The Color Blue

For my Class

Rod — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:58:13 +0000

Your first blog entry will be on the topic of technical research. Use technical writing techniques. The entry should address how to conduct technical research at the workplace and should include the topics of secondary and primary data, Documenting sources , plagiarism, and how to evaluate electronic sources for credibility. Include appropriate headings. Use the textbook and one additional resource. Use APA formatting to properly reference material used. Then, submit the link to your blog to your instructor by typing the link onto a Word document and submitting it to the Week Three Assignment dropbox in your online class.

Conduct technical research at the workplace – let us see what our book wants us to say and my take on it. 1). Developing a new product (something new) 2). Establishing safety procedures (KeepItSafeSstupid) 3). Handling a product problem (this is not what its intended for) 4). Selecting employee benefits (how do you treat your people) 5). Purchasing equipment or services (the little/big things) 6). Planning an advertising campaign (how to sell it)

Topics of secondary and primary data – this data is most times in the very place you are working from. ie you should have the information on hand such as pie charts and bar graphs.

Documenting sources- find the best sources, research it, record all the information, and document where you got it and when. the secondary data is dumpster diving type as you dig in the archives and make educated guesses.

Plagiarism – this is a no brain-er, give credit where credit is due. Sir Issac Newton once said (in a slight to a small man but we took it for a different profound meaning) “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” and we should remember the Giants that came before us, all of them

How to evaluate electronic sources for credibility- the best sources are from pages that have www.edu, and www.gov now don’t get me wrong i have found some stinkers on the EDU one from colleges that are not credited and often times say information that is just wrong. so pick your sources well. go to places to help you find them are tricky too. google is fine and well as Yahoo.

Most people forget that we have a target audience to talk to, focus on them, make them understand your meaning and you can’t loose.

Isaac Newton. (n.d.). Great-Quotes.com. Retrieved Mon Mar 5 11:35:11 2012, from Great-Quotes.com Web site: http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/

Smith-Worthington, S., & Jefferson, S. (2011). Technical writing for success (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Portland – Week One

Rod — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:39:37 +0000

We have arrived in Portland and I am really excited to be in the number one most sustainable city in the country. What I have noticed so far is that there is a recycle bin on almost every street corner. The tap water is pretty good. Also, there are little plaques over many of the street grates saying “No Dumping, this leads to the Stream”. It’s pretty neat.

There is a farmer’s market every weekend. At least for the summer and fall. and everything is local and organic. In the middle of the Milwaukie Farmer’s Market there was a booth set up with Portland Gas and Energy talking about how they want their customers to have the opportunity to explore wind energy and geothermal energy and move away from fossil fuels.

So I am still absorbing the city, but will post more as I find out the true ins and outs of the city.

The Color Blue

Rod — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:33:50 +0000

The recreation of the green movement needs to occur. It is good to be environmentally friendly and eco-driven. To have a minimal approach in life and to enjoy life for the beauty of this Earth, not for things we can buy in it. But the term green can have some negative connotations. Take for example the many different definitions of green. Dictionary.com gives one classification of green as:

immature, unsophisticated.

new, not knowledgeable.

These terms can be negative when trying to convince people of the importance of Going Green. So I choose to Go Blue. Blue is the color of water, a life source. Water makes up the bulk of our Earth. We are considered the blue planet. Carl Sagan stated that we are a pale blue dot. So, in this blog will be many things that I find interesting in the world of Environmental Studies. I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I will enjoy writing in it.