A Presentation of Professional Writing

The following are my “cornerstone” documents, relevant examples I have handpicked and revised to highlight my professional writing at this phase of my collegiate career.  Please examine and critique them.  Feel free to inquire about their composition and content.

Computing Then and Now

Written to chronicle an engineering achievement for a freshman year English composition course, “Computing Then and Now” summarizes the rise of computers as an engineering marvel.  This research report begins with ENIAC, the first modern computer system, then traces a path through modern advanced microprocessors such as the octocore, thirty-two nanometer Intel Itanium and innovative computing systems such as the parallel processing and “Deep Question Answer” technology of IBM’s Watson.  This report showcases concision and brevity as well as fully researched and cited writing.  It displays an intersection of the many categories of computer engineering, from very-large-scale integration on wafer-thin silicon to complex algorithmic implementations of abstract programming concepts across thousands of processors.  Both are subject areas I am passionate about, and the research, acronyms, and clever quips involved place this among my personal favorite writing assignments.

Semiconductor Diode Characteristics

Written for Electronics I Laboratory in the spring term of my sophomore year, the next entry is my first formal report for an electrical engineering laboratory.  “Experiment #1: Semiconductor Diode Characteristics” outlines the experimental procedure, observations, and conclusions for an analysis of a 1N4006 diode.  While only the first experiment, and therefore not necessarily as complex as those that follow, it was among the most involved as far as theory writing.  It addresses the atomic properties and construction of semiconductors, as well as the functional characteristics of your average diode.  This passage combines application knowledge, mathematical analysis, and scatter plots to create an exhaustive representation of electrical engineering principles.

AMD Kaveri Microarchitecture Review

Written for a professional writing course in the fall term of my junior year, this document is an evaluation of the Kaveri microarchitecture employed in the latest iteration (at the time) of accelerated processing unit by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).  “Down to the Numbers: A Competitive Analysis of the Kaveri Microarchitecture in the AMD A8-7650K” is designed to be an application of my discipline to a key aspect of professional writing, a judgement and assessment on whether a product, service, or solution meets a goal.  It also serves as a comparative analysis of competing alternatives.  It has persuasive components, outlining attitudes towards specific processor characteristics and why particular views should be adopted.  It is designed to be accessible and explanatory to someone not well versed in the field.  I enjoyed honing my professional writing skill while applying my passion for computing architecture.

Engineering Design Formal Proposal

Written for my engineering design class in the spring term of my sophomore year, the "Final Report for the Intelligent Ceiling Fan" was the official submission of a full-fledged design project.  This report consists of an outline of the problem, heavily researched and cited background information, and a thorough solution proposal and design outline.  I worked with Wil Livengood, MET, lead designer, modeler, and team lead; and Steven Bucci, MET, research director and economics analyst.  I was responsible for electrical and electronics design as well as prototype construction.  This work outlines everything from manufacturing techniques to failure modes to investment distribution.  My team and I finished second place in the engineering department’s “Shark Tank” Engineering Design Competition and received high marks from the director of the department.

Programming

As a computer engineer, much of the professional writing I perform is in another language.  I have completed extensive coursework in C, Ada, Verilog, and Matlab.  I have professional experience in ColdFusion, Javascript (jQuery, AJAX), CFML, HTML, SQL, and HQL, primarily from a summer internship in software development.  I have additional personal experience in Python, Java, BASIC, and various additional shell and terminal syntaxes.  I consider coding to be one of my passions and an art form in its own right.  I have been working with code for roughly eight years now, and I am grateful to have it come somewhat easily by now.  There is a plethora of applications for programming knowledge, and I know I am only scratching the surface.  I hope to continue growing in experience with numerous other languages and techniques.  I look forward to beginning to work with Assembly in the coming months, as well as to take a class on artificial intelligence and neural networks next year.  Still, in my experience, coding is not as exciting without a concrete hardware platform, and I hope to apply my knowledge of programming to embedded system design, the internet of things, or robotics.  I have included some of my more extensive programming projects for your consideration.

