Medical Obfuscation

Read this: Medical Obfuscation by Michael Crichton. 

(If you didn’t know, Crichton is an M.D. who wrote Jurassic Park, Congo, Sphere, and many other popular novels.)

And here is the quiz we’ll take at the beginning of class Friday:

1. What percentage of the reading did you do? 
2. Explain a specific concept from his article that stood out to you (something you underlined, perhaps). 
3. What’s one detail you’d like to improve in your writing style? 
4. If you were the author of this piece, how would you update it if you were going to do one more revision?

Infographic

Check this out:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669394/infographic-captures-the-amazing-scale-of-space-through-scrolling

Brainstorming for Posters

Come up with 3 potential ideas that you’d like to do for the technical poster. Paste these as a comment below.

Contribute to World Knowledge

1.) Find a Wikipedia page on a topic you know a lot about (e.g., something from your major, an obscure TV show or video game, a religious concept you have a unique view about, an illness you’re familiar with, etc.—just make sure it’s a page that could use your writerly skills). Paste the URL of the article as a comment below. NOTE: This may be the most important step.

2.) Copy the section you plan to edit (CMD+C) and paste it twice (CMD+V) into a Google Doc. Next, paste the article URL at the top. Finally, take a screenshot (CMD+SHFT+4) of the section you intend to edit and insert that too, for good measure.

3.) Leave an original copy of the text up top, and then edit the second copy down below. These might be mechanical and mid-level edits, but they need to be significant. You might re-word something to make it more clear. You might add missing information too. Also, consider including a citation to legitimize your changes—this will matter for step 5.

4.) Log in to Wikipedia and edit the section.

5.) You’ll earn 10 points for these first four steps (but don’t forget significant). If your edits last till the day of the final (meaning the community accepted the changes), you’ll earn an additional 5 points.

Do your best to finish this in class so you don’t have extra homework. You’ll email this to me during class on the final day (more instructions to come). 

How to Submit Your Instructions

1. This assignment has a new type of REFLECTIONS: (A) What did you learn from the usability test? (B) What surprised you? (C) What did this teach you about human interaction and communication that may be useful in the future?
2. Each group member should write an individual reflections essay. Then compile these into a single document (.DOC, .DOCX, or Google Docs).
3. If you haven't already, convert your instructions into a digital file that can be emailed.
4. RENAME the files (reflections and instructions) so they have your first names and a title. Then ATTACH them to an email.
5. In the SUBJECT LINE, write your names and the title of the instructions.
6. EMAIL it to me at travis washburn at byu dot edu.

This is due Friday at 5:00 pm.

Examples of (Good/Bad) Instructions

You need to find an example of instructions, good or bad. So you're looking for a How-To type of article, one that gives a step-by-step on how to complete a specific process.

Paste a link to an example below. Make sure to identify a good or bad point about it too.

This is due Wednesday before class.

A Brief History of 21 Exceptional Majors

1.) What is the purpose of these first three paragraphs?

2.) How does Bryson accomplish this purpose?

3.) What does this introduction do as far as ethos, pathos, and logos are concerned?





Now it’s your turn. Take 20 minutes.

You might start by brainstorming 25 interesting things about your area of interest (probably your major, but it could be a hobby too). Then choose one of these 25 and zoom in. Choose a purpose similar to Bryson’s purpose.

Try to do what he does here: make it interesting to a real human being—capture your reader’s imagination.

When the time runs out, post what you’ve written as a comment below. I also dare you to post it on Facebook or another social forum, or email it to some friends—try to get the feedback ratio tilted in your favor.