Re: /dev/random
On Fri, 1 Aug 2014 17:48:33 +0200
Bzzzz <lazyvirus@gmx.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 1 Aug 2014 16:34:50 +0100
> Lisi Reisz <lisi.reisz@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Friday 01 August 2014 00:41:01 pecondon@mesanetworks.net wrote:
> > > Thanks for reading
> >
> > I found it unreadable. Please let some air in!!
>
> This is a common deformation inducted by the web: people
> tend to reject what is more than 10 lines or without a
> very explicit title.
> Which is not very good for learning and comprehending things…
>
> Take your time and use a very old and well known cure
> as an every day mental hygiene: forget the web and use
> something made in paper called "a book"; you'll see,
> it will open your horizons and your mind ;)
Yes, and start with "The French Lieutenant's Woman". The entire first
page is one paragraph, ornate with bullshituous adverbs and other
fluffatudes. In the 1980's, long before what we call "the web" (http),
I bought this book at Crown books, read the first page, and threw it in
the garbage. Six bucks well spent: I learned how not to write.
Megaparagraphs were all the rage in the 1800's, when housewives had
nothing to do but keep house, businessmen had nothing to do but do
their business, and farmers had nothing to do but farm. Long days? Of
course. But when they were done, they were done, and could fully
concentrate.
Denizens of the 1800's weren't on call 24/7. They didn't need to work
on five "issues" at once. They didn't need to wedge urgent calls to the
bureaucracy while snarfing lunch and answering fifteen emails, keeping
one ear open for texts. Workers at the local saloon didn't need to take
orders from the radio in their right ear while taking money and giving
change to the customer speaking into their left.
If you want your writing to entertain folks from the 1800's, take a
time machine back, and write ornate megaparagraphs. But if you want to
be read by time-crunched citizens of the 21st century, make your point,
get onto the next thing, and make sure it's obvious you've moved on.
Or else, your writings generate the infamous tl;dnr.
SteveT
Steve Litt * http://www.troubleshooters.com/
Troubleshooting Training * Human Performance
Reply to: