Frequently Asked Questions

In this section I pretend I am getting a landslide of questions that show up in my mailbox over and over, and, so, the most practical solution is to post them all here, in the form of a somewhat hostile, yet self-serving, interview.

So… What is The Random Factor? Is it just a catchy phrase?

I want to sound both dramatic and interesting, in answering this question, so think I should start with a pensive, “hmm…”

Although you might think it is just a catchy name for a website, the expression The Random Factor conceals meaning that is far more consequential:

The Random Factor is that unknown, but ever present element that lurks unseen and unaccounted for and whose effects cannot be predicted, but will indeed be felt, for better or worse, sometimes when least expected.

The Random Factor can sometimes be your savior, but it can also be your doom. Call it luck, if you are a non-believer, or call it fate, if you think the path is set.

Optimists will, at best, disregard The Random Factor altogether and, at worst, think it’s in their favor. Pessimists, on the other hand… well… let’s just say… are never disappointed.

Is your website powered by Artificial Intelligence?

More like… natural stupidity.

But don’t take my word for it: read some of the stuff I’ve posted here and you will quickly realize it cannot possibly be AI. Even a Texas Instruments calculator from the 1980s would have done a better job. I am not even using Grammarly.

Squarespace, the website builder I use, does offer an AI functionality where you type a summary sentence and the software produces an entire paragraph or paragraphs. I do not know how good or bad this AI technology is, I do not care to try it.

I think this whole AI thing is a sad state of affairs, and it only contributes further to the “Dead Internet Theory,” which, increasingly, is starting to sound to me like less of a theory and more like fact.

I, myself, have visited countless websites that present you with endless text that, somehow, feels blank. Yes, you are reading the text, and the words seem correct and connected, but the message somehow eludes you, kind of like a high school flashback for me.

Since you are an interpreter and translator, one would expect your website to be bilingual; how come it isn’t? This is very suspicious…

You’re kidding! right? This is a one-man operation! I barely have enough time to write at all.

Why do you bother writing things nobody will ever read?

Well… honestly, I hope somebody does, but my aim is actually three-fold, so even If only one of my objectives is fulfilled, I can still call my project a success. The reasons this website exists are the following:

First of all: it is a means for friends and family to know, at their leisure, more or less what I’ve been up to.

Second: I think it may be helpful to some… alright, to a few… OK, to one or two… if I write about my interests. I certainly enjoy reading about the experiences of others and learn a great deal in the process, so it is not a total waste of time, I hope.

Third: I am an interpreter and translator, and writing helps me hone my skills in many ways. I can write an article today, for example, and think it is all fine. But, then, I’ll come back to read it, after some time, and realize I made a myriad mistakes, the first time around, I did not spot. More succinctly put, this exercise truly helps you gradually understand how much you really suck!

Why not just use social media like Facebook or Instagram?

Sure, I could use social media, but, then, social media would own everything I posted, wouldn’t they? I’ve read the stories; one, in particular, comes to mind: a translator with a big following on her social media account (100,000+ subscribers/followers) found herself locked out of her own content without any clear explanation as to why. “Violation of community guidelines” is all she was told. She was never even given an explanation on how it was that she had violated the community guidelines; her account was simply closed, and she didn’t even get a chance to talk to anybody or even appeal the decision in any way. It was all done very quickly and unilaterally.

Remember: “There is no cloud, only somebody else’s computer.” Protect your data, keep it local!

Why not just keep a personal diary, then, and rid us of your nonsense?

Yes, I did think of that. The idea is quite appealing to an introvert, of course, but… where is the pressure to do better? If you know nobody will ever read your sad, pathetic stories, then you have no reason to do it well, do you?—or to even try! Whereas, if you are unsure of whether anyone is actually reading your stuff, then, at least, you have to make some effort to keep things tidy. Consider this a thought experiment, if you’d like, kind of like Schrodinger's Cat: the cat is either alive or dead, depending on whether someone is watching… Silly, I know, but I prefer to think that someone is reading my content. Whether that is actually the case is really irrelevant.