Adobe, the company, has been releasing RoboHelp for 13 years, per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_RoboHelp. I use version 2015, which was released on June 8, 2015, a whopping 2181 days (5 years, 11 months, 2 weeks, 6 days ago. Between the release of RoboHelp 2015 and RoboHelp 2017, I started working at my present job and, because of the timing of when I needed to choose a Help Authoring Tool (HAT), I did not have the option to choose version 2017. Fast-forward a few years and Adobe creates a Beta testing program, which is over, for an upcoming version of RoboHelp. I signed up and requested a Virtual Desktop Instance (VDI) to be set up so as to not disrupt my "Production" laptop. I worked with the Beta version for several months. Last month, when I was issued a laptop to replace the laptop I was issued when I began at my employer, I had RoboHelp 2020 installed on it. The idea was to put that version through one last push of trying to decide whether I should upgrade from RoboHelp 2015 to RoboHelp 2020. My verdict? No, I should not.
The following screenshot shows how lowly RoboHelp is in the Adobe family of products. I didn't blur the screenshot at all. It shows that Adobe is "okay" with releasing a video about RoboHelp 2020 with very poor quality. I am using the "original" size of the screenshot to demonstrate that there was no resizing that could have impacted its quality, which is why it looks grossly huge and cuts into the options on the right.
Other than saying, "It's not me," I won't specify who has used 10.309 GB of data in May 2021.
There are 8 days remaining in this billing period. If I remember to do so, I will post another screenshot of data usage on Friday, June 4, 2021.
I would rather have too many CDs and DVDs and cassette tapes and books and journals than TOO MANY shoes! In the picture below, I see on the
To be blunt, I do not like this house at all!
The main level features a small kitchen and the living room is laid out where you have to have the TV in a corner. All of the bedrooms, including the primary bedroom, look small. The size of the primary bath & the size of the walk-in closet are unimpressive. It also looks like to go to the basement, you would walk 6 steps, then turn and go another 4 steps. While there's no measurements to tell me how wide the landing is after the first 6 steps, it would be awful to try to move anything to the basement.
Greg smiled to himself. This was it. This was the war that was promised. Finally, the liberals were gong to pay for what they had done to his once great country.
I've mentioned The Miz before. I have watched his rise from a member of MTV's "The Real World" cast, where he created his Miz character, to actually having his dream of being a professional wrestler come to fruition. Apparently, at Sunday night's WWE PPV called Backlash, Miz tore his ACL in his match, and I say that because I read the link at the bottom of this post.1 What I find most interesting is that I read The Miz is 40 years old, which I can verify is true, thanks to Wikipedia - see the link at the bottom of this post.2 I still envisioned The Miz as a young 20-something year-old, who was trying to work out his relationship with Coral, one of his roommates, during his season on The Real World. Looking at Wikipedia, I learned that his season of The Real World was on TV in 2001 - 20 years ago!3 Recently, there was a movie that had the line "leave the past in the past" or maybe it was "The past is the past" - I'm not sure - and I think that's a relevant idea as I think about this all today. The Miz IS 40 years old and NOT the 20 year-old from The Real World. I need to break free of my mental picture of him and embrace that, right now, he is injured and, depending upon the extent of his injury, could be absent from WWE TV for 6 to 9 months, which, if it's 9 months, it would be January 2022 before he returns, which would be AWESOME if he were to return as a surprise entrant in the 2022 Royal Rumble, which is traditionally in January of each year.
I'm creating a reminder to view this post on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. However, when I was researching when the Royal Rumble in 2022 was going to be, I learned that it's not a definite that the Royal Rumble in 2022 will actually be held in January 2022, due to an expanded NFL season.4Of course, time will tell what happens.
This came to my Inbox yesterday and I thought it was worth sharing. I vaguely remember this being mentioned at this time in 2020, but freely admit that I don't think I knew about it in 2019 or earlier in my life.
I didn't realize that, in 1921 that there were "private aircraft" available in 1921. Interesting to think about.
When was the first air attack on American soil? 9/11? Where was the worst race riot in American History? Watts? Detroit? Newark?
Answer to all…..TULSA 1921….history books might omit this but society should never forget.
[snip] May 31-June 1 marks 100 years since the thriving Tulsa community of Black Wall Street was burned down and many of its residents were killed in what became known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. The Tulsa race massacre (known alternatively as the Tulsa race riot, the Greenwood Massacre, the Black Wall Street Massacre, the Tulsa pogrom, or the Tulsa Massacre) took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, many of them deputized and given weapons by city officials, attacked Black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has been called "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history". The attack, carried out on the ground and from private aircraft, destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the district—at that time the wealthiest Black community in the United States, known as "Black Wall Street”. To learn more please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA8t8PW-OkA or https://vimeo.com/504899928
Editor's Note: I want to preface this post by stating, quite simply, I am extremely happy to work for my employer and in no way shape or form am I thinking about leaving. I am only writing what I am writing today because I saw something worth writing about earlier today.
