Super Funny

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https://youtu.be/hf2kzU3pL5A - John Ward on the impeachment trial.

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Malta, Where is that?

This morning, there were three emails from Altaro, a software company, in my email. Two of the three emails were identical content but with different time stamps - 2:48 AM and 2:51 AM, followed by a third email at 6:38 AM. Being the curious person I am, of course I had to go look at their website and their job openings page, not because I want to leave my current (AWESOME) job, but because 5 years ago, I was looking for a job and had not received the job offer that I accepted. While scanning their careers page, I saw the following opening, which is located in Malta. Because job ads have an unknown lifespan, I've copied /pasted their opening below and added the URL of their jobs page at the bottom of this post. I don't really know if working in Malta would be an "Awesome" or "Crappy" thing but, in either case, I'm not moving to Malta.

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Marketing Copywriter – Technical

LOCATION: MALTA, EU

Hire date: 1 May 2021 onwards

Due to continued growth, we are seeking a stellar technical copywriter to join our international marketing team.

In this role, you will educate and persuade by writing clear, compelling copy to promote our technologies to our target audiences around the world. As part of the Marketing Team, you will show our customers how our offerings help them and persuade them to purchase, subscribe or partner with us.

To occupy the post of Marketing Copywriter – Technical, you therefore need supreme English writing skills coupled with writing experience in the tech industry.

Your responsibilities will include conversion optimization across your B2B copywriting, as you create persuasive copy to promote the benefits of our products and services on our website, marketing materials, ads, lead nurturing campaigns, press releases, and more.

Your main goal is to emphasize our unique selling points and develop convincing calls to action (CTAs), but you must also be able to describe technical features and functionalities.

Key responsibilities:

• Learn about our products and our positioning to craft clear, compelling copy (in English) for our website and product marketing materials, such as brochures, slide decks, and so on; with the goal of educating and selling
• Write persuasive copy to promote our company and software solutions via mailers, letters, landing pages, lead nurturing campaigns, press releases, and ads
• Collaborate with other team members on large- and small-scale marketing projects
• Interview customers and partners and write case studies; create incisive templates for use by the Sales Team; research and develop white papers; etc.
• Edit and proofread copy as needed, ensuring it is in line with the company voice and messaging
• Keep our written materials up to date
• Liaise with our SEO team to apply best practices to your work
• Continually sharpen your CTA skills
• Match the depth of technical info per piece with that of the target audience and their ‘location’ in the customer journey; and ‘translate’ concepts that are too technical into benefits that are easy to understand
• Perform multivariate testing, log results and make recommendations on how to refine our copywriting for better conversion

Required:

• Proven experience as a copywriter in the technology industry (English language)
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills
• Strong research skills
• Creativity
• Ability to research, keep abreast of and share findings on best practices
• Experience with SEO
• Solid communication and interpersonal skills, with a collaborative approach
• Dynamic, proactive and structured approach to work
• Ability to achieve goals and meet deadlines
• Degree in marketing, English, journalism or related field

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Editor's Note: For future reference, their careers page is located here: https://www.altaro.com/careers/

Revisiting a Year Ago

Soon. Very Soon!

What If Metallica was a SOUTHERN METAL band (Enter Sandman)

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Can't Get It

Due to a recent attack upon health care organizations across the United States, all permission to install a program on any work laptop has been revoked. This means that I cannot install https://www.extendoffice.com/forum/kutools-for-word/762-kutools-for-word-9-00-%E2%80%93-release-notes.html. I would purchase the program - it's $39 - and use it outside of work because it includes a new feature: Batch File and Replace. I have a macro that does this but it would be really nice to have a purchased program be able to perform this functionality as well. It looks like there is more functionality in the Kutools software than within the free macro.

Evil Clippy

Did you know that there is a tool called https://github.com/outflanknl/EvilClippy? Me neither. Per the link,

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A cross-platform assistant for creating malicious MS Office documents. Can hide VBA macros, stomp VBA code (via P-Code) and confuse macro analysis tools. Runs on Linux, OSX and Windows.

