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Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 05:48:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: ANDREW PIEKARSKI <totus@rogers.com>
Subject: [lojban-beginners] Re: BPFK Taskmaster
To: lojban-beginners@lojban.org
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coi rodo

I'm excited that something is finally happening to ensure that tasks are actually done (I hope this isn't premature).  Since starting on lojban about 6 months ago, I've communicated my concerns about the inadequacy of learning materials (e.g. no simple 'approved' texts for beginning beginners) and problems with vocabulary (e.g. the error in having {kisto} mean both Pakistani and Pushtu, the inappropriateness of having {xingu'e} mean India).  The responses by 'the powers that be', while sympathetic, have left me with the impression that the mechanisms or processes for getting these things resolved are weak or non-existent.

So while the appointment of a taskmaster is essential, the definition of the tasks and their prioritization is vital.  Here's a suggestion.  Why not poll beginners (real beginners) on what they find to be the biggest impediments to learning lojban?  And segment them by background.  The responses of people like me (non-linguist, non-programmer who can barely remember which university he attended) are likely to be quite different from those of the core group of current lojbanists.

On the issue of vocabulary, I agree 100% with Martin (I think it was he) that having general usage finally determine the meaning of a lujvo is unrealistic in a community as small as ours.  This way, 20 years from now, we will still be arguing over the right word for 'neighbour' and still won't have a word for 'sports'.

mu'o mi'e .andrus.

----- Original Message ----
From: Dominic van Berkel <nazgjunk@gmail.com>
To: lojban-list@lojban.org; lojban-beginners@lojban.org; llg-members@lojban.org
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 5:39:34 PM
Subject: [lojban-beginners] BPFK Taskmaster


coi lojbanistan.

Recently a mail hit the mailinglists concerning the need for 
an "organizer/task-master" to get the work of the BPFK (for those not 
familiar with lojbanistan bureaucracy, 
http://www.lojban.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=baupla+fuzykamni ) done much 
faster than it will at its current pace. Today I've had the job defined quite 
clearly by Robin Lee Powell. As it's a slight change in policy, we deemed it 
worthy an Official Notice. I wish Pooh was here to make it.

The taskmaster (I prefer this term, as not much actual organising will have to 
be done) will check, roughly once weekly, if any progress has been made 
regarding the current section the BPFK is supposedly working on. If people 
have actively been working on it and progress has been made or will be made 
in the very very near future, the taskmaster won't have to interfere - 
business as usual, the BPFK is doing it's job as it should. 

However, as soon as nothing significant has been done but the section is in a 
votable state (meaning that we is a concrete issue to vote on) in the past 
week the taskmaster will call a vote, with a limit of about 3 days. Whatever 
the outcome of that vote be, the taskmaster will pick (pretty much at random) 
a new section for the BPFK to work on and bug the members to work on it. This 
is possibly the most important part of the job. As rlpowell eloquently put 
it:
<rlpowell> So the basic problem is twofold:  (1) we're all lazy/busy/whatever 
(2) we get stuck on problems because we care about them.
<rlpowell> We've been stuck on the same section for no good reason for months.
The outcome of the vote is by no means binding - at the end of the road all 
issues will be voted on again.

If the current section is not in a voteable state yet not work has been done 
over the past week the taskmaster will be slightly annoyed with the lack of 
progress and choose a new section to work on nonetheless. This is not 
necessarily a bad thing, as it'll be much easier to start working on an issue 
that has already been worked on than to start with a pure and virginal issue. 
Again, the taskmaster will bug the members to do stuff.

The taskmaster will not be involved with any of the issues nor participate in 
votes - his/her sole task will be to urge/yell at/bug the BPFK to do stuff.

Now, as soon as I received the mail with the request I applied, and currently 
I've been assigned as taskmaster. Not because of my awesome resume, but 
simply because someone has to do it (there are no actual requirements, it's a 
simple enough job to be honest). If things don't work out between me and the 
BPFK someone else will be assigned, I know of some other people who would 
gladly do it. I'm happy to accept the job, and I'll start yelling at the BPFK 
somewhere during the next week. 

I will rewrite/edit this into a wiki page tomorrow and mail the link, just to 
get things straight. In case anyone else wants to bother with that, please 
do. Remember to link it with the baupla fuzykamni somehow and possibly mail 
the link in reply to this message.

Thanks for tuning in,

Dominic van Berkel / Nazgjunk / mi'e pocev

-- 
"Bi-la Kaifa"
"Pure Vernunft darf niemals siegen" -- Tocotronic
www.nazgjunk.nl - Poetry&Blog