Stuff

[vilakins]

I suppose I should post at some point, and this is it. So here's an assortment of things.

Birthday
My sister Jenni came up from Hamilton for the day (also to look at some French doors she saw on TradeMe) and we had lunch with Greg at the local Mexican (as in run by Mexicans) cafe where I was greeted with a hug as we haven't been there for a while. Jenni gave me a scarf she bought in Israel, and Greg's present hasn't arrived yet (this week, I hope): a new computer. We also went out for dinner at a local Malaysian place (run by Malays, yay) and we will be back. NUM!

Cats (and another birthday)
Ashley is now three if you go by her notional have-a-stab-at-it birthday of 1 May. All three enjoyed tuna in celebration. She's asleep on our bed now but earlier she was dong her squeaky "chase me" act for Sebastian and they were rocketing all over the house. I do love the sound of little scampering paws. Sebastian fits in really well, playing with both cats. I have yet to see actual snuggling but this may yet happen. There will be photos of all three when I have my own computer again.
I wish he'd learn to use the cat door though. It has a magnet to stop it being blown open by the wind and he thinks it won't open when he feels the resistance. I've tied it open when I'm here, but that means he's effectively locked in at night and when I'm out which means I have to keep buying litter.

Teleporting
I am glad to see that China Mieville is with me on teleporting/beaming killing the person and copying them. Not that I choose to believe this happens in Star Trek or Blake's 7.

I'm sure there were other things but I can't think of them now.

Comments

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

Hmm. Telereplication perhaps?

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

Yes... That could work. Certainly an improvement on "telereproduction"!

Perhaps we could condense it into "teleplication" for those informal moments when you're being shot at and really don't feel you need that extra syllable. "Teleplicate! Damn you, Liberator! Teleplicate NOW!"

(...as an aside I just remembered that there's something on Doctor Who that's rather cleverly named "transmat", which I assume is the equivalent of "beaming".)

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

Or "telerep!" Same number of syllables as "Teleport!" or "Beam me up!"

I thought of telereproduction but reproduction is used (incorrectly) for production of offspring. It would only be accurate for clones. :-P

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

Aw, and I thought it was really amusing to say "teleplicate!" But I suppose shorter is more convenient - though a bit more awkward to conjugate (is that the right word? I'm a bit out of my depth when it comes to grammatical terms)? "We're Telerep(p)ing you now" and "I have been telerep(p)ed"? It sounds a lot more uncomfortable, I suppose because of associations to "rip".

Yes, I thought "telereproduction" might be a bit confusing too, though you're quite right that the common usage is really only correct in "asexual reproduction". The other kind really should be "sexual production" only. Or "sexual generation" maybe? Anyway, not so good an association for a means of translocation. :-)

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

Telerep could stand for telereproduction too, so we should go with another short term. I like teleplicate, but it's a bt log for Vila to yell in a panic. Teleplic?

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

How about a trying different tack entirely? After using it in my last reply, the word "translocation" came back to me as I was digging up my vegetable patch today (very conducive to contemplation, that kind of work) and tried to convince me that maybe we needn't look any further than that. Reasons given were:

- even though the "trans-" prefix stands for "across" (I think?) "translocation" sounds to me like "causing something to be at another location by unspecified means" without necessarily indicating travel over the intervening distance in the way "transportation" and indeed, "teleportation" do.

- the above being the other distinctive difference between energy-sending and information-sending teleportation (as in the former, we do move the actual body of the person, even if it's in a different form, while in the latter we don't), perhaps we should go against my previous argument and drop the copying aspect for this instead

- it's easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to yell. "Translocate!"

...What do you think? Have I even understood the word correctly?

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

I thought we were trying to bring some sense of copying into it? I like the word, but it's basically the same as "teleportation", implying that an object was been moved, not copied.

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

But if an object hasn't been physically transported over the intervening distance, then it has to have been "recreated" i.e. copied, hasn't it?

At least, that's the difference I was trying to get at, but I realise that I may be interpreting the word incorrectly, if the meaning of "trans-" is restricted to "moving across" and can't be used just in the sense of "changing location".


(...I'm afraid I enjoy this sort of thing far too much, I hope you have no compunctions about ignoring me if I'm being a nuisance!)

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

I just realised I didn't reply to this. You know, I really can't think of a word that would imply information transmission and recreation at another location. Translocation and relocation just tell you the object/person has been moved, not how.

Trans-simile, like facsimile?

