11–17 of 17 posts
> in no particular order … And what follows is an ordered list. Of mostly unsubstantiated nonsense explained in bloated language. That opposite of what I'd expect from good tech writing. Is this a satire? It feels like something out of McSweeney's.
It is list of authors pet peeves, stuff he would like writers to follow. I did not found the language bloated, it was easy to understand.
> in no particular order … And what follows is an ordered list. Of mostly unsubstantiated nonsense explained in bloated language. That opposite of what I'd expect from good tech writing. Is this a satire? It feels like something out of McSweeney's.
> in no particular order … And what follows is an ordered list. Of mostly unsubstantiated nonsense explained in bloated language. That opposite of what I'd expect from good tech writing. Is this a satire? It feels like something out of McSweeney's.
11. Don't refer to anything as simple just because it is simple to you.
The article could do with more substance overall but this is one of my biggest pet peeves and I appreciate it being pointed out. I think the tendency of some tech articles/tutorials to refer to things as simple is part of the faux-friendly-jokey attitude that a lot of tech writing adopts—especially on sites like Medium. That and emojis and gifs. I tend to close an article/tutorial as soon as I see an emoji or a gif.
The list is a set of tired tropes which occur with some frequency.
It's short. There are links to expanded discussion. The context is a 10-year blog of the author's on the larger topic of technology and technological criticism, and yes, there's a book, pay-what-you-can, CC-licensed: https://gumroad.com/l/CWRfq
I might have added, substituted, or amended a few items, most especially that there is actually something of a history and philosophy of technological criticism, but that's me. The latter point is picked up in the blog at large and the book.
For an item I very nearly passed over on account of its original title, this is actually an intruiging find. Thanks to thomasbjeven for turning it up, and L.M. Sacasas for writing it.
Desplite the original title (HN's clarified it), the topic isn't technical writing as might be presumed, but writing on technology , and mostly the sort of pie-eyed, overly credulous and bombastically optimistic variety that's often found. Even, occasionally, on the pages on Hacker News. The list is a set of tired tropes which occur with some frequency. It's short. There are links to expanded discussion. The context…