If you're new to this tool, you might want to start by reading our blog post on Evil Clippy: https://outflank.nl/blog/2019/05/05/evil-clippy-ms-office-maldoc-assistant/

This project should be used for authorized testing or educational purposes only.

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Why would I be looking at this page? Because I have macros in my templates that I cannot edit. When I select the macro, the Edit button is disabled. Thus, I was looking for a solution and when I came upon this page - VBA-Project Locked - Project is Unviewable - I was initially happy. It led me to the GitHub page and that's where my happiness evaporated because I read the following:

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Compilation

We do not provide a binary release for EvilClippy. Please compile executables yourself:

OSX and Linux

Make sure you have Mono installed. Then execute the following command from the command line:

mcs /reference:OpenMcdf.dll,System.IO.Compression.FileSystem.dll /out:EvilClippy.exe *.cs

Now run Evil Clippy from the command line:

mono EvilClippy.exe -h

Windows

Make sure you have Visual Studio installed. Then execute the following command from a Visual Studio developer command prompt:

csc /reference:OpenMcdf.dll,System.IO.Compression.FileSystem.dll /out:EvilClippy.exe *.cs

Now run Evil Clippy from the command line:

EvilClippy.exe -h

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I have never compiled a program - EVER! It's not that I don't want to learn how to compile a program - it's that I have managed to find a simple issue I want to fix - being able to edit a macro that I created - that has a complex answer. Sigh. I'm an English major and sometimes just saying that feels like an excuse. After all, I truly do not have the technical expertise of a developer. I think Alex has more logic and reasoning skills than I do - and I'm the adult in the room! I think that because he has taken coding classes at UNI whereas I never have taken a formal coding class. Sometimes I think I'd like to do so - and to that end, I've looked at what classes are available to me on the LinkedIn training site. Perhaps I will learn how to compile a program.

Approaching 26 Years as a TWer!

I have worked as a technical writer for 25 years, 11 months, 3 weeks, 5 days (9492 days) and will reach 26 years next week on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, which also happens to be the day when I meet with my manager about my 2020 Performance Review. Before going on about the topic at hand, I just want to state, for the record, that I do not reduce the amount of time I have worked as a technical writer by the sum of the two periods during which I was in a job search situation. The sum of days in those two periods is 78 days - yes, I looked in my private journals to determine that the first period was 37 days and the second period was 41 days. Thus, in a technical frame of mind, my 26-year anniversary of being a technical writer would not be next week, but rather on the unimportant date of Thursday, April 29, 2021. I don't have any special story about any April 29th, so I am going to retain February 10 as my anniversary date because it is the day on which I interviewed at NDP and was hired by NDP. For more information, read other posts with the NDP label. Anyways, the text in red below would be interesting, the text in bold/italic would be difficult to teach in a 3-hour class. I'm not signing up for the class.

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Technical Writing for the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Biotech Industries

This technical writing training program will offer attendees an understanding of how the reporting process supports products in research, development, and in the marketplace. This virtual session will highlight the mandates for documentation set forth by the regulators, such as the FDA, the ISO, and other governing bodies. The program will train attendees on effectively reviewing and revising documents and assessing your audience, in effect producing effective written correspondence. This course will address how to write effective correspondence and reports in support of your company's activities. Attendees will learn how to organize and deliver information for the intended audience. They will also learn how to write clear and readable documents, and how to revise and refine your own and others' writing. The course will provide an overview of sound grammatical conventions, address problematic areas of the English language, and afford opportunities to address specific language issues. COURSE OBJECTIVE: Upon completing this course participants should:

1. Understand the mandates for documentation set forth by the regulators, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and other governing bodies
2. Know how the reporting process supports products in research, development, and the marketplace
3. Understand how documents work in tandem from initial correspondence about a project to an approved protocol, amendments, and final study report
4. Know how to produce effective written correspondence
5. Understand how to assess and write to the audience
6. Know how to organize and deliver information based on the message
7. Understand how to structure reports
8. Understand the innate structures of English grammar
9. Know how to create grammatically sound passages
10. Understand how the active and passive voices work and how to choose the most appropriate one for the type of writing you are doing
11. Have a working knowledge of punctuation marks and their role in making documents readable
12. Know how to review and revise documents
13. Understand your own writing patterns and know the answers to your questions about the English language
14. Have increased confidence in writing and revising documents

