some translation troubles (part 2) Misc
2026-01-18 18:24:13

Different Words (real semantic choices)

GUID: A05_025

English: strong

data/: ๅผทๅคง (powerful)

wordlists/: ๅผบๅฃฎ (physically strong)

Notes: Different nuance

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: A05_029

English: nice

data/: ๅฅฝ (good)

wordlists/: ๅ‹ๅ–„็š„ (friendly)

Notes: Different meaning

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: C99_004

English: with

data/: ๅ’Œ

wordlists/: ่ทŸ

Notes: Both valid

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: C99_016

English: then

data/: ้‚ฃๆ™‚ๅ€™ (at that time)

wordlists/: ้‚ฃไนˆ (then/so)

Notes: Different usage

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: C99_017

English: that

data/: ้‚ฃ

wordlists/: ๏ผˆ็”จไบŽๅผ•ๅฏผไปŽๅฅ๏ผ‰

Notes: wordlists has grammar note

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: D07_004

English: often

data/: ็ถ“ๅธธ

wordlists/: ๅธธๅธธ

Notes: Both valid synonyms

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N01_063

English: everyone

data/: ๅคงๅฎถ

wordlists/: ๆฏไธชไบบ

Notes: Both valid

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N02_005

English: cow

data/: ็‰› (cattle)

wordlists/: ๆฏ็‰› (female cow)

Notes: wordlists more specific

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N02_012

English: whale

data/: ้ฒธ

wordlists/: ้ฒธ้ฑผ

Notes: wordlists more colloquial

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N02_013

English: tiger

data/: ่™Ž

wordlists/: ่€่™Ž

Notes: wordlists more colloquial

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N03_009

English: neck

data/: ้ขˆ้ƒจ (formal)

wordlists/: ่„–ๅญ (colloquial)

Notes: Different register

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_010

English: cheese

data/: ๅฅถ้…ช (mainland)

wordlists/: ่ตทๅธ (Taiwan)

Notes: Regional difference

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_017

English: orange

data/: ๆฉ™ๅญ

wordlists/: ๆฉ˜ๅญ

Notes: Different citrus fruits!

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_029

English: yogurt

data/: ้…ธๅฅถ (mainland)

wordlists/: ไผ˜ๆ ผ (Taiwan)

Notes: Regional difference

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_032

English: pickle

data/: ๆณก่œ (Korean style)

wordlists/: ่…Œ้ป„็“œ (pickled cucumber)

Notes: Different foods!

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_035

English: mayonnaise

data/: ่›‹้ปƒ้†ฌ

wordlists/: ็พŽไนƒๆป‹

Notes: Regional difference

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_053

English: pineapple

data/: ่ ่˜ฟ (mainland)

wordlists/: ๅ‡คๆขจ (Taiwan)

Notes: Regional difference

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_061

English: cabbage

data/: ๆฒๅฟƒ่œ

wordlists/: ้ซ˜ไธฝ่œ (Taiwan)

Notes: Regional difference

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_064

English: broccoli

data/: ่ฅฟๅ…ฐ่Šฑ

wordlists/: ่Šฑๆคฐ่œ

Notes: ่Šฑๆคฐ่œ is actually cauliflower!

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N06_071

English: turnip

data/: ่˜ฟ่”” (radish)

wordlists/: ่Šœ่ (turnip)

Notes: data/ has wrong word

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N08_007

English: phone

data/: ็”ต่ฏ (telephone)

wordlists/: ๆ‰‹ๆœบ (cellphone)

Notes: Different devices

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N14_009

English: plastic

data/: ๅก‘ๆ–™ (mainland)

wordlists/: ๅก‘่ƒถ (Taiwan)

Notes: Regional difference

some translation troubles Misc
2026-01-18 18:06:57

Both Valid (synonyms with different nuances)

GUID: N01_060

data/: ลพmogus

wordlists/: asmuo

Assessment: Both valid: ลพmogus = human being; asmuo = person (more formal/legal)

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N03_014

data/: plaลกtaka

wordlists/: ranka

Assessment: Both valid: plaลกtaka = hand specifically; ranka = arm/hand (more common)

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N03_019

data/: pilvas

wordlists/: skrandis

Assessment: Different meanings: pilvas = belly/abdomen; skrandis = stomach (organ)

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N09_005

data/: striukฤ—

wordlists/: ลกvarkas

Assessment: Different meanings: striukฤ— = casual/outdoor jacket; ลกvarkas = blazer/suit jacket

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: N09_008

data/: kepurฤ—

wordlists/: skrybฤ—lฤ—

Assessment: Different meanings: kepurฤ— = cap (general); skrybฤ—lฤ— = brimmed hat

โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€

GUID: A05_029

data/: graลพus

wordlists/: malonus

Assessment: Both valid for "nice": graลพus = nice-looking; malonus = pleasant/kind

city of corpus christi, part 2 Cities
2026-01-16 18:56:05

part two.

can the machine improve the Atacama blog?

----

well, we have a new candidate style. the first pass was bad.

----

the second pass is also bad, but maybe presentable.

so many claudes running.

city of corpus christi Cities
2026-01-16 18:12:04

๐Ÿ”ฅ not sure if city, or ship.

so Supabase requires IPv6.

and, despite it being "everywhere", we don't have ipv6 here.

----

no problem, I'll run the server on DigitalOcean.

๐Ÿ’ก apparently the digitalocean server also doesn't have ipv6. which ... is odd.

