General Chat Thread

[onlyabloke]

If the book is something you decide you definitely want to do, I'd just see it as you uploading sections of it as they're written. So not much more effort than you'd be putting in anyway. I've seen a few projects that went about it that way, with mixed results.

Ahhhh gotcha.

Yeah I don't know. I might give it a shot but if my website/blog I have already isn't doing well...can't imagine it would do very well either.

 

[jeshikat]

I might give it a shot but if my website/blog I have already isn't doing well...can't imagine it would do very well either.

Yeah, that's the problem with starting a blog at this point, the internet is so saturated with them it's hard to stand out.

 

[onlyabloke]

If the book is something you decide you definitely want to do, I'd just see it as you uploading sections of it as they're written. So not much more effort than you'd be putting in anyway. I've seen a few projects that went about it that way, with mixed results.

So I decided (now that I'm actually focusing on what you're saying) that I'd just do these posts on my actual site as a series. Regardless, even if it doesn't take off any, I'm probably still going to do one or two books and just use them as coffee table books.

Yeah, that's the problem with starting a blog at this point, the internet is so saturated with them it's hard to stand out.

Tell me about it. I had one several years back that was doing really good as a news/report/photography type blog for drifting and cars. It was doing well enough that I was selling ad space and being invited places to cover events. Then one of the real big names in the game went out and one of the guys who worked there started his own blog. Needless to say mine didn't last very long after that.

 

[jeshikat]

Then one of the real big names in the game went out and one of the guys who worked there started his own blog. Needless to say mine didn't last very long after that.

That's a bummer. We've been fortunate in that there wasn't really any competition for SFF coverage when we started and there still isn't. Which still blows my mind considering how much more popular SFF is now compared to even 5 years ago.

BTW, do you speak any Japanese or were you able to get around for the most part just speaking English?

 

[onlyabloke]

That's a bummer. We've been fortunate in that there wasn't really any competition for SFF coverage when we started and there still isn't. Which still blows my mind considering how much more popular SFF is now compared to even 5 years ago.

BTW, do you speak any Japanese or were you able to get around for the most part just speaking English?

I'd actually never heard of SFF at all until recently.

I can speak a little, but I understand it pretty well. Just enough to ask for directions and maybe hold a very basic conversation. Most Japanese people have a very basic understanding of English since they're required to take classes all the way up until high school.

I can't read or write it to save my life lol

 

[BirdofPrey]

I had considered starting a blog on the history of space exploration. I wanted to cover a couple topics but the main draw was to be what I thought to title "Not Going to Space Today" which I wanted to be informative and amusing.
I rough drafted a couple posts, but have gotten lazy (part of why I rough drafted multiple posts, I tend to work in bursts, so getting regular posts in a blog would involve me writing several posts at once to build a buffer, then posting them over time)

 

[onlyabloke]

I had considered starting a blog on the history of space exploration. I wanted to cover a couple topics but the main draw was to be what I thought to title "Not Going to Space Today" which I wanted to be informative and amusing.
I rough drafted a couple posts, but have gotten lazy (part of why I rough drafted multiple posts, I tend to work in bursts, so getting regular posts in a blog would involve me writing several posts at once to buold a buffer, then posting them over time)

I'm the same as far as bursts of work go. I think this is the first time in almost a week I've done anything photography-wise. I'm starting to get into a habit of doing multiple posts, posting one and queuing the rest to post over the course of the week. I'm impatient though so it doesn't work well.

 

[jeshikat]

I'd actually never heard of SFF at all until recently.

It's certainly a niche. Even within the niche of the PC building community there are many who still look down on SFF.

I can speak a little, but I understand it pretty well. Just enough to ask for directions and maybe hold a very basic conversation. Most Japanese people have a very basic understanding of English since they're required to take classes all the way up until high school.

I can't read or write it to save my life lol

Good to know. I'm tentatively planning to visit Japan sometime next year so I've started studying Japanese but I suck at learning languages. Took two years of Spanish in high school yet I can't speak a lick of Español. So now I'm kicking myself for continually putting off learning Japanese since I had first thought about it 10 years ago

And yes, vocab and grammar isn't too bad but Kanji is a bit overwhelming.

