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buonaparte Wrote:I know it has nothing to do with the thread at hand, but does the thread at hand have anything to do with itself?

Yes it does. CreepyAF brought up some realy interesting observations, and did so without any condescending viewpoint, nor making strong statements one way or another.

I thought it was interesting to learn a little more about the man behind the blog. And the changes that happened to the blog over time. The sites that are connected to the blog (name servers).

Tzadeck Wrote:

yogert909 Wrote:

sunehiro Wrote:Ah, you misspelt Marx, too, but since you probably don't believe in such a dumb and ineffective method like googling things I actually have to congratulate you for getting the others right.

ah, but you misspelt Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck.

This is why one should hesitate before insulting people.
( T_T)＼(^-^ )

I wasn't insulting anyone, just adding fun to the thread. And I think I succeded (right, buonaparte?).

Anyway my bad, I'm probably too commie to ignore a potential Marx reference/joke and leave it untold.

buonaparte Wrote:PS
I know it has nothing to do with the thread at hand, but does the thread at hand have anything to do with itself?

^ this made my day. Thank you buonaparte.

CreepyAF Wrote:

kameden Wrote:

mattimus Wrote:Well that and learning that Khatz is Kenyan royalty.

I was thinking about this earlier, someone said that him having money was an advantage, but didn't he have like 3 part time jobs when he was studying Japanese? So he didn't have money? Or he lied about having a job? It seems he probably had an average amount of money for a person going to school.

I always assumed Khatz came from a wealthy background. Call me politically incorrect, but I figured a guy from a poorly industrialized African nation, speaking with a British accent, and going to university in the U.S. was likely from that country's 1%.

As some person wisely stated before in this thread, Khatz exaggerates things. One of the three jobs was cleaning a bookstore. Were the other two ever stated? I don't recall.

But nonetheless, if Khatz being "Kenyan royalty" was an advantage, I think it would be about the mindset that comes along with being of affluence more than the monetary flexibility.

I'm pretty sure that he was Kenyan royalty.

Here's a tidbit of info I found interesting- Momoko considers her involvement with the AJATT site to have ended in Jan 2011. (Information sourced from an online resume of sorts.)

Based on this source, Momoko's involvement with the site was primarily proof reading, designing graphics, creating content, and some translation.

I find the date January 2011 noteworthy because of its specific nature. I wonder if there was an important change behind the scenes of AJATT at the time.

Originally I thought it might have to do with Silverspoon, but the timeline doesn't quite match up, at least from the public's point of view (SS announced April 14 2011, launched April 30 2011).

I don't know what to make of this. Interesting, nonetheless.

K's ex-S.O., Momoko is not Japanese I take it?

kapalama Wrote:K's ex-S.O., Momoko is not Japanese I take it?

Momoko is half Polish, half Korean, half American. The fourth missing half is Momoko.

kapalama Wrote:K's ex-S.O., Momoko is not Japanese I take it?

buonaparte Wrote:Momoko is half Polish, half Korean, half American. The fourth missing half is Momoko.

She's of European decent. Whether she is Polish, American, Polish-American, Polerican- I have no idea. "Momoko" is a nickname. Her real name is a generic anglo name.

PS This thread feels way more at home here in the off topic Koohii lounge.

Did she come from wherever he came from with her?

I am trying to make sense with that in terms of immersion.

kapalama Wrote:Did she come from wherever he came from with her?

I am trying to make sense with that in terms of immersion.

Khatz has left little nuggets throughout AJATT on how they met in relation to the immersion project. They seem to have met in college in Utah, and were together during the major phases of Khatz's immersion. I don't think Momoko went as hardcore with learning Japanese as Khatz, but she does consider herself "business proficient" in the language. He never said specifically, but I am under the impression they moved to Japan together as a couple.

In his own words how he handled having an English speaking significant other:

"I removed any and all English that was not necessary — not necessary to my livelihood, safety or a basic minimum maintenance level for key relationships. For example: when I would talk to Momoko’s dad, I often didn’t take off both earphones (just one side)."

[Zgarbas]

I never read much Ajatt because I found it boring, so I never realised how absolutely obsessive it can be. Do people actually do this?

Wonder what her dad said to this rude obnoxious kid who keeps listening to music while talking to him. That's a total breach of etiquette where I'm from.

Competing for the best method - looking for new tricks merely to top fellow peers - burns out your desire to intrinsically learn the language. He's nearly 35 I think. Maybe he's grown out of competitive writing. [The feeling I get from his writings is similar to that of a hypercompetitor's; his sense of competitiveness made him reveal all his methods and rebuttals in a post when anyone had some slight opposition thus creating an optimal system that inspired or influenced and shaped the minds of many to search for the best method]

Anyhow, anyone notice how much iKnow.jp has improved, to the limit of six thousand core words. Their service covers reading, writing, listening, and speaking - forms of input and output. They cover many of the methodologies explored by Nest0r and Khatzumoto.

Aspiring Wrote:Competing for the best method - looking for new tricks merely to top fellow peers - burns out your desire to intrinsically learn the language. He's nearly 35 I think. Maybe he's grown out of competitive writing. [The feeling I get from his writings is similar to that of a hypercompetitor's; his sense of competitiveness made him reveal all his methods and rebuttals in a post when anyone had some slight opposition thus creating an optimal system that inspired or influenced and shaped the minds of many to search for the best method]

Interesting angle. I always thought Khatz was a lot more driven than his laid-back internet persona let on.