Ada – Stack and Queue Performance Analysis Program

This program was written for an information structures course in the fall term of my junior year.  Its purpose is to analyze and compare the performance of stacks and queues.  The program is designed to read a series of records from a text file, load them into a stack and a queue, and then perform update and delete processes on the records within those data structures.  The packages for dealing with stacks and queues were provided by the professor, while the CompositeStructures program and the input file are of my own construction.  My goal was the employment of numerous isolated functions as well as a clear, polished presentation.  The link above contains all necessary files and a text file of the output.

Matlab – Bouncing Balloons

This is a Matlab script written for an introductory course in the fall term of my sophomore year.  This program is an animation script in which several objects or “balloons” travel around the screen, bouncing or passing through the edges and “popping” when they collide with a moving “pointy object.”  The collision detection algorithm was a particularly difficult feat to implement.  This course did not cover functions in Matlab, so the code is extensive and repeating, but still clear and commented.  If you have access to Matlab software, I encourage you to copy, paste, and run.  If you wish, alter some of the user-alterable constants to play with speeds and constraints.

Building a Professional Portrait

Perhaps the most characteristic aspects of the internet are its permanence and accessibility.  However, in consideration of our final digital portfolio assignment, these aspects are very unnerving.  The likelihood of a future employer seeing the work that I am putting together, the text that I am typing right now, is intimidating.  Nevertheless, this is the purpose of the assignment.  Looking back at some of the work I am revising for inclusion, though, I cannot help but worry a bit about how I will feel about these blog posts a few more terms down the road.  The nature of my process: write, let it sit, read it, throw it away, write a new one.

This class has aided my understanding of professional writing, and other courses have honed my abilities at constructing and formatting reports and papers.  There is undoubtedly much revision work to be done.  I have found numerous documents that I consider worthy inclusions.  Some are recent, such as a digital electronics laboratory report from only a few weeks ago or an engineering design proposal from my last term.  Some are from a bit further back, such as a physics laboratory report and Matlab programming project from last year.  In regards to a revision from this class, I look forward to delving deeper into my AMD Kaveri microprocessor architecture evaluation.  It may not be my “most annoying” assignment, but it is the one most relevant to my ideal career, and the one I am most passionate about.  All of these works have something to say about different sectors of my discipline, from application of hard science and mathematics to more specific implementations and applications of particular techniques or programming languages.

I am a bit torn on the value of my inclusions in conformity to the class requirements.  Much of my engineering professional writing has consisted of quick, concise writing, with tables and graphs doing most of the talking.  Raw data and ten page appendices of sketches, tables, and photographs do not seem to contribute much in the form of human language, but I suppose I can say they are worth thousands of words.  Formatting and presentation will hopefully play a large part in doing what language cannot.  As I have discussed before, there is the matter of code.  Is it language?  I believe so.  Is it professional writing?  For me, yes.  It is not general enough, though, to be a cornerstone of the material I will showcase here.  Ultimately, I do not know how well-received this portfolio will be in a professional writing course, but it is a thorough and diverse representation of my discipline.  I look forward to continuing to explore, alter, and compose it into a reasonably clear portrait of both passions and qualifications.

This digital portfolio will include a cover letter and  four “cornerstone” works that highlight my professional writing skill.  The values and contributions of each of these works will be highlighted on their respective pages.  To continue to make this a valuable professional resource, I intend to include several programming projects.  I will post the source code and find a way to incorporate an embedded view or video of the output.  I also hope to include a separate section highlighting personal projects and side experience, including LED lighting projects, reverse engineering and modifications, perhaps even some 3D modelling and design.  I could also incorporate a more personal about me page that highlights hobbies and relevant pages.  Maybe I’m being a bit too thorough…

Life Is Elsewhere: What I Am Really Doing Here

In lieu of writing a third post in regard to my proposal assignment, I hope that I may be allowed to return to the essay we began the course with, one that continues to impact my perceptions.  Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here is Mark Edmundson's welcome and warning to college freshmen.  He considers the worth of education and the measure of success.  He challenges undergraduates to gather from their privileged college experiences viable applications to their own lives.  He proposes the study of academic material not for temporal letter grades, but for the continuing development of perspective.

