Excessively wintry weather in the northeastern US won’t keep us from scouring the internet for commentary that appeals to the discerning readers of Tech Writer This Week. We start with Sarah O’Keefe (scriptorium.com), who shares a forecast of her own in her 2013 predictions for Technical Communication, including demands for faster authoring and publishing. Colum McAndrew (cmcandrew.com) talks about using images in tech comm. And Tom Johnson shares the top 10 most frequently asked questions about technical writing that he has received through his blog.

In User Experience, Catalina Butnaru (uxmag.com) talks about what functional beauty is and why designers need to incorporate it as a key element in UX design. Bjorn Bergslien (uxbooth.com) discusses the content-centered approach to user experience that paid off for a Norwegian bank. And Scott Gilbertson (webmonkey.com) goes down a new path for UX with his look at opting out of responsive design.

Content Strategy & Curation features an oddly familiar post from Kevin Cain (Open View Partners) on defining what he does for people who respond with blank stares. Bob Johnson (IDG Connect) discusses the challenges in getting the company to take digital content strategy seriously. Megan Conley (Social-Tribe) explains why Google Reader is your friend for curating content. If you’re not thrilled with Google, she lists other resources, including Alltop and Scoop.it. And curationsoft.com posts nine best practices for creating great content.

We close out Tech Writer This Week in Career and Life, where Keith Soltys tells us about a bunch of vintage DIY manuals he found online that have been posted by Wired.com. Maybe you could repair that old radiophone you bought at a flea market. Martin Brinkmann (ghacks.net) shares a handful of easy tips for keeping your PC updated. And Viveka von Rosen (socialmediaexaminer.com) submits six ways to reel in more business using the new features offered by LinkedIn (including their new “Common Interests” function).