SMART NOTES: 2024

Here are some stories that amused and informed our SMART team. These stories relate to our AI software and language simplification activties.

Got a comment or an idea, send us an email at maxit[@]smartny.com.

Concorde made its final flight more than 20 years ago and supersonic air travel has yet to return. Co-developed by Britain and France, Concorde was the first and only supersonic commercial airliner was flown in 1976. British Airways operated its final commercial Concorde flight in 2003, ending its 27-year career. The supersonic jet remains an icon of modern aviation and a technological marvel. For a fleeting 30 years during the 20th century, supersonic commercial air travel was a reality.
But on October 24, 2003, that era came to an abrupt end. That day, British Airways operated its last commercial Concorde service from JFK International Airport to London Heathrow. Air France pulled its Concordes from service a few months earlier.

Here comes the BOOM

In 2025 a new supersonic called BOOM is ready to continue the saga. This new aircraft is required to document the maintenance manuals in ASD-STE100 Simplified Techical English (STE). Ironically, STE was invented in Europe to support a global fleets of Concordes.

See our STE page for Aviation

Word limits could revolutionize government efficiency

Mission for DOGE: Word limits could revolutionize government efficiency When government is unintelligible, it becomes inaccessible, undermining its legitimacy
In an era where simplicity drives success – from viral tweets to lean startup principles – government remains a bastion of unnecessary complexity. Legislation, regulations, court filings and judgments routinely balloon into labyrinths of legalese, alienating citizens, overburdening officials and stalling justice.
It’s time for a radical, but simple, reform: implementing word limits to ensure brevity and clarity across government processes. This isn’t just an abstract idea; it’s an actionable vision for President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). For DOGE’s leaders, Elon Musk, whose companies thrive on efficiency and innovation, and for Vivek Ramaswamy, this proposal should be the foundation of improving how America works.

The Problem: A Crisis of Complexity

Modern governance is drowning in words. At over 6,000 pages, the U.S. tax code is a prime example of how excessive complexity creates inefficiency. In the last 50 years, the IRS code has grown from 1.5 million words to nearly 10 million today. Regulations from federal agencies often span thousands of pages, rife with jargon that’s nearly impossible for the average citizen – or even experts – to decipher.

RAMASWAMY OUTLINES DOGE'S VISION TO BRING 'SWEEPING CHANGE' TO BUREAUCRACY: 'RESTORING... ACCOUNTABILITY' Court processes are no better. Legal briefs can run into hundreds of pages, and judicial opinions often resemble epic sagas more than simple judgments.

The result? Delays, confusion, obfuscation and significant costs that disproportionately harm small businesses, individuals and under-resourced communities. Lawyers are incentivized to make the simple complex to increase their billable hours. This tangled web doesn’t just slow progress; it breeds distrust. When government is unintelligible, it becomes inaccessible, undermining its legitimacy.

The Solution: Embracing Brevity

• A mandatory word limit for laws, regulations and legal documents would be a game-changer. Much like Twitter’s early character limit forced users to distil their thoughts, word limits in governance would encourage disciplined drafting, accessible language and a sharper focus on priorities. The government could prioritize clarity, reduce waste and streamline decision-making by capping verbosity. Here’s what that might look like:
• Legislation: Bills in Congress would be limited to a set number of words, accompanied by plain-language summaries to ensure transparency. Congress would cap the total word count for all U.S. legislation, thus forcing the removal of outdated legislation before new laws are adopted.
• Regulations: Federal agencies would adopt concise language guidelines, focusing on brevity, clarity and real-world applicability.
• Court Filings and Judgments: Caps on legal briefs and judicial opinions would expedite cases, lower costs and make justice more accessible.

Learning from Success

History shows us that brevity works. The U.S. Constitution, the foundation of American governance, contains fewer than 5,000 words. Contrast that with sprawling modern bills like the Affordable Care Act, which spans over 2,000 pages. Internationally, countries like New Zealand and Singapore prioritize plain-language laws and regulations, earning them reputations for efficiency and transparency. America can – and should – follow suit.