While Plato, Emerson, and even Freud may have much to offer, what for the case of the man (or woman) who has already chosen a lens with which to view the world?  What for the person who has already defined themselves more deeply than a passing exploration of these works can commit?  The realm of a University is both a shield and a battleground.  It is a place where ideas can be shared, expanded, and approached in a multitude of ways within a "safe" environment, as we considered in class.  It is also a place that challenges all previous definitions of self, purpose, and goals.  This is an opportunity to engage a large number of unique and competing worldviews and attitudes; to truly assess your own values, priorities, and views.  This is an opportunity for the tough questions to be asked, the hard decisions to be made, and your own independent words and actions to sow your most deeply resonating ideals.  

It has been some time since I was a freshmen.  The initial adjustment was a very difficult process.  I spent much of my time clinging to everything I knew before.  As it faded, I found I was, unexpectedly, a slightly different version of the person I had tried to remain.  The subtle changes of the psyche formed in this time I cannot fully comprehend.  An education, an exploration, life itself has the capacity to alter perceptions.  In the engagement with something so much bigger than myself, as well as so many others in the same position, I developed new mindsets, a deeper appreciation for who I was, who we all are, and what we really were here for.

What of the quantification of success?  How distorted is this beast we call the American dream.  Edmundson confronts the unfortunate realities of the debt to the system incurred in pursuit of material wealth and esteem.  The true meaning exists far beyond the material, far beyond the monetary.  While I would agree that it is wiser to choose a career for the sake of your passion rather than your back account, even that will not complete you.  Then there are the multitudes who are content declining the academic inclination and instead investing themselves in pleasure: parties, booze, sex; temporal euphoric stimulation.  

What are we really here for?  We have been given a grand opportunity.  We are the molding minds, the makers of a future, a new generation of leaders, thinkers, and doers.  We have a responsibility to the world, to our friends, to our families, to each other, and to ourselves to capitalize on this.  What we have is, undoubtedly, a world of possibilities.  Yes, life is indeed elsewhere, in the abstract spaces of meaning that much of academia cannot address, but some of the most profound shaping of that life begins here.  Engage, analyze, decide for yourself.  Spend it wisely.  Spend it strongly.

A Symbiotic Proposal

During one of this week’s meetings, we discussed the process of connecting several central points to a main idea using concrete examples with language as a tool and medium.  My group and I are working to ensure that these considerations are incorporated into our proposal.  Thus far, in a proposal regarding upgrades and updates to a corporate technology ecosystem, we have targeted the primary areas of hardware, software, and economic viability and return.  Each one of these is developed into further subcategories.  For example, potential hardware upgrades include development workstations, business and general-use machines, servers, and displays.

I developed the hardware section by drawing from my unique experiences in information technology and hardware support positions.  I spent volunteered time working with the computing systems in high school, observed a server upgrade during a software development internship last summer, and have been employed in the University’s Information Technology User Services department at the IT Helpdesk for several years.  I have developed a passionate understanding of the amount of work that goes into these upgrade transitions, and I am excited to convey that knowledge in the upcoming proposal.

I suppose that is the ultimate goal.  A proposal cannot simply be an empty and static document.  It is not devoid of compromise, balance, or the essence of human intercession.  As we have discussed before, the proposal is a remarkably complex form of professional writing that is a subtle give and take between two entities.  It represents a refined construct of wills and offerings, a symbiotic connection between unrelated parts.  It represents trust and investment on behalf of both parties.  It is not only the conveyance of knowledge, but the fostering and development of a mutual understanding, the transition from abstract idea to concrete solution.  It is a representation of the differnece between customer and client.  While one requires a quick, one-time transaction, the other is an engagement in a long-term business relationship.

It is difficult to consider how difficult it would be to bring an unsolicited, wide-ranging, high-budget reform proposal to a Fortune 500 organization.  In that regard, I am happy that my group has built on a regularly occurring internal matter.  In a way I feel that we have gotten away with something.  However, our proposal still represents an essential element in the process we are considering.  I suppose this displays how versatile a medium the proposal is, how many are likely on file, and how probable it is that we will all encounter them in the future.