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

Well, there aren't all that many instances in the history of mankind where such a word would have been useful to know (at least not up until recently), so I suppose it's not that strange that it's elusive... :-)

Though really it's just the easy-to-shout term that's hard to come up with. If it weren't for that, I still think "telereplication" would be perfectly valid - informative and echoing "teleportation" while still pointing to the essential difference. Perhaps a more informal term simply has to be a compromise on the exact meaning.

Maybe "telelocate" in order to echo the transport-teleport relationship (translocate-telelocate)? Though it sounds more like trying to find something from a distance... And a bit of a tongue-twister to shout in a hurry too (unless condensed into "Tellocate!")

Oh, I don't know. I'm ready to give up if you are. Maybe the answer will reveal itself in a dream...

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

That could happen! Besides, I doubt people would be as happy to use the thing if it was clear that they were being copied and destroyed.

I put a bit into the story to reassure Vila. It shouldn't be too far off now BTW. Whenever I get too depressed about life (once again that contract is finished because they found someone permanent more quickly than expected--I just can't get a break) I find it hard to do anything more than escape in a book. But I've pretty much thought it all up; I just have to put the words onto the screen.

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

True, it could! Did you ever play the Myst-series computer games? I got stuck on one puzzle for several days until one night I solved it in my sleep... That was cool.

Yes, there is the commercial aspect to think of as well. Let's hope no-one bothers to read the small print... ;-)

Oh, I'm looking forward to a bit more Vila in my life. Though I must say I'm starting to feel quite cheap making you work so hard for such a small donation. How about I make a second one once you finish the story - that way we can both feel useful!

I'm sorry to hear about your contract. :-( But at least you've had a few recently, haven't you? Hopefully that should attract more.

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

I've sometimes solved problems in my sleep, and I often dream in German and dream words in other foreign languages which I forgot I actually knew. I've checked them on waking and they've been correct. The mind is a wonderful thing. :-)

Oh no, please don't pay any more, I feel guilty enough already about taking so long to write the story (mainly due to feeling crap about unemployment and the mess this country is in financially: not much hope for the future).

I've had three contracts this year, all short-term. I need something longer and with decent pay. The last one was for a new agency so I hope that encourages them to find me more work.

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

Aw, I really suck at making you feel better, don't I? :-(

I know how difficult it is to be creative on demand if the timing is bad, and I know about being depressed and what it does to you as well. And I'm not expecting anything extraordinary if you're worried about that (though I know you're capable of it - and in a way you've already written one wonderful story for me, back when we had our first teleport discussion- remember?) And in any case, it's for charity, right? You couldn't make it wasted money even if you tried!

But all right, I promise that if I donate more, I won't tell you about it. ;-)

Things have been feeling a bit shaky at my workplace for a while too. The company's in the middle of negotiating for a renewal of contract with one of their biggest customers; they were supposed to have decided by last month but it got moved forward so we still don't know. If we don't get it... Well. I try not to think too much about it until I have to.


...But please don't feel bad. At least not about the story. *offers hug*

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

I don't know how exciting the story will be, but it's the sort of thing you wanted: Avon and Vila talking, investigating the ship, and Zen-ness. I thought about adding action to the plot but failed to think of any. It's basically Vila, Avon, and Zen mucking about. :-)

Ouch. My sympathies. I've been through that a couple of times though the second time I jumped ship before it happened, but there were jobs to be had in those days.

I bet your country is in better shape, so if you lose your job, you get unemployment (I don't), and can find another one. Here people's pay hasn't changed for years, the cost of living has gone up by at least 25%, and people have been once again shafted by this week's budget. The huge expense of the earthquakes has made it all worse, regardless of the projected boom years ahead when Christchurch gets on its feet. A lot of Christchurch people have come here, and already there were hundreds of applicants for every job. :-( I stand very little chance of even earning the average wage again, yet I used to earn over it with my skills and degree. Sigh. I wish Greg would agree to move to Australia.

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

Yep, that definitely sounds like my kind of story - I'll take "mucking about" over action any time! :-D

Yes, Sweden's made it remarkably well through the crisis and the situation's nowhere near as desperate as yours. Really, my largest fears about unemployment are related to my personal failings with people and with things like driving (I still haven't got a proper driver's license, though I'm taking driving lessons once again, for the fourth time now) and generally not being good at handling too many things at once. So far, I've been very lucky to have a local job which demands practical skills above social ones.

But at least those are things that I can work with (and constantly do, though my degree of success often feels like a hit-or-miss deal), while your situation is dependent on so many things beyond your influence. I can understand how hopeless that must feel.

Re: *nitpicking*

[vilakins]

I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to deal with people; I'm so much better at putting my head down and working. If I have friendly colleagues though, I'm happy to chat and joke, but dealing with customers and managers? I'm sure I get it wrong.