I don't write about this topic often so this may come as a shock: I am fascinated by job ads. For over 30 years, which is when I was in my sophomore year at college, I vividly remember scanning the Sunday Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette because I wanted to find a different job than working at the Spring House Restaurant, but I never found what I was looking for in that section.
Then, when I was nearing graduation from college, I remember scanning the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette every day because I wanted to find a full-time, permanent job so that I could leave my job at the Spring House Restaurant. Eventually, I saw the ad for APAC Teleservices in late summer of 1992 and was eventually hired to work for that company.
However, my scanning of the Classified ads never waned.
When I was hired at my first Technical Writer position at NDP, I continued to scan the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette because I felt like I should move on to another company. Eventually, I saw the ad for Jordan Systems in January 1998 and was eventually hired to work for that company.
However, my scanning of the Classified ads never waned.
When I was working at Jordan Systems, I learned that there was economic uncertainty within the company. I was shifted from Technical Writer to Data Entry in order to generate revenue for the company. I continued to scan the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette because I felt like I should move on to another company, especially given the fact that Karen was pregnant with our second child. Eventually, I saw the ad for Quintrex Data Systems in August 1998 and was eventually hired to work for that company.
However, my scanning of the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette never waned. If anything, it pushed me to what became an obsession for me between 2004 and 2010, when the Internet "happened".
When I was working at Quintrex Data Systems, I longed to find a part-time gig to supplement my income. I dreamed of working at Quintrex Data Systems during the day and then running my own Technical Writing Consulting Business (I called it the TWCB) after work. I was able to do that, through contract work with HiMARKS, Collective Data, and the company that has a software called "Help & Manual" at various points in time during my dozen years at Quintrex Data Systems. However, I also was seeking a different permanent full-time Technical Writer job for various reasons. I looked at all sorts of job ads for local as well as non-local companies. I had a sub-folder of bookmarks for local companies so I could review any new openings on a regular basis. Eventually, I saw the ad for the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa on their website and was eventually hired to work for that company.
And I'll end the story there, just because of the sheer repetition of this post may be lulling you to sleep.
My point is that I have looked at hundreds, if not thousands, of job ads in my lifetime and today was my first time seeing a "regular" job ad with a two-column layout. Sure, I've seen two-column ads in newspapers, but I don't recall seeing an online ad. To be clear, no, there's nothing exciting about a two-column layout. Certainly, I'm not going to apply for this position with O.C. Tanner in Salt Lake City, UT. I just had never seen it in the 30 years that I have looked at job ads.
Guest: DJ Robin Skouteris
Host: Scott Abel
May 5 2021 | 63 mins
Join me for a conversation with world-renowned DJ and music producer, Robin Skouteris, about the art and science behind music mashups. We’ll chat about his career in the music industry and how he repurposes music and vocals from previously recorded tracks to create mashups and remixes of popular songs. We’ll view some of Skouteris’ recent video mashup collaborations and you’ll be able to ask questions of Robin about his mashup and music mixing process.
You either forgive or you do not. If you forgive, you move on. Clinging to the hurt, the anger, the rage, or the tribal perception of infidelity may make one feel powerful, in control, or protected, but it is actually signaling a desire to not be Christ like. It is a desire for more than Christ allows for those who chose to become Christ like. Forgiveness is essential in politics, religion, and life. Forgiveness does not mean many things. But it does mean forgiveness and that, in turn, means one must choose to move on and not linger. Christ Jesus, after moving on from forgiving, no longer lingered on the cross, but died and conquered death. For too many, lingering and refusing to forgive makes us feel alive and powerful. But we have to die to sleights and rage to fully live as we are meant by Christ to live.
I don't think this is a sudden new reality in my life. Instead, for as much as I have always tried to have my finger on the pulse of the music industry, I have continuously been overwhelmed by the number of bands that exist. I still receive "music industry-related" emails from publicists and often, the bands that are in these emails that advertise a new album or EP often have existed for decades, but only through the email do I learn of their existence. Several years ago, I realized that for every band I know and like, there's a strong possibility that other bands exist that (likely) sound very similar to the bands I like - their existence has just never made it to my finger that was trying to feel the pulse of the music industry, for whatever reason. Just because I haven't heard of the band doesn't mean that they didn't exist, to paraphrase and re-purpose the saying "If a tree falls and no one hears it, did it make a sound?" For me, if a band exists and tours and I don't know of its existence, does that band exist? Well, of course, the answer is yes.
So, at this festival later this year, there's a list of bands that are playing. In fact, this is the list of bands that are playing in alphabetical order. If a band is in bold below, it is a band I have heard of in the past. I am making a distinction between hearing of a band and actually listening to a band. A band that I have listened to is in bold/italics below.
