[humanmarkup-comment] HM.GroupProject: Tag a short story

Here is a unique experiment that I would like to try with the group. I have penned a rather small short-story that is in plain-text format. What I would like you all to do is to mark up the text of the story to include various datatypes classes such as:

Kinesics: The study of nonlinguistic bodily movements, such as gestures and facial expressions, as a systematic mode of communication. (With subclasses such as facial gestures, bodily gestures, etc)

There an exhaustive list of possible markup categories that we can focus on. For simplicity we should focus on perhaps just the kinesics issues for now.

This project was suggested to me by Ranjeeth. I believe that we should look at the various basic tagging techniques, styles, and suggestions from group members to see how we can inductively decide how to develop a common and authoritative syntax and markup method for HumanMarkup.

I know this is, dare I say it, *work*, but it is for a good purpose. I invite you all to tag this short story and post your work on the comments board for everyone to see. Your work will not be graded and there is no due date. (Hopefully this will assuage any residual psychological blowback from memories of late papers and irate professors. ;-) ) This is just a small project to get everyone focused on the what, why, and hows of HM XML tagging.

On a chilly, wet afternoon in early autumn Spiro Diapolus stood behind the counter of the Delicacy Diner. It was lunchtime. Outside the rain had already fallen so that the leaves from the trees made the ground look as it was covered with a colorful afghan. The street was busy, and inside the diner there were a dozen customers settling down to eat. Spiro, folding the Daily Times upon the counter, scanned the headlines. His hand rubbed his chin intensely as if trying to erase something from his own person. He could not read, as was his normal custom, for the sounds of a different day confronted his senses.

Jake removed a bill from his wallet. He handed Spiro a twenty. Jake was attired as usual, although Spiro could note that Jake had a certain look of man who had slept in his suit. Perhaps it was his beard Spiro thought. Then again, it's hard to tell.

Watching him leave, Sprio could see that his old friend was the same as always. Things just seem different. Outside the door, a new middle-aged couple entered the diner. Unlike Jake, they we not familiar. They seemed out of place in this urban diner.

Lilly grabbed two menus and lead the couple to their table. Careworn and tired, Lilly's lips parted a nearly imperceptible smile as the two guests opened their menus. She returned to filling the salt shakers and ketchup bottles.

"Damn shame Marie," as the man fumbling through the plastic covered pages of the menu. His hands were large, masculine, the hands of a man who worked for a living. "Damn shame."

"I don't feel like eating much Earl, there's too much on my mind. You know I can't feel much like eating after that long flight."

Putting the menu on the table, Marie raised her hands to her face and held them there as if trying to cover her eyes. Taking a swift path to her forward Marie rubbed her temples emphatically.

"Well, honey we are gonna go see that boy this afternoon, and he is coming home with us whether he likes it or not. Working in this damn fool city has gotta end."

From behind the counter, Spiro turned his gaze from his paper to see the arrival of two men. Both were attired in navy blue suits, they kind of looked like twins. The taller of two, wore dark glasses which he promptly removed to his jacket pocket upon entering the diner. The shorter man held a large manila folder filled with unevenly filed papers of many colors.

Lilly went off to the coffeemachine. Rows of heavy earthenware mugs were sitting atop a shelf above her head. Carefully taking down two mugs, Lilly poured the steaming coffee. As the acrid aroma of slightly overcooked coffee entered her nose she couldn't help but notice the hushed tones of her two twin customers. Their ill cut blazers indicated that these two were not of the executive crowd.

"The district supervisor is breathing down my neck. If I don't get these files to the temporary office they will have my head."

"This looks really bad Art. With loses like this we can expect serious cutbacks in our department especially since we lost the Yokimora account."

"Well at least we wouldn't have to take the damn ferry across the river every morning," said Art sipping his coffee with a wry smile.

Dropping a pencil on the ground, Lilly carefully picked it up to finish her tally. Carefully adding the numbers on her pad, she took a careful look at the table in the corner which sat four college kids from the university. They were the loudest table in the diner. Smiling and in good spirits the students looked carefree.

Lilly was surprised at herself. She didn't consider herself prejudiced. A church-going person, she felt that such a feeling was wrong and sinful. Feelings of discomfort welled up inside her as she walked to the table and handed the students their bill.

Handing Lilly a five dollar bill for a tip, the man and his friends took their bookbags and walked down the isle to the door. Almost crumpling the bill in her hand, Lilly felt ashamed and put the guilty bill inside her pocket. That was the best tip she had received all day.

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