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Qualifications
editMy educational and work background:
- OSSM graduate
- University of Oklahoma: BS in Computer Engineering with General Business minor
- University of Oklahoma: MBA (part-time professional program)
- Several years of work experience in computer programming, system administration, and database management.
Current job: Staying home to take care of my kids, with some modest work-from-home activities.
Languages
editHuman language study is one of my favorite hobbies. Here is a clarification of language abilities:
- 3 years of high school Spanish. I can catch a fair bit of what is said in Spanish on TV, can read it okay, and can write if I have a dictionary. Much practice will be needed before attempting serious conversation. I'm trying to pick up more Spanish whenever I find the opportunity.
- 2 semesters of college Italian. Italian is so similar to Spanish that I rarely had to study vocabulary. Just start with Spanish words, apply some simple sound shifts, get an A on the test...
- Self-taught Esperanto. I can read Esperanto easily, sometimes without having to mentally translate it. I can write reasonably well if there is a dictionary nearby. I have dreamed in the language,
but in real life I have never had a spoken conversation with other esperanto speakers beyond a few short sentences.(Edit 2018-06: Recently I have been in contact with local Esperanto speakers in the Denver CO area. Conversation and literacy are very different skills. Currently learning the top 1000 Esperanto vocabulary words to make conversation easier.) - Currently studying Japanese. I've finished all 3 levels of Pimsleur Japanese. I can only read a few basic kanji at the moment. I learned katakana from watching anime and browsing Japanese web sites, and I taught myself hiragana by reading simple books geared towards children. Went to Worldcon in Yokohama in August/Sept 2007. There I discovered the gaping holes in practical vocabulary that Pimsleur leaves, as well as the importance of reading kanji. I could understand the basic grammar, some basic vocabulary, and anything written in kana. It just wasn't enough for much serious conversation beyond the standard ritual phrases. Further study is needed.
I have also studied Egyptian Arabic (completed Pimsleur Level 1) and Mandarin Chinese (the first several Pimsleur 1 lessons), but nothing beyond basic survival phrases in either case.
Talk / Feedback
editI've rewritten this article, and have added an additional reference which lists some disadvantages of the monolithic dome. I've removed the POV tag, and would appreciate it if you could proof the article and see if you agree. scot 14:37, 9 August 2006 (UTC)
Sorry I didn't see this earlier... Both your rewrite and the current version (several months later) look better than when I last checked on the article. Bouncey 14:42, 19 June 2007 (UTC)