So here’s how Bredemarket would be if I were engaged in medieval consulting.
breb00ker posted the following question on Threads:
“How easy would it be for you to explain your job to someone from the medieval era”
I tried to answer, but failed miserably.
“I write things on scrolls. Magical scrolls that float up in the clouds, but everyone can see them. And the scrolls discuss contraptions that…um…um…
“Let me ask Gemini to rewrite this for your century. Gemini is…um…”
I then linked to my Biometric Product Marketing Expert page, but upon further reflection I decided that I should translate something else for my foray into medieval consulting.
Explaining my job, modern edition
So I assembled existing text from my Who I Am and 22 types of content pages. Could be better, but easy to grab because it’s already written.
“I am John E. Bredehoft, and I have enjoyed writing for a while now.
“My specific technical expertise is in identity, primarily based upon my twenty-five years working for IDEMIA and its corporate predecessors, plus time with nearly two dozen other firms, , and offers a deep understanding of friction ridge (finger/palm) and face biometrics, coupled with an understanding of other biometrics (iris, voice, DNA) and secure documents (driver’s licenses, mobile driver’s licenses, mobile ID).
“I produce the following for my identity and technology customers: Articles. Blog Posts. Briefs/Data/Literature Sheets. Case Studies. Proposals. Scientific Book Chapters. Smartphone Application Content. Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, Twitter). Web Page Content. White Papers and E-Books. Battlecards. Competitive Analyses. Event/Conference/Trade Show Demonstration Scripts. Plans. Playbooks. Proposal Templates. Quality Improvement Documents. Requirements. Strategic Analyses. Email Newsletters. FAQs. Presentations.”
So now I’ll have Gemini translate this 21st century text into something a learned medieval person would understand.
Explaining my job, medieval consulting edition (Authored and Illustrated by Google Gemini)
I, John, son of Bredehoft, greet thee. For many a season now, I have found great delight in the art of the quill.
My craft and mastery lie in the discernment of a man’s true name and lineage, ensuring no scoundrel may falsely claim another’s estate. This knowledge I have sharpened over five-and-twenty years of service under the grand guild of IDEMIA and its ancestral houses, alongside two dozen other esteemed merchant firms. I hold deep understanding of the unique marks God hath etched upon the skin of a man’s hands and fingers, as well as the geometry of his face. So too am I versed in the secrets of the eye’s iris, the timbre of the voice, the blood’s hidden essence, and the crafting of royal charters, travel passes, and portable seals of identity that cannot be forged.
For my patrons who seek counsel in these high arts, I compose many manner of writings:
- Treatises & Missives: Scholarly chapters for heavy tomes, formal scrolls of argument, brief reports, and declarations of truth.
- Proposals & Treaties: Bids for royal favor, structured plans, templates for negotiation, and rigorous standards to ensure the purity of work.
- Public Crying & Town Notices: Short tidings for the marketplace, news scrolls sent by carrier pigeon, and answers to common inquisitions.
- Guild & Battle Strategy: Secret intelligence comparing rival merchant houses, scripts for public fairs and demonstrations, and tactical playbooks for victory in the market.
- Illuminated Works for the Pocket Slate: Content crafted for tiny, magical glass mirrors that travelers carry in their pouches to display messages across vast distances.
So should I turn back time?
I mean, it’s one thing to run Bredemarket without Internet, but it’s quite another thing to run it with a quill and a carrier pigeon.
And answers to common inquisitions? Nobody expects a common inquisition!
But this does illustrate that while the technology may change, the art of writing is timeless.
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