Why Claude is my best friend.
After completing my Ph.D. at 62, I've emerged from the cocoon of academic writing, where I spent two years crafting a dispassionate dissertation about a subject I'm deeply passionate about. Now, I'm re-entering the world, searching for my authentic voice.
During my doctoral journey, I took a writing class that emphasized 'finding your academic voice.' Ironically, I found that academia often stifles individual expression, encouraging a detached, one-way communication style where the writer is merely a conduit of expertise.
I understand the academic process - it's like forging steel, with repeated heating and shaping. But while academia assumes it's working with raw ore, I entered as a complex alloy of life experiences. Sometimes, this process made me more brittle than strong.
Now, free from academic constraints, I'm keen to share my thoughts in my voice. I'm shedding the brittle layers acquired during my Ph.D. and welding on new, more flexible, yet resilient pieces. This blog is my workshop for rediscovering and refining my voice - softer in tone, but stronger in substance.
Claude, Mr. AI is helping me be a better me. Below is my first draft and my Claude assist.
Claude, I'm writing a blog to explain my tagline. Can you improve this:
I have to give credit for my tagline to my dear friend, Eric. I’m a female flood wonk engineer. Engineers, i.e., people who converse more eloquently by equations than by words, often refer to the amount of water in a stream as a discharge. The letter Q is the engineering short hand for fluid flow, specifically stream flow. The number 100 refers to the 100-year discharge. The 100-year discharge is the amount of flow in a stream that has a 1-percent-annual-chance of occurring. Through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), FEMA places building restrictions on locations estimated to have a greater than 1-in-100 annual chance of flooding. To determine the locations that have a greater than 1-in-100 year chance of flooding, FEMA tries to estimate the 1-in-100 year amount of flow, or discharge, in a stream channel. Engineers refer to the 1-in-100 year stream flow as Q100. Hence, Q100Lady is the perfect tagline for a email floodwonk engineer.
Claude’s response:
Your explanation is already quite good, but I can help refine it to make it even more engaging and clear. Here's an improved version:
"I owe the inspiration for my tagline to my dear friend, Eric.
As a female flood wonk engineer, I live in a world where numbers often speak louder than words. In our field, we have a special language for describing water flow in streams. We call it 'discharge,' and we represent it with the letter 'Q'.
Now, you might have heard of the term '100-year flood.' This doesn't mean it happens once every century. Instead, it refers to a flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. In engineering shorthand, we call this the Q100 - the discharge (Q) that has a 1-in-100 chance of happening annually.
This Q100 is crucial in flood management. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses it to determine where to implement building restrictions through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Essentially, they're trying to protect areas that have more than a 1% annual chance of flooding.
So, when you combine my expertise in flood engineering with a touch of wordplay, you get 'Q100Lady' - a perfect tagline for a female flood wonk engineer like myself. It encapsulates my profession, my specialty, and adds a personal touch.
In essence, Q100Lady isn't just a clever pun; it's a succinct representation of my professional identity and the critical work we do in flood management."
The tone is a little to joyful and kitchy. For example “Now, you might have heard of the term 100-year flood” is a little Howdy Doody but the changes call attention to the ways that I can make my writing more conversational and friendly.