During today’s beginning of class writing exercise, you will write a report in memo format. Your report will summarize the article for your manager’s benefit. We will discuss some points of technical writing relating to this assignment. Follow the following format for your memo:
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
One sentence stating what this memo is about (summarizing the article). Include the article’s author, title, magazine title, and date.
- In one sentence, state the article’s argument in your own words.
- In one sentence, state one piece of evidence supporting that argument in your own words.
- In one sentence, state a second piece of evidence supporting that argument in your own words.
- In one sentence, state a third piece of evidence supporting that argument in your own words.
One sentence conclusion saying whether your manager should read the article or not.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Nikka Rosenstein
DATE: 9/12/17
SUBJECT: Multiteam Best Practices
If you have time I would strongly recommend reading “The Overcommitted Organization” by Mark Mortensen and Heidi K. Gardner out of the Sept-Oct 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review.
*The article discusses issues facing team leaders in multiteam environments and suggests strategies to counter frequent problems
*Despite the usefulness of multiteaming to utilize individuals’ experience across multiple projects, surveys show that strategies are required to maintain efficiency and investment of all team members across multiple teams
*For example, maintaining maps of team member and schedule overlaps can help avoid slowdowns when projects fight for attention
*Additional strategies are suggested for organizational leaders to encourage the spread of best practices and new learning organically across teams
While the article is somewhat lengthy, the advice is extremely useful and I highly recommend reading it in full.
TO: Neetu Sethi
FROM: James Mitchell
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article about Planning for IT Crash
This memo is a brief summary of the article by Amy Webb about preparing for an IT catastrophe, titled “Planning for That Inevitable Tech Disaster,” which appeared in Inc., September 2017.
Amy describes how no one can rely on technology being fool proof, and she reinforces how successful entrepreneurs prepare to respond quickly and have the quickest turn around time to a functioning business.
This is important, because I’ve lost pages of writing and hours of recorded content by not backing up files.
Knowing my weaknesses in technology, and having a hard copy list of support members for those moments, definitely saves time and headache when emergencies happen.
Having a plan B prepared, in times of distress, promotes synergy within the team where there may be confusion and dissonance.
I thought you would benefit from reading it, because there are valid points we could use in our practice.
Professor Ellis
Edgar Artiles
September 11th 2017
Today subject is about an overlooked island of greece called ‘Tineo’ situated in the Aegean Sea.
In article ‘An Island Blessed’ by Gisela Williams (Travel+Leisure magazine September 2017) The greek Island ‘Tinos’ has been long overlooked as a prime destination in the Aegean Sea, but to Orthodox Christians this island is by far one of the most popular visited and one of their most important historical; holiest site in the world.
Although the Island of ‘Tinos’ is not widely known , to Orthodox Christians it is one of their holiest of sites still enriched with faith and core values making this a destination for all to see.
The Island of ‘Tinos’ is an island unique its in own ways, Virgin Mary was found at the site of their church back in 1823, this has caused thousands upon thousands to travel to the island, often to present the icon with silver or gold.
The greatest number of believers arrive in march, for the feast of the Annunciation and in august for the feast of the dormition of the virgin.
Besides spectacular beaches and villages ‘Tinos’ is home to some of the best marble in the world produced by their quarries.
Professor Ellis, I am not so sure how strong your religious beliefs are, but the only way i recommend you reading this article or even ever traveling to ‘Tinos’ is only if you have a kind interest in explaining such amazing destination to my really religious grandmother for me.
TO: Harry Potter
FROM: Paulina Nawiesniak
DATE: 09/12/2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article About Triathlon Races
This memo is a short summary from an article about multisport racing in the outdoor environment written by Alyssa Sparacino, titled “Discover your next goal rush”, published in Shape Magazine, July/August 2017.
– Triathlon races make people feel more accomplished, and at the same time they are having fun, and staying fit on the outdoors.
– According to the article, people attending the triathlon or multisport race finish with the idea that they just achieved something they could never have done before, they feel accomplished.
– Another grade argument stated in this article is the fact that exercising outdoors can be very beneficial not only physically but mentally as well.