Spoiler Alert: I've heard of 6 bands (6.451612903225806 %)and I have actually listened to 4 bands (4.301075268817204 %), which means I'm at a pitiful point in my music awareness. I imagine that the target audience for this festival knows over 90 % of the bands in this list.
Here is the list of bands playing at the Firefly Festival in Delaware in September 2021:
If I wanted to have one of these, Daniel, my nephew, would make one for me.
I received this email today and noticed how the first two sections are centered while the second two sections are not. I chalk this up to not reviewing the email prior to sending it. As a technical writer, I'm constantly trying to make sure I don't have typos or errors in the documentation I create and then distribute. I have this quote taped to the outside of my cubicle at work:
I do my best proofreading after I click Send.
This email is an example of why that saying exists.
This is not the first time I've seen a headline that is written in this compelling writing style.
When I read it, I have no idea what the "big change" is, but I want to know what it is because it "may leave customers speechless."
What I wanted to point out is that the "big change" is a new policy that states when you, as a customer - and for the record, it's an interesting shift to call someone on a plane a "customer" instead of a "passenger" - order a drink on a Southwest Airlines plane, you no longer say, "I'll have a Pepsi please." Instead, you are to point at the drink menu to give your order. That's the reason a customer is speechless!
My initial thought was that "speechless" meant that the customer was going to be shocked and unable to form a coherent sentence or response after this "big change" that Southwest Airlines announced. Instead, it's not that at all because the customer no longer speaks when ordering a drink. How clever!
In my daily work, I don't have the opportunity to really write clever titles like this. My titles are more along the lines of specifying the subject of a topic because I'm working with Disaster Recovery documentation or a Knowledge Article in a Knowledge Repository. I couldn't have a title that said, "[Name of Department] announced a big change that may reshape the way a vendor is contacted if there is a disaster situation" even though that does have a certain ring to it. Technical Writers are not afforded the opportunity to write headlines often.
To read the entire article, see this link: Southwest Airlines announced a big change that may leave customers speechless.
Barbara J. Wilson named Iowa’s 22nd president
Barbara J. Wilson, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs for the University of Illinois System, will become the 22nd president of the University of Iowa on July 15. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, announced Wilson as its unanimous selection at its meeting in Iowa City on Friday.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to lead a premier research university in the Big Ten, and I am excited to hit the ground running,” Wilson said after her selection as the next president. “I look forward to working with University of Iowa faculty, staff, students, and community members to continue the rich legacy of research and creative scholarship that exists on this campus. And I look forward to joining the rest of Hawkeye nation in saying, 'Go Hawks!'”
Sandy Daack-Hirsch, associate professor and interim executive associate dean of the College of Nursing, and John Keller, dean of the Graduate College, served as co-chairs of the 21-member search committee charged with recruiting and vetting applicants for the position.
“Our faculty, staff, and students make up the heart of our great research university,” Daack-Hirsch said. “We expect that Barbara Wilson will bring her unique experiences and skills to forge partnerships that will make a lasting impact on the lives of everyone on campus and across the state.”
Wilson brings extensive leadership experience to her role as UI president. Since 2016, she has served as executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs for the University of Illinois System, which enrolls more than 90,000 students across three main campuses and includes a 462-bed hospital. Before that, she served one year as interim chancellor for the Urbana-Champaign campus, a top-ranked land grant research institution with more than 45,000 students and nearly 2,000 tenure-track faculty.
Wilson’s other administrative roles at Illinois have included two years as the university’s Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, two years as executive vice provost for faculty and academic affairs, three years as vice provost for academic affairs, and seven years as head of the Department of Communication.
Wilson’s research interests include the social and psychological effects of the media. She is co-author or co-editor of four books and has authored more than 80 research articles, book chapters, and technical reports.
Before joining the Illinois faculty in 2000, Wilson was an assistant professor at the University of Louisville for three years and a faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) for 12 years. She also spent eight years as director of graduate studies in UCSB’s Department of Communication.
A native of Appleton, Wisconsin, Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, a Master of Arts in communication arts, and a PhD in communication arts, all from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
She is married to John Lammers and they have two grown daughters.
Wilson, 63, will succeed Bruce Harreld, who served as Iowa’s president from November 2015 to May 2021. Harreld announced in October 2020 his intent to retire. Keller will serve as interim president after Harreld’s last day on May 16 until Wilson begins.
Get to know Barbara J. Wilson
START DATE: July 15.
CURRENT POSITION: Executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs for the University of Illinois System.
PREVIOUS POSITIONS: Interim chancellor for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus; tenure-track faculty; the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; two years as executive vice provost for faculty and academic affairs; three years as vice provost for academic affairs; and seven years as head of the Department of Communication, all at the University of Illinois.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts in journalism, Master of Arts in communication arts, and PhD in communication arts, all from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
PERSONAL: Married to John Lammers; they have two grown daughters.
