For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Brijit is a website that publishes 100-word summaries of various web, TV, radio, and print media. The idea is that there is so much information out there – wouldn’t it be nice if we had the short-short version so we can get the gist of it and decide if it’s worth reading or watching the whole thing.

It’s a neat idea, but with so much content out there, it would be impossible for an editorial team to cover it all. Brijit came up with the genius idea of asking anybody to submit these 100-word summaries in exchange for $5.

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Have you ever had a job that bored you into zombie mode faster than Seabiscuit on steroids? According to this BBC article, scientists have developed a headset that measures when our brains are about to switch into autopilot mode. This state of cognitive rest is the brain’s way of saving cogitations for something more mentally taxing like what to make for dinner tonight.

Going brain dead is all very well if you’re gluing hula skirts onto tiki dolls on an assembly line, but what about if you’re, say, an air traffic controller? This device could improve workplace safety (and cut down on all those WCB claims).

Looking at the design, though, I’d say they still have a long way to go before any employee consents to sporting this stylish headgear in comfort.

Image courtesy of BBC News

Come and support the grads of the Print Futures program at our portfolio show this Thursday from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. You can drop in or stay for the whole event.

There’ll be free food, free music, and free conversation with some of the most talented writers this side of the Fraser River. The booze you’ll have to pay for. 

I won a ticket to this year’s DocTrain West conference through the Westcoast STC! I’d like to thank the organizer Scott Abel and the good people at the STC for giving me this terrific opportunity. As I mentioned before, if you can afford the $899, or have a generous employer, then be there or don’t-be-square.

I’ve officially uploaded the latest version of my ePortolio – you can check it out here.

This website uses some flash elements and some fancy css coding and is basically geared towards technical writing employers as a way to showcase my work. I may expand it in the future to include other samples too.

For those who are interested, I designed it in Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and Photoshop. I used FlashSpring Pro 2 to convert a Powerpoint to flash. It’s best viewed using the latest version of any browser with a resolution of 1024×768. It’s also a bit flashier than the portfolio on this blog, which includes everything, including the kitchen sink.