– Lastly, doing triathlon or multisport races are becoming more popular because it isn’t one sport race it requires multi skills, some are swimming, running, and biking.
This article is a great source to let you understand what a triathlon race is, I would like to include more information to this memo, but I do recommend reading this article just to expand on the information provided by me.
TO: Mr. Blank
FROM: Christian Baque
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article About introducing students CAD
This memo is a brief summary of the article by Ginny Mumm about introducing CAD/CAM to high school students, titled “Introducing Students to Tech Ed with CAD” which appeared in Techdirections, January 2017.
In this article Ginny Mumm is displaying the procedure a high school in Aurora, Colorado has taken towards teaching CAD/CAM classes to students including programs like Solidworks.
Grandview high school in Aurora, Colorado has invested in CNC machines and UV printers to introduce students to engineering.
Alen Rydlund the professor that’s introducing these programs to students in Grandview high school, he teaches from Tech 1 to Tech 3.
As these students advance in these courses they start to participate in competitions like the Technology Student Association (TSA), which later on could benefit them in their career in the engineering field.
While this article could be interesting to read, with what i have informed you with i wouldn’t recommend having to read the article.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Huakang Mei
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article about how technology changing society into idiots
This memo is about a brief summary of the article by David Eisen about how technology changing society into idiot, titled “Technology is a wonderful thing that is truing society into idiots,” which appeared in Hotel Management Magazine, September 2017.
· The article is about how technology make difficult things easier to solve, and slowly replacing human jobs in the hotel industry.
· For example, now day you don’t need to go in to a store to buy clothes or grocery.
· Another example is back in the day when there was not GPS, people need to spend a lot of time to find their destination.
· The last example is in the hotel industry, more and more hotel use robot to substitute human to serve their guests.
This article is a very short article and it might beneficial for you to read it.
TO: Harry Peters
FROM: Leslie Bonilla
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Research cuts in Australia
This memo is a brief summary of the article by Nicky Philipps in nature magazine , titled “Research cuts rile Australian ecologist” which appeared in nature magazine, August 2017.
TERN (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research nature) a network that overshadows Australia’s LTER (Long term Ecological Research) sites, has decided to cut research budget on local Australian sites to fund instead a broad scale surveillance of ecosystems.
Beryl Morris , the director of TERN and Lyn Beazley,chair of advisory board, sent a letter to LTER’s director Emma Burns to inform her of the discontinuation for research funds in the existing LTER sites.
Bery Morris stated that its main purpose is to collect data on a global scale so that predictions can be made based on that information.
Limited resources from the government has forced TERN to shift their focus from research in Australian sites to broad scale surveillance of ecosystems .
The article is a short read and there is no need to read it since I laid out the main points for you.
TO: Mr. Fogen Mason
FROM: Ronald C. Hinds
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article on How to Spot an Extroverted Technical Writer
This memo contains a brief summary of an article titled “How to Spot an Extroverted Technical Writer and Other Mythological Creatures.” It was written by Stephanie Whitlow, a member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), intercom, February 2017.
The main argument is that we should play on the strengths and weaknesses of our team members to maximize efficiency. The characteristics of personality and temperament play a role in building and nurturing a cohesive unit.
•An introverted technical writer is more reserved and has a preference for minimal interaction with others. Whilst the extroverted one is more out here; personality traits include being boisterous and energetic.
•There is need to find common ground and this includes making accommodations to facilitate better interaction between the introvert and the extrovert…
•In many instances the introvert can focus on specific terminology as opposed to the extrovert who has a better appreciation of the bigger picture.
I think that you should definitely read the article because I have noticed problems in cohering a properly functioning team. The article contains points that we can all benefit from.
TO: Jason Ellis
FROM: Donovan Valle
DATE: 9/12/17
SUBJECT: Summary of Article about Elon Musk’s Mars Rocket
This memo is a brief summarization of the the article by Bobak Ferdowsi about Elon Musk’s new Space-X rocket titled “A Humongous Rocket That Just Might Work,” which appeared in Popular Mechanics, September 2017
According to the article, Elon Musk and Space X will produce an enormous rocket called the Falcon Heavy that can launch into orbit and return as a whole unit intact with both cargo and passengers aboard while being able to reuse and recycle the rocketry.
