The Official Publication of the STC Technical Editing SIG
Susan Price Harvey
The life of a technical editor is fast-paced and demanding, and no one wants to add another item to the editing checklist. However, sentence structure is important and deserves special attention in all documents. Here’s a short refresher course in sentence structure that you can take to the author of any document.
John Baer
Our language, and especially the language of the technology industry, is constantly being inundated with new words. Some of these words are “legitimate”, and others are merely farcical buzzwords. Who’s to say which are which? I say, “If the word fits, use it!”
Patricia Bartley
Remember to blink … blink … blink. Blinking during the day can help lubricate the eyes, which become dry from staring at your computer screen. Don’t forget to look away from your screen periodically and focus on a distant object. Here are some exercises to help reduce eye strain and strengthen the muscles around the eyes.
Eye movements help stretch, soothe and relax the eye muscles. Practice the following when your eyes feel tired or strained from reading, computer work or fluorescent lighting. Keep your head still, and move your eyes slowly while taking deep breaths.
Vertical. Look up, pause a few seconds, then look down. Repeat three times
Horizontal. Look left, pause, look right. Repeat three times.
Diagonal. Upper right/lower left. Repeat three times then reverse 
. Repeat three times.
Clock rotation. Imagine a big clock in front of you. Starting at noon, gently move your gaze around the clock. Repeat 2 times then gaze counterclockwise. Repeat two times.
Blink … blink … blink, then do palming.
PALMING: Rub your palms together several times to create warmth. Bring your palms up to your eyes. Feel your eyes relax and tension melt away. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds. Breathe deeply and imagine each breath is sending fresh oxygen to your eyes.
Patricia Bartley works as a customer survey developer, online editor, and Website manager at the Department of Labor and Industries. When she is not working at her computer, she teaches cubicle yoga to office workers.
She is a certified yoga teacher and is registered with Yoga Alliance, a national credentialing organization for yoga teachers. She is also certified to teach stress management in the workplace. For more information call (360)709-0065 or e-mail bartley99@webtv.net.
John Jaillet
Ever have one of those days when your eyes start burning for no apparent reason? The first of four new columns I want to welcome may give you the answer. Tips From the Cubicle contains helpful ideas that make the cubicle life a little more pleasant.
Geoff Hart
Murphy’s law applies as strongly to online editing as it does to other areas of life, and at some point, you or Murphy will do something unfortunate to a file. So before you actually begin editing, make a backup copy of the original file and store it somewhere safe, far away from your computer.