Being a Professional Dreamer

In this past week of preparing for formal proposals, I have reflected quite a bit on how my passion for technology relates to professional and business requirements.  I have found myself to be much of a dreamer, focused on the latest and greatest, anything that can be achieved.  The corporate considerations of timeline, benefit cost, and return on investment are difficult for me to wrap my mind around.  I consider myself organized and goal-driven.  I can act on requests.  I am fairly frugal and reasonably capable of staying within a budget.  Ultimately, though, I find that these constraints are the last things that I consider.

In our proposal, my group is assuming the role of a cross-department committee to propose a course of action for the yearly computer upgrades of a graphic design and video editing firm.  In such a firm, the "upgrades" being considered are remarkably expensive.  We are proposing the acquisition of over fifty thousand dollars of computer workstations and related equipment, not to mention the expenses of specialty software licensing.  In a class setting, it is easy to stand in front of a group of disinterested students (at various levels between asleep and awake, no doubt) and make such requests.  I could hardly imagine, however, being in the position to formally make this request from the financial department or CEO of a large and intimidating corporation.  It would be hard enough to do in writing, let alone forcing oneself to make eye contact in a direct presentation.

We have discussed needs, values, and attitudes in class, important considerations for any proposal.  It is immediately apparent to me that a core value of the financial department is money, and requesting so much may indeed put that value in jeopardy.  Their needs and values, and their responsibilities to the company, are to maintain financial stability and adherence to budget.  Their attitudes may reflect negatively to such an expensive project, not understanding the advantage over cheaper alternatives.  I suppose this is the advantage we have allowed ourselves by considering an internal proposal on upgrades that are required either way.  It is easier to consider the worth of an investment when money will be spent either way.  We can then focus on how the expense will improve productivity, quality, and reliability, also highlighting ways we have been able to reduce costs.

In this manner, I can see how each and every proposal serves as a persuasive document.  Every member of the groups both proposing and considering has something to contribute, but not everyone will maintain the same level of understanding toward all topics.  The proposal must be an accessible document that forms a clear path from each member, through, in this case, more technical decisions, passing close to the company's overall mission, and concluding at a point where the goals of the whole party are met.  This comes not without conflict and compromise, more considerations the proposal must work to meet.  I suppose the beauty of a proposal may be the sense that it isn't set in stone.  The bulk of the work is perhaps in the final tailoring to the organizations preferences and the follow through to accomplish the outlined goals.

Further Discussion and Elaboration of Press Release

The press release assignment has been the most enjoyable for me thus far.  In the creation of my press release, I choose to fabricate not only the subject, but also much of the surrounding information.  In creating the Ouevre (French for artwork), I was also able to design a three-dimensional model of the device and speculate on its specifications.  In doing so, I was able to incorporate some of the features that I have found most interesting in concept, as well as apply some recent advances in technology to a fictional future product.  For example, I incorporated an advanced parallel processing core, noting the work toward parallel processing made today and the part it may play in the future.  I especially enjoyed the fabrication of acronyms, such as MDEEPROM, for multidimensional flash memory, actually based on some recent advancements in stacking the microscopic cells where data is stored.  Little things like the name, the company headquarters in Johnstown, or a technology center named after my grandfather were pleasant personal additions.

I was initially at a loss for what direction to take on this assignment.  I typically don't highly value the contributions of mobile devices.  I have more of an interest in larger systems.  Considering their current popularity and relevance however, I wanted to explore their future presence further.  The irony is that devices like this may take a nearly unrecognizable form by the launch year of the Ouevre, 2026.  Theories range from wearable technology to embedded physical or neural components: a fusion of man and machine.  It seemed a bit overwhelming to try to determine success criteria for a venture like that, so I decided to stay reasonably close to the current format.