 

[onlyabloke]

Good to know. I'm tentatively planning to visit Japan sometime next year so I've started studying Japanese but I suck at learning languages. Took two years of Spanish in high school yet I can't speak a lick of Español. So now I'm kicking myself for continually putting off learning Japanese since I had first thought about it 10 years ago

And yes, vocab and grammar isn't too bad but Kanji is a bit overwhelming.

I took one semester of Japanese (only semester I went to college actually) and it didn't teach me anything I didn't know aside from a few Kanji and how to write and read it, of which I remember neither.

To be honest, I've learned a good amount of my Japanese through anime (along with some trial and error).

The most important thing to know are basic things like train station, bus, police, food, bathroom. If you can remember key words and phrases, with a bit of hand motions, 9/10 times they'll figure out what you're on about and send you in the right direction.

We used to ask for directions and they'd point us in a direction, end of the block we'd ask someone else and they'd do the same thing. We'd just do that all the way till we got where we were going. Having a translator on your phone or a book of phrases is EXTREMELY helpful. As well as if you can get your hands on an english copy of a map.

 

[BirdofPrey]

One of the interesting things about learning languages is how each language shares various characteristics, so there's something of a cumulative effect. While not shared, many similar languages have similar vocabularies, and there's far fewer writing systems than spoken languages.

Of course, while it's fairly easy for an English speaker to learn German since both are in the same language family, and share a lot of aspects, English and Japanese are very far apart in many ways, and the writing systems aren't similar either, which makes learning it more difficult.

 

[onlyabloke]

One of the interesting things about learning languages is how each language shares various characteristics, so there's something of a cumulative effect. While not shared, many similar languages have similar vocabularies, and there's far fewer writing systems than spoken languages.

Of course, while it's fairly easy for an English speaker to learn German since both are in the same language family, and share a lot of aspects, English and Japanese are very far apart in many ways, and the writing systems aren't similar either, which makes learning it more difficult.

Well said.

Of all the languages I've tried learning, Japanese is the only one that's actually stuck with me. I love the way it sounds and the way it flows, but that's just me. I took a whack at Korean once, and failed miserably lol German as well. I probably could do pretty well with German but at the same time the chances of me using it are worse than me using Japanese Spanish I failed at too. Took three years in High School, best I ever got was a C I think haha

And yes, I have no life and hang out in this thread/forum lol

 

[BirdofPrey]

I took German in high school, and while I never used it enough to remember it, it did teach me a fair bit about English (English class doesn't teach nearly as much about word forms and parts of sentences as you'd think, but that's required knowledge to be able to form a sentence in a language that uses a different word order as opposed to your first language where you know how to speak it even if you don't know a single term)

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

So I decided (now that I'm actually focusing on what you're saying) that I'd just do these posts on my actual site as a series. Regardless, even if it doesn't take off any, I'm probably still going to do one or two books and just use them as coffee table books...

...Tell me about it. I had one several years back that was doing really good as a news/report/photography type blog for drifting and cars. It was doing well enough that I was selling ad space and being invited places to cover events.

I had considered starting a blog on the history of space exploration. I wanted to cover a couple topics but the main draw was to be what I thought to title "Not Going to Space Today" which I wanted to be informative and amusing.
I rough drafted a couple posts, but have gotten lazy (part of why I rough drafted multiple posts, I tend to work in bursts, so getting regular posts in a blog would involve me writing several posts at once to build a buffer, then posting them over time)

For what it's worth, although SFF Network/Forum/Wiki and Low Volume encompass all of what Minutiae (the parent company John/James/I co-own to run things) operates presently, Minutiae isn't meant to be a SFF-only affair. I personally have been (slowly) writing content that I'm aiming to launch as a finance-related website down the line, backed by Minutiae's technology stack and resources. Our long-term goal is to support a constellation of websites, wherever we think we can provide enthusiasts with the backing they need to create content and communities that can flourish, much as we've been able to accomplish so far here.

