Subject: Re: [lojban] Re: Re: New Members, Board of Directors, other LogFest results

From: Robert LeChevalier <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 13:22:57 -0400

At 01:26 AM 7/26/02 +1000, Nick Nicholas wrote:
>.i cu'u la lojbab.
> >I just realized yesterday that Nora
> >was supposed to do indexing for Nick's books, which she never did and I
> >don't think any one else did, though I haven't looked lately.
>
>I did the index for the brochure last year. I have not done an index
>for the lessons, and honestly, my Lojban time has long since run out
>(I haven't even written a research paper since January, and my own
>research takes priority over Lojban). If someone wants to volunteer
>to do it (never mind the LLG asking for it, I hereby ask for it),
>then I am more than happy to negotiate some format whereby they mark
>up the Docbook source in some way (even with just inserting
>"#INDEX_THIS#" next to entries), and I convert it to Docbook
>indexing; but I will not undertake to do the indexing myself.

We'll determine this weekend if Nora will have enough time to do this soon 
enough. It doesn't sound difficult to meet your 'markup standards'.

If we get the Docbook marked up, is this conversion an exception to your 
rant below of not having time for anything Lojbanic before November (if 
even then)? Or does someone else need to get up to speed on Docbook in 
order to put the book out before you can get to it?

Based on this comment, I am presuming that you consider the Docbook source 
to be the document master and NOT the other versions.

>Btw, indexing is *nasty*. Not intrinsically difficult (though you
>have to remember a lot of state), but breath-takingly arbitrary; I
>felt like taking a shower after doing the brochure index. Just so
>you're warned. :-)

By all comments received, Nora did an adequate job on CLL, and I had the 
impression that she rather enjoyed it. I'm not sure a lesson book needs to 
be quite as comprehensive, but whoever does the job will be the one to decide.

>I'm not going to otherwise comment on this thread, since anyone who's
>been to a Logfest knows what I'd say anyway. :-| Except...
>
> >>How complicated can a dictionnary spec be?
> >I dunno. People seem to think we need something more than is being done,
> >but there have been no articulated specifics.
>
>Funny. I have distinct memories of spending two or three hours with
>you and Nora in Fairfax in 2000 or 2001, drawing up, if not an
>outright spec, at least the outline of one. I don't suppose there's
>any chance of it being retrieved and posted, though...

Actually (assuming I know what you are referring to by this), it has been 
sitting by her computer (more or less) ever since Nora wrote it down as 
notes, along with all the keywording that you did (which I think Nora 
entered, but this "spec" seems not to have been typed in - in any case it 
will be available for discussion at LogFest).

I may not be organized or especially productive these days, but it is hard 
for me to permanently lose pieces of paper pertaining to Lojban, since I 
rarely throw things out. It is just a matter of remembering how deep in 
the archives a given piece of paper is likely to be buried.

My apologies for not remembering this writeup, but I wasn't thinking of 
work you had done here, but rather the criticism that has been directed on 
the net.

>And (apologies for upcoming rant) I'm serious about my Lojban time
>having run out. There are revisions to the lessons I've been meaning
>to do since April and haven't done yet. (Nothing drastic, thank God;
>couple of minor corrections, and adding IPA.)

If we want to publish the book before you get to it (which seems likely), 
do you have a specific list of changes/corrections, and do you wish to 
delegate authority to someone to make them? After all, the membership 
explicitly devolved complete editorial control to you at your request.

lojbab

-- 
lojbab [email-masked]
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: http://www.lojban.org