Infrequently Asked Questions
- Is "Sai" really your full name? How is it pronounced?
- Yes, Sai is really my full, true, legal name; yes, it's on my driver's license and passport. It's pronounced thus (no "Mr." or the like please). I am mononymous.
I have previously used the surname "Emrys", but don't do so any more. I do however retain "Sai Emrys" as my legally registered DBA for times when I am forced to use a binym.
My birth name is different. I changed my name under the common law in about 2001, and obtained a court order in 2011. While my birth name isn't a secret exactly - there are public records and old papers that do list it - it is private and not something I'm comfortable with, and you may not call me by it. I'd prefer that you do me the courtesy of not including it in whatever you're writing.
P.S. Coders: please don't get naming wrong when you're making your DB.
- What's that glyph thingy?
- It's my personal emblem. It started in Japanese class in high school. The core part is from ani ("older brother"); symbolically it's a big head on big legs.
The rays around it represented the afro / air of brilliance that people back then thought I had. It was nothing more than a doodle until later, when I adopted it as a visual analogue of my handle (saizai).
It isn't, in fact, a Japanese (or Chinese) character; it's not even orthographically valid, as one never has upwards strokes like the top one. The closest you
can say is that it's a mon, a personal symbol of arbitrary form that has nothing in particular
to do with kanji other than accidental resemblance.
It's typically in light forest green because I just like the color.
- Ack, you're twitching / can't speak! What should I do?
- Relax. I carry wallet cards with the major info. Read this for more. It's happened before; I'm used to it. Make sure I have sugar, water, and comfort, and try understanding my ASL or mouthing (or worst case, writing). It's mostly not dangerous, just frustrating.
- What languages do you speak?
- English natively. Russian semi-natively, but I read slowly, can't write, and don't have fluent command of high-register speech. American Sign Language, French, & Spanish good enough to converse on most topics at nearly full speed. I can barely get by in Japanese; enough to write some haiku, but mostly forgotten. I've also studied Arabic and Mandarin, but unfortunately have forgotten almost all of it.
- Are you in a relationship?
- Yes. My boyfriend is Alex Fink. He's very shiny.
I can date other people too so long as you're good at communicating etc.
- So you're gay?
- No.
- Who took that photo of you?
- Julia Wolf, at 27C3. She's awesome.
- Can I friend you on ____? Why didn't you friend me back?
- If you want to friend me somewhere, go ahead. FWIW, I usually only friend people who are my friends in real life. But I'm happy to make new
ones; that's what conversation is for, so ping me sometime for IM or tea.
- Don't you moderate that thing?
- I moderate
conlangs,
conlangs,
cognitive science,
academic_empath (empirical), and
empaths (woo)... at least hypothetically. I haven't really touched 'em in years, so if you want to take over, let me know.
- It's an emergency! Where's your contact info / advance medical directives / will?
- Go here. Some of that will only be shown to people I trust and have added to the appropriate filters. (Also, you can go there to see what filters you're on.)
- I'm googlestalking you. Where can I find out more?
- Read this.
Amusing quotes
Is Saiïsm [something in Sai's idiolect] cognate with seism?
Don BoozerHoho. I read that as se-ism, related to 'seity', 'selfhood', in which case I think yes, Saiïsm is related to seism and to suism (selfishness, prioritizing one's own
goals and needs), so a kind of 'selfism' then, understood not as a kind of callousness or psychopathy, but rather as a product of being both independent-minded and sui generis, a species with a
population of 1.
And Rosta