The press release is of surprising importance for someone in my field.  In particular, working with the press kit in its entirety has made me see how much an engineer could contribute, including detailed diagrams, specification sheets, and functional documentation.  It is the job of the marketing and communications team to build interest and capture media attention.  However, when dealing with a highly technical product, an engineer may very well provide the translation from incomprehensible technology acronyms to exciting, press-worthy features.  It is difficult to explain quantified benefits, how much of an upgrade something is, but once that big step is taken, it can become another lure to the public.

I wanted to add a bit more engineering flare to the press kit.  I had begun working on scale perspective drawings, dimensioning the unit and documenting ports.  Unfortunately, with other class obligations, the time I had to spend has been cut short.  I would have loved to delve deeper into future technologies like neural linking or holographic projection, but the amount of fabrication that would have been necessary would have made the press release even less accessible to a public audience.  To be honest, it is already a bit borderline in that regard.  It would have been interesting to further explain my ideas on the heuristic awareness engine or embedded transparent solar panels.  Given enough space, time, and incoherent jargon, I could have made it make sense.  Brevity is essential, though; something I am still learning.

Orwellian Concision and Memes

If someone asked me a month ago if I would consider George Orwell a revolutionary of diction, I would not have known how to respond.  The only knowledge I had of him was regarding works like Animal Farm and 1984.  His piece on “Politics and the English Language,” however, has greatly altered my perception of quality writing.  Though originating in 1946, its truths may be more relevant today than ever.  His words fit well with my reflection a few posts ago on keeping academic and technical forms of writing accessible.

In my field of study, there are several conflicts with Orwell’s rules against linguistic obscurity.  The biggest issue is the use of active voice.  As we discussed in class, engineering is one of many disciplines where active voice is to be avoided.  This keeps the first person, or any person, out of a scientific undertaking.  It is also difficult to avoid jargon in such a complex and technical discipline.  This could be remedied by spending more initial time explaining such concepts.  Ultimately, engineering values a forthright communication of accurate information without pretentious diction or meaningless fluff, a desire for clarity and concision shared with Mr. Orwell.

Use of language in this manner is often an attempt to sound more intelligent.  This could fit with more academic and scholarly writings; however, this course of action typically has the opposite effect.  By George’s admission, less can be much more.  The greatest communicators understand that what detracts from reader understanding can be detrimental to writing itself.  In an effort to incorporate lavish dialect, the true meaning of a piece can be lost in translation.

In application of Mr. Orwell’s ideas, I have created the following meme.  It reflects a passage of text from a scholarly article that I reviewed in research for our action plan assignment.  The quote: “While the use of this 50% value may not be exact for every other city and for the specific time of consideration (August 15), it has been used in this study as a baseline value which may in fact be conservative for a summer day and not an annual average value,” is a bit overwhelming.  This project involves researching the potential for energy conservation by liquid cooling servers.  This line is critical as it deals with their decision of a baseline temperature, the basis of validity for their entire experiment.  Unfortunately, this line appears to second-guess the decision made and does not necessarily reinforce the validity of its criteria.  This creates doubt in that validity for the reader, which is damaging to their case.  It may have been better to admit postulation, if that is indeed what it was, and discuss how the value was determined.  This line leaves ambiguity and adds little to the discussion.

Citation of Quote: Iyengar, M., et al. “Extreme Energy Efficiency Using W

ater Cooled Servers inside a Chiller-Less Data Center.”  Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), 2012 13th IEEE Intersociety Conference. May 30 2012 - June 1 2012. Print. DOI: 10.1109/ITHERM.2012.6231424

Code <= Art != Professional Writing

//In this
void IFind(Myself, AllIHoldDear) {
    int ErFacing = 2; //Man and Machine
    float IngInACommonSpace = 3.1415926535897932384626433;
 
    for( int erference = 0; erference <= will; erference++) {
        printf("There is %s beyond this.", something);
        scanf("Meaning to be found: %s", &somethingWorthFinding);
        thereIs(Order);  thereIs(Chaos);

        theTruth = Order > Chaos;
        thereIs(B3@uty);  thereIs("p_u_r_p_o_s_e");
     
        if( thereIsNothing > This ) whatMoreCanISeek--;
        elseif( thereIsNoPurpose ) whyOrder = "at all?";
        else //I
        {
             return home;
         }
    }
}

I have written thousands of words in the last several weeks that do not exist in prose.  They cannot contribute to a technical report.  They do not communicate heartfelt messages.  Whether or not they qualify as professional writing is a dilemma.  However, there is something about them: something I have always appreciated, but have barely come close to fully understanding.

