The Sixth Conversation Thread

[Creyeditor]

I just mistyped a name and got Voldutz. This sounds like it should be something. Also, I was wondering: Does anybody else feel that they are more productive with stuff that they care less about? Omlueuet and Kobardon, which are not the conlangs (of mine) that I find most interesting, are pretty well documented now, but others of my conlangs, which I find more interesting, are much less well documented.

[VaptuantaDoi]

Also, I was wondering: Does anybody else feel that they are more productive with stuff that they care less about? Omlueuet and Kobardon, which are not the conlangs (of mine) that I find most interesting, are pretty well documented now, but others of my conlangs, which I find more interesting, are much less well documented.

Absolutely. My project I'm most invested in, Tnarop, consists of the following documents

TNAROP
untitled 4
untitled 5
Tnarop 2.0
Apuetiéyihitishitut
Tnarop 6.0
Tnarop 7.0
Tnarop 8.0
Ápasssa
Tnarop 9.0
Tnarop 10.0
Tnarop 11.0
Apásssa
Apásssa relay
Tnarop 12.0

As you can imagine, there's no great progress. It's finished enough for the relay but I don't like it any more and I'm restarting it immediately after. And I haven't made a thread about it. Another interest of mine, Vissard, has passed through at least three dozen different versions without ever getting past a few pages of documentation. And I'm on my fifth proto-Nomadic.

On the other hand, Turunisi, which is a throwaway thought experiment, is progressing steadily with only minor revisions.

[Creyeditor]

I am kind if a fundamentalist (?) when it comes to my conlangs. I only add to them, I don't change things. Which means I am hesitant to write stuff down if I am really invested in the conlang

[VaptuantaDoi]

I am kind if a fundamentalist (?) when it comes to my conlangs. I only add to them, I don't change things.

Me, I'm the complete opposite. I only change my conlangs, never add to them

[Nel Fie]

I just mistyped a name and got Voldutz. This sounds like it should be something. Also, I was wondering: Does anybody else feel that they are more productive with stuff that they care less about? Omlueuet and Kobardon, which are not the conlangs (of mine) that I find most interesting, are pretty well documented now, but others of my conlangs, which I find more interesting, are much less well documented.

I used to, even outside conlanging. I wasn't happy with it, and spent a lot of time fighting the issue. Now I'm overall much better on focusing on the things I care most about, and discarding the rest.

[Knox Adjacent]

Uncontoversial opinion: Bipolar sucks.

[Man in Space]

Uncontoversial opinion: Bipolar sucks.

As a bipolar, yes.

[Knox Adjacent]

I would have gotten a referral a lot earlier if I had known what manic was.

[Visions1]

I just realized snails are just worms with a foot, four antennae, and some calcium secretions.

[lurker]

Just spent a few days addicted to the CBB discord server. Now I remember why I had to leave Reddit and black hole the domain on my firewall.

That little hit of dopamine I get from random strangers acknowledging my existence is too much.

[Khemehekis]

Just spent a few days addicted to the CBB discord server. Now I remember why I had to leave Reddit and black hole the domain on my firewall.

That little hit of dopamine I get from random strangers acknowledging my existence is too much.

Wow.

https://cbbforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=310789#p310789

Are you a hardcore introvert?

[Visions1]

I've recently used Reddit (you'll hear why soon enough), and I see what you mean. It's an addictive high.

---

Spoiler:

Honestly, the more people categorize people, the less seriously I take categories. Am I an introvert or an extrovert? I dunno, have I not interacted with another human in person for the past 16 hours? Have I had enough and want to be alone? Was the conversation any good?
I'll admit it, I make a good conversationalist (I can talk about any topic, even ones I know next to nothing about), but honestly, I think intro/extroversion exists on a gradient, and any attempts to classify the earth into two actual, real categories of it (and not using the concept merely as a convenience to help get a point across) is bound to run into problems.
Same problem with ADD/ASD. 1/6 people are neurodivergent - that number seems too high to call neurodivergence abnormal. They're just... regular people.

