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Identity: Math and Myth
What does it mean to have an identity? If you don’t look too closely, you might think that you can simply adopt a set of labels, slap them on yourself, and go forth into the world as a sequence of nouns. But that’s not how it works in practice. And socially constructed reality is all about…
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The Problem of Naming
“This is a Blarg,” said my partner, placing his glass of wine in the middle of the table. We were at a friend’s house late in the evening, on a rare vacation without our children. The conversation had taken a turn, as they frequently do in my world, for the philosophical. We had a moment…
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In Which The User of The Magical Power Grid Meets the Gnomes
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke …except when it isn’t. Me This morning a tree fell on the power lines down the road from my house. It was raining, and dark, and generally unpleasant outside. But within an hour of my awaking, power was restored, and all was good. Flicker,…
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“Position Yourself,” He Said
(This blog has a glossary. Or it will, someday.) When I was in grad school the second time, I signed up for a course taught by a radical queer theorist/anthropologist. Because that’s what all physics teachers need, you know? My very first assignment in this course was to summarize the readings (three full length academic…
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Paying Attention for $$$!
(I’m going to tell you how much I spend on utilities, in real dollars! Eventually.) This is a part of my daily life that has been growing for years, so I think it deserves a mention. It’s partially frugal, partially environmental, and partially an exercise in testing limits – how little can we use? It…