The Falcon Heavy will use 27 Merlin engines combined into 3 Falcon 9 components, with the power to thrust the enormous rocket into orbit, and can return back on land or sea.
With its initial lift-off thrust at appx 5 million lbs, it can launch nearly 18 airliners into orbit, the second highest payload ever at a fraction of the cost.
The first test launch is slated to occur by the end of the year.
I would suggest reading the entire article to get an in depth technical description of how Space-X intend to recover their rocket back to land for later reuse.
TO: Mr. Philip José Farmer
FROM: Jennifer Travinski
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Report on Article About Kepler 452b
From the article, “The Most Earth-Like Alien World” by Sarah Fecht, this memo will briefly discuss the promising discovery of the Earth-like world Kepler 452b, found in the September 2017 issue of Popular Science.
• From the Kepler Space Telescope, important data has yielded the discovery of Kepler 452b, a planet that is very similar to, though much older than, Earth; it may hold a glimpse into our own planet’s future as well as help us to understand how many habitable planets exist.
• Although Kepler 452b seems habitable, it has not been found to have any life-forms (if wavelengths of radio signals from 1 to 10 GHz are any indication), the indication being climate change may have been their demise.
• Since Kepler 452b is 1.6 billion years older than Earth, and its properties of size, temperature and the type of star it orbits are so similar, we can potentially predict how the Earth might change in its future and perhaps chart a better course.
• With an estimated one in four sun-like stars having the potential to have an Earth-like, habitable planet orbiting them in our galaxy, the discovery of Kepler 452b might be the first of many promising Earth-like planets from which we can study and learn.
In summation, it isn’t necessary to read the article as it is quite brief, and the aforementioned notes capture its highlights.
TO: Steve Harvey
FROM: Shanna Powell
DATE: September 12th 2017
SUBJECT: Subway Riders Wearing Backpacks
The frustration of NYC commuters/Strap-hangers with “Subway Riders Wearing Backpacks”, eloquently expressed by Tom Hislop, in TimeOut New York magazine.
This article expresses the everyday struggle with inconsiderate individuals, that make commuting a nightmare because of their selfishness to remain with a backpack on their backs, knowing it takes up space and constantly hits people within its vicinity.
When reading this article you can feel the bubbling hate of the author, for the oblivious mindset of people, to a another person’s personal space.
While the author himself is being smashed in between multiple swinging backpacks as they are writing this, they also mention the MTA’s advertising efforts to stop this madness.
Lastly, the author speak on their and many New Yorker’s calm exterior when dealing with the crazy of being a strap-hanger but even the calmest person like the author states, can lose it under these circumstances.
Being that 90% of New Yorker’s use the MTA to commute, I think this is a great article to read and spread the message to others.
To : Ellis
From : Creunis Lors
Date :09/12/2017
Subject : Important information found in article in “git happens “
This memo briefly summarizes the article ‘git happens “ written by morgan hancock which is found in the September 2016 issue of intercom magazine . This article presents the argument that git (which is a source control system that controls repository history) is beneficial and effective to source coders but also an great asset to technical communicators . As technical communicators we work with a variety of tools and large amounts of information . As a of result making changes or re working something can be difficult . what git allows you to do is record each file change and adjustment so when something needs to be adjusted or reverted you can simply access your repository and go to previous version of whatever you are creating . git can used to log history of any kind of program , which makes it a very powerful tool and versatile. You can log repositories for madcap , html programs which provides an ease and comfort when working big projects. Lasty git provides users with a way to organize and structure there files in a more seamless way . with multiple work flow options git provides a way for everyone to integrate it into their daily work routines. I think this article does a good job of showing how git can be beneficial to technical communicators and the workplace . It is worth the read and worth considering .
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Arnold Lopez
DATE: September. 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article About Famous Species
This memo is about newly discovered species getting fame for their name in the article “Celebrity Status” by Catherine Zuckerman in National Geographic’s October 2017 magazine.
