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The Indexer

The Indexer is an international journal of indexing that comes out four times a year and addresses issues pertinent to back-of-the-book and online indexing. Topics include reviews of indexing software, articles on the history of indexing, tips on creating indexing websites, references to training and courses, and much more.

A regular section called "Around the World" provides a roundup of indexing happenings and events. The latest "Around the World" was edited by eminent Australian indexer, Glenda Browne, with the topic "How indexers use social media in their indexing careers".

Also,

Tim Brookes: Author of "Thirty Percent Chance Of Enlightenment" (Buy it)

Tim Brookes, musician, world traveler, and professor at Champlain College in Vermont, is the author of numerous books including the cult classic, "Hell of a Place to Lose a Cow." He has been a contributor to National Public Radio for years and reprints some of his NPR pieces every Sunday on his website at www.timbrookesinc.com.

Tim's latest book is "Thirty Percent Chance of Enlightenment" -- published in the fall of 2009 through the Champlain College Publishing Initiative. Publishing in this manner allowed his students to learn about the publishing of a manuscript from
A—Z.

When a sample of the text was offered to Linked-In group members, I expressed avid interest. I was then graciously provided a PDF of the whole megillah. Having enjoyed myself so thoroughly reading the book and wanting to thank Tim for the opportunity (and for being such a fabulous writer!), I offered to index it for him.

Tim will be including my index in the next edition of his book. After reviewing the index, he wrote : "I'm touched, almost overwhelmed. This is a remarkable document, and it's just stunning that anyone should pay such close attention to my story and my work. I can't thank you enough."

Oh, p'shaw - it was a pleasure!

Review on Amazon.com:

Travel writer Tim Brookes began his assignment with National Geographic magazine intending to enlighten himself and his readers about weather forecasting in South India. Finding himself barred from the official national weather stations, Brookes was forced to change his plans. With the help of Faith (a spiritual tour guide) he decided to save the assignment by continuing his research in a more informal manner, touring the land in order to interview regular citizens about their experiences with the monsoon.

On his road (and canal) trip through Southern India, Brookes not only got the local scoop about the monsoon but he also gained unexpected enlightenment about the perils of traveling in an auto-rickshaw, combatting relentless mosquitoes with grace, and relying on the game of cricket as a grounding tool.

Readers of "Thirty Percent" also gain unexpected enlightenment, through learning the history of weather, getting insight into how different countries deal with forecasting (newsflash - not every country is as weather-obsessed as the US) and through acquiring a deeper respect for the role of water in all our lives.

The text is so enjoyable not only because it is witty in that British-humor manner and not just because Brookes has such a warm style, but because it is written in such an absorbing way that readers feel like they're right there with the author, experiencing the events as a companion. Readers share Brooke's frustration and disappointment with the India Meteorological Department, the fear of imminent nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and delight in discovering exotic ways to bring about rain, such as the marriage of donkeys and plowing fields in the nude.

Read "Thirty Percent Chance of Enlightenment" and meet the combat weathermen; wonder at the girl who married a banana tree; and follow the recipe provided to make your own version of the Indian delicacy known as "payasam." Don't read the book too quickly, though. Savor it, take your time, and the journey will affect your dreams. And, if the book intrigues you enough to want to travel in Tim Brooke's footsteps, do contact Windows on the World Travel - Faith turns out to be as wonderful as she is portrayed.

This eighty-minute documentary from 2007 is a film celebrating the most popular, successful and beloved font of the past fifty years. Available for instant viewing on Netflix, it is heartily recommended for indexers. It will give you an added appreciation of the power of this classic font. (inDocs inDexing gives it three stars.)

http://www.helveticafilm.com/

Named after the Latin word for Switzerland, Helvetica was released to the world in 1957. It had been just a dozen years since WWII instigated tremendous upheaval. Survivors were still in their rebuilding and recovery phase and more amenable than usual to changes. Helvetica was born in this modern atmosphere to idealistic Swiss graphic artists willing to experiment with new forms. To express their love of neutrality, rationality and order, Helvetica's inventors crafted these qualities into a superior sans-serif font.

A serif font has embellishments at the end of the letters, whereas sans-serif fonts do not. The sans-serif Helvetica was developed to be as smooth, symmetrical and balanced as possible, with special attention placed on the spaces between letters. The resulting font improved readability and clarity and even produced a feeling of "ultimate rightness" in readers that went beyond a question of taste.

Prior to the development of Helvetica the cluttered, distracting look of myriad fonts was the norm in print ads. Once Helvetica was applied to advertisements, and shown to make messages more powerful, companies became eager to utilize "the badge of modern society" to replace their old fonts. Making the change to Helvetica was said to be thrilling—akin to having cold water thrown upon oneself after crawling through the desert.

Helvetica became the preferred font on pre-packaged products, road signage and even on tax forms. Early adopters such as American Airlines and the New York City subway system quickly helped to make Helvetica font seem normal and natural. Once Helvetica became ubiquitous people took it for granted. And they soon forgot it hadn't always been around.

By the 1970's Helvetica was considered penultimate. Many truly felt that a better font would never be invented. Yet there was rebellion against Helvetica in the post-modern era of the 1980's in which deconstruction and challenge of text was de rigeur. Graphic artists felt that one way to participate in the post-modern sensibility was to eschew the now mainstream, predictable and familiar font that carried the messages of capitalism and globalization. The neutrality of Helvetica was thrown over for edgy fonts that deliberately caused emotional response upon viewing them.

The font rebellion was short-lived, though. By the late 1990's the print world was ready to go back to Helvetica's classic look. Old school purists retained the notion that it was threatening to visual communication to use any font except Helvetica. But most graphic artists and advertisers welcomed the diversity of old and decided to utilize Helvetica, as well as other fonts.

"The Indexing Companion" by Glenda Browne is a great resource for the intermediate indexing student, especially when used in tandem with the "Indexing Companion Workbook." Most American indexing students start out with using the texts, "Indexing Books" by Nancy Mulvany and the indexing section of the "Chicago Manual of Style." Once the student has digested the information in those two guides, "The Indexing Companion" is a fabulous third source. The book is aimed at the Australian market, but that does not in the least mean that the information is not applicable to indexing students of all countries, as most of the tips and techniques discussed apply to indexing in general. (Buy it) "The Indexing Companion" and its workbook are definitely worth your time and investment.