Not relevant to the conversation, just my opinions. Discard them quickly and don't take them seriously.

[thethief3]

Just spent a few days addicted to the CBB discord server. Now I remember why I had to leave Reddit and black hole the domain on my firewall.

That little hit of dopamine I get from random strangers acknowledging my existence is too much.

I don't think i have any addictions other than ADHD Still sorry to see you go. Also maybe you should post on the ZBB.

[lurker]

Just spent a few days addicted to the CBB discord server. Now I remember why I had to leave Reddit and black hole the domain on my firewall.

That little hit of dopamine I get from random strangers acknowledging my existence is too much.

I don't think i have any addictions other than ADHD Still sorry to see you go. Also maybe you should post on the ZBB.

I’m no expert but I don’t think ADHD is an addiction, but it can make one prone to addictive behavior.


I would check the server in the middle of the night and be glued to it on my phone at work. This forum moves slow enough that I don’t feel compelled to constantly check for updates.


What’s the ZBB?

[Visions1]

The Zompist Bulletin Board, named after Zompist (Mark Rosenfelder), one of the big names in conlanging today.
The board is dedicated to loving, discussing, and expanding on his conworld(s) and conlangs, and as well to linguistics and conlanging in general.

From what I can tell, the CBB is sort of its brother - the sweeter one I guess. They're more political there.
A lot of people are on both forums (like Theif), but some (like me) are only on this one, and others are only there.

[lurker]

Currently at work in my office. My guide dog lies under my desk on a dog bed. He started yipping in his sleep, a common occurrence, but seems like he was having a bad dream, since he emptied his scent glands. Now my office smells like rotten fish.

[lurker]

Are you a hardcore introvert?

I'm certainly introverted, but I don't know to what extent. It makes me feel good when people comment on my work, as I've never had a hobby that can be enjoyed by other people like drawing or playing an instrument, so the idea that what I'm doing might provide a modicum of enjoyment makes me feel something I don't think I've felt before. It was that feeling I was addicted to, I guess. This forum is a drip feed rather than a fire hose, so it's more manageable.

Same problem with ADD/ASD. 1/6 people are neurodivergent - that number seems too high to call neurodivergence abnormal. They're just... regular people.

Ironically enough I was talking about this on the Discord server. I dislike terms like neurodivergent because I don't think there's a "normal" to diverge from in the first place. I also despise polysyllabic euphemistic circumlocutions, which neurodivergent/neurotypical etc. sound like, at least to me.

Not that I don't think ADHD et al. aren't real. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and it's honestly not as well-managed as I would like. Being blind on top of that is miserable, but I digress.

[Khemehekis]

Are you a hardcore introvert?

I'm certainly introverted, but I don't know to what extent.

I knew you were introverted because you'd mentioned before that you were quiet and solitary, and that was why you could identify with orangutans. Didn't know how "hardcore" you are, though.

It makes me feel good when people comment on my work, as I've never had a hobby that can be enjoyed by other people like drawing or playing an instrument, so the idea that what I'm doing might provide a modicum of enjoyment makes me feel something I don't think I've felt before. It was that feeling I was addicted to, I guess. This forum is a drxp feed rather than a fire hose, so it's more manageable.

I see: you get a high from feedback. The same way I feel about other people appreciating my songs, or cheering me on when I hit a lexicon milestone in Kankonian.

Same problem with ADD/ASD. 1/6 people are neurodivergent - that number seems too high to call neurodivergence abnormal. They're just... regular people.

Ironically enough I was talking about this on the Discord server. I dislike terms like neurodivergent because I don't think there's a "normal" to diverge from in the first place. I also despise polysyllabic euphemistic circumlocutions, which neurodivergent/neurotypical etc. sound like, at least to me.

I've read that among Millennials and younger kids, more than half are diagnosed with a mental disorder or a learning disorder or ASD, or at least got so diagnosed when they were in school. So more twentysomethings are neurodivergent (ADHD, Asperger's, conduct disorder, Tourette's, OCD, bipolar, borderline, synaesthesia, or whatever) than neurotypical!