From a splash page for Minutiae I made a while ago for my professional site:

We're not a media company. We're not a conglomerate. We're a collection of enthusiasts, utilizing our skill and enthusiasm to support the communities and crafts we care about most. In the overwhelming noise of the information age, we aim to be the bastion of insight and beauty that is hidden in the minutiae....

...Today, Minutiae's web properties have already expanded to include a small collection of communities and resources dedicated to small form factor computing. And, with future sites already in development, Minutiae will soon evolve into a even broader network of enthusiast-powered websites....

...Obviously, we have a lot of building to do, and need to get our own house in order, before that grand vision is something we execute on. But it would be neat things like what you all mention, that we'd want to make possible. Eventually, anyway.

 

[jeshikat]

To be honest, I've learned a good amount of my Japanese through anime (along with some trial and error).

I've picked up words and phrases but not much. I guess I'm not one who can learn a language simply by listening to it. One of my goals is to be able to watch Tatami Galaxy without subs and actually understand it

One of the interesting things about learning languages is how each language shares various characteristics, so there's something of a cumulative effect.

I guess it depends on the languages. If you learn English, French, Spanish, and German then there's lots of overlap. Japanese, Hungarian, and Arabic on the other hand share little in common.

On the other hand, even if I decided to tackle another language with little relation to either English or Japanese, I feel that I would pick it up easier since I've learned a bit about how to learn a language.

English class doesn't teach nearly as much about word forms and parts of sentences as you'd think, but that's required knowledge to be able to form a sentence in a language that uses a different word order as opposed to your first language where you know how to speak it even if you don't know a single term

Yup, I've definitely had to think more about English for writing for the site here and to learn another language than I ever did in English class.

I had considered starting a blog on the history of space exploration. I wanted to cover a couple topics but the main draw was to be what I thought to title "Not Going to Space Today" which I wanted to be informative and amusing.

I like the Vintage Space YouTube channel but she doesn't go real in-depth on the details most of the time so that'd be something I'd read.

 

[EdZ]

I've picked up words and phrases but not much. I guess I'm not one who can learn a language simply by listening to it. One of my goals is to be able to watch Tatami Galaxy without subs and actually understand it

Same here. I can parrot Japanese phrases I've heard pretty well, and chop and change a few words according to the few rules I know (e.g. getting things on the right sides of の), but a lack of knowledge of the underlying grammar makes it pretty much impossible for me to form a sentence from scratch. Almost all non-academic language courses focus on starting by learning stock phrases by rote and only later transitioning to teaching grammar, rather than vice versa, so I've never done well trying things like Rosetta Stone.
If anyone has recommendations for self-study courses that follow that route I'd very much appreciate it!

I like the Vintage Space YouTube channel but she doesn't go real in-depth on the details most of the time so that'd be something I'd read.

Aerospace Projects Review also has a pile of information on older space projects (both completed and abandoned). The venerable Atomic Rockets also has piles of information on historic and theoretical designs, mixed in with the underlying theory and fictional implementations.

 

[jeshikat]

The Genki books are supposed to be good for covering grammar. Can't speak for it personally though, I've been trying to work through the free resources available online before buying a bunch of books.

For online grammar guides, the three I see recommended are Tae Kim, Imabi, and Pomax.

 

[onlyabloke]

Anyone ever use Disqus? Thinking about adding it to my blog or changing where my blog is hosted altogether.

 

[jeshikat]

It's been a long time since I've used it but I liked it. Almost anything is better than the default Wordpress comment system.

 

[EdZ]

As an end user, Disqus is a bit of a pain to deal with as a commenting system: need to whitelist at least two domains to allow javascript to run, even just to view comments, due to no HTML-only fallback.

 

[jeshikat]

I'd say that depends on the demographics of your users. Most people aren't running Ghostery or NoScript so that normally isn't an issue except for sites with very techie users.