In my Digital Humanities class, several days ago, Doctor Jeremy Justus was discussing the notion of code as language.  Digital Humanities has been an eye-opening course in the exploration of an intersection between my disciple, sometimes a logically and mathematically constructed wasteland, and points of humanity and deeper meaning, constructed or not.  We have explored numerous instances of media created by and through code, experienced only as digital artifacts, ultimately ones and zeros, that are still remarkably capable of leaving profound impressions on the psyche.

Something Doctor Justus said resonated with me.  In the beginning, or so it is written, the world was spoken into existence.  Meaning was understood to be intrinsic to language.  Understanding has since shifted to an arguably more educated view that meaning is constructed from independent experience and is not necessarily universal.  In the digital realm, however, these languages of programming are clearly defined.  Code shapes the digital landscape, from human-readable high-level commands to binary and hex based machine code.  Within a digital space, code is the language of God.

Is code language?  It must be.  Does that code hold the same meaning as the encrypted messages it carries?  Only to those who dare to decipher it.  To them, to us, it is a sort of artistic medium, a condensed representation of meaning lost in transmission.  Proof of our existence beyond that of the machine.  In my pursuit of the knowledge of computer engineering, perhaps I seek to emulate my Creator.  At least I would like to think so.

/*
 *The ultimate irony is that the function declared above is void.  It can return nothing.  There can be    * no return home...  I'm gonna go nerd out in the corner for a bit.
 */

Accessibility by Design

One of the most complicated struggles, as I have previously discussed, is the integration of creativity, relatability, and accessibility into more technical writing.  Professional writing seems to require a stricter consideration and communication than informal writing.  However, the most effective pieces of writing, regardless of genre, are those that engage the reader.  Depending on the work, this could mean shifting opinion, guiding through new information, or just stimulating thought, conclusion, or response.  I would argue that it is much more effective to reach out by integrating creative ideas, examples, even humor.  It can be so easy to become lost in the facts and figures, somewhere I find myself often.

I am concerned as to how much this relates to the particular division or work environment of a field.  Integrating relatable humor into a new technology review for an informal media publication company is one thing.  A technical report regarding doctoral research filings is another matter entirely.  I fail to see, however, why it should be.  If the information is of value, I believe it should be presented in a manner that is accessible to the vast majority of the population.  How can something be revolutionary if only the most educated and dedicated individuals can stomach the bombardment of jargon?  How can big ideas be grown, adapted, and realized if the large groups of dedicated people cannot be moved to action by complex propositions?

From my perspective, there seems to be a fundamental disconnect between the research community and the dreaming makers.  I have read dozen-page research articles from groups of individuals with grant funding on ideas that can and should be changing the world.  I have read dozen-page guides and walkthroughs of projects and amateur led from concept to fruition with dedication and care.  I honestly cannot confirm which group is more brilliant.  Both groups have big ideas and ridiculous grammar mistakes.  Both groups are incredibly passionate but lack the resources, in terms of people or funding, to realize the fullest extent of their goals.  Both have dedicated themselves to pursuits that no single individual can or should fully conquer alone.

We need to meet.  We need to talk.  We need to build a better world together.  To do that, we must compose our thoughts and ideas in a manner that is accessible to everyone.

The Finer Aspects of Evaluation and Translating Technicality

In preparation for the second assigned essay, we have worked with evaluation and review in terms of establishing a specific category, defining criteria, and associating the positive or negative relationship between category and criteria.  We have practiced through in class exercises, evaluating the pilot episode of Lost as well as one another’s blogs.  We have also read several professional level reviews of The Walking Dead and Nirvana’s album Nevermind.

