The Language Show takes place annually at the London Olympia. The Esperanto-Asocio de Britio was there, as was I, for my third visit.

It was the usual hectic week leading up to the event for me, preparing a new copy of Saluton and flyer, and adding subtitles to the excellent documentary Esperanto Estas, viewable in six parts here.

I’m very proud of that issue of Saluton. I think it hit the mark that I was targetting. I wanted something that looked good and was informative to the reader, almost as a series of newspaper articles about Esperanto. Copies are downloadable from here.

As for the event itself …

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Gah. Innumeracy and stupidity

I took a phone call from somebody the other day. She was having to fill out an order form to pay for some of our services.

She needed an answer to a question, and I was the one whose number she had dialled.

“I’m filling out a [sic] order form. What’s your hourly rate?”

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I can’t sing in any language.  That would make for the shortest blog ever were I to leave it at that, so I think I’ll seize the opportunity to elaborate a little.

“Artificial” sounds like such a negative word.  I often try to avoid using it when answering the inevitable question about “what is Esperanto?”

It shouldn’t be an issue, of course, as you there reading this on your artificial computer, wearing your artificial clothing, and being used to your artificial modes of transport well know.

When I consider other constructed languages I become dubious about whether they could actually have a spoken dimension to them, whether they could be used for singing.

I fully understand others’ scepticism about Zamenhof’s project, since I harbour those same apprehensions about any other constructed language that you might suggest to me. (Well, except Solresol, for obvious reasons. ) (more…)

Courtesy of Radio originally, though Damon has to take the blame, since he told me he’d be interested in seeing my answers.

Oh, the office being down to two people today, so no managers around, also deserves credit for this.

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I’ve surprised people over the years with my knowledge of football. I’m a language geek, a wrestling nerd, not cool, a follower of football, a deifier of people earning plaudits and millions for kicking around a bag of air.

Admittedly I know nothing about nor care a jot about football from the 90s and onward, but this wasn’t always the case.

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To be fair, I’ve probably not been clean shaven in even longer than that.

The 5.75 years relates to the time that I first started working in my current workplace (January 13th 2003) until today. The number is on my mind because I’ve finally got around to getting an ID badge.

I know, I know; the ID badge is compulsory and I’m supposed to have had it for years. I’m just a little relaxed in my time management, I guess.

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