Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Truth About Elves And Their Magical Selves

Elves are every bit a mystery even today. However, their origin can be traced back to Norse mythology, where they are viewed as being a divine or semi-divine race of beings endowed with special magical powers that they are reputed to use for and against humankind. The truth about elves and their magical selves is that they grew along with folklore into both the 19th and the 20th centuries. One exposure that they have managed to gain for themselves is the fact that they have been known for years to be associated with Christmas. They are looked on as being "Santa's little helpers" and it is this enduring image that gives their magical selves all the more interest to others.

The ones in modern English folklore of the 19th century were also linked to fairies. It was this connection that would go on to give them their defining size. In addition, they appeared to dwell in rocks and or underground, as well as in springs and wells. The author J.R.R. Tolkien seemed to truly appreciate them for all the kinds that they were to everyone. He wrote a treatment in the 20th century that displayed the various races in fantasy. These races included light, black, dark and the dwarves of Norse mythology. Each race was now a permanent member of high fantasy due to Tolkien. The truth about these beings is that though they apparently had various types. There is only one breed of them today that cancels all the rest out. These are indeed the most famous and for now.

They are every inch a magical part of Christmas as is Santa and his reindeer. They manage to give so much to this wonderful holiday in a number of ways. The truth about them is that their legend is the stuff that Christmas is made of as is any other tradition that is part of it too. These "Christmas helpers" are not only small in stature according to Christmas legend. They are also male and female in gender. Not only do they each have pointed ears, but they are youthful in appearance, as well as immortal in how long they live. They became a reality via the hand of popular Scandinavian story tellers in the mid 1800s. They are now a permanent part of Christmas and aid Santa in designing toys as gifts for children.

The truth about elves is evident and that is that they will go on living an endless life in the eyes of children everywhere. These youngsters not only adore Santa but also the very magical force that is Christmas itself.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Writing and Speaking With Industry Jargon Considered

Whenever one is writing or speaking it becomes readily apparent extremely quickly, regardless of the area of science, industry, or topic that the readers or listeners come from various levels of knowledge in the field. Obviously, it serves no purpose to talk or write over people's heads. Likewise it only detracts from the author or speaker to talk down to the student, reader, or audience.

Okay so, how do you talk to a broader audience, but ensure you are not boring the experts, or flying over the heads of the others?

Now then, having written a number of industry articles and also spoken to far more groups than I care to remember - I suppose the technique I like best is to put it like this (example):

"The US Navy along with the top university research teams have come a long way in the development of UUV's (underwater unmanned vehicles) over the last decade."

By clarifying the term or acronym early, it allows for those in the industry, or the experts to read through it, and those who are not in the industry to at least follow along even though they are a novice. Plus, it allows the new comers to learn a new term and assists them, bringing them up to speed on the industry jargon. The same technique tends to work very well with large audiences and you are less apt to see, blank stares peering back at you.

This is what I typically do, and although readers rarely give me feedback on this particular technique, I can safely say that I personally appreciate it when other authors of research papers, technical pieces, and industry articles do the same, especially when I am studying a new topic.

Okay, realize also that you don't want to use the long version in every sentence or repeat it too often, but it also makes sense if you have an extremely large audience reading your article, essay, or listening to your talk, YouTube video, or lecture to make mention of the term's meaning along the way again, somewhere in the middle, especially if you are introducing a whole host of industry type jargon in your speech or writing.

It is only fair to your audience that you do this, and frankly, you'd want them to do the same if they were teaching you a new topic as well. Meanwhile, as long as you keep it brief you will not alienate the other experts or your peers in using this strategy. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this.