I'm OK driving around areas I know, but get very nervous if I'm out of my comfort zone in a part of the city I don't know well, as I was on Friday. Can you drive without a licence over there, then? You only can here if you have someone else in the car with you.

Re: *nitpicking*

[corvuscornix]

There are probably some people-related jobs that I could do all right in (though I'd rather not have to) provided the interactions are brief and about concrete, practical things or information. It's when you have to achieve more personal relationships that it gets difficult. It's not like I'm rude or a difficult person to work with; I'm not like Sheldon (yeah, I did start watching The Big Bang Theory after all! :-) It's just that a lot of the things that I find difficult to do (things like prolonged small talk; talking when there is noise or distractions around; talking to more than one person at a time; remembering to say hello to everyone every day etc&etc) often get taken the wrong way by NT's, no matter how friendly I'm being otherwise. Sometimes it's a lot of hard work just keeping people from actively disliking you, even though you like them and wouldn't dream of being deliberately unfriendly towards them... :P

No, you can't drive a proper car without a license here either. What I've been driving so far is what we call a "moped car", a kind of light-weight microcar designed for a maximum speed of 45 km/h (about 28mph?) Those require a license too, but it is not as strict as the regular one. I do have that one. :-)

[vilakins]

talking when there is noise or distractions around;

Oh yeah, that short-circuits my brain. I have to talk to myself to get my thoughts back on track. Songs on the radio do that to me too, and if they're ones I really hate, I have to leave the room. Asking people to turn their radios down in the office is yet another way I mark myself as a weirdo. And just losing interest in a conversation and going back to work probably ruined a few work relationships for me too.

get taken the wrong way by NT's

You know, I always read that wrong and think, hey, I'm an NT! Meaning intuitive thinker from the MBTI personality thing, not neuro-typical.

[corvuscornix]

I know! It's very frustrating when getting your job done and being perceived as a good co-worker appears to be mutually exclusive goals...

Yes, that's a bit sloppy of me, using it like that. There are enough acronyms around as it is. (I like the word though; I think it's a good way to get around problematic notions like "normal" or "ordinary")

[vilakins]

Not that "typical" is much more flattering than "normal" or "average". :-)

[corvuscornix]

Hmm. I have to disagree. I'd say that practically any term would be less offensive than "normal" (to non-neurotypicals, that is) as that word is extremely value-loaded, as in "the way something should to be." "Ordinary" and "average" OTOH carries insulting associations for the neurotypicals of being boring, lacking in uniqueness etc, but does "typical?" To me it has a much more neutral ring to it, merely stating that something is representative of a category. Isn't it the nature of the category that determines whether that is flattering or not?

Though in the end of course it all comes down to usage. If "neurotypical" is used primarily as a disparaging term, then it will lose its usefulness as a neutral definition. Sadly, I could see that happening.

[vilakins]

Sadly, I've already seen it used disparagingly.

I suppose people don't like to think of themselves as being average. I agree though that 'normal' and 'typical' aren't as bad as 'average', and I admit when people say I'm not normal, I just laugh and say, "Who wants to be average?"

Where did you learn your English? It's excellent, a lot better than many native speakers'.

[corvuscornix]

I know, I've seen that too. I guess it's inevitable to some extent; I just hope the insult doesn't become its first meaning.

Thank you! I don't get a lot of feedback on my language use, so hearing that from a native speaker matters a lot. I think Swedes in general have a good start on the English language; we start studying it early in school and all television shows are texted rather than dubbed, so we hear it a lot too. I've had the further advantage of most of my secondary school and university studies being taught in English, but above all, I think it comes from reading a lot. The number of SF and fantasy novels available in Swedish was pretty limited when I was a kid, and I had to switch language pretty early in order to satisfy my appetite... :-)

In any case, I love the English language! It has so many more words and is so much more flexible than Swedish. It makes it much easier to satisfy my craving for exactness, and even though I know I'm prone to what tvtropes calls Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness
- believe me, it would sound even worse in Swedish!

I feel I have to add a bit of a disclaimer, though. Because I've learned most of the language from context rather than studying it in itself, I don't actually "know" a lot of grammatical rules, I just write what sounds good to me. Also, I'm not particularly good at pronunciation (not likely to be a problem between us, though!) or the spoken and informal uses in general; as well as finding it difficult to separate British and American usage etc. If you notice me consistently doing something strange, please feel free to point it out! :-)

IRONY

[corvuscornix]

...and I meant "subtitled" not "texted"...

It's been bugging me all evening. XD