Topic: 3-hr Virtual Seminar: Technical Writing for the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Biotech Industries
Date: 10th - February - 2021, Wednesday
Time: 1 PM EST
Duration: 3 Hours
Location: Live, interactive training on your computer - Includes proprietary tools and helpful documentation!
Instructor Profile Joy L. McElroy: With 10 years of experience as a consultant, and over 20 years total experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Joy L. McElroy specializes in Quality Assurance, Process and Cleaning Validation, and Equipment Qualification. In 2013 Joy started her own company, Maynard Consulting Company, which provides top engineers, auditors, and validation specialists to pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device clients across the United States, Canada, and the world

Use the F

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10 Reasons Why [He Doesn't] Miss Playing Live

10 Reasons Why [He Doesn't] Miss Playing Live

Why You Shouldn't (Always) Copy Your Drum Heroes

Why You Shouldn't (Always) Copy Your Drum Heroes

Quote to Inspire

Could this be the first concert since SLAYER in Nov 2019?

5FDP is Coming to the IA State Fair

Bernie and the Mittens

At President Biden's inauguration, Bernie Sanders sat on a chair, bundled in a heavy coat and heavy mittens. Social media decided to make that image of Bernie be a meme. There have been hundreds of images that now feature Sanders where he wasn't present prior to the inauguration. I have not saved the many images that I, personally, found worth a smirk as it has really blown up into a crazy fad. However, I did save one, the one below, to document this fad. 

It's Never Too Late

Is it too late to "start the new year off with tips to organize [my] life for the year ahead"? Nah. This is from an article I saw yesterday.

New year. New habits.

Start the new year off with tips to organize your digital life for the year ahead.

Eliminate desktop clutter with a quick shake of your mouse or finger.

Clean up your taskbar by removing distractions and keeping the icons you want.

Free up space by turning on Storage Sense to clear out unwanted files.

Organize and protect your files with OneDrive.

Personalize your start menu for easier access to your favorite apps.

We want Unity after 4 years of Divisive Rhetoric!

CNN analyst wants "terrorist" Trump "isolated" and have his money taken

Headline: CNN Analyst: Trump a ‘terrorist’ leader, put him in ‘complete isolation’, take his money
What's Up: On the day President Trump again denounced last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol, CNN's Juliette Kayyam declared the president to be the leader of terrorist organization who must be removed and not just stripped of his power, but also his wealth. 
Quote: "'And I think what we have to remember is Trump is the spiritual but I will also say operational leader of this domestic terrorism effort,' Kayyem claimed. 'He tells them where to go. He tells them what to do. He tells them why they’re angry. And so we need to start at the top, like any counterterrorism effort, which is isolation of the president of the United States, impeachment, yes, 25th Amendment, yes, de-platforming, yes, all of the above, no money, no access to campaign funds, a complete isolation.'" — DailyWire.com
The First take: Apparently, the Left won't be happy with Trump being gone from the White House. They won't be happy with the president being impeached a second time, he must also be removed, isolated, and have all of his money taken away. We wonder what the Left wants to happen to Trump supporters. Gulags? Re-education camps? (If you think that's extreme, a Washington Post columnist said Trump supporters need to be "deprogrammed." See for yourself.)