There were some important points I took away from both of these evaluations.  For one, audience consideration in review is tremendously important.  The audience may need to be met more than halfway.  In the case of the Walking Dead review, without ever seeing the show, I was still able to follow the review reasonably well.  A good review may also require informational components to bring the audience up to speed.  Another aspect, more particular to the Nevermind "review," was the connection the author attempted to build with the reader.  More than a quarter of the material was on a personal note, highlighting some of the author’s history and his personal connection to the music.  This helped in establishing a sort of credibility for the author, especially considering his review was not solely of the album, but on how it fits into the larger picture of changing industry, times, and tastes.

My review is to be a bit more technical in nature.  I am aiming to evaluate the Kaveri architecture used in a recent mid-range iteration of microprocessors by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).  I have chosen this for my evaluation as it is closely tied to my discipline, my personal interests, and my potential dream to work with designing and fabricating microprocessor technologies.  I understand it is a highly technical and interest-specific review, and I hope to use it to hone my skills in simplifying the technical for a larger audience, which I see as an incredibly important skill for a computer engineer.  This being the case, I hope it will be understood and accepted that my review may be a bit more consumer focused.

It is obvious that my review may need quite a bit of informational content.  After some initial thought, I would say that my specific category could be considered a budget workstation-enthusiast mid-range quad core desktop microprocessor.  It is a mouthful, but quite specific, which I suppose is the aim.  As discussed in our Lost evaluation, it is important that I focus on relevant criteria for the specific category, not necessarily for this particular chip.  The primary criteria at first consideration would be performance benchmarks, power dissipation, and cost.  Considering the diversity in this market, it will be difficult to establish direct competitive cost and performance relations.  In order to adequately ascertain competitiveness, I will need to research competing chips at similar benchmarks and prices and compare at two different levels, which should be interesting.  I hope to include some detailed analysis and comparison between Intel and AMD technologies in-depth, but I partially feel that such detail may be less relevant for this audience.  There is a time and a place to geek out, but this may not be it.

When? Just About All the Time.

Last week’s action plan assignment was very helpful in determining the forms of professional writing in my field.  It served a fruitful purpose of giving me a basis for developing the next assignments on evaluations, press releases, and proposals.  But how are these used in computer engineering?  I am aware of the prevalence of technical reports, users' manuals, circuit descriptions, and the like, but when will someone in my position need to write an evaluation, press release, or proposal?  My conclusion: in nearly every stage of the design or production process.  We discussed the separate connotations of these three modes of writing in class, but I would propose that they are, in fact, very closely related and may be applied in unison.

When a project is being defined and refined by a team of experts, there will be many different propositions.  Whether this project is the architecture of a microprocessor logic unit or the layout of the cooling systems in a server farm, many large and small decisions must be made.  Official documents will need to convey the process the team used to reach their conclusions (evaluation), the plan of action for communication with the customer (proposal), and a release of relevant information to the public (press release).

When a company is releasing a new product, each of these methods is employed.  Whether that product be a two cent integrated circuit, a thousand dollar laptop, or a modular industrial fabrication system worth nearly a million dollars, the same considerations must be made.  Teams of individuals, internal and external to the developer, will examine the product in question to authenticate its performance and adherence to standards.  Proposals may be sent to close affiliates of the developer, encouraging adoption of the product.  Press releases will be composed for the market of the product to seed interest, enthusiasm, and, ultimately, sales.

In the likely event of a malfunction or catastrophic failure of a product, all of these approaches are still necessary.  Evaluation is a critical stage after a failure, used to determine the cause and depth of the issue.  This stage of the process may take longer than any other, and it must be the most closely documented as the other two will reference it recurrently.  Press releases will be formed to quell outcry and assure resolution.  Proposals for such resolution will be rapidly produced and acted upon.

It is important to note that a failure of this magnitude is often caused by a failure in previous evaluation, proposal, or release.  Evaluation may have been completed in error.  Proposals may leave out a critical component due to eleventh hour adjustments or funding cuts.  Releases may communicate inaccurate information to the public, causing a firestorm that must be snuffed out quickly.  This further emphasizes the need for close attention to professional writing of all types in every stage of the process.

