Janet H Walker on mon 2 mar 98
Hi there, you lucky operators of small deairing pugmills. I'm
having some trouble, having just started trying to learn how to
run my Peter Pugger deairing pugmill. If anyone has one of these
that they know how to use for reconstituting dry scrap (or anything
else) I'd appreciate hearing from you. Privately is fine. Send
me your phone number. I'm having a little, ahem, conceptual trouble.
Many thanks to any who can offer to share their learning experiences
with this elegantly engineered but enigmatic machine.
Jan Walker
Cambridge, MA USA
Cindy on mon 2 mar 98
Jan,
I've never even seen a Peter Pugger, but I have experienced my share of
"conceptual" problems in learning to operate new equipment. Especially
when the manual seems to have been written by someone unfamiliar with the
English language--an engineer, or a lawyer, for example. (My apologies to
the technical wizards and legal geniuses on the list. )
Usually, I find the company's help line to be, well, a lot of help. The
people on the other end are accustomed to dealing with people like you and
me and generally quite patient (if a little patronizing at times) and able
to explain solutions in a way which can be understood by non-technical,
artistic types. (Not that you can't be both, Gavin et. al., but we're not
all so blessed. )
Hope this is of help to you, Jan. As for the "brains" on the list, don't
mind my teasing, k? It's just my mood today.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels
Custer, SD
USA http://blackhills-info.com/a/cindys/menu.htm
Bill Aycock on tue 3 mar 98
Cindy- as an Engineer, and a fairly articulate one, at that (I think), I am
a little peeved at your remarks. However, having lived with this for MANY
years, I am not surprised, just sorry that my efforts to inform people
that Engineering (real Engineering) is one of the more creative art forms
has born so little fruit.
However, among the activities that I have enjoyed is the analysis of the
mistakes made by "management" in selecting the persons to write technical
and users manuals. The mistake made, most often, is that they select the
person who knows the device or process best. This person usually does not
know how easily things can go wrong, and, usually, knows his/her jargon so
deeply that the need for elementary description and definition is not
within their sight. Then- to confound the issue- they assign the review to
another person who is VERY familiar with the thing.
The Greatest mistake, that tops all others, is -- they allow the person who
wrote the instrument to pass judgement on the editing done by persons who
have the use of language as their expertise. That's BAD.
as it goes- Been there- Done that- will probably (if I'm lucky) do it again.
Really- the chief dishwasher of Persimmon Hill is only a LITTLE peeved-
love- Bill
At 12:10 PM 3/2/98 EST, you wrote: ***( in part )***
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Jan,
> written by someone unfamiliar with the
>English language--an engineer, or a lawyer, for example. (My apologies to
>the technical wizards and legal geniuses on the list. )
>
y t
>Cindy Strnad
Bill Aycock --- Persimmon Hill
Woodville, Alabama, US 35776
(in the N.E. corner of the State)
W4BSG -- Grid EM64vr
baycock@HiWAAY.net
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