'OK,' I answered. 'More.'
His eyes contemplated the drizzle, came back to stare at the wet walls of
the kiosk, settled on his haversack, and stayed. I followed his glance. A
4-inch long, candy-striped, enamel coated safety pin fastened down the
flap of its side pocket.
'Safety pin,' he chuckled. 'Tool, right?'
'Could be. How would you get ready to describe it?'
He stared at me, his face gone blank. 'How 'to get ready' to describe a
safety pin? What's this 'get ready' bit? It's just a safety pin. You're
kiddin'.'
'The heck I am,' I said. 'You just called it a 'tool'. If you're going to
describe it, know enough about it to find the words for the job. Words
are also tools, whether they describe other tools, or tornadoes, toys, teeth,
trees, or tractors.
'Start with thinking about the readers; will they be in an outfit that makes
specialized equipment to fabricate safety pins; will it be a safety pin
huckster contacting customers by phone, personal contact, or letter, or
how about some kid's mom up-country in an underdeveloped country
who never even heard about Velcro flaps on diapers, if she ever heard of
diapers at all. Just assume the woman lives in a village where no one
ever heard of safety pins until a K-Mart opened up alongside the town
rice paddy. What I'm gettin' at is: who's the information for? How
much do they really need to know in order to do what they want with the
thing?'
The idea grabbed him and I let him lead. Backs against the kiosk wall,
staring out at the drizzle but not seeing it, we analyzed a safety pin and
how to lay the groundwork to describe it. He unfastened the pin from
his haversack, and using it as an exhibit, we did a parts breakdown,
recalled what we could about the range of popular sizes; we estimated
raw materials requirements per thousand units; debated how to cut the
pin retainer clip from flat stock and form it around the wire firmly so that
a child couldn't separate one from the other; touched on features for
machine tools to fabricate safety pins; then jumped to the economics of
designing robotic machine tools to mass produce and corner the safety
pin market.
We delved into designing a pin with enough stiffness in the wire so that
the pointed end would not bend out of the clip head and keep the tip
from accidentally disengaging; we laughed over deburring the parts so
that Mom's fingers and the baby's fanny wouldn't get scratched, and
quickly agreed on the need to coat the pin with a rust inhibitor to protect
it from the corrosive effects of dank cloths in warm places. We explored
packaging, marketing and replacement factors.
By now his hair was almost dry and he finger-combed it spikey.
'Hey, ol' man,' he said, 'this is a good rap, but it's only a safety pin.'
'Don't knock it,' I replied. 'Safety pins, in one form or another, have been
industrial and household tools for centuries and will be for many more.
Anyhow, we're using it as an example, the same principles apply whether
it's a safety pin, a computer, TV, or space ship. Getting back to your part
of the job, when you've got it all together, and understand it and the
customer's needs, then you're close to starting the writin' job.
'Based on who wants to know, you might need to spell out what the parts
are made from, their dimensions, the diameter of the spring loop, and the
wire's bending limits. You might need to describe the integrated clip
head and the pin shaft and how they were attached.'
He stared at me, and his eyes widened in wonder at the boundless vistas
I had just opened. He was far beyond safety pins.
'If you're interested in technical writing,' I continued, 'keep in mind that
collecting data and understanding it precedes the mechanics of writing.'
I paused. 'And when you do write, whatever you're writing about-a
safety pin or a space rocket, do it with such precision that what you come
up with can form the image you want in the mind of someone who has
been both blind since birth and incapable of feeling anything with his or
her hands. That's the test.'
The look of discovery was replaced by skepticism. 'Aw, c'mon, man, that
can't be the real world for technical writers,' he said. 'People who use
tools learn by doing, or they follow a book. They see what they're
working' on and feel things with their hands.'
'Let's think about that,' I said. 'Millions of people who see poorly, or not
at all, or who have other sensory problems, use precision tools all the
time. Many of them use tech data recorded on audio systems or in
Braille. The entire field of communications to bypass sensory
limitations is just beginning to open up; it'll be part of your world. Data
in dozens of arrangements, for design, training aids, or operating
instructions are needed by folks who, very often, haven't used the
equipment before or who, for some other reason, need specs right there,
alongside, all the time. In this world of thousands of languages and
dialects, and physical and mental limitations beyond counting, even basic
tools, like a safety pin, need to be understood all along the line from
designer to user. Understanding means communications; think about it.'
We shared silence for a while.
'Hey, man, I like that,' he said softly.
We glanced at the sky. The clouds were breaking up. As we abandoned
our shelter under the dome, he shook his head. 'All this from a safety
pin,' he said. The look of wonder was back.
'A diaper pin?'
Raising my arm, I pumped my fist at the sky. 'Today, the diaper pin,
tomorrow the world.'
We laughed. At the entrance to the library we shook hands and went our
ways. I never saw him again, but I sometimes wonder what he chose for
his life's work.
Memoirs: Hot War-Cold War: Back of the Line
Logistics
The 1988 Edition of the Encyclopedia Americana
defines 'logistics' as: "É the movement and
maintenance of military forces. Along with tactics,
strategy, and intelligence, logistics is one of the four
main elements of military science. Logistics
encompasses all of the planning and operational
functions associated with military supply, movement,
and services. These include the design, procurement,
and maintenance of materiel; the movement,
evacuation, and hospitalization of military personnel;
the transportation and storage of military supplies
and equipment; and the design and construction,
maintenance, and operation of military facilities and
installations."
A copy of these memoirs has been furnished to the Air Force
Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama,
and to the Office of History, Air Force Materiel Command,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Parachute Rigger, World War Two, Hawaiian Air Depot,
Hickam Field, Hawaii 1941-1948