“I’ve had an action-packed couple of weeks and thought I’d take the chance to share with you guys exactly what I’ve used your money for, and what we’ve already done. Here’s the very shiny computer (Lenovo) and camera (Sony Cybershot) that you guys funded.”

“With the help of my clever and patient boyfriend I was able to get such a good price that I could afford a heap of extra peripherals, including cases for both items, an SD card for the camera, a small USB backup drive and mouse for the computer and an English-Nepali dictionary to help with the work. The computer has a great battery life, which is important because in Kathmandu we’re currently without electricity for 14 hours a day!

I’ve deliberately set the computer up to make doing the work as easy as possible. As you can see from the screen shot, only the programs they need are on the front page. I’ve also tweaked it so that all the important files are saved via Dropbox – which means that whenever they connect the computer to the internet I’ll get an updated copy of the file. This will make it easier to work together when I go back to Australia.

For the last couple of months I’ve been cleaning up a database file (that’s the Toolbox program you see on the desktop). This file was made using the scanned copies of pages from an original 1970s dictionary, of which there are probably only one or two now, as they were manually typed up and copied. It was rather cool looking, but limited in its uses.”

“I got this dictionary scanned last time I was visiting and a friend managed to use a character reader to take the text and put it in the database. The database makes working with the data so much easier as we can work on one entry at a time. It also means that we can make prettier dictionaries.”

“This is the data from the old dictionary – from the database I only spend an hour formatting it to look like this – with a database behind you suddenly making a dictionary is a lot quicker!

Of course, although it looks pretty it’s still the old data and there are lots of problems with it. For starters, the Kagate people have their own alphabet, as does Nepali, so we have to put those in instead of the Latin alphabet. Also, many of the entries need more work – and some words are plain missing (for example, the numbers seven, eleven and nineteen – which is much easier to figure out when you have a database setup).”

“We’re already off to a good start. I’ve spent one training day with Pramod and will continue to work with him while here and when I get home. Pramod and his family are extremely grateful for your help. They asked me to pass on their thanks. This kind of work isn’t quick – but I’ll be sure to send you some updates as things progress!”

We were so excited to hear this news. Personally I was intrigued to see the word “liih”, used for place of emotions. Nothing really comes to mind for an English word to use instead. “Internet” perhaps? I guess that’s more like a series of tubes.

Photo by Ben Welland at Byfield~Pitman Photography

The team has started Apartment613 Community Initiatives and will host a series of lectures and discussions that will explore themes on how to make Ottawa a better place. Topics range from creating a public library that would be the envy of the country to engaging Ottawa’s youth through city-funded skate parks. They hope to host these lectures seasonally starting in February 2012 and will disseminate each session through www.apt613.ca and on CHUO FM. The grant from Awesome Ottawa will allow the team to rent the necessary equipment and space costs for at least four lectures, allowing them to host a full year of events. We are excited to have this initiative in Ottawa and eagerly look forward to being a part of it!

In her words:

“While on a field trip in 2009 I met speakers of a language called Kagate through a friend. These people had a linguist come and work with them in the 1970s, she published a paper on the sounds of the language and left them a single copy typewritten dictionary. The language is endangered with only around 1000 speakers and one of the youngest is now 26. He’s also computer literate and speaks Kagate, Nepali and English. He wants to record his language before it’s too late.”

For the project she’ll be working with her friend to make the dictionary better and share it using a small custom press to make copies and creating a web version. The dictionary will become the first major publication made in this language and will be a chance for the speakers to proactively work to maintain their language. This also offers us the remarkable opportunity to merge LOLspeak and Kagate to make us truly knowledgeable internet users. Well done Lauren!

Participants are photographed somewhere meaningful to or representative of their life in Ottawa, and the long-form, in-depth interviews follow on that theme. Past participants who have been profiled include a homeless youth (Corey), a local artist (Colin), a sex worker (Lindsay), an urban dancer (Sucre), and many more.

Anne says: “I’ve always been fascinated by the way people experience place, and how where we live shapes our identities and lives. Hello Ottawa started in September 2010 as a way for me to explore and learn about Ottawa, and get to know the people who live here. The project is also a great way to help people in Ottawa learn about some of the amazing people who share the city, and who they might not otherwise meet or hear about.”

Since starting Hello Ottawa a year ago, Anne has posted 23 profiles and interviewed more than 50 people; right now has a waiting list of about a dozen potential participants. She will put our money to use with transcription services as each profile take her 10-15 hours to complete. This will allow her to post more frequently to her blog and bring more of these fascinating stories to life! Good luck Anne!

We are pleased to announce that our October Awesome Grant goes to Terri Ann Daniels! Her project, which she has asked us to keep secret for the time being, will help educate and empower young women to make informed decisions regarding their bodies. She is currently drumming up volunteers and other support to get the site up and running. Best of luck Terri!