----

also, this server is on the same DigitalOcean host.

at some point, I must assume that the SSH connection dying killed the upgrade.

which is weird (considering it did a backup SSH server expecting that).

----

at least it gives time for a few more features.

dave's hot chicken Restaurants
2026-01-13 19:51:10

Price - expensive. Five dollars for one tender sounds outrageous ... and while the tenders are large, this is definitely Los Angeles pricing, rather than "compete with KFC" pricing.

Speed - slow. Not outrageously slow. But the place looks and feels like fast-food ๐Ÿ”ฅ because it is fast food, and it is slow for fast food.

Quality - good. Unfortunately, the "hot" and the "Nashville" element of the Nashville Hot Chicken are somewhat in tension; the texture and breading gets washed out by the spice level. The quality of the chicken tenders is excellent. The spice on the fries is fine, but an "occasional" taste rather than an every-day one.

Overall: would not visit on a weekly basis. Would eat once per month if somebody else was paying to DoorDash it to me.

minnewaukan, part 1 Cities
2025-12-19 20:38:40

A key distinction in language learning is between ambiguity that exists at the word level versus information that simply isn't encoded in the source language at all. Many words appear ambiguous in isolation but become clear in actual sentences through grammar and context. For example, "lay" might seem confusing as an isolated word, but "I lay the book down" versus "I lay on the bed yesterday" are perfectly clear from sentence structure. Similarly, "certain" in isolation could mean multiple things, but "I am certain" versus "a certain person" are unambiguous in context. These cases require only reading comprehension skills - the information needed for translation is present in the sentence itself.

The genuine challenge arises when the source language fundamentally doesn't encode distinctions that the target language requires. English "my brother" provides no information about whether the sibling is older or younger, yet Chinese requires choosing between ๅ“ฅๅ“ฅ or ๅผŸๅผŸ. English "he's gone" doesn't specify whether someone stepped out briefly or departed on a journey, yet Lithuanian distinguishes iลกฤ—jฤ™s from iลกvykฤ™s. In these cases, the sentence itself - no matter how carefully analyzed - doesn't contain the information needed for translation. The learner needs either additional context beyond the sentence or real-world knowledge about the situation being described. This is the crucial teaching challenge: helping learners recognize when they must specify information that their native language leaves implicit.

the Orinoco project Orinoco
2025-12-04 18:52:01

Orinoco, for some time, has been a "mystery" project. Or, perhaps, more accurately, a blank-check project-shell, that a project can take-over in the future.

----

What would the "Free and Open Source Educational Suite for iPhone and Android" look like?

----

๐Ÿ”ฅ when should the word "photosynthesis" be taught? By some accounts, it is a middle-school concept. By other accounts, even preschoolers love to learn about it. ๐Ÿ’ก as far as the question of when it should be taught as a second-language word ... do you really need to know how to talk about photosynthesis in Lithuanian?

----

We need math. People love math. But what math? And how?

a bad take on US conflict with China Misc
2025-10-26 19:49:29

Never trust any Substack with a black background.

https://www.campbellramble.ai/p/china-cant-win

The take is ... delusionally bad. He starts with the thesis "China is losing and Trump is great", and twists the facts to fit it. ๐Ÿ’ก the fact that America is doing this type of thing more and more is another reason to bet against it ๐Ÿ”ฅ also, the comments point out that the dozens of "it's not just X, it's Y" show that most of this went through ChatGPT ... and probably has all the accuracy issues from using it wrong.

The major flaws are:

  • He claims that the fact that China owns "physical" assets and America owns "financial" assets is a major point in favor of America. This could not be further from the truth. Owning a copper mine is always going to be better than owning derivative swaps in a time of crisis.
  • He ludicrously over-weights China's "dependencies" and ignores Americas. He says China buying American soybeans is a key weakness ... right after China's ability to stop buying those soybeans overnight has caused an American farm crisis. He thinks China needs "American films" for some reason ... and also thinks that the US could plausibly stop China from getting them. And he says that Chinese manufacturing exports could be replaced within 10 years after only causing an "annoyance".
  • He talks repeatedly about how the US can print money to solve problems, but presumes that China can't. The post-COVID Biden-flation proves the US can't just print money.
  • His point of "China is going to be weak and the US won't be because China will have leaders over 75" is absurd, after the past decade of geriatric American presidents.
  • His theory of a "cold war" with China is also delusional. Chinese provinces withholding tax revenue! ๐Ÿ’ก this is a risk in Blue States in the federalized USA, not in a China where the provincial and national leadership is indistinguishable Mass unemployment! ๐Ÿ”ฅ no country has ever suffered from unemployment in the midst of an existential war And a bunch of nonsense currency-rate concerns. ๐Ÿ’ก if there is a "full embargo" on China, IT DOESN'T MATTER what the "conversion rate" is.
three types of errors Misc
2025-10-23 14:43:34

I have noticed three types of errors I make in using Trakaido (to learn Lithuanian).

  • I simply don't know, and I know that. For example, how do you type the translation of "smart phone" โš™๏ธ iลกmanusis telefonas? I would not expect to get that right.
  • I misremember. For example, "ji miegojo" v. "ji mฤ—go" - she slept v. she drank.
  • I am just careless, and click the wrong answer despite knowing the right one.

My rule-of-thumb is: after the first type-3 error (carelessness), stop studying for at least 15 minutes

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