The concept of hypercompetition also explains why he piled a load of poo ontop of the golden era AJATT content. In my favorite AJATT post, Bucolic Wisdom, Khatz says this:

"I submit to you that it is because so many of us live in urban environments, that we have trouble learning languages or doing any kind of sustained long-term project. We give up on our languages; we give up on our blogs; we give up on exercise; we give up on diets; we give up on New Year’s Resolutions by mid-February; we give up on reading Tolstoy."

To me, this line explains why Khatz kept things going long after the party was over. Khatzumoto, the man who is a whiz at anything he puts his mind to, surely would not be like the common folk who give up on their blogs. Many people give up, but not him.

I might be over-analyzing this. But hey, I have to do something while I lurk in the shadows of creepiness. ::keyboard clatter from the eerie mist intensifies::

Zgarbas Wrote:I never read much Ajatt because I found it boring, so I never realised how absolutely obsessive it can be. Do people actually do this?

Wonder what her dad said to this rude obnoxious kid who keeps listening to music while talking to him. That's a total breach of etiquette where I'm from.

While that particular incident can be construed as rude, I'm just going to assume that Khatz explained to the lady's father what was going on.

The only feature I've taken from AJATT and managed to stick with was the method of listening to Japanese constantly. I've found it effective, tbh. Everything else in regards to immersion I've tried, and it's fun, but at the same time I've found that I just couldn't remain consistent with it. But that speaks more about my personal dedication and drive than it says anything about the method.

However, some people probably can keep up with it, and have.

TsugiAshi Wrote:

Zgarbas Wrote:I never read much Ajatt because I found it boring, so I never realised how absolutely obsessive it can be. Do people actually do this?

Wonder what her dad said to this rude obnoxious kid who keeps listening to music while talking to him. That's a total breach of etiquette where I'm from.

While that particular incident can be construed as rude, I'm just going to assume that Khatz explained to the lady's father what was going on.

I think this is a legitimate part of the disagreement between the pro- and anti-AJATT groups though. I think it's selfish to be rude to someone in the name of your studies, and then expect them to forgive you. For anyone with a normal social and family life, AJATT seems to be asking a lot of learners.

did anyone else interpret khatz's final tweet as a hint to his disappearance?


Khatzumoto ‏@ajatt Oct 3
【落（ち）目】おちめ ①商売や勢力などが下り坂になること。「━になるとだれも寄り付かない」 ②商品の数量が送り状の記載よりも減っていること。 #daijirin

its the definition for a japanese word that translates into "decline of one's fortunes," like when a product or business stops selling.... maybe ajatt wasnt doing well financially?

add this to the conspiracy theory

That implies it was a planned leave and not just burn out then.

ya if that is his last tweet, his last publicly recorded statement, then I think we've solved the puzzle. influence and sales were in decline, couldn't sell to anyone.
It's actually quite nice of him to somewhat cryptically inform those who actually did really listen and care, and in doing so learned the language that was the point of the website, what was going on and why he left.

If anyone has the time, could they offer a translation of the tweet?

Uh I can totally read it. Just asking for a friend. Yeah.

CreepyAF Wrote:If anyone has the time, could they offer a translation of the tweet?

Uh I can totally read it. Just asking for a friend. Yeah.

http://i.imgur.com/VryCUXB.jpg

【落（ち）目】おちめ ①商売や勢力などが下り坂になること。「━になるとだれも寄り付かない」 ②商品の数量が送り状の記載よりも減っていること

[Ochi-me] 1. when business or power begins to decline. "when [you or something] becomes ochi-me, people stop approaching [you, it]." 2. when the quantity of a product is less than the invoice statement





he was tweeting it at some hashtag where japanese people tweet difficult words to improve their vocabulary. he tweeted these kind of things a lot but this one happened to be the last one

eightyd Wrote:【落（ち）目】おちめ ①商売や勢力などが下り坂になること。「━になるとだれも寄り付かない」 ②商品の数量が送り状の記載よりも減っていること

[Ochi-me] 1. when business or power begins to decline. "when [you or something] becomes ochi-me, people stop approaching [you, it]." 2. when the quantity of a product is less than the invoice statement





he was tweeting it at some hashtag where japanese people tweet difficult words to improve their vocabulary. he tweeted these kind of things a lot but this one happened to be the last one

Thanks for the followup

CreepyAF Wrote:If anyone has the time, could they offer a translation of the tweet?

Uh I can totally read it. Just asking for a friend. Yeah.

Somehow, that is even creepier in full size, rather than avatar size.

It fits with what you asked, and the way you asked it, in a "so creepy it's cute" kinda way.

Is it a selfie?

kapalama Wrote:Is it a selfie?

Maybe- you're just making me blush more. ::Teehee::

Oh for heaven's sake! I have had enough of this stupid smoke-and-mirror nudge-nudge-wink-wink games.

Here are all the details, knock yourselves out.

This link is crucial, as it gives his real name: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Katyana-Ro...nt-1116749

Once you have this, you can Google the rest. All information is in the public domain.

Khatzumoto, aka Katyana Katesha Rogo-Manduli, gets divorced: http://www.utahsright.com/divorceprofile.php?id=1218557

Khatzumoto's mother is a high-profile Kenyan lady, and his late father was a member of the Zambian royal family: https://www.facebook.com/VoltzMedia/post...6383770994

Momoko, aka Sarah Graham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgraham5

Rally driver...his mom is a badass.