And then there are so many times I've heard people describe themselves as "weird" or "weirdos", but it turned out that what they really meant is that they're obsessively interested in something; they don't know how to make conversation; they're shy/plagued by social anxiety so they can't talk to cute girls/boys or order food at a restaurant; either they're quiet or they'll talk for four hours straight about superheroes or computers or Pokémon; they'd rather be alone reading than go to a party; they like comic books and World of Warcraft and Dungeons & Dragons and stuff like that; they like Star Wars and Harry Potter and superhero films (which are actually the most popular movies/franchises around right now, so how is that weird?), they can't handle loud noise; they can't handle crowds; they don't have any friends or perhaps don't even know how to make friends; they love rules and are huge rule-followers; they don't like unpredictability or changes in routine; they dress for comfort instead of style and don't attempt to look hip; they don't get emotional about people dying (wherefor other people tell them they're psychopaths) . . . Face it, there are literally TENS OF MILLIONS of people all around the world who are like that.

Occasionally, you meet someone who's weird in unique ways, truly eccentric. Trust me, I'm one of those people who is uniquely strange. And I've had the honor to know a number of people who are unique in their eccentricity. From my friend Carl, who says he was born as a girl named Veronica Michaels but then was given some "man pills" by government agents which turned him into a boy, to my late friend Jolene, who had the charming quirk of describing almost every food as "my favorite" ("Tacos are my favorite", "pizza is my favorite", "Reese's cups are my favorite", "strawberries are my favorite", "[the See's confection] Peanut Crunch is my favorite", "Poppers are my favorite", etc.)

Not that I don't think ADHD et al. aren't real. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and it's honestly not as well-managed as I would like. Being blind on top of that is miserable, but I digress.

Introverted White male able-bodied Aspies are plentiful on Internet sites like this and the ZBB, but I don't think I've ever met a blind ADHDer on the Internet before (nor IRL, as far as I know). I'm so happy to I got to meet you -- and to be able to bond with you over our love of conworlding/conlanging and get to know your monkey-foxes! I haven't seen such expert and multifaceted xenobiology since Denis Moskowitz created the Rikchiks! And for someone who has so much difficulty seeing the things he's designing, you understand engineering and ergonomics far better than I do. (My weakness is visual thinking and understanding physics and spatial relationships.)

[lurker]

And then there are so many times I've heard people describe themselves as "weird" or "weirdos", but it turned out that what they really meant is that they're obsessively interested in something; they don't know how to make conversation; they're shy/plagued by social anxiety so they can't talk to cute girls/boys or order food at a restaurant; either they're quiet or they'll talk for four hours straight about superheroes or computers or Pokémon; they'd rather be alone reading than go to a party; they like comic books and World of Warcraft and Dungeons & Dragons and stuff like that; they like Star Wars and Harry Potter and superhero films (which are actually the most popular movies/franchises around right now, so how is that weird?), they can't handle loud noise; they can't handle crowds; they don't have any friends or perhaps don't even know how to make friends; they love rules and are huge rule-followers; they don't like unpredictability or changes in routine; they dress for comfort instead of style and don't attempt to look hip; they don't get emotional about people dying (wherefor other people tell them they're psychopaths) . . . Face it, there are literally TENS OF MILLIONS of people all around the world who are like that.

That's me to a T. I hate loud events with lots of people. I LOVE having exact instructions, bright lines, clear lists of do's and don'ts. One of my motivations for my project was that it gave me a world and characters that I could understand and clear systems I could grasp, as so much of the real world, especially other humans, is just a black box to me. I zig-zag on the lack of grief, though. Balled my eyes out when my first guide dog died, and the fear of eventually losing my second was part of why I made the yinrih canine and long-lived.

Pascal is pretty much the "neurodivergent" parts of my personality standing on four legs.

