizing about what it might be like if you lived on a farm, take some time to listen to the Pioneer Woman before biting into your homemade cornbread.

"Surprising Facts about Product Reviews"

I find it interesting to contrast this article with the one about Walter Mossberg. Towards the end of the "Walter" article, the author mentions that Walter, probably due to his popularity within the field of technology journalism, doesn't feel constrained by the pressure many feel about writing a product review "first." I find this comforting, in a way, that he does this, since it means there are still people out there that care about truly testing a product out and aren't just hurrying through, trying to meet a deadline or beat the competition out for the "first review." I think it's cool that Walter cares about taking his sweet time, and also think it's the show of a good critic that he takes the time to consider the product and then truly present his opinion, even if it doesn't mesh with the popular or mainstream view. Those reviewers that become seduced by the quick review, probably haven't spent as much time as Walter and might not provide as complete (or realistic) a look into a product's functionality.