Sue Klefstad Indexing

01/30/2024

In the movie Oppenheimer, a fishbowl slowly fills with marbles that represent the purified uranium available for the Chicago chain reaction experiment, the Trinity test, and two bombs.

We have Iowa State University chemist Dr. Harley Wilhelm to thank for those marbles-- and the purified uranium.

Prior to 1942, only a few grams of not-quite-pure uranium were known to exist. They needed tons. Chicago alone wanted 6 tons, but settled for far less for their chain-reaction experiment.
By November of 1944, Dr. Wilhelm's Ames, Iowa, team had produced 653 tons of pure uranium metal.

"Wilhelm's Way" is a fascinating book about Dr. Wilhelm and his astounding accomplishment. This link simply shows to book cover and its author:
https://www.lectures.iastate.edu/lectures/wilhelm%E2%80%99s-way-inspiring-story-isu-chemist-who-saved-manhattan-project

05/31/2023

Good guy, FUN book

05/03/2023

Wilhelm’s Way won the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for general nonfiction!

It was the only self-published title in the general nonfiction category, up against publishers like the Minnesota Historical Society Press and the University of Iowa Press. I was fortunate to be asked to provide the index.

Written by Harley Wilhelm’s granddaughter, Wilhelm’s Way reveals the unsung hero who helped the US win the race to build the atomic bomb. The following is from the book back cover:

In February 1942, leaders of the Manhattan Project had a problem: to prove a controlled nuclear chain reaction was possible, they needed pure uranium— tons of it and in less than ten months. With only a few grams in existence, there was little hope anyone could achieve such a feat. Harley Wilhelm, a chemistry professor at Iowa State College, rose to the challenge.

A sharecropper’s son and former college basketball coach, Wilhelm was an unlikely character to impact the course of world history. Nevertheless, he and his small, dedicated team of scientists and technicians surpassed everyone’s wildest expectations.

Here’s your next winner: “Wilhelm’s Way: The Inspiring Story of the Iowa Chemist Who Saved The Manhattan Project” by Teresa Wilhelm Waldof, part of the General Nonfiction category, sponsored by The Duchess Harris Collection. Congratulations!

01/18/2023

ChatGPT is an AI model that interacts in a conversational way. When asked about its book index writing skills, it gave the following answer:

As a language model, I am able to assist with creating an index for a book by providing guidance and examples, but I am not able to create an index for a book autonomously. Creating an index for a book is a time-consuming and detailed task that requires a thorough understanding of the book’s content, as well as knowledge of indexing conventions and techniques.

An index should be created by someone who is familiar with the book’s content and able to identify the most important and relevant information. The indexer will also need to identify the best terms to use as entry headings, and decide on the most appropriate subentries, cross-references, and page numbers.

If you would like to create an index for a book, it is recommended that you consult an indexer or an indexing service to get guidance and support. They will be able to provide you with a professional and accurate index that will enhance the usability and accessibility of your book.

10/17/2021

How to Build a Simple iOS App: A Photo Album

This post will grow as my progress in building the app advances.

http://suetheindexer.com/2021/10/17/how-to-build-a-simple-ios-app-a-photo-album/

How to Build a Simple iOS App: A Photo Album In this post, I’ll step through building a simple iOS app. Theoretically, we’ll end up with an app that displays photos one at a time, stepps forward and backwards through the collection, and shuffles the collection. This post will grow as my progress...