3.1011 the quality of writing is (not) machined (74)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Tue, 6 Feb 90 19:47:53 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 1011. Tuesday, 6 Feb 1990.
(1) Date: Mon, 5 Feb 90 23:58:00 EST (21 lines)
From: KESSLER <IME9JFK@OAC.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Re: 3.1006 Mac/IBM and quality in writing (80)
(2) Date: 06 Feb 90 01:14:09 EST (10 lines)
From: James O'Donnell <JODONNEL@PENNSAS>
Subject: Mac vs. IBM, prosaic.
(3) Date: Tue, 6 Feb 90 08:18 EST (18 lines)
From: <J_CERNY@UNHH>
Subject: Some comments on the Halio article.
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 90 23:58:00 EST
From: KESSLER <IME9JFK@OAC.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Re: 3.1006 Mac/IBM and quality in writing (80)
I think, Dear John Slatin, the logic of the essay is flawed because it
began with some sort of subtext, some hidden assumption about macs and
IBMS, which is part of the silly rah-rah culture we have lived in for
decades, since the first cars showed up. Fetishism about machines. You
are correct from your experience, I think, empirically correct. People
do or dont, can or cant, and it is a truism from the first scribes on
down. People are born with eye hand ear coordination and have it
trained or they are not, which says nothing about their brain powers!
as I have seen from the mini-sample of my own three offspring, and the
incredible powers of a dyslectic brotherinlaw who is world famous. given
an award for achievement nationally as a dyslectic, one of his
colleagues remarked: he has written 40 famous books and cant read a
single one of them! Let us not sink into the trivia of fetishism about
machines. I thank human powers for every one that helps, such as for
instance the highspeed watercooled drills my dentists have used for two
decades! And I am 50,000$ into advanced misery and gerontological
dentistical travails! Kessler at UCLA
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------15----
Date: 06 Feb 90 01:14:09 EST
From: James O'Donnell <JODONNEL@PENNSAS>
Subject: Mac vs. IBM, prosaic.
From: Jim O'Donnell (Classics, Penn)
The quality of orthography on Macintoshes will improve sharply when they make
a decent keypad standard. I use both and my thumbs are all over the place on a
Mac, and I notice the same problem in my students' papers. Lots of extra
periods and spaces.
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------23----
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 90 08:18 EST
From: <J_CERNY@UNHH>
Subject: Some comments on the Halio article.
I'm glad Joel Goldfield introduced the Halio article for discussion.
It certainly raises many questions and answers few, if any.
I also hope that someone who knows her points out that the article
is under discussion here.
In the end I was disappointed that Halio did not say more about her
research plans except: "Presently, I am in the midst of conducting
a more controlled experiment ...". That seems to me to be the
essence of this. People will be able to cite anecdotal evidence
forever, but the necessary thing is to conduct a rigorous planned
experiment with randomization, multiple factors, etc. It would be
nice if the situation at Delaware allows for that.
Jim Cerny, Computing and Information Services, Univ. N.H.