Get Out The Dilithium Crystals!

You're familiar with Haynes Manuals, right? They're only known for publishing the very best illustrated guides for repairing (or exploring the guts of) cars, motorcycles and bicycles, as well as a series covering historic aircraft. Maybe you have to be into DIY stuff to have heard of them. Or, maybe, you have to be interested in technical communication (that's my camp).

Well, now they have boldly gone where no (serious) technical DIY manual has ever gone: Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise! The startrek.com staff interviewed editor Derek Smith about this latest addition to the Hayes library: Inside the Haynes Enterprise Manual

I can finally build my own warp engine! (No, not really)

Paycheck

If your paycheck is your primary motivation, you should look elsewhere. No paycheck can compensate you for a meaningless work like, and you'll live happily on less if you are genuinely enthusiastic about what you do." -- Urbanska, Wanda. "Paths to Simplicity." Experience Life June 2010: 74-76. 

Isn't it interesting that I read this today, just one day after concluding the worst few weeks I have ever experienced at the day job?

Man down in the cubicle war

Colorblind/Stone/Getty Images

Another one bites the dust.

See more pictures of corporate life.

Alas Poor Clippy

Graphic borrowed from monkeyPi.net

I have been a technical writer for over a decade, and for much of that time I have used Microsoft Office. So I am thrilled over the news of Clippy's "death." And this account of Clippy's exit interview is all kinds of good nerdy humor.