Because I Felt like Bayside would be Good

25 Bayside Tunes

1. They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns
2. Sick, Sick, Sick
3. They Looked Like Strong Hands
4. Dear Tragedy
5. Heaven
6. Numb
7. Tall
8. Dear Your Holiness
9. Walk It Off
10. The Walking Wounded
11. Interrobang
12. Head On A Plate
13. Trouble
14. Duality
15. Choice Hops And Bottled Self Esteem
16. The Wrong Way
17. White Flag
18. Don't Call Me Peanut
19. Mona Lisa
20. Carry On
21. Medication
22. The New Flesh
23. [Pop] Ular SciencE
24. Seeing Sound
25. Winter

All Along the Watchtower by Lucifer, not Hendrix

The Excellent Cover

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The Original

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A Dozen Years Later

I wanted to revisit this post now that a dozen years have passed. Neither the original author nor I work at the company with the "colors" issue that is described in this post. Just Because you have a Product to Show

20 Years Ago: Jason Newsted Leaves Metallica

Anniversary of When Jason Newsted Left Metallica

Interesting

https://whoismatt.com

Ride the Slip N Fly

Ride the Slip N Fly

Began Career as a VP

How many people in the world start their career as a VP?

Beth Gerber

	Beth Gerber is co-owner and President of Lightext, Inc., a firm that specializes in quality consulting in the areas of policy and procedure development, curriculum design, and training delivery.
Owner and President of Lightext, Inc.
Beth began her career as a Vice President for Home Savings of America in California and was responsible for training, procedures, and loan servicing operational departments. In 1994, Beth took her expertise and opened a consulting company that models her commitment to high standards in the writing and training profession. Beth’s expertise is in utilizing RoboHelp for corporate enterprise solutions. As an expert in this product and an Adobe Partner, she has co-hosted multiple webinars with Adobe Systems, been a featured speaker at Writers UA and STC conferences and Adobe pre-conference workshops, and has authored several RoboHelp product reviews. She also provides customized RoboHelp training at client locations.

Break the Backboard

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White Hats from Restaurant in Mall of America

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From the U of I Office of the President

A Message about yesterday's chaos

Peter Criss Explains the Past

Peter Criss on Eddie Trunk

Peter Criss Explains Why He Didn't Play on Dynasty

Paul Stanley Drunk During A KISS Interview for Unmasked 1980

Is PS an ass in this video?

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Meanwhile, in other news, I am now 10 years sober. 

I went for my yearly checkup - my first in a very long time - and it was with a new doctor. As we're talking about my history, he asks if I drink alcohol. I said no, that I have been sober for 10 years. I went on to say something similar that I've said here, which is that I didn't like who I was when I drank booze. Furthermore, I said that I grew tired of hurting the people I love - and to clarify, emotionally, not physically - and that I was not the best version of who I am when I drink booze. Not only that, but I said I was never a case of beer a day or fifth of vodka a day drinker and I didn't go to AA - I had just decided to quit so that's what I did. The doctor was supportive of what I told him, adding only that it was good that I had reached the conclusions I had and done something about it.

That's how I feel - I did something about it. I have many vices in my life - too much Mountain Dew, donuts, hot dogs, pizza, breads, that are not counterbalanced by veggies and fruits. I eat a lot of things that "healthy" people don't eat. In fact, I saw online a priest I know is on a 90-day cleanse where he stays off of social media, doesn't drink caffeine -- and that's the dealbreaker for me right there -- and takes cold showers, all to re-dedicate himself to God. I know Alex's small group at St. Stephen's on the UNI campus did something similar, and I commend everyone that does that re-dedication journey. I am not doing it this year and probably will not next year.

Good Season so Far and BIG Test at MD Tonight

Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball: The Luka Garza/Jack Nunge Dynamic

Some New-to-Me Tunes

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908 Behind the Pace but Looking for a Rally

I have posted a lot on this blog! While I wrote 742 posts in 2020, in the overall picture, it was the first year since 2015 when I wrote fewer than 1000 posts. How many posts will I publish in 2021? My initial impression is that I will publish more than 742 but not necessarily more than 1857 posts (which is the number of posts I published in 2018). I really don't know how often I will publish as I tend to resist a post per day quota, as I've mentioned in other posts. While I know I have a large backlog of content I saved with the intention of publishing in multiple posts in 2020, I'm not sure if I will return to that backlog or, if I do, how I will handle that content.

Month-year	Post Count
2020	742
2019	1650
2018	1857
2017	1507
2016	1364
2015	567
2014	636
2013	433
2012	259
2011	140
2010	121
2009	270
2008	209
2007	1