Introverted White male able-bodied Aspies are plentiful on Internet sites like this and the ZBB, but I don't think I've ever met a blind ADHDer on the Internet before (nor IRL, as far as I know). I'm so happy to I got to meet you -- and to be able to bond with you over our love of conworlding/conlanging and get to know your monkey-foxes! I haven't seen such expert and multifaceted xenobiology since Denis Moskowitz created the Rikchiks! And for someone who has so much difficulty seeing the things he's designing, you understand engineering and ergonomics far better than I do. (My weakness is visual thinking and understanding physics and spatial relationships.)

Oh I'm not an expert on pretty much anything, except maybe computer networking, and the fact I've failed the ENARSI five times and am working on my sixth should tell you about how well I have that together. I will pass some day, if only by shear attrition and dumb luck. I've flushed more money than this down the toilet on stupider things.

What draws me to xenoergonomics is that it mirrors my experience with technology (in the broad sense of human-designed objects and environments) that was not made with me in mind. A genuinely powerful lesson that I've learned from this project is that disability is almost more about the environment a person finds themselves in. I bet there were plenty of dyslexic vikings who were perfectly able-bodied in the world they found themselves in. A human without a tail is at no disadvantage whatsoever, but a yinrih without a tail is genuinely crippled because they live in world designed for people with tails. Similarly, a human at Focus has to live in a world made by and for arboreal quadrupeds, and yinrih living on Earth have to be in a world designed by and for tailless bipedal persistence hunters. In both cases it can be argued that the visitors are 'disabled' because they find themselves in an environment not designed for them.

Also, I like really thinking about what it would be like in their nonexistent shoes. One of the other things I was talking about on the Discord server was a pet peeve of mine about animal characters with hats that expose their ears. Ears are comparatively thin and fragile, and the raison d'etre of a hat is to protect the wearer from rain, sun, cold, or blunt force. would I want to wear a hat that did literally none of those things for the most fragile and sticky-outy parts of my head? Of course not! Thus powered armor helmets have ear guards to protect against physical damage, and healer's cloaks completely wrap around the ears to protect against sun burn. Crystal's baseball hat in Table Manners is a modified human hat, or more likely a piece of repurposed pet clothing, so ear holes are expected.

[lurker]

I've recently used Reddit (you'll hear why soon enough), and I see what you mean. It's an addictive high.

---

Spoiler:

Honestly, the more people categorize people, the less seriously I take categories. Am I an introvert or an extrovert? I dunno, have I not interacted with another human in person for the past 16 hours? Have I had enough and want to be alone? Was the conversation any good?
I'll admit it, I make a good conversationalist (I can talk about any topic, even ones I know next to nothing about), but honestly, I think intro/extroversion exists on a gradient, and any attempts to classify the earth into two actual, real categories of it (and not using the concept merely as a convenience to help get a point across) is bound to run into problems.
Same problem with ADD/ASD. 1/6 people are neurodivergent - that number seems too high to call neurodivergence abnormal. They're just... regular people.

Not relevant to the conversation, just my opinions. Discard them quickly and don't take them seriously.

I joined Reddit in 2012. the "everything is here" nature of the site is what grabbed me. I started out in the Minecraft sub, complaining about infinite fire spreading. Soon I branched out to other subs, mostly lurking on communities that I wasn't really a member of, like parrots. I like parrots, but can't own one. I asked a question on some random sub I can't remember about how to change careers into IT, and that's what lead me to getting my A+ certification and leaving my crappy job to go back to school.

I was also pretty active on the ham radio sub as well. Surprisingly never touched the conlanging sub until right before I went cold turkey last year. Was also on the worldbuilding sub for the last month or so, asking questions about getting the yinrih up and running. My dissatisfaction with that sub, as well as the crap the dev team was pulling with the API, are what led me away from Reddit and to the CBB.

I've been trying to de-urbanize my online habits. No more gmail, I avoid Amazon when possible (which admittedly isn't often), and I seek out smaller communities like this one rather than using traditional social media. That's also why I left the Discord server.

Sooner or later Discord is going to fall into the same trap that Reddit did. It needs to be profitable somehow, and it will eventually come at the expense of its users.