Stardate 20951.1 To: Dr. Vuzek Director, Anthropological Institute
Dr. Vuzek, I hope all is well with you and your pliwus. Here is a short interim report on what has been going on here lately. In what was to have been a simple replication, under the same guise, of a study run by my predecessor Narok a few uptols ago, I unwittingly antagonized my subjects. Narok made his name by successfully combining two studies in one, shortening by irmols his stay on ths Xenu-forsaken planet. (Did you catch that reference? Look it up in Narok's dissertation.) But I try the same thing and it's like stirring up a nest of flying hrvola beetles. I know this is a taboo-beset planet, but they keep creating *new* ones. Were Narok still alive, he would be fascinated with this new taboo they call "cross-posting", which has sprung up in one of their electromagnetic-based forms of communication. At first I thought this might have something to do with their ancient form of torture, in which a man is tied to a post, his arms immobilized on a cross-piece, or maybe with a talisman that figures in their Drakul legends. But this seems not to be the case. I think I am near a breakthrough with one of my informants, who is trying valiantly to explain the relevant terms. Once we understand the vocabulary, perhaps we can work out the taboo cross-correlations in some form as simple as a spreadsheet. Hey, did I just say "cross"-correlations? Aha, maybe that's the key to--- nah, let's not get our hopes up. This study reminds me every egpol of the old adage that anthropological fieldwork is hard and frustrating -- so frustrating that sometimes I want to spray my own subjects with a stiff blast of qak-hilp. Yeah, yeah, I know, Prime Directive and all that. Don't worry. I sure wish I were back on the home planet with my Forak and pilt'has. A full report will follow. Kelba Gimpa! P.S. Since we're dealing with taboos about permitted and forbidden destinations for messages, it sure would be ironic if through force of habit I sent my message to you, to them. But don't worry, I'm very careful about that. If that ever happened, I'd have to fall on my bat'leth. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Persons posting messages to not_honyaku assume all responsibility for their messages. The list owner does not review messages prior to posting, and accepts no responsibility for the content of messages posted. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
