Let's Tech Communicate

August 2018

Image of Grant Mackenzie smiling at the camera with a Pidgey on the table in front of him. Photo taken with Pokemon Go

This month it is fonts, finance, free features, and we go Back to the Future. The questions are as follows:

  1. The Swiss have Helvetica and the French have Garamond but is there such a thing as a New Zealand typeface?
  2. We all know what Bitcoin is but do we understand blockchain technology and how it could be applied to technical communication?
  3. If you can’t code and you need to interact with APIs, what tools exist to help you and how can you avoid common API documentation mistakes?
  4. Who said “Docs? Where we’re going we don’t need docs” and why did they say it?

We should be told. Read on.

National 2, the New Zealand typeface

Fonts are the clothes that words wear. New Zealander Kris Sowersby is an award winning designer of typefaces. In 2005 he launched his Klim Type Foundry. His most famous font is National which is used by Xero, Westpac, Te Papa, and many more. He has just had an exhibition in Grey Lynn There is no such thing as a New Zealand typeface . This highlighted his latest creation National 2. The link to his exhibition (now closed) is here. The web site for the Klim Type Foundry is here. The link to the Kim Hill interview is here.

Understanding blockchain technology

There have been explanations of how Blockchain works but until I read Understanding blockchain technology by Bhushan Jahagirdar I remained ignorant. This wonderful article demystifies blockchain and suggests practical uses for it in technical communication and other industries.

API Duds and Spots

It has been proven by Americans that technical communicators who document APIs are more highly paid than any other tcs. If you are thinking of documenting APIs, Cherryleaf has a really useful list of the common mistakes organisations make with their API Documentation . If you need to interact with APIs even if you can’t code, you need API Spots. Yes you do. It is a chrome extension that lets non-coders understand an API. It is a collection of tools for anyone interested in discovering, exploring and interacting with APIs without the need for a technology background.

Docs? Where we’re going we don’t need docs

One of the most famous scenes in the Back to the Future movie franchise is when Doc Emmet says “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need Roads.” Karen Kesler Director of Content Experiences at Microsoft has clearly watched this scene once too often. In her Docs? Where we’re going we don’t need docs she conjures up a compelling canvas where no docs are needed, just an intuitive UX.