-Zuckerman claims out of 18,000 newly discovered species a year, only some are becoming known because of their name.
-One newly discovered orange spider was named Heteropoda davidbowie.
-A whale fossil made it big with the name Leviathan melvillei.
-A tree frog became more known for the name Hyloscirtus princecharlesi.
I believe I have covered all the key points of the article and you won’t gain much else from reading it.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Howard Daley
DATE: September 12,2017
SUBJECT:Cellphones Officially Replace Landlines in the Office.
Professor
In an article published in the magazine Buildings dated September 09, 2017 by ©Copyright 2017 Stamats Communications, Inc. Made mention of a survey done by Workplace Connectivity Survey.
The old landline office phone has seen better days and is definitely on its way out, according to Buildings article its safe to say that its only a matter of time before the inevitable.
It has become a fact that in our personal lives and more so in business the cellphone has now replaced the landline as the daily mode of communication. In the work place 11.7% never use their desk phones. Over 50% surveyed use text message for communication with clients.
This will support the argument that over 60% of generation x is driving the technology and perfecting it as more of a tool than a luxury.
Professor, perhaps there’s a need here for us to have a closer look at this trend and become more pro active as far as our communication is concerned. This will put us ahead of the curve and well positioned for any future communication demands.
This short article is an eye opener and a warning from the next generation the millennial as to the direction they will take this technology, do regard it as compulsory reading.
TO: Jason Ellis
FROM: Tunde Ogunyemi
DATE: 09/12/2017
SUBJECT: The Danger of Governing on Social Media
This memo is about a brief summary of the article by Nancy Gibbs, about “the danger of governing on social media” which appeared in Time Magazine, May, 22 2017.
The article was about how the president of United states of america, Donald Trump has become so uncomfortable with the media and claimed that he has been bewitched by the media institution, and how he has love to tweet and make people to believe that he has been doing a great work to govern the americas.
If it is the way to govern, why has the president believed that the critics that the hatred has been on the rise since the inception of the president Trump, also he reaalised that the media is after him.
President Trump considered himself to have been doing a very good job and that he would do a better job for the country and there is no need for any hatred towards him who is going will make america great again.
Even the polls have also showed that the hate is on the increase, because more than half of the americas believe since the election, and that the government has not been doing the right thing in all aspect.
Most of the animosity that the president faced he had thought and believed that the media are the one behind it.
I considered it a thing of importance for you to read this article and publish more of it so that the government officials will know what people are thinking about this administration, and the americas will know the kind of ruling power that we are facing.
TO: Chief Editor
FROM: Tunde Ogunyemi
DATE: September 12, 2017 09/12/2017
SUBJECT: Summary of Article About Amanda MacMillan
This memo is brief summary of the article by Amanda MacMillan, “Exercise Makes You Younger at Cellular Level” which appeared in Time Health (Time Magazine) May 2017.
Exercise makes you younger at the cellular level; studies have revealed that the more exercise people gets, the more they look younger than their ages.
It was evident that the physical exercise and how often it is been done daily and persistently or consistently can make one to live longer and younger than their age.
People that don’t exercise are likely to get sick and abore diseases in their body.
I also found and support the argument that exercising will lower the risk of sickness and diseases in their body.
I suggest that you read and make recommendation to the public by publishing at least monthly so that people will learn the benefits of daily exercising in order to learn how to live longer.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Zinab Adam
DATE: September 12, 2017
SUBJECT: Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) for Energy Management.
The article I have read is about the new technology that protect computerized systems in smart building from electronic disturbances and choosing the right UPS solution. It’s written by Mr. Alan Luscombe from Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) in (FMJ Volume 25 of May 2017).
The article mentioned factors that determine how to choose the right UPS solution.
It stated that defining the individual needs of the organization or the facility is the main factor.
The size of the facility has to taken in consideration when it comes to choosing the right UPS Solution.
Aslo this system is an ideal for short-time blackouts especially in organizations that cannot afford power interruption.
I recommend you to read this article because it can provide us with the opportunity to consider using such a system in our facilities in order to avoid power interruption.