Who is this?

My name is Kaloyan Kanev. It's a Bulgarian name, which comes from the Greek name Καλοϊωάννης (Kaloïōannēs), literally meaning "Handsome John". People usually shorten it and call me Kalo, since it's simpler to memorize and use in conversation. I like to think people just like to call me "Handsome".

My parents named me that way because there once was a Bulgarian tsar named Kaloyan. That's the official version. The real reason is they had alphabet soup and my mom got a cool combination.

I'm a student of Linguistics at McGill University, in Montréal. Tom Scott also studied linguistics.

  • • •  

What is linguistics?

The scientific study of language. No, it's not translation. No, it's not the study of one specific language. It's the study of language as a concept: how we use it, why we use it, why we have it in the first place, how it evolves, how it affects us on an individual level, but also globally. And much more.

  • • •  

Does that mean you speak multiple languages?

No, it doesn't, but yes I do. I speak English, French and Bulgarian natively. I can also read Russian torrent sites, and I can understand some German news articles.

  • • •  

Does language influence the mind?

What a wonderful question. However, you won't bait me that easily. I know too little about the subject to form any valid arguments against the current literature that states that no, language does not shape the mind.
That said, I wish I could disagree with the current literature.

  • • •  

Do you enjoy it, at least?

I'm not sure most academics enjoy academia. You can tell by looking at the shade of the skin under their eyes. I think academics find their field interesting - otherwise they wouldn't be working in it - and there are definitely moments of fun in an academic journey. However, it takes a lot of time and a lot of energy, that some prefer to put elsewhere.

To give an answer to your question: I don't know.
I suppose one day I will.

  • • •  

Favorite book and favorite movie?

In science fiction, I'd say The Engines of God (Jack McDevitt). For regular fiction, East of Eden (John Steinbeck). For non-fiction, All About Love (Bell Hooks). For comics, Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson), or Pico Bogue (Dominique Roques and Alexis Dormal).
My favorite movie is Arrival.

What is this?

Officially? A website.

Usually people have an idea they want to share to the public, a service they want to advertise, a product they want to sell. So, they build a website that fits their needs.

I didn't really have any grand idea to show the world when I built all this. I just liked the idea of having a website. Can you blame me?

  • • •  

Why does your website look like this?

Dieter Rams thought about what makes a product well designed. This website isn't a product, but some of Rams' principles we can still apply.

Good design is unobtrusive. No abundance of colors. Familiar typefaces. Navigation is intuitive, making use of visual cues and visual feedback. (Cursor change, italic selectables, underlined selections)

Good design is honest. The design of this website isn't trying to make it appear more innovative, more interesting, more important than it actually is. It is a simple and efficient medium for the sole purpose of transmitting thought.

Good design is long-lasting. By default, when writing HTML, text is displayed in black, Times New Roman, on a white background, left-aligned. I've taken something historically familiar (check this out), and made it appealing to the modern day: Center-aligned, uncluttered, refreshed navigation, visual feedback.

Good design is as little design as possible. This one is pretty self explanatory, and you've probably already noticed it.

Good design is aesthetic. Not to be pretentious or anything.

That said, I think that it's important that we do not artistically constrain ourselves with these principles. They exist because they work for the most part, but they are also beautiful when broken. We must all find our own means of expression.

  • • •  

Why do you have so much inline styling?

I find beauty in repetition.

  • • •