Category: Uncategorized

  • Books Read 2023

    Looking through this list, I read an incredibly good set of books this year. In each of my annual “books read” posts I try to pick the best or most impactful one, and this year is very hard. It’s the first full year of my sabbatical, so I delved deeper into non-fiction topics, many of…

  • The Nose: A New Immersive Theatre Show

    This fall, I’ve been working intensively on directing and producing a new immersive theatre show out of The Lower Case, called The Nose. The full title, in true style is, The Nose: A Full and Complete Explanation For The Events of Nov 14-16, 1983. The show opens tonight, and runs for all of January. Grab…

  • Books Read 2022

    The Walrus and The Warwolf by Hugh Cook, i.e. the picaresque story of Drake, shithead pirate teen in a world of decaying magic, was above and beyond the most impactful book to me. Don’t just take my word for it – read China Miéville’s commentary. In non-fiction, The 1619 Project is a must-read to exist…

  • Books Read 2021

    I am in the habit of publishing the list of books I read every year. Due to world events, I forgot the last couple years. Here we are now… NK Jemisin’s The Fifth Season and MJ Lyons’ Queer Werewolves Destroy Capitalism were the most memorable pieces of fiction; both felt very human. Eric Tyson’s Investing…

  • Jobs in Industrial Research

    This post summarizes advice I’ve given several people who are looking for jobs in industry just after finishing an academic research degree. Here, I want to be helpful by not just getting you any job, but a job that is a fit for you and you excel in. It isn’t the best term, but I’m…

  • Books Read 2020

    This year was a year of very long books, often on walks, or drives. In a first, the best piece of literature I “read” was the narrative game Disco Elysium. In extreme contrast, I loved the long, ancient tomes Herodotus’ Histories, and Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron; both great reminders of the universality of humans barely…

  • Books Read 2019

    My favorite book this year is either Voyager in Night by C.J. Cherryh, or Teckla by Steven Brust. The former is about an interaction with a computer consciousness as it’s falling apart, the latter is about a socialist uprising in a fantasy world, in the context of negotiating differences in romantic relationships. Both are wonderful.…

  • Books Read 2018

    The year’s best books: Live from New York and Hugh Cook’s Wizard War ________ Gardens of the Moon – Steven Erikson – Jan 1, 2018 Starfish – Peter Watts – Jan 3, 2018 The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls – Jan 24, 2018 Surface Detail – Iain M. Banks – Feb 17, 2018 Steal the…

  • Deep Fryosleep

    (a summary of a drunken conversation from last night) For the voyage across the stars, deep freezing is bad for most biological organisms. Ice crystals, when they form at the microscopic level, can pierce and break cell walls. Animals that endure deep cold and space successfully[0] do so by removing all the moisture from their…

  • Books Read 2017

    The absolute coolest book I read this year was Vernor Vinge’s A Deepness in the Sky ________ Roadside Picnic – Arkady and Boris Strugatsky – Jan 12, 2017 Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke – Jan 27, 2017 The New Bottoming Book – Dossie Easton & Janet W Hardy – Feb 14, 2017…