I live and work in a pretty geeky place. An undergrad once commented one of the reasons it’s so attractive to geeks is, “Because here, we’re normal.” Although the aggregate geekiness is high, there’s still a spectrum of geekiness in the population. (Like goldfish, some people will adjust based on their surroundings. This often has [...]
I worked on several different knitting projects last year while watching the World Cup. The timing was incredible — when I was close to finishing something, I would generally finish it exactly as the match ended. I think I finished two scarves this way. The other thing I worked on was my first teddy bear. [...]
Two media are well-designed for large group discussion on the Internets: mailing lists and message boards (extending from the Usenet and bbs traditions). Blog comment chains are similar to message boards, especially when you can use threaded comments. (Hey wp guys — anyone think off that?) I enjoy group blogs (I participate in two and [...]
Every few months someone asks me how fast I make socks. This year, I’ve been able to reply with a rate dependent on whether I’m teaching: I generally make two pair per term. This term I’m well on my way to churning out three pair. This is sock two of pair two:
I enjoy figuring out how religious practice satisfies basic human needs. (Scared of dying? Invent a happy place that people go to when they die!) It’s an intellectual exercise, much like solving my Rubik’s cube (I’ve been off the FreeCell for nine months!), that is satisfying but not too demanding. Of course, not all religious [...]