An Educator and an Engineer

As a beginning to my research into professional writing in my career path, I interviewed Professor Stanley Pisarski of the electrical engineering technology department at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.  I chose to interview Professor Stan partly because of the writing experience I gained under his guidance in electronics lab.  Professor Stan is also the writer behind most electrical engineering laboratory manuals in our program, making his perspective a very useful one.

If I had any doubts about the need for professional writing skills in my discipline, Professor Stan quickly expunged them.  He thoroughly outlined his use of professional writing, providing a double perspective as both a professional and an educator.  He noted that he typically expects to spend one to two hours a day on writing alone.  Much of this is rooted in the need for documentation of nearly all work that is done.  Professor Stan was very clear in his mindfulness that “communication in written form…is essential to work with others in the engineering field.”

I had written much previously for Professor Stan in terms of technical laboratory reports, so that was something I wanted to discuss more in depth with him.  My concerns were in the satisfactory realization of both professional and public level writing, as well as the balance of technicality and “creativity” in these reports.  Professor Stan was encouraging in his experience that, with time and practice, the ability to transition between writing for technical individuals and the general public will become seamless.  He confirmed that one should develop the aptitude to write with both sides in mind.  Professor Stan also commented that even fact-filled technical reports “can be made to be more enjoyable to read, without diluting the details, by adding some creative ideas or thoughts into the report.  It is always good to show how the information in these types of technical reports [is] applicable to real world situations.”

I deeply enjoyed my exchange with Professor Stan and have taken much away from it.  I have heard it said that an engineer is the bridge between theory and reality.  Engineers must balance feasibility, practicality, and the latest in technology, while effectively communicating with teams of experts at the concept and execution ends of the spectrum, to bring about the new.  This interview aided in my continued realization of how professional writing skills, whether for documentation or communication, are absolutely necessary for future success in this field.

Relevance of Professional Writing

Writing is important.  Clear communication of thoughts and ideas is one of the most imperative skills to master.  At least that is what I have always been told.  When I was preparing to graduate from high school, I looked forward to putting aspects of grammar, style, and literary exploration behind me.  I saw myself in an exciting new world where I would take classes in only the topics in which I was most interested and passionate.  I could not have been more wrong.

However, I cannot say that I am disappointed.  I have learned much more in the past few years about how significant matters of communication really are.  My profession recognizes clear speaking and writing as a fundamental cornerstone.  In the rapid advancement of technology, new ideas and methods must communicated even more quickly.  Standards must be developed, shared, and altered as change continues to shape the landscape.  Professional writing can take the form of technical reports, individual memorandums, user manuals, requests and proposals for new hardware and software components, or marketing and media releases to entice the buyers of the latest and greatest.  The skills and experience necessary for success in all of these subfields will almost never be found in one individual, further increasing the need for proficiency in communication between them.

It is clear to me that professional writing is a critical skill, but exactly how I will use it remains to be fully known.  A computer engineering technology degree (they tell me) opens one to many possibilities.  I may find myself in a small business working on an information technology management team.  Here I would require professional writing skills to address corporate supervisors and effectively communicate the needs of the local staff, while also drafting logs, help tickets, work orders, and the like.  At the other end of the spectrum, I may find myself in an academic laboratory writing hundred page reports on the latest research, techniques, and discoveries.  Not to mention…*shudder*…grant applications.  It is highly likely that programming will be a large part of what I do wherever I end up, which I suppose is a professional writing of its own.

I find myself struggling with the formal rigors of my discipline.  Many of my professors have encouraged the embrace of more creative processes in design and problem solving.  Those in many branches of my field consider their work to be similar to a fine art.  But how much passion can be injected into a formal and professionally written technical report?  Can hundreds of lines of machine code lend a poetic beauty in form while only ones and zeros in function?  Does the rise of digital narratives signify a creative relationship between man and machine?  In my discipline, to know what it means to write professionally, these are a few of the more interesting questions I have to answer.