Oops. My bad.

In a recent post, I wrote the following:

ostentatious or ingratiating - These adjectives mean "subservient." I switched to "subservient" because today, more people know or can deduce what "subservient" means.

Yikes. I wrote "ostentatious" when I meant "obsequious."

I need to follow my own advice and proofread two or three times. For this correction, my thanks go to keen editor Julie Landry (landrywriter@yahoo.com).

Science Should Not Confuse You

Most people want to understand global warming. To that end, a government agency wrote a website that answered frequently asked questions.

Here is one question, with its answer.

Is the hydrological cycle (evaporation and precipitation) changing?
Overall, land precipitation for the globe has increased by about 2% since 1900, however, precipitation changes have been spatially variable over the last century. Instrumental records show that there has been a general increase in precipitation of about 0.5-1.0%/decade over land in northern mid-high latitudes, except in parts of eastern Russia. However, a decrease of about -0.3%/decade in precipitation has occurred during the 20th century over land in sub-tropical latitudes, though this trend has weakened in recent decades. Due to the difficulty in measuring precipitation, it has been important to constrain these observations by analyzing other, related variables. The measured changes in precipitation are consistent with observed changes in streamflow, lake levels, and soil moisture (where data are available and have been analyzed).
Flesch Reading Ease 13.8 (ideal is 70)

To translate that answer, I used the principles of clear sentences.

Is the hydrological cycle (evaporation and precipitation) changing?
Globally, land precipitation has increased by about 2% since 1900. However, in that time, precipitation changes have varied spatially. For example, over most land in northern mid-high latitudes, precipitation has increased about 0.5% to 1.0% per decade. (The exceptions were parts of eastern Russia.) At the same time, over land in subtropical latitudes, precipitation has decreased by 0.3% per decade. (This trend toward decrease has weakened in recent decades.) Because precipitation is hard to measure, scientists checked these figures against observed changes in streamflow, lake levels, and soil moisture. Where scientists have gleaned and analyzed those data, the results confirmed their precipitation numbers. In general, precipitation seems to be increasing in some northern latitudes and decreasing slightly in subtropical areas.
Flesch Reading Ease 30.5 (ideal is 70)

Dr. Danielle S. Allen

Dr. Danielle S. Allen, currently of the University of Chicago, writes about "rhetoric," usually known as manipulative or persuasive language. She redefines it as "the art of talking to strangers as equals" and "the art of generating trust."

"Properly understood, rhetoric is not a list of stylistic rules but an outline of the radical commitment to other citizens that is needed for a just democratic politics."

These quotes are from Dr. Allen's 2004 book _Talking to Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship since Brown versus Board of Education_. In that book she draws deeply not only from Greek and Renaissance classics, but from the splendid tradition of African American social thought, translating that thought into a program by which all Americans might come together as what she calls "political friends."

We need your program, Dr. Allen. I'm listening. And thank you.

Writing for Science and Engineering

Today, scientists and engineers know they must communicate well. They are not content with yesterday's rambling discussions or Power Point templates. To help each other, scientists from top U.S. schools such as Georgia Tech, Pitt, Vermont, and Virginia Tech have collaborated on this site:

http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/index.html

The site explains, step by step, how to handle the many facets of science writing: audiences, formats, style, slides, posters, references, etc. It includes guidelines, examples, and interactive exercises.

Some of its didactic pages are poorly formatted (as vast blocks of text). However, the links bring you to examples of every science genre, from the memo and letter to the slide presentation or the poster. Links also lead to excellent articles about the latest in designing information for scientists and engineers, including a better slide design than the defaults offered by Power Point.

Want to skip the theory and go to the skills? Proceed directly to the "exercises" page:
http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/exercises/index.html