#20778
Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness
Welcome to my Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness. On this page, I list wacky, bizarre, surreal and otherwise strange examples of technical documentation, particularly illustration.
DarrenBarefoot (2003). Humor>TC>Technical Illustration>Localization
#24178
For this year's humor contest, Intercomasked readers to write instructions for imaginary devices. The contest was inspired by Stanislaw Lem, a writer of science fiction who also published collections of reviews and introductions to books that don't exist.
#19767
Humor for the Technical Writing Class
Here are some examples and pointers to humor about resumes, documentation and mistaken English.
Karplus, Kevin. University of California Santa Cruz (2003). Humor>Language>TC
#14626
Intercom's Annual Humor Contest 
The editor of Intercom introduces the magazine's annual humor contest. This year, readers are asked to submit made-up words that relate to some aspect of technical communication.
Martin, Maurice. Intercom (2000). Humor>TC
#14655
The Love Song of J. Alfred Techrock
Manley's loving parody of T. S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' touches on the realities of technical communicators on the job.
Manley, Frank. Intercom (2000). Humor>Workplace>TC
#18237
Low-Level Jobs to Avoid: Technical Writer
Grouping technical writers with grocery stock clerks and temps, this article mocks us all. Seemingly, from the position of someone who's done the job. For example, under 'manager says,' it quotes:
I want those four bullet points on letters of credit to be perfectly clear and concise. Spend a few more hours reworking them until they're exactly right.
Suck (1998). Humor>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
#31943
Why We Need Technical Communicators
A YouTube video of a terrible (!) presenter discussing the technical intricacies of a product, using the worst possible language.
Harkness, Holly E. Don't Call Me Tina (2008). Humor>TC>Multimedia>Video
#14616
Humor about the last time a milennium hadn't been planned for.
Gagliardi, Charles. Intercom (2000). Humor>TC>History