Addressing the Critics

Skeptics might argue that word limits oversimplify complex issues. But complexity and verbosity are not the same. Word limits wouldn’t eliminate nuance; they’d force writers to clarify priorities and sharpen arguments. Excessive detail often obscures more than it reveals. Additionally, this reform wouldn’t be a blunt instrument. Different types of documents – legislation, regulations, court opinions – would have tailored limits to balance brevity with necessity.

A New Path Forward

The introduction of word limits could begin with pilot programs - possibly a feature of the new Department of Government Efficiency. Congress could experiment with caps on nonessential legislation, while agencies like the SEC or FDA could test simplified rulemaking processes. The benefits would ripple across the system: faster decisions, lower costs and a government that people can actually understand.

Reprinted from Fox News - Nov 20, 2024

NOTE: The SMART PLain English team has many years of experience with simplification of Government rules. We have done work at FmHA Agriculture and NY Department of Motor Vehicles.

See our Plain English sample

A company planning to launch an electric air taxi service in Dubai has revealed that it intends to compete with regular taxis on price. Joby Aviation, which aims to begin operations in 2026, has ambitions to deliver a “widely accessible” service via a smartphone app and its long-term goal is to be “competitive” with ground-based alternatives, said Anthony Khoury, UAE general manager at the California-based company. Archer Aviation, another air-taxi company with plans to launch services in Abu Dhabi, said inner-city travel would cost Dh300 to Dh350, while travel to other Emirates would range from Dh800 to Dh1,500, according to local media. But Joby Aviation has yet to disclose exactly what it plans to charge.
“We haven’t announced specific pricing, but our long-term goal is to offer a service that is competitive to the cost of similar ground-based alternatives,” Mr Khoury told The National. “Joby's unique technology means we can provide services that are not only more accessible than helicopter travel, but are also safer, quieter and have zero operating emissions. Over time we expect this to mean we can deliver a service that is widely accessible.”

Book air taxi through an app

Mr Khoury said passengers will be able to book Joby Aviation’s flights through a dedicated smartphone app, offering a futuristic travel experience across the city. The company’s electric vertical take-off and landing
The company’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will use vertiports, which are being built at strategic locations so the service can blend in with Dubai’s existing infrastructure, such as the metro and bus. The company announced on Tuesday that construction of the first flying station, near Dubai International Airport, had started. It said the vertiport will be able handle 170,000 passengers a year.
Other vertiports planned for operations in 2026, as part of the initial phase, include Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Downtown and the Dubai Marina. Joby Aviation has said it will manufacture and operate the air taxis and manage passenger traffic, while Skyport will design, implement and manage station infrastructure. “The service will include seamless first- and last-mile connectivity via car, metro, bus or micromobility,” said Mr Khoury.
The company has said that each aircraft seats four passengers and a pilot, has a range of 160km on a single charge and can reach up to 321kph. Mr Khoury said that would help cut travel time from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah to 10-12 minutes, instead of 45 minutes by car. This could also help to reduce road traffic. “Our aircraft is designed for rapid turnaround, able to recharge in the time it takes to offload and board new passengers,” he said. “Given the short length of journeys, this means many trips can be completed in a day with each aircraft. We expect the service to scale over time.”

Designed to fly in urban areas

Nasa has worked with Joby Aviation to test the noise footprint of the aircraft and ensure that they are built for cities. The air taxi makes “exponentially less” sound than helicopters during take-off and flight. “From Joby’s founding in 2009, our goal has been to develop an aircraft that is quiet enough to fly in built-up cities like Dubai without disturbing the peace and quiet of residents and visitors – and that is what we’ve accomplished with the Joby aircraft,” explained Mr Khoury. Working with UAE authorities for safety Mr Khoury said his company is working with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to certify its aircraft and operations for commercial use, while closely following the regulations laid out by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Reprinted from UAE National News - Nov 20, 2024.

NOTE: The new flying taxis or eVTOLS are required to have complex software documentation written in a controlled language.

Visit Controlled English - Software