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I'd like to introduce myself after having lurked for a few weeks. My name is Jennifer Baldwin, and I'm fairly new to technical writing. I've worked for a small software company in Tempe, AZ for nearly a decade, changing positions every two or three years. I have been a release manager, a software QA analyst, and most recently, a software engineer. The technical writer position is brand new in the company, and I'm doing my best to start in the right direction. I've recently read several books on the subject, and I've already learned quite a bit from you guys. I still have a lot of work!
I have a Masters in computational linguistics, and I freelance in French > English translation and software localization. Admittedly, one of my main motivators to explore tech writing is to gain professional writing experience to make myself a better translator. It has been a great move - I was burnt out as a developer, but as a tech writer, I actually look forward to coming to work now. :)
And in keeping with today's conversation, I am 29 years old. My first computer used a cassette tape, too, and not only did I grow up watching the Smurfs, I even had a plastic Smurfs lunchbox in grade school. Those were the days!
Jennifer
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jbaldwin=desertdocs -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jbaldwin=desertdocs -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On
Behalf Of Joe Malin
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 2:36 PM
To: Lisa Roth; TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: New Poll Question
>> My first "computer" was an Atari with built-in BASIC. It had 64k
internal memory and an external *cassette* machine to load games like
Frogger. I used to have to start the cassette before going to the dinner
table, hoping it would be loaded and ready to play by the time dinner
was over.
I refused to buy those early computers cuz they weren't as powerful as
the timesharing systems I had access to.
>> My first modem was 600 baud. I had an external 5.25" diskette drive
(after I gave the cassette set-up the boot), and I was really
avant-garde at that point.
*My* first modem was 300 baud (sticks out tongue). You attached it to a
phone by *sticking the phone handset into rubber pockets in the modem*.
>> I was about 10 or 11 years old when I got this computer.
Spring chicken
>> I was amazed with myself when I learned enough BASIC programmnig to
make the same word or phrase repeat all over the screen diagonally.
:)
>> The original Star Wars movie is one of the first movies I
*distinctly* remember seeing in the movie theater. (I think we went 5
times, so it's burned into my memory.)
>> My favorite TV shows as a kid were The Facts of Life, The Love Boat,
and Fantasy Island. (Now, how's *that* for an eternally Google-able
statement?)
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Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 2005 now has RoboHelp Converter and HTML Source: Author
content and configure Help in MS Word or any HTML editor. No
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